Arnav got down from his car and grabbed his luggage and the bouquet of red roses. His face hurt from all the grinning. He hurriedly went up to his flat and rang the doorbell. However when the door opened, his smile dimmed and his face went blank.
"Were you just smiling?" His cousin, Riyaan, opened the door.
"What are you doing here?" Arnav's mind ran miles per hour. "Is Kritika okay?"
"Arnav?" The sweet voice of his wife reached his ears. She came out of their bedroom and was a few feet behind Riyaan.
Arnav slightly pushed Riyaan to the side and took long strides towards his wife. He picked her by her waist and twirled her around a little. "I missed you so much, Kritika."
"I missed you more." Kriti said, still in Arnav's arms. "You're early." Arnav was supposed to come back in the evening. It was currently 8 in the morning.
"Well, I really missed you." He said, emphasising on really.
When a person cleared their throat, Arnav put Kriti down and looked over at the couch to see his mother seated there.
"Oh, hi mom." He looked down embarrassed. "Aap kab aayi?"
(When did you come?)
His mom had a small smile on her face. "Mai toh kab se yahan hun beta. Tum hi ne nahi dekha."
(I've been here a while. You didn't notice.)
He hugged her. "I'm glad you're here, maa."
"Well, Kriti is very glad to see you too." She looked over at Kriti who was in the kitchen getting Arnav a glass of water. "Maine socha mai aake Kriti ko company deti hun."
(I thought I'd come over and keep Kriti company.)
"Haan par badi maa, humari koi zaroorat nahi hain. Bhai hain na yahan." Riyaan commented and earned a glare from Arnav.
(Yes but aunt, we aren't needed here. Brother is here now.)
( badi maa = mom's/dad's eldest sister.)
All the while, Kriti silently arranged breakfast on the dining table. The four of them sat down and Arnav filled them in on his trip. After breakfast, Manaswi and Riyaan were ready to leave.
"Take rest, beta." Manaswi told Arnav. She hugged Kriti and kissed her forehead before leaving.
As soon as their door closed, Arnav put his arms around Kritika bringing her closer to him. His front was pressed to her back. Arnav kissed her hair and took a look at her. "Bohut thaki hui lag rahi hon?" Her face was peaceful yet her eyes were droopy and she looked a little weary.
(You look tired?)
"I'm okay." She said softly and turned around to snuggle into his chest.
"Are you sure, precious?" His concern and the nickname had her closing her eyes.
"I got my periods early in the mornings. I just feel a little sick."
Arnav rubbed her back and stroked her hair. "You should be resting."
"You just got here though." Kriti said, pulling back a little with a pout.
"I'm not going anywhere, jaana." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You should take a nap."
(jaana = term of endearment. Life/love.)
"Okay. You could sleep with me." She bit her tongue as soon those words were said.
"Yeah?" Arnav had a smirk on his face. "Sure, precious. I'd love to sleep with you."
Kritika closed her eyes and pushed him away slightly. "Go and freshen up first." She ran into her room without waiting for a response. Arnav chuckled and followed her.
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When he got out of the washroom, he saw Kriti laying on the bed with her eyes closed.
"Hey." He slipped under the covers. "You good?"
Kriti nodded and they both soon fell asleep.
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A whimper woke Arnav from his nap. Turning to his side, he saw Kritika struggling to get out of the bed. "Hey, let me help you." He took her by the shoulder and guided her into the washroom.
When Kriti was out, she noticed a hot water bag on the bed and compression wrap around Arnav's knee. "Come here, precious." She got on the bed and sat beside him. Arnav handed her the hot water bag and propped some pillows under his knee.
"What do you want to eat?" He asked, caressing her hair.
Kriti shook her head. "I just want to lie down." She sighed. "I feel so weak and heavy."
Arnav felt useless hearing that. There was nothing he could do to take away her pain. "I'm right here. Anything you want,I'm right here."
Kriti gave him a weak smile and rested her back onto the headboard. She put the water bag on her bag. "You should eat something, Arnav."
"Hmm." He made no move to get up for food. "Kritika, will you tell me how to help you through this?" He held her hand. "I want to know everything. I want to make it easier for you."
Kriti's eyes filled with tears. "What is it?" Arnav panicked and cupped her cheek. "Did I say something wrong?" He cursed himself for already screwing it up.
"No." Kriti shook her head. "I'm just really emotional when I'm on my periods."
Arnav sighed in relief and wiped her tears. "Tell me more, precious."
"I prefer more tangy and sour food rather than sweet. The first few days are really tough for me. My fingers hurt, back pain, headache, mood swings and there's obviously stomach ache." Surprisingly, she didn't feel awkward saying all this. It felt organic, like, he is supposed to know all this. "Some months, there's even puking but of late, I haven't experienced any."
"How many days does your period last for?" For anyone else, it would sound like he was getting impatient but it was Arnav. He was curious and wanted to be of help.
"7-8 days. I remember there was a time when it'd last for 10 days but with medication, the duration has lessened."
Kriti laid down to the side and put the water bag on her stomach. "Arnav, do you mind rubbing my back?"
He simply slipped his hand inside her t-shirt and began rubbing circles on her back. "This okay, precious?"
"Hmm." Kriti fell asleep.
That night, he cooked some beetroot curry along with cauliflower rice. Before bedtime, Kriti drank some herbal tea which helped sooth her cramps.
Falling asleep wasn't easy. Kriti kept tossing and turning. The fear of vomiting kept her away from sleeping. "It is okay Kritika, I'm right here." Arnav rubbed her stomach. The warmth of his palm provided her some relief. His other hand was in her hair, lightly massaging her head.
"I'm sorry you can't sleep because of me." She felt terrible that he drove six long hours in the morning, had to put up with her periods, cook up dinner and he still couldn't get a good night's sleep.
"Shh. I could never go to sleep knowing you're in pain, precious." He desperately wanted this to end. His wife had to go through this torture every month.
"I feel so terrible right now." Kriti broke into a sob. He quickly pulled her into him and rubbed her back. Having to feel uncomfortable in your own body had to be painful. Sure, he had experienced an injury almost three months ago and he was still recovering but that couldn't amount to the pain the woman in arms was going through. He thought of his mother experiencing the same and that pained him more.
Kriti took a deep breath and wiped her tears. Arnav didn't know what to say further. He could tell her that she was strong, he could tell her that she was tough but Kriti didn't need that. She didn't need coaxing. She didn't need him to tell her what she already knew. Kriti needed someone to be there for her and Arnav was going to do just that.
He kissed her eyes and her forehead. He pulled her close to his chest and kept caressing her hair, lulling her to sleep.
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Ik y'all want long chapters but honestly that was 1300+ words. I hope y'all like this one. Kritika's endometriosis condition had me writing this and I hope I wrote it properly .
Do comment and vote,Gol Gappas.
QOTD: Any Qs for me?
Insta ID: x.wanderlustwrites.x (link in bio)