Aditya darted out of Nandini's apartment and drove back to his loft in as much haste as he could muster without garnering speeding tickets on the road. He was extremely irked at her behavior, for he had exhibited nothing but his utmost sincerity, love, loyalty, and reverence towards her, and she piled every insecurity in the world on their bond. She had suspected him, distrusted him, and discredited his love for her despite him making abundantly clear that he didn't wish for her to change and rather wanted her to live the way she desired—a free bird, a liberated soul.

If anything, it should have been him battling his own flaws, convincing her to stay by his side since she was his drug and he needed her in his life. He had spent many a moment in this past month thanking every God out there that she was back with him, and this time in a capacity transcending the accepted norms of friendship. Despite his own shortcomings, the Almighty had been compassionate enough to bring the kindest woman back in his life, but her ridiculously low expectations of him had his heart shattered into smithereens.

Throughout the next two days, he remained in touch with Abhi and Shruti, who were sweet enough to pay a visit to Nandini and take care of her. When Abhi narrated the manner in which Nandini had been weeping and howling and crying his name out, he felt a twinge of guilt in his heart. But he pushed the thought away since this was imperative. However, that couldn't stop him from asking about her well-being every five minutes until Abhi snapped at him and chided him for being so immature and childish when dealing with his infantile girlfriend needed a lot of maturity.

Hence, he chose not to contact Abhi too frequently after that. They would take good care of his woman, and he needn't fret much over her health when the doctors had hydrated her body enough over the course of nine hours. After ensuring that despite her vehement sobbing and bawling, Abhi and Shruti had managed to feed her dinner, he went to sleep too. Monday would be a long day indeed.

***

True to his intuitions, Monday turned out to be a pretty long day at work. He had a flurry of meetings to attend, some tough decisions to make, at least three presentations to smoothen out, and the long-drawn analysis of the recent dip in stock market value one of the clients had experienced. Hence, he barely had any time during the day to ponder much over his girlfriend. Additionally, he received a piece of good news in the form of Shubham's message, informing him that Piyali had successfully given birth to a baby girl and that both the mother and the child were perfectly healthy. Shooting a quick response congratulating the new parents, Aditya went back home.

Freshening up and finishing a can of beer along with a stick of cigarette, he waited with bated breath for the clock to strike 6:30. It would take her at least that much time to wrap up her work, get ready, and drive towards his loft. With the minute hand hovering between five and six of the wall clock and the hour hand positioned between six and seven, he gulped down the contents of a can of guava nectar—her favorite that she had stocked up in the fridge but evaded drinking ever since she got the craziest of ideas about dieting.

"Any minute now," he mumbled, crushing the can in his hands and discarding it in the trash bin.

Not even a minute had passed when the doorbell rang, and his lips curved into a smirk. He went ahead to open it, masking his expressions with neutrality and stoicity. And there she was! Freshly showered as her damp tresses stuck to her forehead, adorned in a white floral dress that fit her snugly. Her eyes were puffy and red—a result of crying through the night—and her lips were parched, trembling.

"Aditya," she sighed in relief, "I... I... have come here to... to apologize."

He leaned against the doorframe, taking a piece of gum out of his jeans pocket. He offered the stick wrapped in aluminum to her, but she declined with a quick shake of her head. So, he unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth, chomping on the stick and letting the sweet flavor of watermelons swirl on his tastebuds.

She gulped when she watched the coldness of his stare and the nonchalance in his demeanor. Clearing her throat, she raised her voice to make herself more audible. "I have hurt you by my actions. I shouldn't have assumed that I don't deserve you because it's true that we have been through a lot. Together. And we have come out victorious. Together."

He gawked at her, his jaws continuing to move as the chewing gum was getting sapped of all its flavors.

She was getting piqued because of his insouciance, and she was coerced into screaming. "I believed you would break up with me because a colleague told me how men only fixate on physical attraction. But she was wrong. Because you cannot be generalized or compared with anyone else. You are you, the love of my life."

He suspired, quirking his brows when she fell silent. "Anything else?"

She pursed her lips. "Yes." Taking a deep breath, she said, "I got sidetracked and insecure about my... myself, and it has nothing to do with what you say. I know you love me, and I trust you."

"Okay." He shrugged. "Is there anything else you want to say to me?"

Her mouth hung open. "I... I mean to say..."

"If there isn't anything worthwhile, I have a football match to watch with Abhi later in the evening. So... uh..." He scratched his nose. "I will see you around, I guess."

She scowled and pouted, pushing him inside the apartment and shutting the door behind them. Rounding on her heels and placing her hands on her hips, she screeched, "What is wrong with you? Do you really want to break up over such a pointless issue?"

He stared at her with his eyebrows creased. "Breakup? When did I say I want to break up? That's what you expected me to do, ma'am, but I never used the term even once that morning."

She narrowed her eyes at him and didn't miss the mirth shimmering in his orbs. "You crazy Devil!" A red hue crept up her neck, and she tugged at her hair in frustration. "You are the most irksome man I have ever met in my life."

He chuckled when he saw the blush she was fighting. "What happened, ma'am? Embarrassed?"

"I can't believe I cried over this insolent man throughout the night." She huffed. "Could you have not cleared it up that we were just fighting? I was sick, and you made me cry."

Irritation flashed across his visage. "Why did you get sick in the first place?"

Her lips drooped, and she covered the distance between them by wrapping her arms around his waist and placing her head on his chest. "I am sorry."

He reciprocated, enveloping her in a warm hug. "Don't question my love for you, Nan. It fucking hurts because I know how much I love you and what all I can do for you."

She hummed. "I get it."

"And I will not leave you even if you ask me to." He chortled. "I am going to stick to you like a leech till the last breath of my life."

She giggled, drawing away. "How mean of you! You scared me for no reason. I was so petrified."

He shrugged, cupping her cheeks. "What can I do if the first thing coming to your mind after a fight is 'breakup'?"

She pursed her lips and swatted his hands away. "You made it sound like that."

He gathered her closer and kissed the top of her hair. "If every fight starts feeling like the commencement of an impending breakup, trust me, Nan, there was no love to begin with. Perhaps obsession and infatuation to unhealthy levels, but not love, okay?"

"Hmmm."

"No matter how much we fight over senseless topics or imperative issues, a breakup is the last thing to cross my mind."

"Hmmm."

"That's why I tell you not to read those horrible romance novels stacked on your bookshelf. They sell toxicity all the time. Those are not what real relationships are made of, okay?"

She scrunched her nose and pushed him away. "Always after my books!" she snapped. When he sniggered, she tucked her hair behind her ears. "I only wanted to be better for you. Look prettier for you. Only because you deserve the best."

"And I got the best." He caressed her lips with his calloused fingers. "You are the best. Exactly the way you are. I fell in love with the cute, sweet girl who calls me an 'Eternal Jerk'."

She tittered, rolling her eyes. "Such an eternal jerk!"

He grinned. "Are we good?"

She fiddled with the buttons of his shirt. "You tell me. Are we?"

"Of course."

She flashed him a wide smile. "Then I am good too, and I promise I will never let insecurities take center stage in our relationship. If at all there is something coming to my mind—"

"You will let me know, and we will work through the situation."

She pecked his lips. "Always!"

He blinked a few times, trying to recollect what it was that he needed to tell her. And then the thought struck him. "Oh!" His brows shot up. "I have a piece of good news for you, Nan. Piyali and Shubham are parents to a sweet baby girl now."

***

Shubham didn't really know how to handle the sticky situation he had managed to land himself in. Again. One moment, his lovely wife was telling him how much he meant to her, and the following moment, she dissolved into a fit of sobs, for their gorgeous daughter entered the cabin, cradled by the nurse, and wrapped in a delicate blanket. That was two days ago. Ever since then, Piyali had been unable to stop crying. Of course, those were happy tears, but it seemed like she had misremembered everything else in the world and all that mattered was the sweet bundle of joy she was cooing and kissing every other second. And those wretched tears cascaded continually down her cheeks.

The vivacious chuckle from the cute Sameera melted his heart too, but he was getting more and more worried about his wife turning into a crybaby. Hence, there he was, handling two kids at the same time. One who wouldn't stop weeping and the other who giggled in the loveliest way ever imaginable. He was occupied, nonetheless, and way too ebullient about taking his family back home.

Piyali puckered her lips and placed a wet and audible kiss on Sameera's cheeks. "Awww, sweet baby. You are so beautiful."

Shubham clicked a picture of the mother-daughter duo, capturing the perfect moment when Sameera's eyes lit up with joy and her laughter thrummed against his chest. He grinned wide. "Can't believe still, huh? We are parents now."

Piyali smiled a bit. "Did you ask Joanna to baby-proof the apartment?"

"Yup, all's done."

Her eyes welled with tears again, and her lips drooped. "How did Sameera turn out to be this perfect? How is she such a barbie doll?"

He panicked a bit upon seeing her on the verge of sobbing again. He was quick to place his arm around her shoulders. "Wife, if you are going to continue crying like this," he flinched when she wailed, "Rishi is going to push me off the roof of this building. He already thinks I somehow hurt you and has been eyeing me suspiciously for a while."

She let out a watery chortle and looked at him through her moistened lashes. "You didn't hurt me, Mr. Agarwal. You made me the happiest woman alive."

He beamed and gently poked Sameera's cheeks, earning another giggle from the baby. "Miracle she is. A wonderful miracle."

"She is the love of my life." Piyali nudged her nose against Sameera's. "So is her father."

His brows shot up. "Love of your life? Me?"

She rolled her wet eyes. "Shubham Agarwal! Stop teasing me all the time."

He chuckled.

She tittered.

All was good in the world. Their world.

***

Aditya knew precisely what to do to make Nandini Basu believe in herself, acknowledge that she was indeed very stunning. After an entire week of rollercoaster rides at work, due to which both hadn't been able to spend much time together, he chose to do something sweet for her. So, on the subsequent Saturday, he went to an Indian jewelry and clothing store and bought a few things he deemed she would find charming. Much to his jubilance, she was already waiting for him at his loft, perched on the topmost stair leading to the terrace via the set of five steps from the end of the living room.

When she heard the front door open, she craned her neck and flashed him a bright smile. "Hey! Where were you?"

He jogged towards her without saying a word and threw the shopping bags in her lap. "Here. Something for you."

"Me?" Her orbs glimmered in joy, and she appeared ethereal to him with the receding sunlight of the evening casting an orangish hue on her dusky skin tone. The pleasant zephyrs blowing around made the evening oh-so amusing as the intense heat had lessened considerably. Hence, she was in high spirits that day, which lifted further when a gorgeous black saree with sequins and floral embellishments slipped out of the bag along with a matching blouse stitched to perfection for her. Absorbing the intricacies of the attire, running her palms over the smooth material of the fabric, admiring the handiwork and the complex weaving, she let a full-blown smile appear on her face. "This is so pretty," she murmured, but then a gasp escaped her throat and she looked at him. "This is for me?"

He plopped himself next to her on the stairs. "Nope! This is for the old and kind Mexican lady who lives two floors below."

She frowned at him and smacked his arm before tittering. "That's such a cliche joke."

He grinned. "You stop asking cliche questions first."

Her gaze went back to the blouse in her hands, and she could tell it was a perfect fit for her. Blushing, she said, "How did you know my size?"

He shrugged. "Just asked the store to stitch it for a Baby Elephant, and they took care of the rest."

She gaped at him, and all the fluttering she had been experiencing because of the thoughtful gift disappeared. "You will never change, Aditya Roy," she said, scrunching her nose.

He chortled. "But you go and change. I wanna see you in this never-ending attire."

Rolling her eyes, laughing at his quip, she opened the second bag only to find a pair of silver earrings, a set of a dozen silver bangles, and a pair of anklets. "Wow!" she murmured, grazing her fingers over the large hoops he had gotten for her. "These are amazing."

"Hmmm."

She placed the bag near her feet, took out all the bangles, and handed them over to him before fisting her palms and outstretching her arms towards him with a wide smile on her face.

He blinked at her. "What?"

"Help me wear those," she said, jutting her chin towards the bangles. "I saw it in a movie last night." She beamed. "The hero was sliding the bangles down the heroine's wrist with so much tenderness. It was so romantic and lovely. Let's recreate it."

He blinked again. "What?"

She furrowed her brows, and her smile vanished. "Help me put these on," she screamed. "Have you gone deaf?"

He rolled his eyes. "I am not going to do whatever you are expecting me to. Wear it yourself. Madwoman!"

Her nose flared in annoyance. "Fine!" She huffed, staring at the setting ball of fire perceptible between the two tall human-made edifices. "I won't be wearing these either. Let us just sit here and do nothing."

His jaws twitched because of the irritation coursing through his veins, but he picked up the set of bangles nonetheless and grabbed her wrists.

A smile found its way to her lips, and she adjusted herself on the spot to be more comfortable, gazing at the scowl on his face with adoration.

He peeked at the pieces of jewelry and then at her wrists. "How do you do this?"

She pursed her lips. "Crackhead! You just slip them on. Haven't you watched a single romantic movie in your life? Or read a novel? Oh! Right!" She giggled in a farcical manner. "Someone here hates reading. But you watch movies, don't you? Start watching something other than flying cars and supervillains, will you?"

He huffed. "And which horrible, cliche movie did you learn this from?" He held her wrists tenderly, caressing the skin, taking one bangle at a time to slide them down her chubby hands. "This is the stupidest thing I have ever done in my life. Not romantic. Just plain stupid. And this is such a waste of time. Why would one want to do this when there are plenty of other gestures to show affection for their partner? This is just boring. Plain boring. And... ugh! Just the worst. Stop watching terrible movies. Stop reading terrible books. I am so disappointed in you right now. This is supremely cliched and... ugh! Just the worst! Why do I agree to your idiotic demands all the time? I am an idiot. That's why. You take way too much liberty with me, Baby Elephant. Ugh! Just the worst!"

And she fell in love with him a bit more when he didn't force the bangle down and rather pressed on her skin gently to slide them on. The softness with which he carried out the task surely didn't match the scores of complaints he was grumbling about.

"Done," he muttered, recanting his hands when both her arms were adorned with the silver bangles. "Now go and get ready, you madwoman. Don't you dare call me up to... to- to help you with the tassels of the dress or the braids of your hair! I am not going to—"

He was cut off by a quick peck on the lips, and before he could react to the situation, she had already scooped everything up and sprinted inside.