Kshitij got Kritika [Completed✓]

CHAPTER ~ 22

POV :~ KRITIKA

"Why are you not eating anything, Kritika?" Kshitij whispered, leaning down.

I wasn't able to eat actually. Because of the constant lump that I was feeling in my throat knowing the fact that I was going to get seperated from my mother in a few minutes.

"Hey! What's wrong?" He murmured, his voice so soft and so low that tears rolled down the corner of my eyes.

"Kritika," he clicked his tongue, "Shit. Damn. Why are you crying? What's wrong, tell me na."

"I don't w-want to.. eat," I replied, stuttering.

"So don't eat. But don't cry," his hand fisted, "please."

He paused for a minute and then spoke, "Is this about your mother — leaving?"

For a second, I looked up, our eyes locked. His chair shifted a little closer to mine and our knees brushed a little.

He forwarded me his handkerchief. "You think I'll leave her alone at your house?"

My eyes snapped to him.

He shook his head, "How can you even think that I'll just let her leave to her own home and not ask her to live with us at our place?"

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

He nodded his head, "Ofcourse, Kritika," he wiped my tears off with his handkerchief and muttered, "I'll ask her—"

"But she'll never agree, Kshitij."

I know her. She lived with Kshitij's family for one month only because I was out of city. Now she knows I'm in the city. She will never agree to stay at her daughter's in law's house. Never ever. It will hurt her self-respect and self-esteem.

His forefinger brushed against my forefinger, and I curled my finger against his. He pulled my finger little more closer, our eyes fixed on our fingers as we played with each other, seeking intimacy and comfort in that.

"I can only ask her. I cannot force her."

Our eyes moved together as we looked up, gazing into each other's eyes.

"But if she doesn't agree, Kritika. You know you've your freedom. You're my wife."

I brushed my thumb over the back of his hand, "No one will stop you ever or even ask you a single question about you visiting her or even staying with her for as long as you wish, until I myself think of doing so, seeing that I'm your husband."

He chuckled, "But I think you already know I'll never do that, right?"

I nodded my head, sadness replacing smile on my lips.

"Come-on eat now. Quick," he said to me. I nodded, finally eating my food and stealing glances to look at him, knowing that I've him now.

I. Have. Him. Now.

~

The weight of the moment bore down on me as the toughest moment of my life approached me. Tears streamed down my face as I hugged my mother tightly, her frail frame trembling with the effort to stay composed. This was the moment I had dreaded the most, the one where I had to leave my home, my mother, and step into a new life.

Kshitij stood nearby, his face solemn yet filled with understanding. When we pulled apart, he stepped forward, his eyes meeting mine then my  mother's with a determined look.

“Mumma,” he began, his voice steady but laced with emotion. “I know this is a difficult time for all of us, but I have a request. Please come stay with us. I know you’re not well, and I can’t bear the thought of you being alone, really.”