Dhruv's pov!

When I woke up the next morning, Shraddha wasn't beside me. Where did she go so early in the morning?

I stopped the alarm and got up from the bed. Work has piled up and the last details of the merger are still pending. I have no other choice than going to the office. But for the very first time in my life, I am feeling lazy. I don't want to go to the office. I wanted to stay back and spend as much time as possible with Shraddha. But duty calls!

There is a nearly one hour drive from here to the city and there was a meeting scheduled at ten. I have to start by at least half past eight, considering the heavy Bangalore traffic.

I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face before going for my routine workout. Usually, Shraddha wakes up only once I come down after the work out session. Why did she get up early today?

I heard the sound coming from the kitchen and realised she was there. What was she doing in the kitchen so early?

I reached the terrace where I had set up a few dumbbells, a barbell and a treadmill for my workout. After forty minutes, I came down, all sweaty.

"Shraddha..." I called out loudly, as I didn't have time to go looking for her. I walked to the bedroom and found a pair of formals kept on the bed. My belt, wallet and watch was kept next to it. I was surprised. Nobody has ever done anything like that for me. Even when I was a kid, mom had ordered the staff to get us ready for school. But I never liked staff lingering around in my private space, so from a very young age, I had learned to do everything myself.

"Dhruv.." Shraddha came in with a glass of green tea. She had taken a shower in the morning itself. Her hair was bundled in a towel and the sindoor was smudged by sweat. She was looking so beautiful.

"Have the tea and freshen up, Dhruv." She said, placing the green tea on the table, and turned to walk out, but I pulled her back and with a squeal of surprise, she fell against my chest.

"Dhruv... What are you doing?" Shraddha asked with a laugh, trying to pull out of my hold.

"Why did you wake up so early today?" I asked, wiping the sweat from Shraddha's forehead.

"You have to go early today, right?" Shraddha asked in confusion.

"So?" I asked, wondering why she was early.

"Dhruv! You have to leave early and the breakfast should be ready before you leave, right? What will you eat if I sleep until you go?" Shraddha asked with a chuckle and I frowned.

"Breakfast? I would have eaten from the office canteen, Shraddha. You didn't have to wake up so early for that." I said.

"What? I don't understand.."

"I usually have breakfast and lunch from outside, Shraddha. I only eat dinners wherever I am staying. The cook was only asked to prepare dinners. I am used to that routine." I said.

"Oh.." Shraddha looked a bit disappointed hearing that.

"Since you took so much effort for me, I can't wait to have breakfast." I said and saw her face lightening up.

I quickly took a shower and wore the dress Shraddha had chosen for me. When I came out of the bedroom, Shraddha had already set the breakfast.

The delicious smell of the chole masala hit my nostrils and I felt my stomach grumbling eagerly for the food.

As I sat down, Shraddha served me hot bhaturas and the chole masala. I don't usually eat oily food in the morning, but I didn't want to tell her that and wipe off that smile from her face.

"Where is your plate?" I asked, realising that she only served me.

"I will have later on.." Shraddha said and I shook my head.

"When we are together, we eat together." I said adamantly and served the food for her.

Together we had breakfast. I can't remember when someone had served me food with so much happiness. Probably never. Mom was always depressed because of our father's infidelity. And the staff always does their duty. This was the first time someone was doing it for me out of their own will and doing it happily.

Not just anyone. My wife. My one and only! That mere thought made my heart swell with emotions I have never felt before.

After finishing breakfast, I leaned back in my chair, feeling satisfied both from the food and the peaceful moments we shared. Shraddha began clearing the plates, but I noticed her pulling out a thermosealed food container from the counter. I raised an eyebrow, curious.

"What's this?" I asked, intrigued.

"Lunch," she said with a shy smile, placing the container in front of me.

For a moment, I was taken aback. No one had ever packed me a lunch before. Schooling was in a boarding school, and meals were always from the food mess. Before joining the boarding school, I ate at the canteen as it was already arranged for me. I had never experienced the simple gesture of someone packing food for me, and it stirred something deep inside.

"You didn't have to do this, Shraddha," I said, though my heart swelled with emotions I wasn't used to. "I am happy you did it for me, but I don't want you waking up so early just to make food for me every day."

She smiled softly, her eyes sparkling with sincerity.

"Today I woke up early because I didn't know about your office schedule until late last night. If I prepare the vegetables and keep things ready in the refrigerator, it'll make things easier for me. I won't have to wake up so early tomorrow." Her expression softened, and she added quietly, "And Dhruv, I didn't just do it for you. I did it for me, too."

"For you?" I looked at her, confused. She nodded.

"I want to feel that domesticity, Dhruv. I want to experience the normalcy of a home. I have never had that feeling before." Her voice was steady but held a trace of vulnerability. "In the orphanage, they would ring a bell when it was time to eat. In the college hostel, it was the same. And when I started working as a nanny, my life was scheduled. I had fixed times for meals, for breaks, for everything. This is the first time I have ever had the freedom to do something on my own, to take care of someone. And I want to enjoy it."

Her words hit me deeply. Though we had grown up in vastly different worlds, our lives weren't all that different. I had always been surrounded by staff and by routines. Just like her, I had never experienced true domesticity. What we were building now — this life together — was as new for me as it was for her.

Without thinking, I closed the distance between us, gently cupping her face in my hands. I bent down and captured her lips in a searing kiss, pouring all the emotions I couldn't put into words into that kiss. She responded immediately, her arms sliding around my neck, pulling me closer.

Her lips were soft, warm, and tasted faintly of the coffee she had sipped earlier. I deepened the kiss, feeling the way her body pressed against mine, her fingers tangling in my hair. There was no rush, no urgency, just a quiet passion between us that made everything else disappear.

When I pulled back, I rested my forehead against hers, both of us breathing heavily, our hearts beating in sync.

"Thank you, Shraddha," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "For everything."

She smiled up at me, her fingers gently brushing against my cheek.

"This is our life now, Dhruv," she whispered. "Just like a normal couple. A normal family."

I smiled back, feeling something deep and profound settle in my chest. This was our life now. A life we would build together, one day at a time.

As I grabbed the lunch container and headed for the door, I turned back to look at her one last time.

"Thank you for the lunch, Shraddha," I said with a smile. Her face lit up with happiness.

"Take care, Dhruv," she called after me, and I nodded, heading to the office with a heart full of emotions I had never felt before.

A/N

Please do vote and comment...

Love,

SF❤️