"How's the meal?" Vaanya questioned sitting across Abhir on the dining table.

Her legs were resting on his lap under the table.

"It's perfect," he compliments with s wide smile.

"Beautiful chef, exquisite dish, but you- served warm with love - are my favorite courses. Your cooking fed my belly, but your love feeds my soul, wifey,"

Abhir added admirably that Vaanya did not expect one bit. She was just happy listening to his "it's perfect" but this unexpected addition? Damn. He won her heart again.

Her mouth fell agape at his words. Stunned? Surprised? Way beyond all those words that exist in dictionaries.

What is he even? How does he even think of all that so rapidly? That's insane.

"Surprised much, wifey?" He chuckled, reverting his gaze back to his plate, taking another bite of his meal.

Vaanya just shook her head in awe, and went back to eating without saying anything, because of course, she didn't need to. He already saw how stunned she was. So now, no words needed anymore.

Slowly, Abhir drew his left hand under the table, and touched her feet on his lap to give her a foot massage while they were eating.

Vaanya choked on her broccoli.

"What the-" she coughed loudly. Abhir passed her a glass of water but she denied. "What are you doing? You can't even let me keep my feet on your lap peacefully, can you?" She rebuked with a weeping face, done by her husband's overthoughtfullness.

Whenever she thinks, "ab isse acha kya hi ho sakta hai kisi insaan me?" About him, the very next moment he proves her wrong by doing something extraordinary.

"I'm just giving you more co-"

"Oh Abhir AGNIHOTRI-I don't need more comfort, you get it? I'm okay with the bare minimum, you understand that?" She emphasized every word with a loud tapping sound made with a spoon on the table with every word that she spoke.

Abhir silently watched her face for a moment. He looked like he wasn't even breathing. Hut the next moment...

"I don't care, you're just dumb." He scoffed, causally going back to continue eating and massage her feet.

"Did you just call me dumb?" Vaanya suspiciously gawked at him in surprise, ready to throw hands.

"Do you see anyone else here to be called dumb?" He looks up from his plate, watching her boiling face with rage, but he wasn't apprehensive tonight like other days.

"You know where my leg is, right? It wouldn't take me a second to destroy your progeny." She threatened.

And now Abhir felt terrified. He looks down at her feet, just an inch or two away from his crotch. No.

He gulped. But he didn't want to be an abla mard today. At least for one day he needs to feel like he's the king, no? Let his queen rest from doing all the action for just one day. Is that too much to ask for?

Abhir looks up at her with a quivering smile.

"A- and why do you think- that kicking me- me- here-" he points at the proof of his gender, "-here is anything but going to give you a bright future?"

His lower lip was beneath his upper incisors and canines making him look anything but dangerous. More like an-ape.

"If I'd be sterile, what would do? No pleasure or kids for you either. And you always wanted to be pregnant, right? Let your husband run around you like a babysitter and stand all your nakhares. You wanna miss out on all of that now, Miss Birla?"

Abhir smirked at the end, realising how smart he is out of the blue.

This time, Vaanya gulped. And whenever she's hit with loss, all she does is, use violence.

And carefully, to take revenge on her husband for outsmarting her this time, she slides a bit under the table and lightly pinched his stomach with her Hallux and index toe fingers.

Abhir squirmed in pain at the sudden pinch on his lower left abdomen.

"You're so mean, Vaanu." Abhir scrunched his nose. "You couldn't win, so you attacked me? Attacked your one and only, sweet and caring and loving husband? That's so bad." He shook his head in denial.

But after a moment of silently looking at each other, both of them bursted out in fists of laughter, and enjoyed the rest of their dinner while fighting and teasing each other throughout.

Both of them later walked up to their bedroom and jumped on their chosen sides of the bed. Vaanya however picked up a book tonight to read as it's been long since she's gotten some time for herself.

She had almost no time for herself after their marriage. Either work, her accident in Norway, Vivaan's shenanigans and then Abhir's health kept her busy throughout the year. So, today she found this book in her almirah and decided to read it.

Abhir was also busy with his laptop beside her on the bed, checking some emails before they doze off, so it's the best time to read... Erotica. Her favorite genre.

She opens the book and realised she had already started reading this book before her marriage, because the bookmark that she found on the twentieth page has the date written of an year ago, just before her wedding.

However, she decided to re-read the book as she remembers none of it anymore. And as she does-after reading just three pages, she regrets it.

Because now, there's this tingling in between her legs.

Shoot.

Vaanya pressed her legs together under the blankets, but was it working? No. She read two more paragraphs, and the feeling just kept elevating. Her breath started rushing for oxygen as she felt aroused.

Vaanya glanced at Abhir, making sure he wasn't looking in her direction, and she slowly slides her left hand under the blanket to place it between her thighs to reduce this tingling sensation, but it didn't help at all.

But now she's hooked to the book.

"Darn it- Vaanu. Stop reading. Abhir is right next to you- you can't- no ways-"

After arguing with her urges to read further, she shut the book close, kept it on the bed side rack, and slowly slid under the duvets with her back facing Abhir.

Within no time, Abhir noticed her lying, fully covered under the sheets as if she's suddenly sick. Her posture also looks like she's squirming under the comforter, concerning him.

Keeping aside his laptop, Abhir places his left hand on her shoulder above the duvet, and his lips right above her left ear.

"Vaanu?" He whispers softly. "Are you okay?" He caressed her arm over the blanket.

But only if he knew how hard it was for her to not react to his breath fanning her skin right above her neck, and to resist his affectionate touches.

"Please Abhi- please- just don't touch me please-"

She hoped, but her silence only brought him closer to her body.

"Vaanu? Are you okay? Do you feel sick? Should I call a doctor?" He queried, concern written all over his features but he remains calm till she speaks.

"N- no. I'm fine. I just feel a bit cold, nothing else," she laughed nervously, trying to get away from him by jiggling under the blanket, but he didn't get the hint.

"If isn't even that cold yet. Are you sure you're okay, love? This is concerning me now. You were just fine five minutes ago."

Now who's gonna tell him what the real problem is?

"Lemme cuddle you for some warmth," Abhir got up to slide in her blanket, but Vaanya jerked to get up and lay on her elbows, looking at him.

"No!" She yelled.

She didn't mean to yell at him, but she did. Bad move.

But now that she was looking at him, the scenes from the book were repeating in her mind.

He closed the gap between us. I was just looking at his blue eyes, trying to decipher what were his intentions for a new girl he just met. I don't know him, and yet I'm allowing him to cross my boundaries and be only an inch away from my face, about to kiss me.

Though, he didn't kiss me, instead his hand slid at the hem of my shirt while his eyes were intensely locked with mine. I'm afraid of people watching us from their apartments as were doing this on the rooftop of his building.

I felt his hand slowly slide under my shirt, and right above my bra. Now he has a sly smirk on his lips, as if playing with my brain. I haven't done this. I haven't slept with anyone else before. And I certainly do not want to give in to a stranger, but he's so tempting that I can't resist him anymore.

And yes, looking in Abhir's concerned eyes somehow felt the same. She saw his concern, but her current state in between her legs made her feel things like the female character of that book.

Vaanya felt tempted by Abhir's features.

No doubt, Abhir has always been breathtakingly handsome, but tonight? Maybe reading the book wasn't the right decision as she just ended up shouting at him.

Abhir was taken aback at her reaction. She seemed disappointed and agitated by him. He moved back from her a little, feeling if he made her uncomfortable with something.

"I-" he tried to speak, but he couldn't. Abhir pressed his lower lip beneath his upper jaw in a thin line, looking everywhere else but her.

"No- Abhi-" Vaanya's breathing hitched. She realised what she did. He was simply concerned about her, and she screeched at him like that.

"Abhi I'm sorry," she got up worried and about to cry in guilt. Vaanya placed her hand on his left shoulder while looking in his eyes. "I didn't mean to shout. I swear, I really didn't mean to shout at you, I'm so so-"

But he didn't let her complete. Abhir placed his index finger on her lips, and slid back up with his back attached to the backrest of their bed.

Extending his arm, he smiled at her, and tapped on his right shoulder for her to place her head on his chest.

"I'm really so-"

"Tsk, you really talk too much these days," he tsk-ed at her.

Holding her wrist, Abhir hauled her on his chest and engulfed her in his arms tightly. He swayed the blanket up to their forearms as he slowly caressed her head, and entwined his fingers with hers on his stomach above the blanket.

"Now tell me, are you really cold, or is it something else?" He pecked her head, making her feel even more guilty for screaming at him.

And before guilty could entirely consume her, she looks up at him with a face ready to wail any moment.

"No. It's nothing. You just tell me you forgave me? Please, Abhi. I really didn't mean to shout at you." Vaanya keep staring at him for the next two minutes, until he sighed.

"Do you think I really would have minded that anyways?" He lifted his brows in amusement at her.

He swept his hand up to hold her chin, and softly smiled at her. "You've all the rights to shout at me, punch me, kick me, slap me, do whatever you want to do with me," he commences whole still holding her chin lightly.

"And in return, I just want one thing that you're safe, you're happy, you're at peace, that's it." His smile widened.

"Only you matter to me. Only your happiness matters to me. Only your safety and well being matters to me, Vaanu," he concludes with a smile.

The tears Vaanya would have shed out of guilt earlier, now she wanted to shed in gratefulness to God. How come she got Abhir all for herself?

She must have done something really good in the past life perhaps, that she's been gifted with such a great human like Abhir, just for herself, for her entire life till death.

"Abhi," she sang his name while sniffing with a baby face.

"Aww," Abhir laughed at her crying expressions because she looked way too cute for her age.

Vaanya circled her arms around his waist, and hid her face in his chest to prevent from crying. Abhir attached his cheek with her head, caressing her head lovingly, and both of them later just dozed off into each other's embraces.

And almost a week passed by in a flick of an eye, just a day before Vaanya's birthday and Abhir was fretting in his cabin, biting his nails.

Just in that moment, a knock and an intruder barged in his office with hurried steps. Revanth.

"Sir sir sir-"

"How dare you step into my office, huh?" Abhir growled at the crying Revanth. "Mai to bohot bura hu na, jaa jaake ab apni maalkin se hi kaam le tu."

Abhir was clearly pissed and upset with Revanth for what he did last week by complaining it to Vaanya about how Abhir was being a cruel boss to him, and later that day, Abhir permanently sent Revanth to be Vaanya's PA, and commenced his search for Revanth's replacement.

"Sir?" Revanth cried. "Sir aap mujhse itna naraz hone ka haq nahi rakhte. Maine ek baar galti se bevakoofi kya kar di, aapne aaj ek naya PA hi bula liya? Aisa thodi hota hai sir. Aap jaante ho mai aapse kitna pyar karta h-" Revanth tried to hug Abhir cringily, but Abhir took two steps back.

"Abey hatt-" Abhir screeched.

"Or kya? Kya nahi kya, huh? Badi jaldi akal nahi aa gayi?" He hissed at the crying male. "Ab pata chala kaisa laga tha mujhe jab tune meri side na leke uss din Vaanu ki side li thi. Now you taste your own medicine." Abhir challengingly lifted his brows at him while taking his seat.

"Sirrrrr," Revanth weeped louder. Joining his hands in front, he went and grabbed both of Abhir's legs under his table.

"Arey-Revanth leave. Are you crazy?" Abhir tried to get him off, but he refused to let go.

"Nahi sir. Mai apne words wapis leta hun. Vaanya ma'am ne to mujhe kaam de deke maar daala sir." Revanth wailed under the table.

Abhir's ears perked up in attention. What does he mean.

"Means what?" Abhir questioned, finally making him let go off his legs as Abhir himself slid under the table that now both the boss and his PA were in horse poses.

There faces two to three inches apart from each other under the table, and half of their bodies, from their middle back to their feet were out of the table.

Revanth's face turned red after taking his cries.

"Bol na-bhav kya kha raha hai itna." Abhir hissed again, slapping his head.

"That day I said ki aap mujhe overtime karate ho. But no. Overtime ka to mujhe matalb bhi nahi pata tha jab tak mai aapke saath tha. But Vaanya ma'am? Vaanya ma'am to mujhe itna kaam deti hai ki pichhle ek hafte se mujhe yahi nahi yaad ki mai ghar kitne dino se nahi gaya hu," he cried louder this time.

That's when it hit Abhir. So that's the reason why Vaanya didn't react that day even after knowing that Abhir isn't the type to make his employees work overtime?

Abhir's mouth fell open in surprise at the realisation.

"My wifey is so thoughtful. She took revenge on you like this?" Abhir says with stunned but melted expressions.

He looks at Revanth who lost all his hopes by now seeing how cooked Abhir looked.

"Sir?" Revanth blankly stared at him.

"Yes, Revanth?" Abhir says with loved filled eyes for Vaanya as he perceived how silently she made Revanth pay for insulting Abhir, even if Revanth did that for fun and childishly, they all knew it.

"Leave it, you're of no use anymore," Revanth shook his head in disappointment. Crying so much in front of Abhir was such a waste. With a tsk, Revanth moved out from under the table and fixed his clothes, when Vaanya came yelling in Abhir's cabin.

"Abhir Agnihotri, where in the hell are you?"

Her pitch terrified her husband, stunning him to stand up with a jerk, but he forgot he didn't have to stand up straight, and fumbly ended up banging his head under the table.

"Argh!" He howled with cry at the steep pain on his head. But today he realised how nice was the material of his office that it almost broke his skull.

But he still stood up while massaging his head with scrunched up expressions.

"What's wrong?" He question with painful expressions. And without wasting a second, Vaanya blowed up at him. "Be honest," she says demandingly.

"Y- you're hiding something from me, Abhi?"

And now Abhir looks at Revanth who gulped staring at Abhir. Both of them knew what she might have found out.

Vivaan.