I thought of a tie. A tie pin. A watch. A shirt. But he has a whole closet full of those. Honestly, I don’t need to add another thing he won’t use. Shoes are off the list too.
I’m freaking out.
I asked Maa for suggestions, but she said it’s between me and him, that the gift should have a personal touch. I even asked Aditi. Her response? “If you wrap yourself in a gift box, that’ll be the perfect present.”
I flush at the memory of her cheeky remark, making me press a hand to my warm cheeks. A warm, giddy feeling flutters in my guts, and I giggle.
“Focus, focus,” I mumble to myself, shaking my head. This is proving to be way harder than I thought.
I pick up the pen and my writing notebook—the one I use to scribble plot ideas or random thoughts. Maybe the gift doesn’thave to be materialistic. He can buy those. But he can’t buy my thoughts. He can’t buy how I feel about him.
He can’t buy how safe he makes me feel.
I start pacing the room, lost in thought, when a knock pulls me out of my spiral. I open the door to find Aarav standing there. He looks drained—hair messy, dark circles under his eyes, his usual spark missing.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I ask, stepping aside to let him in.
“Nothing much, Bhabhi. I just couldn’t sleep,” he says, as he plops himself down on the bed; he looks exhausted.
He usually lights up every room, but today, it’s like someone dimmed his spark.
He’s the only one apart from Rudraksh who knows why I fainted, and ever since then, he’s been quietly looking out for me. He always invites me for evening snacks, and when I politely refuse, he brings them anyway and sits there watching until I take a bite. He’s never mentioned my... not-so-smart decision to starve myself, and I’m thankful for that.
He's not just a brother-in-law. He feels more like an actual brother. Like that one time when I accidentally put salt in the kheer instead of sugar, and he took the blame just so I wouldn't be embarrassed in front of the family.
“I don’t want to pry,” I say gently, sitting beside him. “But you know you can talk to me, right?”
“It's nothing, Bhabhi. Just an office deal; my rival took it away from right under my nose,” he murmurs.
A frown covers my face. He shakes his head. “Anyways, can we go out? Maybe the mall or something? I’ll ask Aditi to come too. I just... need a break.”
“I’ll ask Rudraksh first, okay?”
“There’s no need for that. You could tell him you want to burn his office down, and he’d still agree. He won’t say no.” He chuckles, and I feel my cheeks warm again. I don’t know if that’s entirely true—Rudraksh really does love his work—but the thought makes me weirdly happy.
Once Aarav leaves the room, I pick up my phone from the bed and dial his number.
He picks up instantly. “I’m in a meeting. Can I call you back?”
Oh no. I should’ve waited. I don't know what to do; I just need one minute to ask him, but he's in a meeting. He must be in a room full of people. This can’t wait, but it also feels silly.
Why am I so indecisive?
“It’s okay, I can—” I begin, then stop myself.
“Just tell me, Shivani,” he says, a little more firmly now.
I lower my voice. “I wanted to ask if I can go to the mall with Aarav and Aditi.”
“You don’t have to ask for anything. You do what you want to, remember?” A warm feeling blooms in my chest. I don't know why that line tears me up a little; maybe it's because he says it like it matters.
My throat tightens at his words. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” he sighs. “Even if it’s your fault—which it’s not—let me do the apologizing, okay?” I nod, even though he can’t see me.
He calms me down with his voice and tells me a little about the meeting. Apparently, it’s a big deal. I mentally note that I should stop by the temple and say a prayer for him, not that he needs luck—but it wouldn’t hurt.
We end the call, and I start getting ready. Once done, I take a look at myself in the mirror and tie my hair in a bun. It’s too hot to leave it down anyway.
