t h r e e
facade we live

Shubman walked out of the bathroom, wearing comfortable pyjamas. It was already late and he didn't want to delay his sleep, he needed to wake up early, like any other day.

"I'll sleep on the right, yeah? Like last time?" He asked Sara who was scrolling on her phone. She mindlessly nodded as he thought about the time they had shared a room for last time; spoiler- it had been a disaster.

He kept a pillow against the bed rest, sitting comfortably. He glanced at his wife, still immersed in her phone.

"Sara," he yawned, feeling drowsy.

"Bolo na," (What happened?) she asked, turning to face him. She hasn't changed her clothes yet.

"Take it off," he sleepily mumbled and Sara gasped loudly, clasping her mouth with palms.

"Sh...Shubman, I know we...we are sharing a room, but...but..." she stuttered, completely flabbergasted. Her face was flushed, arms crossed over her chest.

Shubman's eyes widened in horror as he realised how his wife had misinterpreted his words.

"Goodness," he breathed out. "Take off my jacket which you're wearing, you stupid woman!" He said, face scrunched up in annoyance.

"Oh," was all she could say, embarrassment evident on her face. With shaky hands, she pulled down the zipper, taking off his jacket. "Uh...uh...thanks for giving it to me today, I...I, didn't expect the A.C. to be so cold," her voice was low as she tried to speak to him avoiding eye contact.

"I'm your perfect husband, am I not, jaan?" A teasing grin adorned his face and the term of endearment he used, made Sara widen her eyes. She hastily picked up her nightdress and dashed into the bathroom. Shubman shook his head, still in disbelief as he laid down on the bed, dozing off.

🪷

( the next day )

"Chai is ready!" Shubman said, as he arrived out of the kitchen, a tray of three cups in his hand. Rajesh and Sunita, now well rested, were more enthusiastic than ever, grinning as they took their mugs.

The chirping of the birds, the noise of the vehicles and hawkers on the streets was all heard like every other day, while Shubman had his morning tea. Except, today, instead of the television shouting the morning headlines, he was having a pleasant conversation with his parents.

Like everyday, he heard the heavy footsteps of his wife. Rajesh and Sunita, sitting on the adjacent sofa spotted her, smiling at her.

"Good morning Mummy-Papa!" He heard her cheerful voice. Shocked, he turned around. Gone was the groggy morning voice and the zombie like clothing. In front of him stood a Sara, dressed to begin the day.

"Shub, meri coffee?" (Shub, where's my coffee?) her voice held an elegance and poise. Bewildered, he pointed towards the kitchen, giving the same answer he gives every day. How does she look like a...human being?

"Counter,"

"Thank you!" She beamed, walking in. He exhaled sharply, unable to process the drastic change. Sara sat next to him, crossing one on the other, engaging in the conversation. No barista joke?

"Ten- I mean, Sara, coffee achi nahi bani hai kya?" (Sara, is the coffee not good?) he asked, his eyes holding a suspicion.

"Achi bani hai bikul, roj ki tarah," (It's really good, like every day) she flashed her beautiful smile and he nodded, tearing his gaze away, his heart skipping a beat.

As annoying as Sara could get, her smile was beautiful. Prettiest he had ever seen. She had already disengaged from their interaction, discussing lunch and dinner with Sunita. Shubman was pushed into an abyss of thoughts, wondering how flawlessly Sara slipped into the boots of the 'perfect wife'. Last time when they put on this pretence was in January of this year, when his parents had come over- first time after their marriage.

The shared room, the facade of the lovey-dovey couple, was anything but a smooth sailing, as they occasionally bumped into icebergs and brushed past storms. This time, it seemed smoother, particularly on Sara's end. He snapped out of his thoughts as he felt Sara's feathery touch on his hand. Blood rushed to his cheeks as he glanced at her, casually holding his hand while talking to his mother.

"He's actually the best-est husband, Mummy," was the only thing he heard her say. And it was enough to make his stupid heart race.

🪷

Sara was sitting in her break room, taking a quick break for lunch. While she relished the taste of the parathas made by her mother-in-law, she couldn't help but scroll on her Instagram, like an iPad child. Her mindlessly moving thumb stopped as she saw a familiar face on the reels. It was her famous husband, of course.

It was a video captioned 'Gill core', consisting mostly wholesome and funny clips. They had also edited in a clip of her with him, when he had sent her a flying kiss with his bat to the stands after scoring a century. A smile played on her lips, but as realisation dawned upon her, she slammed her phone on the table, closing the app.

Stupid. He's stupid. Okay, he might be good looking, I'll give him that. But that's it.

And he's adorable with kids.

Her mind immediately flashed back to two nights ago, when he was playing the fancy toy car with Agastya.

Okay, that was cute. 

"Hey Sara, Ritu is looking for you," she heard her co-worker's Aditya's voice and snapped out of her reverie, hastily looking at him, completely flustered.

"Wh-what?" Aditya furrowed his brows in confusion before answering her.

"Ritu's looking for you. That's it," he said, exiting the break room. Sara nodded, taking a bite of the delicious paratha.

Why am I thinking about Gill at work!?

A/N: Third part! How was it?