Celestial Bond

6

Sita🌻

"Alright, you can put this in the basket, Arjun," I said, noticing the faint smile tug at his lips. He had recently asked me to call him by his name, and I liked how it felt.

We were at the market, and my husband was acting like a kid. I was sorting through the brinjals, picking the best ones, while he grabbed whatever he saw—mostly bad ones. But when he finally found a good one, and I told him to put it in the basket, he gave me this smug little smile, like he was proud of himself.

"Is this your first time in a market?" I asked, watching him pay the full price without a second thought. I had to jump in and bargain for him, every single time.

"No, you could say it's my first time in over 11 years. I used to go with my mother when I was a kid," he said, catching my eye before he added, "But now, I'm here with you."

I stayed quiet, hoping he'd keep talking.

"I remember how my mother used to bargain, just like you," he continued with a soft laugh. "She'd hold my hand and I help her pick the vegetables. She'd even give me a piece of ladyfinger to eat, saying it would make me a math genius every time we visit a market."

I could feel the warmth in his voice as he spoke about his mother, a tender love in every word.Taking his free hand in mine, I glanced at the nearby stalls and said, "She was right—you did become a math genius, all thanks to Aaradhya Maa and her lady's finger trick."

Arjun paused, and I felt his gaze on me, heavy and full of something deep.

"Here, eat this ladyfinger, since I might need your help with my calculus assignments." I said, plucking one from the basket and playfully pushing it toward Arjun's mouth.

He just shook his head, amused, and went back to paying.

Later, I finally got a much-needed shower while Arjun headed out for some work after we packed all the vegetables into the fridge. I wrapped myself in a towel since I hadn't brought my clothes in, figuring I'd change in the bedroom since Arjun was out.

Just as I reached for the doorknob, I froze. I heard voices.

"Rohith, get off my bed," Arjun's irritated voice rang through the bathroom door.

"I'm not moving, okay? That project review drained me. And it took ages for you to let me in—I had to beg! You almost made me review it in the parking lot." Rohith, his friend, replied, sounding just as frustrated.

I could picture Arjun's scowl as they bickered.

"Where's your wife, the one who got our entire WhatsApp group buzzing with that backflip video?" Rohith asked, clearly teasing.

I shivered from the cold, realizing the towel was soaked from my head bath. I glanced around, spotting one of Arjun's sweaters left out for washing. Without thinking twice, I slipped it on. It was oversized, reaching my thighs, and smelled faintly of him.

"I think she went to the neighbor's house or something," Arjun replied.

After my bath, I decided to head over to our neighbor's apartment and made sure to let Arjun know.

"By the way, she's getting pretty popular at the dance club," Rohith added, clearly entertained.

"Of course she is," Arjun replied with pride. "Whose wife do you think she is?"

My heart did a backflip of its own hearing that, butterflies bursting to life.

His wife. I am Arjun's wife.

"Yeah, yeah, she's your wife. But what are you gonna do when every guy there asks her out? You can't just announce she's taken!" Rohith teased, pushing Arjun even more.