Sorry for the super late update!
"Get ready, quick!" Kriti ushered Arnav into the room and took a shirt out. She felt his arms snake around her waist. He settled his head on her shoulder.
"You look gorgeous." He placed a kiss on her neck. "Saree mai bohut khoobsurat dikhti hon. White reminds me of our wedding day."
She turned around and held up the shirt. "Aap yeh pehen lo. You'll also look very beautiful." Her red face gave away the effect he had on her.
"You're eager for this event."
"Of course I am. I'd never let go of a chance to celebrate my husband." Kriti had suggested a retirement party for Arnav a few weeks ago. It took a while to convince Arnav but he came around. The party was being held at Manasvi's place. Arnav's father, Riyaan, Kriti's family, and their friends Saanvi's family along with Prateek's family were there. Arnav's ex colleagues were invited as well. Kriti had a smile on her face the whole time. Arnav gave a lot to the army and it was only right for him to have a day honouring his work and achievements.
Kriti wanted to go all out and send out invitations but Arnav was strictly against it. Nevertheless, she made some e-invitations and mailed it to all the guests. The flowers, food, music were all handpicked by her.
As the day passed, people gathered. Kriti met a lot of Arnav's ex colleagues and she was in awe of her husband. Even though he wasn't in the army anymore, he commanded respect. A lot of the officers were happy to see him.
Towards the end, Arnav got up on the stage to give a speech.
"Good evening, everyone." Cheers echoed through. "I'm not a big speech fan so I'm going to keep this short. I want to thank you all for coming here today. It means so much to me. Frankly speaking, I didn't see my retirement coming but now, I'm beginning to embrace it. I want to thank my parents, friends and God. They're the reason I'm standing here today." A round of applause followed. "I want to thank my wife. Kritika, thank you for coming into my life. You've shown me true happiness and true love. I cannot wait to spend the rest of forever with you." He got down and hugged his parents, in-laws and made his way towards his wife.
"That was a nice speech," Kriti said. "I liked the part where you spoke about your wife."
Arnav chuckled and put his arm around her shoulder. "I'm glad you did, precious."
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"Did you like today?" Arnav looked down at his wife. She was cooped up in his arms, peering up at him and waiting for his reply.
He leaned down and kissed her. "I loved it, jaana."
"I was thinking-," he cleared his throat. "to open a gym." Kriti sat up straight, a lot of questions running through her eyes.
"Today, at the party, I met Nirnay. He was a captain in the army and retired 2 years ago." Kriti nodded, asking him to continue. "We got to talking and I've been thinking of doing some sort of business for a while now. So, Nirnay proposed an idea of opening a gym, and if it goes right, we'll expand it into a fitness centre." He assessed her face for a minute. "What do you think?"
"I think it's great, Arnav. I like the idea.
Arnav plants a kiss on her head. "I think so too and I've got enough savings to put it to use."
"You've got me too, husband. You know that right?"
Arnav smiled and pulled her into his chest. "I know, precious."
"Damn, you'll open a gym and I'll have a hot fitness instructor as my husband."
Kriti's words had Arnav laughing. "I didn't know you're into fitness instructors."
"I'm into you, Arnav." His sweet Kritika would flirt with him without a warning. Out of the blue, she would leave him blushing red, speechless. He'd never complain though. He wasn't a fool.
Arnav captured her lips in his, bringing her closer to him with a kiss. "I love you, Kritika."
"I love you more."
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Next up is the epilogue! I hope y'all liked this one! Do vote and comment.
Qotd: Describe your perfect day