Could This Be Love

chapter 57❤

"Aarav! Where are the new sets of baby wipes?" Hritika called out loud.

"In the baby's cupboard, Hritika."

Having a little baby in the house was a tough job for the couple, but nothing felt like a trouble. They did everything together and made sure to enjoy every moment. Plus, the whole Malhotra family had their backs. All of them were eager to babysit the cute jolly child who'd get really cranky if hungry, or when he'd wet himself, you know.

"It's not it the cupboard!" Hritika said amidst the baby's cries.

Aarav didn't reply sooner, as he himself arrived with a pen between his fingers and his working glasses on his head.

He moved to the cupboard and oh so easily got the baby wipes out giving it to Hritika.

"Sorry, I couldn't find." Hritika said.

Aarav smiled and kissed her forehead lightly "It's okay. I'm sorry that you are doing this alone."

"You do these most of the times, I understand that you have work too. We can both help each other out, right?"

"Yes, surely. But let me put him to sleep." Asked Aarav.

Hritika tiptoed to kiss his cheek and said "but let me first clean him up."

When Hritika was done, Aarav softly held up little Arya in his arms as if he's been doing it forever and swayed him while walking around.

But tonight, Arya had different plans, instead of falling asleep he found wandering around on his father a little amusing.

He laughed and gurgled when Aarav would make faces at him.

When Hritika came back, she stood silently at the doorway watching the duo who were unknown to her presence.

She watched how Aarav acted like a kid with little Arya, pouted his lips, made crying faces.

"I love you. I can't believe you're a part of me." Aarav said holding Arya's head to his heart.

"You are so precious, you know. You're daddy's and mommy's world. I could have never imagined fatherhood would be this loving." He kept on talking to Arya who hardly could interpret anything but still made faces back at his father, until Hritika's one arm surrounded Aarav's torso, and another supporting the baby.

"Do you understand that he doesn't understand what you are saying?" Hritika asked with a smile on her face.

"Do you understand you shouldn't listen to us discreetly?" Aarav said, flustered.

"Okay, so I'm out of the group? Ouch, that hurt." Hritika feigned hurt though a small smile never left her lips.

"You're the leader of our group, how can we ever exclude you, right Arya?" Aarav questioned the baby.

Hritika laughed "You've become cheesy."

"But you love cheese, don't you?"

"I love YOU."

"I love you too."

Arya, to the poor soul's discomfort, put himself to sleep while the parents shared love words.

"He's asleep." Hritika gushed.

"Yes, we bored him." Aarav chuckled.

Putting Arya on his bed, Aarav held Hritika hand and pulled her to their large balcony.

The moon looked so calm and pious. The night looked to be in love as sweet air flowed through.

Hritika shifted closer to him, held him between her arms.

"It all feels like a dream, Aarav. Such a sweet dream."

"I know.. everything looks oddly at peace but don't you think we deserve it after all that we've been through?"

"Yes, I remember the night my aunt asked to marry you, I felt like earth broke apart."

"You remember when I beat the guy at the club because he misbehaved with you?"

Hritika laughed "yes and about the night we were forced to go on a honeymoon together!"

"You thought someone killed me" he spoke between his laughters "when I got to the resort, you literally ran to me and jumped on me!"

"Don't laugh, I was scared. Only if I could have known that I used to love you back then. Only if I could have realised that I had fallen already." She dreamily reminisced.

Aarav kissed her lips, softly, in a rythmic sensation "all the hurdles only pulled us closer.

Now that we stand here, together with our baby sleeping inside, is all that ultimately matters. Now all my insecurities which I had back then looks like boyish urges to have you as mine, to make you think you're mine but now that we've come this long, I've realised you're not mine but me. We're just one soul sharing two bodies, meant to find out ways to eachother at the end of every fight, every little war." He ended with a soft peck on her forehead.

"All the time it all were a bliss for us, in disguise though. We were just too busy to find that out." Hritika put her head on his chest, letting herself enjoy his heartbeats.

"But we did at the end of the day. We realised. It took time, but as they say, it is a journey, not a destination.."

"You've got wiser, Mr. Malhotra." Hritika teased.

"Glad that you noticed, Mrs. Malhotra." His husky deep voice set the butterflies free in her stomach.

She laughed, a moment later she confessed "you know you still give me those butterflies."

Aarav put Hritika between his warm embrace, retreating into the room "Our love is still new, it's just the start"

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From the author, To you:

And that's how it ended but that wasn't their end as Aarav and Hritika continued their journey together.

Similarly, we don't end here too. Your relationship with me continues through every story I write, every ideas I pen down.

You have been my encouragement to keep on writing. You have helped me out of the dark days when I felt like quitting. You are the Aarav to my Hritika, you are the best part about publishing stories on this platform.

So I'd like to take a moment to appreciate you and your contribution.

Thank you for helping me grow as a writer through your criticism and love. You have been too kind to this learner, and I shall continue to learn for you, from you.

Hope to meet you again, on another story of mine, on another journey of ours. Hope you will support me there too, help me walk past the anxious days of my teen life.

Thank you.

I love you.

Only yours,
Anika