The Life She Wants

Eight

The next morning when Tanay woke up, Aadya wasn't beside him.

He had work today. They were back to real life.

As always, he showered and got ready for the office. He came down and found her setting plates at the dining table along with tea cups.

She was wearing one of her sarees today and had her hair in an updo, secured with a claw clip.

"Good morning." She chirped as she saw him.

"Morning." He smiled back and sat in his chair.

He waited for her to join him, and they had their breakfast.

"What's in my tiffin?" He asked, wearing his watch and grabbing the tiffin.

"Paneer tikka masala, roti, and daal rice." She answered and handed him another small box. "Ladoo."

"I'm hungry now." He joked.

"Silly." She shook her head with a smile as she zipped his bag. "Okay, there you go."

"So eager to get me out?" He raised his eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes. "What do you want me to say? 'Don't go, Tanay, take another day off so your boss fires you, and we'll stay home all day all life long. Yay'?"

"Rude." He clicked his tongue and grabbed her chin to make her look up at him. Without a word, he kissed her lips and then her forehead.

"Come home soon." She smiled.

"Yeah, I will."

"Bye." She mumbled.

"Bye." He opened the door and stepped out.

"Have a good day!" She called behind him. He smiled and waved at her before getting into the cab.

She carried on with other household chores, did some laundry, and cooked the rest of the lunch.

She usually would make only enough rotis for Tanay's tiffin, and then later she would heat all the food and make the rotis again so her in-laws would have a nice and hot meal.

So for now, she waited for them to come home.

She turned on the TV for the time being.

A couple of hours later, the doorbell rang. She turned off the TV and walked over to open the door.

"Maa, papa. Welcome." She smiled at them. When they had stepped in, she touched their feet and took their blessings. "How was your trip?" She asked.

Her father-in-law brushed her off with a "it was good."

"So, freshen up while I set the table."

They went into their room, and Aadya to the kitchen to prepare the rotis.

She served them and tried to talk to them, but no response. Eventually, she stopped asking more.

After their lunch, she washed the utensils and went to her room.

She looked at her phone and smiled.

"Lunch was delicious." "Did you eat yet?" "Maa baba arrived home?"

Her husband. A very caring and loving husband.

She replied to his messages and waited for him to come home for the rest of her day.

At 7 pm, the doorbell rang, and the way Aadya excitedly went to open the door did not go unnoticed by her in-laws.

Tanay smiled and caressed her cheek, aware of his parents in the house, and walked to his parents. He touched their feet too and told them he'll be back after he freshens up.

From his room, he called out Aadya's name.

"Haan? Coming!" She called back and walked upstairs. Pushing the door open, she frowned, "what happened?"

"I couldn't seem to find this gorgeous woman when I stepped in, but now I have found her." He said, grabbed her by the waist. She threw her head back laughing and slapped his chest.

"Stop, silly!"

He smiled and pecked her lips. "How was your day?"

"It was good. A little mundane but good." Her thumbs traced his jawline as she cupped his face. "How was yours?"

"I missed you." He mumbled, touching their heads.

"I missed you too." She smiled. "Now go freshen up, I have dinner to make."

"Okay." He sighed and let go of her. She walked out of the room and down the stairs.

All that was left was to cook rice. She put the cooker on the stove and waited for its whistles. She saw Tanay walk into the living room to talk with his parents.

While she was setting the plates, she noticed her mother-in-law crying.

Nobody talked at the dinner table. She wasn't aware of what had caused her mother-in-law to cry. What were they talking about?

After dinner, she cleaned up and washed the utensils. She turned off all the lights and walked to her room. She surprisingly did not see Tanay there.

Must be in his office, she guessed and made the bed.

She heard the door of her room open and close, and soon, two arms had wrapped around her.

"Let's sleep." She felt lips against her cheek.

"Why was...why was maa crying?" She softly asked, not reacting to his touch.

"It was nothing."

A part of her already knew the reason why, but she wanted to hear it to confirm.

"Tell me."

"It was nothing, Aadya. Let's sleep."

While Tanay managed to convince her to sleep, in the middle of the night, he woke up to soft sniffles.

He turned on the lamp and looked beside him. She had rolled away from him, and he could see her trying to control her cries.

"Aadya, baby," he touched her arm and made her look at him. "Baby, look at me. Get up. What's wrong? Tell me."

"It's n-nothing." She brushed him off and wiped her tears. "Go back to sleep; you have the office tomorrow."

"Its not nothing. Talk to me, Aadya." He cupped her face. "Please, baby."

"She...she talked to you about the baby, didn't she?" She sniffled. "Tell me."

"Y-Yes." He confessed. "But it's no problem. I told her we'll see."

"No, Tanay. It is a problem." She coughed. "Its gonna happen all over again. I'm gonna be forced to give them a grandchild. I'm gonna have to go through all that pain again, and in the end, it's me who's gonna be blamed for everything. No matter what I do, how hard I try to be nice, they are just always blaming me. I'm barely twenty-two, damn it. I don't want a kid-"

"Aadya!" He pulled her in a tight embrace and rubbed her back. "Its okay. It is okay." Pulling back, he brushed her hair out of her face. "I'm not forcing you. No matter what they say. No matter what anyone says. We decided what we want, okay? You've just gotten better." He inhaled sharply. "We have just gotten better. Our relationship has become so beautiful; I'm not gonna let anyone break what we have found. Not my parents, not yours, and not a damn child."

She paused for a moment and frowned. "Don't say 'damn child'; it's gonna be our child after all."

Tanay breathlessly laughed and shook his head. He kissed her forehead, wiped her tears, and whispered against her lips, "I love you."

"I-"

The sound of yelling and crying pulled them apart. It was almost 1 in the morning; what could possibly be happening.