The Workaholic Wife ✅

Swimming Against the Tide

I am afraid. Afraid that if I left him, he will attempt suicide again. "Promise me!" Aniket yells, taking hold of my hand and placing it on his chest. "Promise me you won't leave me, and I will do anything. You want the world? I will put the universe at your feet! Just please! Please, Krithi, don't leave me. I have to go back to my dark office, my routine life, paper after paper after paper. I don't want that, baby. I want the light you give me; the joy you bring by just being near me. You light my skin on fire, and you make my heart melt with one smile. I just— arrrgh!" He starts to sob, kneeling on the sand and trying to rip his hair out in frustration.

I plop to the ground, crying with him, our arms entwined like a serpent. "Trust me. My life will be darker than yours. I will lose my mind; cutting heart after heart and telling families that I couldn't save their husband, their child, their wife, their parent! You brought me change, and you cured me Aniket. I don't think I can walk five steps away from you without losing all the hope I've built up this whole day." I confess, trying to bring myself to smile.

Aniket wipes his tears, unentangling our arms, and bringing his cold hands to wipe my tears. "I don't have anyone, Krithi. I'm all alone in this world." He says, his eyes darkening at the thought.

"No, no, baby. I'm here for you. I love you, alright? I will never leave you! Even if I do, it's like I'm going to work. I will come back to you. Your arms are my home, baby! So don't you dare think I will leave you again!" I reassure him.

I close the distance between us, kissing him deeply. He pulls me onto his lap, breaking the kiss and kissing my shoulder. His hands move to my feet, massaging them as he stays silent.

"I'm guessing you don't want to talk about Aruvi." Aniket shakes his head in no. "Okay, Aniket. You know what? I think your idea will work."

Aniket looks up at me, widening his eyes. "Are you sure?" I was going to say the same thing! I was about to agree to the adoption."

"No, it's alright, Aniket! You're right. We both work and there will be no one taking care of these children. We could hire someone, but we wouldn't be good parents if we did that. The nursery at the hospital isn't built yet; and it could take months. So our best bet is to hand the children over to the hostel."

I lower my eyes, disappointment surging amongst my mixed emotions. Aniket kisses my cheek sweetly. "I love you, Krithi. But I swear, if you pull a stunt like that again—

"What will you do?" I ask, a mischievous grin breaking out on my face.

"Let me show you." He whispers, picking me up by shoving his between forcefully between my thigh and my shin. I yelp as he adjusts his hand on my upper back, and lifts me up in his arms. He chuckles at my fear, and purses his lips. "I hope you know how to swim."

I cover my face, waiting for my body to hit the water. I can feel Aniket's abs twist and turn as he sprints with me in his arms, chucking me into the water.

I was on the swim team in my younger years, so I had no trouble swimming in the deep waters, but I have to get revenge on Aniket somehow.

A wolfish grin forms on my face as I wail my arms, acting like I was in distress. Even from afar, I can see Aniket's eyes widen, and he clutches his hair, shocked.

He looks around him, seeing no one except the kids and dives in; more like bellyflops. He paddles through the water, and it was funny to watch, and so far, he hasn't been in trouble. If he were to be, I'd get to him in three seconds flat to rescue him. "Aniket!" I yell for dramatic effect, trying to control my laughter.

He swings his arms around randomly, splashing the water. It takes him a couple of minutes but he reaches the deep water, struggling to keep his breathing steady. "Are you alright?" He asks, making me come out of my act and laugh.

"What the hell Krithi!" He yells, realization creeping into his senses. "That is not funny!" He says, hanging on to me by holding my waist. My rotate my legs, swinging them in a circle to the opposite of one another, keeping us afloat.

Aniket's eyes darken, and he takes his hand off of my waist, and slaps them on my derrière. I yelp in shock, and surprisingly, a warm sensation, and widen my eyes, looking at Aniket.

"What the hell!" I holler, beating his behind in turn.

"Ouch!" Aniket chuckles. "What was that for?" He asks, laughing even more.

"What do you mean, what was that for?" I ask, my legs almost giving out as I support the two of us in water. "You hit me, so I hit you back. Don't you dare think I'm the kind of woman to turn the other cheek. I don't follow Gandhi's principles."

"Too bad, I would have liked it if you turned your other cheek." He says, somehow finding it funny when I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion. "Never mind." He says, waving it off.

I ignore it as well, since I established that I don't want him to do that again. I almost moaned when he hit me; as much as I trusted Aniket, I did not want him to laugh at me for finding that pleasurable.

"Lets go!" I exclaim, hugging him on top of me as my chest faced his back. We laid on the water, my hands tied around his midriff as I use my legs to propel us to the shallow waters.

The kids were sprawled out on the sand, tired from all the playing. "Ready for a candle-lit dinner?" Aniket asks, his voice husky.

"There's more?" I exclaim, chuckling and following him out of the water.

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