Better Together

57 | reverie

Chapter 57 : Reverie

It had been a tiring day, especially with all the efforts that they had made to prepare the dinner.

Aadarsh's gaze was fixated at one spot on the ceiling as he traversed through a myriad of thoughts.

One, cooking a lavish dinner for a family of more than eight took a lot of efforts, time and patience.

Two, Ruhaani did her best to make the food tasty. It was just that, she could tell something was lacking in taste but not put her finger on exactly what was not right. She followed instructions almost correctly. It was just—figuring out what was amiss—that was the problem. And that was not her problem. It wouldn't be fair to hold her responsible for it.

Three, she put in sincere efforts. She hadn't complained once. She could simply have a cook hired to do the job. But she didn't. She wanted to make the meal for her family. It was her way of expressing her affection for them.

Four, standing for long hours in the kitchen was tiresome. More tiresome than constantly striving to improvise a dish you had prepared.

Five, no matter how exhausting the evening had been, he had completely enjoyed being with her, having her company all to himself. He genuinely enjoyed spending time with her.

Six, the both of them could go without taunting, arguing and teasing if they wanted. Just that it was more fun if the other three elements were present.

Seven, an annoying throbbing pain was seizing the soles of both his feet.

Eight, Ruhaani was taking way too long to change for the night. Was she thinking of wearing one of his t-shirts?

As though to put him put of the curiosity, Ruhaani emerged from the closet dressed in one of her usual night suits. Just that this one's t-shirt didn't have full sleeves. She switched off the lights and settled on her side of the bed.

"Is your alarm on?"

"Nope." He answered, turning his head to her side on the pillow. "It's a Sunday. Plus, I need to really catch up on some sleep." A yawn escaped his mouth right after to prove the point.

"Yes, I know." She answered not looking up from her mobile. She set an alarm for herself and then gathered her side of the comforter. Her gaze went up to the air conditioner as she laid down. Surprisingly, it was at twenty-one. Perhaps he hadn't noticed, she thought to herself. Good!

"Do you have any gift in mind for Ashvi?" Aadarsh asked, turning himself completely towards her as she adjusted the comforter they shared, to cover her body till neck. The pillow that acted like a godawful wall between them, was gone, much to his satisfaction.

"You mean for her birthday that's in a week from now?" She asked, noticing the free space between them.

She had completely forgotten about the pillow they usually placed in between. It was missing from the bed and her gut told her that it was her husband's hand behind the disappearance. She wondered if it even made sense to find it and put it between them. It would most probably still end up on the floor somewhere, in the morning.

"Yes. What should we gift her?" He asked, gazing at her cheek. There was enough distance between them to fit a pillow, yet it felt like he was so damn close to her. He liked that feeling. Not the one of having emptiness on the other side of the bed.

"We?" she emphasized, slowly turning herself towards him. Their gazes met swiftly.

"Yes. Just like Devashish got get-well-soon presents from us, Mr. & Mrs. Sehgal."