"Your existence makes me want to live for us."
Atharva had no qualms about baring his soul in front of Aahana. His state of mind had been vulnerable when he told her everything, but he knew it was the right thing to do. Now, faith and love were all that remained between them, binding them together for the rest of their lives. The vows they'd once taken carelessly had become a precious reality, and their marriage was a living dream.
After sitting in sheer silence, simply holding onto each other, they'd gone to bed, but sleep had vanished. They stayed awake till 6:00 AM, chatting about Atharva's mother. She had died due to brain haemorrhage. Atharva could not recall every detail about her, but when he spoke, his voice was laced with sweetness.
When the alarm went off, Aahana glanced at the time, but made no attempt to leave the comfort of the bed. She took that as her cue to fall asleep, but Atharva decided to drive to office.
He was on his way when he received a call from the site manager. The Bangalore Mall was finally ready. It seemed like a decade had passed since the basic planning started. He was overjoyed and wanted to share the good news with Aahana, but he didn't want to do it over the phone.
He strode into his cabin and waited patiently for his wife. His fingers tapped on the wooden table, his attention swinging between the clock and the door, but she was nowhere to be found.
Grunting in frustration, he grabbed his phone, debating whether or not to call her.
There was a knock on the door, and Atharva's heart fluttered at the thought of Aahana. His lips curled up into a smile but quickly faded when Maria stepped in.
"Good morning, Atharva. Here is the guest list." She handed it to Atharva, who nodded in return.
He did a thorough scan, his eyes zeroing on Urvashi's name. For a split second, he was tempted to remove her from the list, but he restrained himself. He would not give her the satisfaction of seeing his discomfort. After all, she was just a tiny part of his life, holding no more importance than a mote of dust.
"Add Jay and Dinesh and their families to the list," he said, handing it back to her. "That will be all. Thank you, Maria."
"No problem, dear." She left with a warm smile.
Aahana hurried inside a few minutes later. She looked like she hadn't slept all night. Her hair was in a messy bun, and she wore no makeup. She did not look like a CFO in her blue ripped jeans, white crop tops, and flats.
A beautiful mess.
Her eyes landed on Atharva and narrowed to slits. "What are you doing here?"
"Can't you see? We are at work."
"No, I thought we were in a park." She rolled her eyes. "I mean, why aren't you at home, sleeping?"
"Who goes to sleep early in the morning?"
"I do. Everyone who is deprived of sleep is allowed to sleep anytime "
Atharva scoffed. "I'd rather not waste my time."
"But you would want to affect your health?"
"Aahana," Atharva groaned, "you're ruining my mood."
"I- I care for you Atharva," she muttered under her breath and plopped down on the chair across from him.
"I know." His voice softened. "I'm absolutely fine. In fact, I have never been better. Anyway, we have a flight to catch in the afternoon."
Aahana's ears perked up. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere you wanted to go last time, but I didn't take you with me."
"Bangalore?" she asked with a tentative smile, not wanting to get her hopes up. When he nodded, her smile widened until she was grinning from ear to ear. Atharva didn't want to miss out on this reaction. "That's amazing! Are we going to stay there?"
"Sure. We can stay for a day or two after the mall's inauguration at 7:00 tonight."
"Wow, okay. Can I take the day off? I want to sleep a little longer."
"Again?" He looked at her incredulously. "You slept for 3 hours."
"So?" Aahana frowned. "That's not enough. I also have to pack, get ready, and whatnot."
"Fine. You are free to leave."
"Aren't you coming?"
"Later. I have some work to finish."
"Oh, alright." She got out of the chair and walked up to his side. Planting a kiss on his cheek, she whispered, "I'll see you then, bye."
Atharva was tongue-tied. He couldn't utter a word, not until she was out of the room. He touched his cheek with a giddy smile and whispered a soft "bye" to no one.
Okay, she was definitely changing him.
When he reached home, he expected Aahana to be getting ready but madam was watching TV and eating pizza.
Atharva's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He took off his blazer and loosened his tie before taking a place beside her. "So what's up?"
"Oh, hey!" She turned to look at him. "Nothing much. The usual romantic movie."
"Hmm." He took a bite of the pizza and nodded. "Well, what are you wearing tonight?"
"I don't know," she said in a distressed tone.
He took the napkin and wiped the corners of his mouth. "I, uh, bought something for you." Handing the box he'd picked up on his way back, he excused himself to hide his flaming face. He hadn't thought of it at all but when he was driving back, his eyes landed on a mannequin wearing the dress and he felt himself imagine Aahana in it. So he had to buy it for her.
Aahana smiled at his retreating figure and opened the box. A neatly folded black velvet piece was placed inside. She took it out of the box to reveal a floor-length bodycon gown. It was simply stunning. It was a full sleeve with a boat neck. She turned it around to find it backless with just a thin strap at the back of the shoulder.
A gasp left her lips and she couldn't help but admire the softness of the dress as she rubbed the material against her cheek. Sighing, she decided to get ready. First came the shower where she took her time to pamper herself. She then moisturized herself and applied minimal makeup, just focusing more on her eyes. She dried her already straight long hair and let it flow down her back to her waist. Finally, she slipped into the most gorgeous dress and damn, did she look enticing. She completed her looks with her champagne golden drop earrings, and after slipping into her stilettos and grabbing her clutch, she was good to go.
Atharva was already waiting for her in the hallway, looking smoking hot in his midnight Armani suit which fitted his chiseled figure. His chestnut brown hair was slicked back to perfection and he smelled of sexiness as Aahana made her way to him.
She did a little twirl and smiled shyly at him. "Thank you. It's beautiful."
"Not more than you," he whispered and coughed to cover up his embarrassment.
Aahana chuckled and fixed his tie, her hand sliding down to his chest and resting there. "You look handsome too."
"Uh, thanks." He took a step back, his stance a little uncomfortable.
Aahana shook her head and sighed, her hands dropping to her sides.
Boarding their private jet, they flew to Bengaluru International Airport where a black limo was already waiting for them. They hadn't even reached the venue properly when lights began to flash in front of their eyes, blinding them for a moment.
Aahana glanced around and realized they were surrounded by bodyguards and paparazzi.
"Atharva?" she called out softly.
He turned to look at her.
"I have never seen them around you before," she stated.
"That's because I keep my personal life private and they respect it," he explained, forcing a smile to his face. It wasn't like he enjoyed entertaining media, but if they didn't get any news or gossip, they would be running after him which he definitely didn't want to ever come across in all cases.
She smiled at him and intertwined their hands.
People had already gathered in front of the well-decorated building so without wasting any more time, Atharva cut the red ribbon and walked in on the red carpet, with others following after him. A round of applause surrounded them and cameras flashed again.
"So, would you like to look around?"
Aahana nodded eagerly and they stepped into the elevator, directly reaching the topmost floor. Every time Aahana looked at Atharva, she realized how happy he actually was. His eyes twinkled with fondness and he seemed to have everything planned.
"This is amazing, Atharva. I can't wait to shop here. Where's next?"
"Kolkata."
"All set?"
He nodded. "Location and layout has been finalised. The construction will begin next week."
They took the flight of stairs and headed down. It was all crowded indeed with people chattering and drinking. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Aahana spotted her family and nudged Atharva in their direction.
"Sweetpea!" Jay rushed to Aahana at the same time and engulfed her in a hug.
Aahana smiled widely and hugged him back. After having greeted them, they all talked for a while and Aahana noticed how relaxed Atharva looked for the first time.
"Are you okay?" she asked him softly.
He paused in whatever he was saying and let his eyes travel to hers. He nodded and gave a rare smile. "I'm starving."
Aahana chuckled. "I can relate. Shall we eat?"
They excused themselves and headed to the food section. They had just picked up the plate when came the voice they both hated now.
"What a pleasant surprise!"
They both glanced at each other and let out an audible sigh in unison to express their irritation. Aahana turned around and faked a smile. "Hello, mom." She gritted out and touched her feet. She felt Urvashi's filthy hands pat her head. She cringed inwardly.
"Hello dear. How have you been? I haven't seen you and Atharva in a while."
Atharva's fingers balled in a fist as he took a step front, his heart hammering in his chest as he tried his best to maintain eye contact with Urvashi. "I'm the owner of this mall. So you shouldn't be surprised." He snorted at her charade.
She narrowed her eyes at him, surprised at the sudden air of confidence. "Aahana dear, will you call Nisha? She wanted to meet her brother."
"Sure." Aahana swallowed. She knew it. She was doing this to get Atharva alone.
Atharva tensed and sucked in a breath. Aahana glanced his way, her gaze lingering on his face for a little too long before she left.
"So? Now tell me, did you miss mamma?"
"Mamma my ass." Atharva scoffed and rolled his eyes.
Urvashi's eyes widened and she felt her blood boil in anger. She gripped his arm, pulling him to a secluded room. Her hand raised to slap him but before it could touch his cheek, he had grabbed her hand and pushed her away. "I'm done with you. So stop your shitty act.
"How dare you?" She stared at him with a murderous glare.
Atharva knew he couldn't let Aahana down. He mustered up all the strength he had and exhaled slowly. He took a hesitant step towards Urvashi and another until she was cornered to the wall. He pinned her with his hatred-filled gaze."You are disgusting, Urvashi!" he spat. "Next time you touch me, you'll be in Jail. And remember, I'm not afraid to expose you to the world."
Urvashi stared at him in disbelief and shuddered. "You think they'd believe you?"
"You don't have to worry about that. Just stay away from me and my wife or else I won't think before taking any action against you. Now leave."
"Y-You won't-"
"Leave!" Atharva shouted, making her jump in her spot. She let out a whimper and scurried away.
Atharva shut his eyes and leaned on the wall to calm his nerves.
"Damn husband, that was hot. I'm so proud of you." His eyes opened and zeroed on Aahana. She was leaning on the door with her arm crossed across her chest and a smirk on her face.
"You saw?" He swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Yep." She grinned and moved towards him.
"But, didn't you go to call Nisha?"
"I did go, but I came back when I realized I could just message her. She hasn't arrived yet."
"So, why didn't you come in?"
"You were handling everything perfectly." She shrugged off and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'll die if I don't get food into my system."
"Alright, alright, what do you want to eat first?" Atharva shook his head and smiled at her as they both exited the room.
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