Falling Softly

GOOD NEWS

Kavya's POV

In the past few days, I did very few chores. I had thought that having in-laws around would increase the workload and be a burden, but it turned out to be the opposite. My mother-in-law would wake up early and prepare breakfast and lunch. While I helped her as much as I could, she was the boss lady in the kitchen. This allowed me to take a break and relax. The cherry on top was that she always had dinner ready before I came home in the evening.

It felt amazing to come back from work and eat in peace. However, I was worried about Aaryan's behavior. We had hardly spoken in these days; there hadn't been a single proper conversation between us. The main reason was his recent timings - he came home super late and left very early for the office.

I was enjoying my tea when he rushed into our bedroom, fresh out of the bathroom. He didn't even look at me as he quickly donned his formal shirt while a white towel was wrapped around his waist. "Aaryan..." I started, but he cut me off.

"Kavya, can we talk later?" He adjusted his collar and grabbed his pants in a hurry. I turned to look out the window, shaking my head, and then focused on my tea again.

There were a lot of people in the house, but it felt empty that day. I was really hoping to find out what was going on with him. At least we could talk it out. Did I do something wrong? Thoughts wandered in my mind. I had breakfast and left for work.

I couldn't concentrate at work, occupied by so many thoughts. I opened my phone gallery and started staring at the pictures. There were beautiful pictures from my wedding. A picture with my brother and parents made me quite emotional. I swiped left, and then a bio-data photo came up. It was Aaryan's photo with a few details text on the image.

Yes, that was the photo I saw before accepting the marriage. I saw the date, and my eyes lit up. It was his birthday in a few days. I had my reason to cheer up. Let me give him a surprise. I noticed he doesn't wear any watches. I quickly opened a shopping app and started checking watches.

I was interrupted by my colleague, Raghav. "What happened? Did you get promoted?" he asked. He must have guessed from how excited I was.

"What! I just joined!" I laughed it off. He peeked into the monitor.

"These watches are for men, you know that, right?" he joked.

I just laughed it off and continued shopping.

"There's a big sale and offers coming tomorrow. I have a premium account and might get delivery faster," he continued. I was a bit annoyed but intrigued by the idea of the offers and fast delivery.

"Just do one thing, send me the link. I will order it tomorrow from my account."

"Okay!" I said. Browsing through different watches, I selected one and sent the link to him.

Aaryan and I were supposed to leave work early today to drop our parents off at the bus station. I left the office early and reached home. Two bags were sitting on the table, and they were ready to go. I greeted them as soon as I entered and quickly changed into casual clothes.

"Beta! I am a bit worried," my mother-in-law said as she looked at the clock. Tension was clear on her face. "Does he come home this late regularly?" she asked, referring to Aaryan's recent late returns. She was worried too. "No, only sometimes. He's totally fine, don't worry about it," I assured her, not wanting to give her any more reason to worry.

We waited for some time, but he didn't come. I even called him and sent him texts, reminding him that he was supposed to come home early. "No problem, some work must have come up. He might be busy. Let's get going," my father-in-law said as he grabbed the bags and started putting them out in the lobby.

I felt really bad at that moment, but I couldn't do anything. He should have just called and said goodbye to his parents at least. I was clearly pissed at him.

There wasn't much time, as we had a reservation for the bus. I booked a cab, and we reached the bus station on time. The bus was a bit crowded, but thankfully we had reserved seats.

"Okay, beta! Take care of yourself," my father-in-law spoke. I touched their feet to take their blessings. As they were entering the bus, my mother-in-law turned towards me and touched my cheeks. "Send us the good news soon," she chuckled.

I was confused and shocked to some extent. They settled in their seats, and I waved them goodbye as their bus left the station. My fake smile melted as soon as the bus was out of my sight. What did she mean by "GOOD NEWS"? She obviously meant having a child. I didn't think we were even one percent ready to have a child. We had barely hugged each other till now, and that too probably only once when I got my job. Nerves cracked, and my stomach started to feel weird. I'm not against having kids; I want to have them, but I don't see it happening soon.

Why did they have to drop this bomb before leaving? I cursed my luck and hired an auto to go home. It was late when I reached home. Dinner was ready, so I just texted Aaryan to eat without me, as it might take longer to reach home.

The whole ride, I looked outside at the buildings. When we first arrived in this new city, I looked at these buildings in search of hope and new opportunities. Now, they seemed dark and scary to me. My mind wasn't in the right place. Anger, confusion, an upset stomach, and sadness were all residing in me at that time. I was just deeply upset. I already felt cornered in the past few days, and this bomb that had just recently dropped made me more anxious.

I walked out of the auto and reached home only to find out that Aaryan hadn't returned home yet. Worries crept in. I unlocked the door, sat on the sofa, and stared at the wall without even switching on the light as my mind drew imaginary scenarios of my thoughts on the wall.

Thank you for reading, add star it encourages me.