Intertwined Fates -- An IPKKND FanFic

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As Khushi headed for the sofa, Arnav caught her arm and steered her gently towards the bed instead.

She blanched. "Was this what you meant when you wanted us to act like a real couple?"

He let go of her, and faced her so she could see his sincerity. "I'm not going to push you into anything. But what's wrong with sleeping–only sleeping– on the same bed?"

Because the last time we did that, I ended up in your arms. Instead she said, "I'd be more comfortable on the sofa."

"Look, being a couple means being able to share space. How is this going to work if you don't even trust me enough to share my bed? And look how big it is–you can easily stay on one side while I stay on the other." A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "That is, unless you don't think you can stay away from me?"

She scoffed. "I'm not the one I'm worried about. Fine, I'll sleep on the bed. But if you even put a finger on my side..."

"Yeah, yeah, do your worst. Now come on, let's lay down."

It was awkward, to say the least. She lay on her back, stiff and staring straight up. On the opposite end, he was equally awake, wondering what he could say or do to ease the obvious tension.

Finally, he sat up. "I uhh...I have to send an email." He headed to his work desk, feeling like a coward. Damn it, why had he insisted on this if he couldn't handle it?

But with him off the bed, she could finally relax enough to drift off to sleep. When her soft breathing filled the room, he crawled under the covers also.

There, he thought. That wasn't so bad, was it? Now all I have to do is stay here, and she'll stay there.

But this was easier said than done.

Their subconsciouses erased the distances that their waking minds created, and in the morning, they both awoke in the middle of the bed, her head on his chest, his arm wrapped around her.

Flushed red, and knowing she couldn't blame only him, she scampered to the bathroom, and neither of them brought it up.

***

Lavanya critically looked around. "It's not big enough. And neither is mine."

"What's not big enough?" NK said, as he handed her a cup of tea.

"This apartment. My apartment. Neither of them are big enough to house the both of us, Anya, and my mother. We need to find a new place."

"You're right." NK sat next to her, and took a sip. "Let me contact the real estate agent I used when I first got here."

"Let's talk to the landlord. Maybe they have another place in this building that's big enough."

"Or we could buy."

"Buy?"

"A rented apartment isn't permanent. And I think, after all the instability in Anya's life, we should try to give her a permanent place to stay."

Lavanya didn't say anything, but the word "permanent" set off a myriad of emotions inside of her that she couldn't quite understand.

She downed her tea in one gulp and got to her feet. "I'm going to the gym for a bit. We'll talk more about this when I get back."

NK tilted his head aside as he watched her leave.

What was wrong?

***

"Stop laughing at me!" Arnav growled. In frustration, he crumpled up the diaper and tossed it towards his wife, who caught it easily.

Today was the first day of Arnav's babysitting course. In a room full of mostly teenage girls, Arnav had been the only man. While that was awkward enough, he felt nothing but more embarrassment when he was the only one who hadn't figured out how to properly diaper the plastic dolls they'd been given by the end of class. Now, he was determined to get it before the next session, but he hadn't had much success.