The Workaholic Wife ✅

The Aspiring Perfectionist

"Oh, how about Raine?" I exclaim, shifting to face Aniket. He lays sprawled on the bed, completely at ease with my head over his muscled arms.

"How about anything but rain?" Aniket remarks, scrunching his nose in the most adorable way a man can ever showcase disgust.

"Fine." I huff, narrowing my eyes and thinking of all the names I've ever heard of before. "How about Mary?"

"Bloody Mary?" Aniket hollers, shaking his head. "Less English names, more Indian names."

"Um, when did you become so passionate about our country?" I snort, turning on my back once again and facing the blank ceiling.

We both think in silence for a few seconds, coming up with nothing. "How about Chantelle?" I ask, a grin spreading on my face.

"Not Indian."

"Ananya and Ahanya?"

He turns towards me, looking me in eyes. "How did you come up with that?"

"Well, you have to promise not to laugh." I make him promise, going through the whole pinky entwining ritual, earning a well-deserved glare from him. I know I'm being difficult, but it's cute to watch him deal with me so patiently.

"Well, in second grade, I was a trouble-maker."

He snorts. "As if you aren't a troublemaker now." He comments, disrupting my train of thought.

"Stop interrupting, and maybe, I'll share my story." I tell him, folding my hands over my chest like a twelve year old girl.

"Okay, fine. Go on." He says, waving his hands to signal me to continue.

"They were twins, and I hated them because they always switched their names and planned and conducted the most amateur pranks around school. It helped that they were identical. Not a hair out of place, so you couldn't really tell them apart."

"Let me guess, the aspiring perfectionist that you were, you hated them." I nod, trying my best not to look scrutinized as he judges me.

"They would sometimes mimic me in class as I was going over some most important facts with my teacher. One day, the teacher noticed their mockery behind me, and warned them severely. When she asked who was the one who did it, both of them pointed at each other, wasting the rest of class with their shenanigans. And my classmates supported them, because all the boys cared about was if a girl is appealing to look at and all the girls ever cared about was not getting into trouble. No one stood up for me." I pout, drawing circles on his chest. "Both of them were obnoxious little brats and I'm glad I beat them to pulp after school."

"Didn't you get into to trouble?"

"Oh no, I was clever. It was Friday and every teacher scrambled out before I could say 'weekend'. Besides, every teacher in the entire school adored me."

"You were a teacher's pet!" He concludes, laughing at me.

I snicker. "Hey! Teachers liked me because I was their best student."

"Of course." He says, roiling his eyes. "What if our babies are boys?" He suddenly asks after a moment.

"Uh, this is hard. I want to go to sleep."

"I think I've got it."

"My sleep?"

"That too, since you have wet dreams about me, but I meant the names." My jaw drops at his remark, while Aniket smirks cockily.

"I do not dream about you!" I shriek, punching him on his waist.

"Sure you don't." He says, pursing his lips to contain the laughter. He's mocking me.