You Feel Like Home

Chapter 16: What Is Love?

~Avyansh~

Today's day was so wholesome. I was out with Arushi for the whole day, roaming and visiting some nature related places that she liked. Our visit to the botanical garden was going well. She was looking so happy and free like a kid. She was behaving like one, jumping from one sector to another and of course dragging me with herself but I didn't care. I was fine with everything until she's happy which she definitely was.

I, now, finally have a nickname for her, Orchid. Even though I don't know what came in my mind but when she compared herself to dandelions, I didn't like it a bit. She wasn't weak like dandelions, she was strong like Orchids that can thrive in any situation with perseverance and resilience. So since then I've been calling her that. She knows why I call her that and even though she didn't like the idea initially, she agreed later on when I asked if I could call her that.

So, it's set now, I'm her Ansh and She's my Orchid!

Although the whole visit didn't go well with our encounter with the teenage couple kissing openly in public. Heck they were kissing, it was more like they were eating each other. Weird and shameless as hell! I was too stunned by the scenario and so was Arushi. She was completely flustered and I too felt stupid to hope that we never get caught like this. We both had our reasons to maintain that awkward silence till she broke it saying all those possible benefits of ‘kissing’. The way she was making me understand how ‘normal’ it was to kiss, honestly it felt more embarrassing than actually catching the couple kiss in public.

I was feeling like I was some of her patient and not her husband by the way she was explaining things to me. I mean why to explain the benefits when we can easily get it. We anyway were just a step far from actually having our first kiss at the dining last day. She was all ready with closed eyes and shallow breathes, it doesn't take a genius to understand she was feeling the heat between us as much as I did. But that wasn't the right time or place to do it, so I tried to calm both of us by pecking her forehead. Hope it worked for her even though it wasn't much helpful to me. Not going to that topic!!

Phew! But apart from that indecent kissing incident, everything went superb today. I saw a totally different side of Orchid which was more childish and less calculative. And honestly I loved that side and how. The walk around the seashore, the race, the small ice-cream moment, her laughter, her smile, her carefreeness, everything made this day more valuable than anything.

And now finally driving back home, she was already fast asleep in the car, looking tired. She was exhausted but contentedly happy, that matters the most. So I didn't call her up again.

We reached home in a while and I scooped her up in my arms instead of disturbing her nap. She instantly snuggled more, lazily throwing her arms around me. I smiled at her antics then somehow managed to ring the doorbell while making sure she doesn't wake up by all the movements.

Mom opened the door and seeing Arushi in my arms, she panicked for a minute. But before she could assume or say something, I cleared it up to her. “Mom, she just fell asleep being tired, don't worry”, I kept my voice low but Arushi still stirred a bit. Thankfully she didn't wake up and Mom too was relieved that she was just sleeping so she let us go upstairs.

I took Arushi to our room and made her lay down on the bed. Removing her sandals and any accessory that could hurt her in sleep, I tucked her in the comforter. I got freshen up and changed then checking her once more, I went downstairs to Mom. Even though she didn't show, her eyes reflected the sadness that I was going back and even taking her daughter with me. Sometimes I feel like I'm her son-in-law and not son. This is not jealousy rather I was happy. I was okay feeling like her son-in-law until Arushi's getting a mother's love. That's what I want, my- our family to make her feel at home.