38. Straight face?

Jai

I'm lying on the bed with Anika in my arms, and today was one of the best days of my life. I never thought I'd enjoy being on the receiving end of the princess treatment, but damn if it didn't make me feel special.

Anika is asleep, but I'm not the least bit sleepy. That's why I decided to plan a few things for my baby after everything she's done for me today.

She planned the whole day out for me, which means so much because no one has ever done that for me.

She bought me flowers.

She took me to my favorite restaurant.

She drove for me.

She surprised me with my favorite movie.

She wanted to make dinner for me.

But the main part wasn't just what she did, it was that she wanted to do these things for me. She wanted to make me happy, even after I've let her down so many times. Never again.

But I love giving her the princess treatment even more. Watching the smile on her face always makes it worth it.

It's past 1 am, and I'm not the least bit sleepy, so I decided to make a few calls and arrange a few things.

My team is available 24/7, so I made a few calls and arranged the best day for my wife. She is going to love it.

Calling her 'my wife' makes me feel things that nothing else has before. I never thought that mundane things with her would make the butterflies erupt.

I had to plan this date today because Anika leaves for her trip in 3 days, and I know for a fact that she's going to spend the next 3 days shopping for stuff.

I'm going to miss her so much. But no matter what the situation is, Anika has wanted to go on this trip for years, and I'm making that happen.

While she was ranting about how much she wanted to go on this trip, she mentioned the 'Shaadi ke bad jaana' conversation with Nisha and her mom.

I promised them that I'd drive them for shopping, but the only problem is, when the girls are with Anika, I don't get to touch her as much. And I'm not just talking about getting physical. It might be simple hand-holding, forehead kisses, or holding her by the waist.

But for now, I go back and lay beside her, pulling her closer, with her back pressed against my chest. I tuck my face into her neck and breathe her in.

Both of us know that we've fallen for each other, but neither of us is taking the first step.

She's scared that I don't feel the same. But how can I not when she does all these things for me? Things no one has ever done before. She understands me, makes me smile, listens to me when I'm stressed, and makes my life better just by being a part of it.

But me? I'm waiting for the perfect time and place to propose to her. I want to show her that she's going to feel safe, heard, respected, and valued when she's with me. With all that in mind, I've planned something out.

But first, the dream trip with her girls needs to happen.

With all those things on my mind and Anika in my arms, I slowly fell asleep.

...............................................................................

Anika

I woke up pressed against Jai's chest, his arm around my middle. I would have enjoyed this moment if I didn't have the urge to pee. Slowly, I pushed his arm away and got up, heading to the bathroom to take care of business.

When I came back, Jai was already sitting up.

"Good morning!" he greeted me.

"Good morning," I replied, smiling at the sound of his voice.

"Did I wake you?" I asked.

"No, I was up 30 minutes ago," he answered. I went and sat next to him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Did you apply for leave? Did your boss grant it?" he inquired.

"Yeah, I did. She had to make a big deal about it though," I sighed.

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"She told me how much I've been absent lately, even though I have so many leave days left. She had to put me in a bad place before accepting my request," I explained.

"Want me to take care of it?" he asked, looking possessive.

"No, no. It's fine, I got it," I assured him, snuggling closer into him.

"Okay, get ready then," he instructed suddenly.

"For? We decided to go shopping tomorrow, right?" I said.

"Surprise. Go get ready!"

"Okay, but how should I dress?"

"Casual" he replied.

Still, I decided to dress up a little because whenever Jai tells me to dress casually, he always takes me to a fancy place where I end up feeling underdressed.

I put on a wide-leg jeans and a cute top, applied a little makeup, and slipped into my heels.

When I came out of our room, I saw Jai dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, his whole attire exuding wealth, which he certainly has.

"What about breakfast?" I asked.

"You mean your iced coffee?" he teased.

"You know me," I replied, patting him playfully.

"I'll buy you that on the way," he promised, taking my hand and leading me outside.

We sat in his car, exited our gated community, and Jai bought me my iced coffee as promised.

"Close your eyes," he suddenly said.

"Why?" I questioned.

"Because it's a surprise," he replied, and I rolled my eyes.

"Okay."

He stopped the car, got out, and opened my door. He then guided me somewhere, and after what felt like an eternity, we stopped.

"Open your eyes."

When I opened my eyes, we were in the middle of a bookstore, filled with books. There was nobody else visible, which was unusual for a Sunday.

"You brought me to a bookstore?" I exclaimed, jumping into his arms.

"Yeah." he said, catching me.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? You like it here."

"You don't read." I reminded him, confused.

"But you do." he winked.

"Won't you get bored?" I asked.

"Nah, I'll watch you reading." he replied.

"And you won't get bored?"

"Of course not. You'll try to put on a straight face and fail anyway, so I'll get my dose of entertainment." he winked.

"I can put on a perfect straight face!" I argued.

"Yeah, sure," he chuckled, patting my head.

"Also, why isn't anyone else here?" I asked, curious.

"I booked this place for us," he said, sounding like he booked a hotel room.

"What? People can't book a library, Jai."

"People can't, but I can," he replied, guiding us to the fiction genre.

"Are you trying to be filmy or what?" I laughed.

I picked out my favorite books, with Jai's help carrying them to the nearest table. We sat down, Jai pulling his chair closer to mine.

I started reading 'The Emperor' by Author Runyx, and halfway through the book, I tried to put on a straight face but failed miserably.

I was reading a spicy scene, and Jai leaned forward, making me shut my book with my finger as a makeshift bookmark.

"What was that?" he asked, looking confused.

"What was what?" I tried to play it cool.

"Why is your face flushed?" he teased.

"It was a cute romance book, that's why."

"Cute? Are you sure?"

"Definitely," I replied, attempting to convince myself more than him.

"Oh, I'll read it then," he said, trying to take the book from me and succeeding.

When he started reading it, I had to cover my face for a few seconds. He managed to put on a perfect straight face. How was that even possible?

After he finished reading that scene, he commented, "Hmm, nice scene," with a wink.

"It is," I replied, realizing it was pointless to deny it.

"How many points out of 10?" I asked.

"8 out of 10."

"Why? It's a 10."

"It'll be a 10 when I recreate it with you," he said, pulling my chair closer to his and giving me a peck.

"Let's continue this at home." I suggested, aware of the cameras around us.

It was almost 4 pm by the time I finished that book. We decided to head home because I needed to pack for our shopping trip tomorrow. I had a lot to do.

As we were about to leave, Jai asked, "What about the other books?"

"The books you carried?" I clarified.

"Yes."

"Nothing. I can't read so many books at once," I replied, smiling at him.

"So what? Let's take them home," he insisted.

There were about 15 books, and I get to keep all 15? What did I do to deserve a man like Jai?

He bought me all 15 books, and we carried them to the car. We got inside and put on our favorite playlist.

The drive home was filled with songs, and then we switched to me telling him about the book I had read that day. He gave his thoughts as well, making the ride even better.

"I liked the first couple better," he said when I finished narrating the whole book.

"I love both of them. Tristian Cane set standards, but Dante is the best man ever!" I exclaimed.

"Best?" he raised his eyebrows.

"After you, obviously," I said, giving him a kiss on his cheek.

I'll say that this was the best car ride of my life.

I'm going to miss him when I go to the trip. Can I take him with me? This will be the best trip of my life with my girls but him being there will make it better.

I think about it but don't say anything because it had to be us three. No guys, nothing. That was the initial plan.

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❀₊˚⊹♡

Can I get a Jai please? A guy who buys you books is a keeper!

Sorry for the late post. My schedule is a lil packed and writing this chapter took a lot of time.

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I post every Saturday, so wait for the next one😉