Two Birds One Arrow (Completed)

Chapter 25

Six years later:

"Papa, let's go for a cycle ride." Shruti tugs at Gautham, who had just come back from work.

"Shruti, give him some rest. He just came home. You can go for a cycle ride some other time." I scold my daughter.

"But papa, you promised." She pouts at him and I can already tell that Gautham is so close to giving in. I can't let that happen. He really needs to catch up on his sleep.

"Shruti, I'll take you for a ride tomorrow morning." I tell her, it being my way of comforting her.

"No, ma. You always say the same thing but you don't keep up your promises. You say you are tired as soon as you come back from office."

"Beta, let papa rest. I'll take you to the park tomorrow morning." Gautham's dad, who always happens to be Shruti's go-to person for anything, tries to convince her.

"Papa, please." Shruti continues to disturb Gautham without paying any attention to the rest of us.

"Fine, can we go after one hour?" Gautham asks her.

"No, I want to go now itself." The stubborn little angel orders him.

"Okay. I'll change and come." Gautham walks into the room, obeying Shruti's words.

"Shruti, you should stop troubling daddy." I try to reason with her.

"Let her be, dear. She is the only one who can keep Gautham on his toes all the time." Gautham's mom says, taking Shruti's side.

I sigh out in frustration and walk to the room following Gautham.

"You should not listen to whatever she says. You are spoiling her a lot. No wonder she doesn't listen to anyone else. " I tell him, annoyed.

"Hey, she's just three years old. This is the age where kids play. If I don't let her enjoy now, when else would should?"

"There's a limit for everything, Gautham. She doens't listen to anyone except you." I tell him. It was supposed to come off as a complaint, but Gautham, however, took it as a compliment and grinned.

"Don't you dare smirk. Look how stubborn she is!"

"I can guarantee you that I have nothing to do with that. She must have inherited it from you." He chuckles.

"Are you trying to imply that I am stubborn?"

"I am not trying to imply. I am implying."

I glare it him so much that he puts his hand up in surrender.

"Besides, I would want someone else besides you to keep me on the edge, right?" He asks me, suggestively.

"Don't you dare flatter me after shooting up insults at my face." I tell him, feigning irritation.

Next thing I know, I am pinned up against the wall with Gautham standing in close proximity. Here's the truth. Initially, pinning me against the wall was quite romantic. But now, I have grown to hate it. I try to fight against him to free myself but it all ends up in vain.

"You better back off, Gautham." I threaten him. It's not quite the time for romance with Shruti in the house. She will suddenly burst into our room out of nowhere and cause us immense embarrassment and awkwardness.

However, he is in no mood to listen to me. So, I use my master trick to fight against him.

"Shruti!" I fake gasp at the door and Gautham steps away from me, expecting Shruti to be standing in the doorway. When he notices that I had lied, a pissed off smirk forms in his lips as he turns to me. However, I had already escaped a few feet away from him.

"Better be back in fifteen minutes. She didn't have her dinner, yet." I warn him and walk out the door.

Gautham soon walks out of the door and Shruti transforms into a gleaming bag of energy upon seeing him. She runs to him and he catches her in his arms almost effortlessly.

Shruti immediately begins to engage Gautham in a conversation as they both walk outside. They are too much involved in their little exchange to even spare me a glance before leaving. I close the door after them and walk towards the balcony. I could get a nice view of Shruti cycling from there.

When it's been about five minutes and they still haven't reached their cycling spot, I realise that they must have stopped by my parents' place.

The thought of it itself brings a smile to my face.

When I was eight months pregnant, Gautham claimed that he had a gift for me outside. I had immediately dodged his request seeing I had no energy to walk outside. But, after few minutes of continuous pestering, I obliged. We had to walk to the apartment which was directly opposite to our home and the next thing I know, Gautham suddenly pulls out a key and opens the door.

He had bought that apartment for my parents to move in.

He had remembered the conversation we had during our first meeting. I told him that having to stay away from my parents was the only thing that made me apprehensive about getting married. He had promised me that he would take care of it. He lived upto his promise and also took great care of them. He treated them just like the way he treated his own parents. He also volunteered to spend time with them whenever he could.

As I dwell in my thoughts, I see Shruti and Gautham reaching their usual spot with the cycle.

Shruti is three years old now. She is the best thing that has happened in the lives of Gautham and I. She was really a godsend and I love her with every reason of my being. Even though she is only three, I feel like she's growing up too quickly. Feels like only yesterday when she wouldn't stay with anyone else for more than a second and would cry and hold her arms out for me.Last week, we had gotten her a new cycle and since then, she has been so obsessed with it.

Gautham places his hand on the cycle and gently pushes it away as Shruti continues to pedal. Though Shruti insists on Gautham leaving the grip he had on the cycle, Gautham refused and kept running behind her.

Every action of hers made him proud.  He loves to talk about whatever she does to everyone he meets. And Shruti too loves him more than anyone else.

Life is so funny. What if Gautham and also been one of the profiles I rejected without even taking a look? I just knew that we are meant to be together. Who knows what destiny is upto?

Gautham says that Shruti will never take up the place he has for me in his heart. That may be partially true. She did not take up my place. She took up a position very much higher than mine and that only makes me happier. The thought that makes me even more happier is that there will soon be another kid in our lives who would be competing with Shruti for her dad's love. I place a hand over my tummy and silently smile about that, seeing it is a secret only known to me.

Who knew what one Indian arranged marriage could bring, right?

And the book is over. Thanks for all of you who stayed till here. This really means a lot more to me than you all realise. I am sorry if the last chapter isn't something that you had expected.

I really hope you all enjoyed this journey as much as I did.

And don't remove this book from your library just yet. I have a little something planned before I officially mark the book as completed.

That little something would be me writing a bonus chapter in Gautham's point of view, particularly about the time when Neha went into labour and Shruti was born. However it'll take me quite some time to upload that. So pleaaaaaaaaaaseeeeeeee be patient with me as we approach the last segment of the book.

Thanks guys.

You are the best and never let anyone treat you less than that.