Chapter 17

AADHI

I rushed to the kitchen to see what had happened. Everything was burned, not even a single bit was salvageable. Everything was spoiled!

How did I not smell any of this? Maybe I was too involved in reminiscing to notice.

"I really should have asked this before, but anyway, do you know how to cook?" I felt like a fool asking that question.

He looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights. So I presumed the answer is 'no'.

"You should have told me, I would have helped you," I tried very hard not to yell at him.

I was so hungry and there was nothing left that could be cooked.

I had been thinking about going grocery shopping that morning.

Oh God, why didn't I go?

I went back to the living room and slumped on the couch with my head in my hands, thinking about what to do.

"Let me order something. It won't take more than forty-five minutes," he tried to convince me.

I nodded. He immediately went to grab his phone to order. After about ten minutes he came back and sat with me. "It will be here in thirty minutes. Don't worry," he said, smiling.

I tried to smile back, but since I was hungry, my patience was getting thinner by the second. I wanted to bite his head off for burning all the food, but I managed to maintain my dignity.

After one and a half hours, the food hadn't arrived yet. He went out to make a call for the umpteenth time after I glared at him, looking at the clock.

He came in and went straight to our room. He came out all dressed up to go somewhere.

I didn't even ask where he was going. I just looked at him questioningly.

"I will go and get something to eat. Just call me if the delivery comes before I do," he said and went away. He didn't even wait for me to answer.

***

As expected, the delivery hadn't come and I didn't know where my husband was. I was dying of hunger... I knew I was being dramatic, but that is how I felt.

I heard footsteps in the doorway. Finally, someone arrived! Even then I didn't get up to see who it was. I felt like I didn't have the energy to lift a finger.

"I am here." I heard his voice. He came straight to me with some takeout. I hurriedly opened everything. He rushed too, I guessed he was as hungry as I was.

We finished everything and went to bed. Still, there was no news about that delivery man.

When I woke up in the morning, I went to the bathroom to freshen up.

When I finished my shower, that is when I realized I had forgotten to bring my dress inside. So I wrapped a towel around me and went outside, expecting him to be sleeping.

I plotted my next move. He would be sleeping, so I could take my dress from the table just outside the bathroom door where I usually kept it, before bringing it in for my shower.

I can duck out and snatch it quickly, then I will come back inside and change.

But when I went outside, he was standing there, searching for something in our closet.

"Oh my God!" I shrieked and went inside again.

What do I do now? He saw me in a bloody towel. Oh no!

I heard a knock on the door. "Aadhi, tell me where you left your dress. I will get it for you." I smiled at his sweet gesture.

"It's on the table."

I heard a knock again. I opened the door just enough to get my dress in and extended my hands to him. After getting the dress, I changed and came out. He was still in the room.

"Why did you wake up?"

He looked at me as if to say,what the hell are you talking about?

"Um, I mean... When did you wake up? You didn't even make a sound or anything to let me know that you are awake," I accused him.

"So now it's my mistake that you forgot to bring your clothes inside?" he asked, pointing at himself.

Yeah... That didn't make sense. I just stood there biting my lips, thinking what to say.

"Do you do that every day?" he asked.

"Do what?"

"Coming out like that when I was sleeping.Every day."

"Not every day, but sometimes like today when I forget to take my clothes inside...," I said, trailing away without knowing why he asked.

"I should wake up early from now on," he said to himself in a low tone.

But I heard that.

"What did you just say?" I asked him, surprised because I must have misheard.

"Nothing." He shrugged.

"Pervert," I said to myself, loud enough to be heard.

"What did you say?" he asked me, mirroring me from a minute ago.

"Nothing," I said, shrugging and mimicking his movements.

"I heard you," he said with a mysterious expression on his face, accusing me.

"Yeah, well...I heard you too." I said it like it was not a big deal.

He was silent for a moment. I raised my head to see what he was doing.

He was smirking at me.

"Stop whatever you are thinking," I said, glaring and pointing my finger at him.

"So, you know what I am thinking?" His smirk grew wider.

If I stayed here any longer then I would be the more embarrassed one. So I ran out without a word.

We finished our breakfast in silence. I was thinking.

Day by day his teasing is going overboard, and I don't have any response. How can I? What can I say to that?

I mean, deep inside I liked it. I could still feel his gaze when he saw me in the towel. As I thought about that, something stirred inside my stomach.

For the first time after our marriage, I felt something. I didn't know what it was yet, but I liked it.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked, looking at me.

Am I smiling?

"I wasn't," I said, turning my face away.

"Yes, you were," he said with a smug smile.

I was even more embarrassed, so I ran to the kitchen to avoid further teasing.

Why was I smiling? Was I smiling or did he just make that up?

I heard the doorbell and went to see who it was.

"Surprise!" I heard a few voices shouting when I opened the door.

His friends Nija, Harsha, Karthi, and their wives Siva and Ruby were standing outside. Siva and Ruby came running to hug me.

"We heard that you were bored," Siva said with a smirk. I turned back to look at my husband. He was smiling at me.

Wow, this day is just getting better and better.