"I don't know when I fell in love with you, Abhi. Maybe it was when you suddenly stopped talking to me, or when you were there for me whenever I needed you. But today it was as if something snapped in my mind. Just the thought of you belonging to someone else was unbearable and that's when I realized I was in love with you, and I didn't want to waste a minute staying away from you." Akshara said as she looked deep into Abhimanyu's eyes.
"What about you, Abhi? When did you fall in love with me?" she asked as he caressed her cheek lightly.
Abhimanyu smiled, reminiscing the moment he fell in love.
"It was the day when I first heard you sing. It was one of the worst days I could be having, I was in bad mood. Everything was dark around me and all I wanted was an escape from this world, but then I heard you singing. It was as if your voice had sucked me away from that darkness and brought me back the light of my life. That was the moment my heart knew you belong to me, though my mind may have taken some time to realize that. That's why I had avoided you, just because my heart was telling me I had feelings for you but my stupid brain was against it."
Akshara gasped in realization and then chuckled at how stupid Abhimanyu was.
"Why are you laughing?" Abhi asked as he saw mischief in the eyes that makes his heart race.
"Nothing..." Akshara bit her lip, trying to control her laughter. Her Abhimanyu had a high IQ and was one of the best doctors in India, but his EQ was still low. How could he not realize that he was in love?
Abhimanyu was about to ask again when her phone rang beside her. She noticed it was a call from her grandpa, so she picked it up in a hurry.
"Hi, Dadu! Finally, you have time to call your favourite granddaughter!" Akshu cried dramatically, making Manish chuckle.
"Drama Queen, we just talked two days ago. How's my baby?" He asked.
"Two days is 48 hours, which is like a century for me. And I'm as awesome as I should be."
Seeing Akshara talking with her family, Abhimanyu went inside the kitchen to get something to drink for Akshara. Shortly, he brought two glasses of hot coffee for each of them.
Akshara who was talking with her grandpa, looked up at him when she saw the coffee mug in front of her. She mouthed him a "thank you" to which he just shook his head, and pecked her head.
"Today you sound happy Akshara, what's the deal?" Manish questioned suspiciously.
"I'm always happy, Dadu. When am I not happy?" Akshara replied mysteriously, glancing at Abhimanyu who looked confused when her attention shifted to him.
"Akshuuuu....tell na. Why hide it from me, when you know you can't" Her grandpa grumbled, while she giggled.
"Okay okay! I'll tell you. I may or may not have found you your grandson-in-law!" She exclaimed stunning Abhimanyu who just took the first sip of his coffee. He choked while drinking, coughing loudly while Akshara rubbed his back.
Manish, who was on another line of call was stumped at first by her granddaughter's sudden reveal, then was shaken hearing a male cough on the other side.
"Akshu..?"
"Dadu, I'll call you back in a minute." She hung up on him, after giving Manish the greatest shock of his life.
On other hand, Akshu kept rubbing Abhi's back, who was trying to recover from his choking.
"You should drink carefully na, Abhi. What was the rush? See you choked on your coffee." Akshara reprimanded.
Abhimanyu who just recovered from his cough, looked at her flabbergasted when she blamed him for this. She raised her eyebrows in question seeing his dumbfounded look.
"What?"
"What? You're asking me what, Akshu? I choked on my coffee because you didn't give me a heads-up before confessing to your family about us. I was shocked, baby!" Abhimanyu exclaimed, making her roll her eyes at him.
"What's the big deal anyway, Abhi? They were going to find it sooner or later. You are not the mistress that I should hide from the world." Akshara said, making him feel at a loss for words.
"AKSHU! You didn't even mentally prepare me for this. Oh, God! Your family now knows about us and they might have a bad impression of me after today. How will I ask your hand in marriage, Akshu?" Abhimanyu ranted.
Akshu held his shoulders, making him stop his rant and look at her.
"Dude! It's not a big deal. My family is chill, just like me. Trust me they'll like you because you're the only one who can handle my madness. They might even love you more than me - trust me!" Akshu seriously nodded, making him roll his eyes at her.
"You are such a drama queen, but my drama queen! Fine, I'll trust you, against what my brain is telling me" he said, as he wrapped his arms around her. Akshara gave him a peck at his obedience.
"One more thing, Akshu," Abhi spoke suddenly, as they both lay down in a comfortable position in each other's arms. Akshara hummed, as she settled herself in his arms.
"Don't ever call me dude"
***