Page 233 of The Redemption
“Sleep now,” I say once we’re finally lying beside each other again.
“Hmm.” She hums as I press another kiss on her parted lips. “And you?”
“I have enough to keep me busy tonight.”
With that, I rest my head against her chest. My wife hugs me tight as we both close our eyes, trying to catch some sleep. Although I know with her this close, my body is soon going to need her again tonight. But before that, I want her to rest for a couple of hours.
It finally feels like my chase has come to an end. For years, I’ve been wandering through life, searching for someone to call my own. Ayaan, Baba, and Meher are my family, but the kind of peace and stillness that Siya has brought in my life is something I don’t think anyone else ever could have.
Siya is not just my wife.She’s my home… and the only place where I want to spend the rest of my life.
SIYA
Next Morning
I place the hot idlis down on the dining table and step back for a moment, looking over everything Baba has prepared. Thedining area smells of freshly steamed idlis and sambhar. Mom is already seated at the table, arranging the plates, while Baba fusses over whether the sambhar needs more coriander despite Mom repeatedly assuring him it is perfect.
Although I’m trying hard to focus, my mind keeps drifting back to last night. Heat crawls up my neck at the thought. I can’t remember when we finally fell asleep because every time I opened my eyes, I found Raghav’s lips somewhere on my body. Throughout the night, he was either kissing me, holding me close as though he never intended to let me go, or simply unable to stop touching me. He had been relentless, consumed by a desire to worship and devour the woman he loved all at once.
The entire night had been intense, so much so that my body still carries its sweet ache. Even though Raghav insisted I sleep a bit longer this morning, I couldn’t, especially with Baba here. So, like a dutiful daughter-in-law, I took a shower, got dressed, and hurried downstairs to help Mom and Baba with breakfast.
I come back to the present as I hear Mom’s voice.
“Where’s Raghav?” she asks, glancing towards the staircase. “Call him before everything gets cold.”
I smile automatically as I place the serving spoon beside the sambhar.
“When I came downstairs, he had just gone for a shower. He should be ready by now.”
I turn, intending to look for him myself, but just then, Raghav appears at the top of the staircase. The moment we see him, we all fall silent.
Because for the first time, Raghav isn’t wearing black. Today, a light blue shirt hugs his broad frame, its sleeves carelessly rolled up to his forearms, and the top few buttons are left open just enough to reveal the familiar chain resting against his chest. His trousers are still black, but somehow that only makes the light blue stand out more.
I stare at him, my jaw almost dropping. His eyes find mine, and the look he gives me tells me he knows exactly what I was thinking. The faint twitch at the corner of his mouth makes me blush even harder.
“There he is.” Mom is the first one to recover.
Before I can gather my thoughts, Raghav reaches the dining table and pauses, noticing the three of us staring at him.
“What?” he asks, glancing between Baba, Mom, and me.
Baba immediately shakes his head and smiles.
“Nothing. I’m just realising that ever since you got married, you’ve been surprising us every day. First the proposal, then the confession, then the remarriage…” He gestures towards Raghav’s shirt. “And now this. I never thought I’d live long enough to see my son willingly wear a colour other than black.”
Mom laughs beside him while Raghav looks down at the blue shirt, almost as if he’s just now remembered what he’s wearing.
“I have to agree,” Mom says warmly. “You look very handsome today.”
She quickly applies a nazar ka tika with her kohl behind his ear.
“What are you doing?” Raghav asks, surprised.
But Mom, being Mom, doesn’t stop until she’s done.
“What else?” She frowns. “Warding off any evil eye.”
Then she turns to Baba. “Bhai Sahab, isn’t it unfair? My daughter takes an hour getting ready, and then her husband walks in wearing a simple shirt and steals the entire show.”
