Us.

Phone Call.

2017.

The wedding fever was off everyone's head now and they were back to their ordinary lives.

Only, it wasn't as ordinary as before.
Pritha and Aadarsh now jointly owned a law and finance firm which operated in five cities namely Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru.
As for Diya and Armaan, not much changed except the name plate outside the house which now said 'Mr. and Mrs. Mallick'.

It was two in the morning, nearly six months after their marriage, when the phone rang.
Diya stepped out of her bed and picked up the call.

"Hey, everything alright?"
Armaan grunted and asked her to come back to the bed but she continued to talk, "Uh huh? Why so?"
She listened carefully, adjusting the receiver just rightly on her ear and then yelled out out, "Wait till I tell Armaan. I ring you back."

She jumped back into the bed and Armaan twisted his arms around her waist. As he rose to kiss her, she pushed him back and asked, "Won't you ask who called?"

"Not interested, babe. I'm only interested in you..." He curved his palms below her buttocks.

This time she pushed him back with force and started dressing. "It was Pritha. She had the best news possible-"

"Pritha, Pritha, Pritha! Why is it always about her for you? And why can't she call at a decent time?"

"Armaan, listen to me-"

"No, no. You listen to me. She calls you at the middle of the night and you, you take the call when you could've very well avoided it. You leave your husband in the middle of love making for a stupid woman who has no sense of timing!"

"Woah, that's enough, Armaan Mallick! That woman is my best friend and I'm not hearing a word against her!"

He grabbed her wrists and pulled her towards himself, "And me? Am I not your husband?"

"Armaan, leave me. It's hurting."

"Right. Does it not hurt me when you leave me alone on the bed for a stupid phone call?"

"You're dragging the matter too much. LEAVE ME!"

Leaving her violently, he said, "Fine. I'll leave you. I don't want a wife for whom her husband and family isn't first."

"Ridiculous! She IS my family! And coming from you, it's just disgusting. You're the one who doesn't return home for weeks. I never said a thing about it because I know you're busy with work. Ever thought how lonely I am then? She is the one who keeps me sane during those weeks. And then one day you decide you need some action. You come home, fuck me for three straight nights and then disappear. This is 'family first' for you? I could do that."

"Shut up, Diya!"

But Diya wasn't listening anymore.

"What are you doing, woman?"

"Packing up." She tried her best to not sound hurt.

***

"Ma'am, a lady without an appointment wants to meet you urgently." said Eric.

"Bring her in." ordered Pritha without looking up.
Hearing the wheels of a suitcase, Pritha took her eyes off the papers on her desk.

"What are you doing here?"

Diya smiled, "I thought you would like a kid lover around."