The moment their lips met, they felt a rage of emotions hit them. Bafflement, love, anxiety, passion, the pain they were in all this time, the ebullience of feeling the other so up close, and the emotions of desire and need overwhelmed their senses. The sweet peck had them enamored, and he was drowning too deep in the chasm to even think twice before pressing his lips further onto hers, coaxing her into opening her mouth further.

She was hyper-aware of the way his palms were caressing the back of her head, tugging her hair, and his mouth was sucking her lips in a fashion that she felt both nervous and calm. She was unable to deal with the sensations in her heart and body, and she pushed him off her, the blush on her cheeks lighting up with radiance as faint sunlight fell on her skin. With her head lowered, she sprinted inside, not taking another glimpse at him.

It took him a few moments to gather himself and garner clarity. They had kissed, and he was still in disbelief over the entire situation. His heart raced like never before, and the grin of contentment didn't seem to dwindle. As he gazed at the rising sun peeking from behind the clouds and the innumerable manmade edifices standing erect in front of his vision, he experienced solace like never before.

Retreating inside, hoping to convince her to repeat the same act of intimacy, he was puzzled when he saw her pick up the handbag from the kitchen counter, take her car keys out, and head towards the door. "Where are you even going?"

She didn't turn around and was slightly out of breath. "It's already morning. I should head back."

"What for?" He covered the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "Don't go, Vixen." He pecked her shoulders. "I will miss you."

"Adi," she whispered, moaning a little as his lips trailed along her neck, "I need to get ready for work."

"Work from home. I will too," he mumbled against her hair.

She couldn't help but smile at the way he refused to part from her for even a second. "I need to freshen up and bring my laptop. Let me go now, and you can pick me up after noon."

His lips trailed over the smooth expanse of her shoulders. "No..."

She had to bite down on her lips to prevent herself from emitting the soft moan that was threatening to slip past her throat. "Please..."

Her desperate and breathless whimper elicited a chortle from him. His lips brushed against her earlobe. "Never felt anything like that before, huh, Vixen?"

The tingling on her back refused to die down, and her raspy breath came out in short intervals. "No..."

"Me neither." He reluctantly stepped back, exhaling deeply. "You can go now. I will not stop you."

She whirled around and cupped his cheeks after sensing his dismay. "We will have lunch together, okay?"

***

Piyali was once again miffed with her husband. They were supposed to eat dinner together the previous night, and he had told her he would inform her beforehand if the plan were to change. But neither did he apprise her nor did he show up on time. She wished to send him a message and ask him about his whereabouts too when she saw the Instagram post his colleague had made where they were having a pizza party at work while she was alone at home, getting excessively mollycoddled by Joanna.

So, she went to sleep early all over again, extremely irked with him.

Shubham was so thoroughly piqued with his wife. They were supposed to eat dinner together the previous night, and despite the pizza party that ran late at work, he rushed home with two large boxes of extra cheesy pizza ordered exclusively for her. But she had conveniently gone off to sleep by the time he reached, and she did not even bother texting him to see if he was going to be late or not. No, she just slept off when all he yearned to do was kiss her senseless for being such a lovely woman.

So, he went to sleep too, extremely annoyed with her.

She could tell he didn't slip into a slumber through the night as he was twisting and turning, and she felt a surge of anger when faint rays of the morning sun illuminated the room. Furious with him, she sat up and glared at his back. "If you can't sleep, please get out of the room. All these movements are preventing me from falling asleep."

He was startled by the way she shouted early in the morning. He had known she wasn't sleeping either because she was huffing and puffing throughout the night, and he was agitated since she wasn't even trying to establish communication. And he was quite angry himself. Sitting up, he scowled at her. "This is my room, and I am not going anywhere. You go and sleep somewhere else."

She gasped and flashed her eyes at him. "Fine!" She slid down from the bed with immense difficulty as her pregnant belly was impeding her movements. Somehow hauling both her legs off the bed and putting her feet down with her palms protectively holding her tummy, she groaned in discomfort when standing up as pain shot through her spine. Rolling her lips inward, she leaned down to pick up the phone from the nightstand, but her fingers brushed against the device, and she lost control of it before she could react.

The phone fell on the floor face down, a clack resounded in the room, and he peered at her closely, a smirk forming on his lips.

She huffed and rolled her eyes, outstretching her arms as she bent down, but because of the last stage of pregnancy she was in, she found herself growing breathless even with the simple action. Additionally, her hands wouldn't reach the floor, and she scrunched up her nose, her face contorting out of concentration, moans and groans emanating from her mouth.

He derived immense amusement from the state she was in and surreptitiously went behind her, mischief clouding his mind. "You want me to pick that up?"

She gulped, standing upright, breathing rashly, and nodding her head.

He pursed his lips to avoid himself from sniggering out loud as he hunkered and instead of picking up the phone, he slid it closer to her legs, making it more difficult for her to reach it. "There you go."

Her mouth hung open when he cackled, holding his stomach. His laughter reverberated inside the house and within her body, and she could feel tingles rushing down her spine, but she was irate by the way he had made fun of her. Shoving at his chest, she pouted. "I am carrying your child, Shubham, and that's how you treat me?"

His guffaws ceased immediately, and his gaze softened as he peered at her with much adoration. Closing the distance between them, he cupped her cheeks and took her mouth in his, kissing her in that gentle manner she was so fond of. "I want to treat you like a queen, Mrs. Agarwal," he murmured against her lips.

She let out a shudder and a deep sigh, batting her lashes at him. "Where is my tiara?"

He chortled, leaning his forehead against her. "A crown."

She giggled when he gazed at her.

His smile faded, and he stepped back. "Needed to tell you something," he muttered. "Nandini came to the office yesterday to... to apologize."

"Oh." She nodded, her head bobbing in slow motion. "Aditya came to meet me too."

His eyes widened. "In my house?" he yelled. "In my damn home? He came to meet my wife in my home?"

She rolled her eyes. "Did I screech my lungs out two seconds ago?"

He shut his mouth and looked away.

She crossed her arms in front of her. "Can we please, for God's sake, forget the past and move on? Truly this time?"

He sighed in relief. "Yes. Of course." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed the top of her hair. "Truly this time."

She clung to his torso. "I hate not talking to you."

"Not talking to you sours my mood."

She huffed. "You were the one not talking to me."

"Excuse me?" He drew away and frowned at her. "You were the one not talking to me."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You were the one not talking to me, Shubham."

He scoffed. "You were the one not talking to me, Piyali."

"You were the one not talking to me, Shubham."

"You were the one not talking to me, Piyali."

"Nuh-uh! You were the one not talking to me, Shubham."

"Nuh-uh! You were the one not talking to me, Piyali."

She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. "This is again not going anywhere. All our arguments turn into a back and forth riddled with pointless and amateurish—"

She was cut off as he took her mouth in his all over again and began caressing her neck with as much tenderness as he could muster.

Another surge of warmth enveloped her heart, and for the first time in months, she realized what this giddy feeling in her tummy was. Joanna was right. She had fallen in love with her husband—the incredible man in front of her who deserved every ounce of happiness in the world. A smile formed on her lips as she looked up at him, discerning the way he had an ebullient grin on his face when his palms found her belly, talking to the fetus and telling it about how impatiently the father was waiting for the baby to come into the world. Half her heart yearned to blurt everything out, tell him that she was irrevocably in love with him, but the other half heeded the slight reminder existent in the back of her mind.

"Love?" He had scoffed. "Hasn't it ruined us enough? How many times before you learn your lesson?"

And she shut her lips, a weak smile adorning her plump features as Shubham continued chattering with his child.

***

It was close to noon when Nandini wrapped up her day's work and took the rest of the afternoon off to spend some blessed time with her Devil. Standing under the shower, she let the sprinkling water cascade down her body and invigorate her senses. She couldn't stop smiling at the reminiscence from earlier that morning. She could tell Aditya was expecting more from the kiss or more from the relationship in general, but she didn't wish to rush anything with him. Slow and steady wins the race, after all. And though there was no race, she desired to win his heart by appearing more beautiful than he had ever seen her.

However, she was uncertain regarding the entire idea. Prodding at the fat in her belly and arms, she puckered her lips. It would take some time, immense grit, and boundless patience for her to get rid of the extra weight and become perfect for him. Nah! She wasn't putting him on a pedestal and calling him flawless. Both of them were indeed flawed people with their own bunch of mistakes that weighed them down every single day, but appearances had mattered to him in the past. Piyali was his girlfriend because she was one of the most beautiful women out there, and Nandini wished she could be a quarter of what his ex had been. He was a dapper and handsome man too. A small part of her would be sated if he would be. Especially when they would take matters further than just a kiss.

But her sour mood brightened immediately as she recollected the moment when he had spoken up about a long-term relationship with her. What if it could indeed culminate in a marriage? Their marriage. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined anything of that sort. She hadn't let herself because of the reality of her life. However, the mere idea of marrying him, living under the same roof with him, squabbling with each other, and loving one another caused another round of goosebumps to rise on her skin. Yes, convincing her parents would be tricky since they despised Aditya ever since the truth came out, but she would do everything in her power to make things work.

Stepping out of the shower, wrapping the pink towel around her form, she stood in front of the mirror and wiped the steam that had accumulated on the surface. A vibrant face looked back at her, and she was surprised to see the glow her skin was exuding. Every inch, every particle seemed to glimmer out of sheer happiness and contentment, and she couldn't help herself but blush at the gratification she was experiencing. Her fingers automatically brushed against her damp lips, recalling the way his lips had moved against hers. So in sync. So in love.

Giggling to herself, she went to her closet and began rummaging through the scores of dresses she owned. But all of them were either old or didn't fit her well or weren't great enough to be worn on a date. She hadn't been to a shopping mall to buy herself new clothes in over a year, and she was repenting her decision since other than drab colors, nothing else could be found inside the closet.

Pouting, she was trying to choose one between a blue dress and a purple jumpsuit, eyeing the two apprehensively since Aditya had already seen her in both and had called her a Baby Elephant both times. However, her phone rang, and her attention went towards the device vibrating on top of the dresser. She trudged her way to the piece of furniture in annoyance as she was getting late in readying herself up, but a grin developed on her features when she saw the call box's number flashing on the screen.

Picking it up instantly, she punched in the code to unlock the main door. "Come on up, Aditya. The door's open."

"Hey, Vixen!" His eager voice fell on her ears. "I will be there in a jiffy. Have been missing you like crazy."

She chuckled when he disconnected the call, amused with the way he was behaving like a lovesick puppy, sounding like a teenager in love, and speaking like a baby receiving his favorite candy. But then even she was getting desperate to get one glimpse of him, and as soon as the doorbell rang, she abandoned the dresses in her hands, put on the bathrobe over the towel, and ran towards the door.

She swung it open with a wide smile on her face, tittering at the bouquet of lilies and roses in his hands. She outstretched her arms towards the set of blossoms. "Thanks. These are lovely." However, she received no response from him. Glancing up, she was dumbfounded as his lips were parted slightly, his gaze trailing down the bathrobe-adorned chubby body she boasted of, and his pupils had darkened considerably. She cleared her throat and gave him way. "Please come in."

He walked in and shut the door, placing the bouquet on the surface of the shoe rack. Taking a deep breath, he whirled around, peered at her nervous state as she fiddled with the tassels of the robe without meeting his eyes, and wasted no time in pulling her closer, inhaling the fresh scent of her lavender soap as her damp tresses tickled his nose. "In a bathrobe, huh? What a way to welcome me!"

Her arms went around his shoulders when he began placing light kisses on her neck after shifting the collar of the robe aside. "Surprised?"

He chuckled. "Let me surprise you, my little Vixen."

Before she could comprehend anything, he had already picked her up, earning a gasp from her as she clung onto him out of fear of falling. But he paid no regard to her screeching and shouting, her squeaks and whimpers, as he took her straight inside the bedroom and gently deposited her body over the mattress.

Her trembling lips were enough to convey her angst as she watched him hover over her form, smiling at her, desire and love swirling in those mesmerizing orbs he boasted of. She tried to look away, but he tugged at her chin and forced her to peer at him. She attempted to get up from the bed, but he pinned her arms above her head and peeked at the knot of the bathrobe tied right below her bosom. She struggled to get out of his iron-clad grip that was sure to leave red marks on her supple wrists, but he used his free hand to undo the knot in one swift motion.

She sucked in a deep breath when he removed the fabric from her upper body, sliding it past her shoulders as his fingers brushed against her skin, exposing her towel-clad nearly bare body for him to see. He noticed a trickle of water oozing out of the ends of her hair, traversing down her throat that bobbed every time she gulped, cascading down her neck, and disappearing in the slight cleavage perceptible to him.

He was intrigued, and all he wanted was to expose her body to himself so that he could worship her in ways no one would've done to date. However, her entire self quivered in anticipation and anxiety, and he resisted the urge to yank the towel away. He caressed her cheeks, freeing the cage her wrists were in as his hands came down to touch her collarbone, neck, throat, the flesh of her bosom. But she held his wrist and feebly shook her head.

He leaned closer to her ears, whispering, "What is it that you want?"

"I..." She took a sharp breath when his lips landed on her cheeks, and she had to clutch the bedsheets tight as her eyes shut in pleasure due to the way his mouth was trailing her skin. She whimpered a bit when his nose skimmed against hers, and a jolt of electricity rushed down her spine as familiar sensations began to tingle all over her body. She was coerced into grasping his shirt and crumpling the fabric under her grip as he continued to place pecks and kisses all over her neck. She moaned quite loudly when he bit her throat and sucked on the spot to soothe the bruise. However, she was flabbergasted as a raspy chuckle resonated against her body. Her breathing turned ragged when she made sense of the situation, and she was terrified of things picking up pace immediately. Her eyes snapped open, and she shoved at his chest. "I am hungry, Adi."

His voice came muffled as he had hidden his face in the crook of her neck. "Now?"

She shuddered when his fingers landed tantalizingly close to the swell of her breasts. "Now."

Sighing, he backed away, watching her flustered expressions and the deep blush on her cheeks with immense amusement. Kissing the inside of her wrists, he murmured, "I will not let anything create barriers between us, Vixen. Not even this towel on your body."

She looked away, unable to react to the intensity of his words, the love in his touches, the truthfulness in his demeanor. "Adi... I... I should get dressed."

He took the bathrobe and draped it around her as she struggled to sit straight with the loose wrap of the towel threatening to come undone with the slightest of movements. "Take your time. I will wait for you to get ready. Even if it takes an eternity."

And he was out of the room in a jiffy, shutting the door behind him, leaving her to ponder over his words until their real meaning sunk in deeper, and she was in love all over again.

***