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This chap is affectionately dedicated to - 06_piya🖤✨

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"Small steps in the right direction can turn out to be the bigger step of your life..............."

"Shri how are you feeling now?"

This was the round - the - clock question which Ved once again threw towards Adishri. She glared at him fridigly before finally answering him

"Ved don't irritate me by inquiring this again and again.
How do I look?"

"Pretty as always!"

And that was it, Adishri here miserably failed to keep up a settled temperament, blame her nonchalance here or her surging hormonal levels but the fact remained that she had been experiencing an unexplained irritability that day a lot.

"Shut up!
I meant do I appear fine to you? Can't you see me drenching in this unnecessary sweat..."

"It's completely normal Shri, your body is working hard to support a growing baby within you, and by which it clearly means that you will get tired and sweaty more easily than usual...
Have a sip of water, you'll feel better."

Ved completed and offered her a sly smile all the while, whilst unscrewing the lid of the water bottle which Manjiri handed them over when they reached the park.

"Here, take this."

"You think I don't know about these things, huh?"

Shaking her head in refusal for the water, Adishri probed Ved sharply.
To which Ved countered her by enunciating and screwing the lid of the water bottle back on.

"Have I said that?"

"No, you didn't say but then what are you trying to imply? Huh?
That I don't know anything, right?"

No sooner did Adishri asked him, then Ved shook his head at her sudden crabbiness.

"God! Your mood swings these days are literally hard to deal with..."

On noticing his wife's long face powdered with nameless weariness, Ved added really very carefully

"Now for pity's sake don't take my words as an offense. I just meant that your increased exhaustion and transfiguring hormones are steadily putting you on an emotional roller coaster that casually metamorphoses you from joyous to miserable, or from hopeful to terrified state in a matter of seconds. And this is also completely okay, it happens with all."

"Ved have you started taking me as a fool nowadays, that you each time commence with your medical lectures?
For heaven's sake I too know about all these things and for your kind information I'm not at all taking these symptoms as something odd or freakish. It's just that it's all new for me, and at times a little uncomfortable too.... And on top of all this constant nauseousness sucks."

Adishri voiced all this in a way irked tone, probably this was due to her fluctuating hormones and an abrupt unease.
And on the other side in contrast, on hearing her and watching some small kids having great fun on the swings in front of his eyes, a small but genuine hopeful smile graced Ved's lips as he spoke

"But Shri soon one day... your this discomfort, patience and struggle will finally bore a sweet fruit in the form of our baby's arrival in the world. That reward will definitely outweighs all these temporary problematic discomfitures and inconveniences."

"Yeah! And one day we'll bring him or her here in this same park in a baby stroller..."

On following his glance, Adidhri too took a notice of the cheerful kids who were carefreely busy enjoying themselves.
Immediately, bit by bit Adishri started feeling better by not only Ved's optimistic gladdening words but also by the joyous scene of playing kids in front of her eyes. Then she too asserted her random desire with a zeal. Smiling positively after hearing her, Ved enunciated merrily

"Yes, and then soon when our baby will grow up a little, probably at then he or she will have fun on those different - different swings just like all those kids."

"Hmm! But aren't we being overly excited and hell hyperemotional?"

Grinning with the afresh visualisation of her future delight, Adishri probed Ved friskily.
To which he too started answering to her question animatedly

"Yep, very likely we are. But you know this is also completely normal because....."

"Not again Ved! Please stop irritating me with your explanations, I beg you, please."

Getting agitated with his manner of clarifying every single thing in detail, she shut him in the middle of his speech saying this.

"Alright your highness. As you command."

As Ved said this, he found his wife already shifting her eyes here and there, nearly all around the park. He quizzed her

"What happened?"

"Nothing! I'm just looking for Miru, a while before she was with Dadi but now see she isn't there in that group..."

Adishri replied still looking everywhere but him. Assuring her with his words, Ved spoke

"Must be here only. She must be strolling along with Shaurya and Dev. Don't worry!"

"Dev is walking there alone. But Miru..."

Before Adishri could even finish her sentence, Ved uttered as he signalled her with his eyes to look in the direction of the bench placed in the extreme left corner of the park, on which Shaurya and Manjiri were seated.

"Look there Shaurya and Miru are sitting there at ease. You're worrying about her needlessly..."

"But why are they sitting there, they could have settled here on these benches next to us... Why so far?"

Adishri posed a question, more to herself when she turned her gaze towards that bench placed far away from her. She saw that Shaurya was telling something to Manjiri and to which she was smiling to him. On noticing, a sudden slight displeased look got stuck on Adishri's face, Ved comprehended everything. He calmly started preaching

"Look Shri I can wholly understand what all you went through when Miru had purposefully distanced herself from you. And I still can understand that now that circumstances have improved quite a lot, you now wishe to see her only and only around you all the time.
But sorry to say, that if you're thinking that by this way you will be able to compensate for the time when you both were distant from each other, then you're absolutely wrong here...."

"Ved is it too much to ask for?
I know I'm wrong and being selfish here, but what to do I'm not at all liking Miru's fractionated attention towards me. Up until now I was habitual of her complete undivided heed but now..."

Although Adishri too was not liking herself for thinking and expecting the present situation that day, yet she couldn't convince herself to get adapted to the afresh change.
She heard Ved vocalizing

"Happy realization my love!"

"What?"

"Your love towards Miru and her love towards you qualify under self - less love Shri. You both will remain sisters forever, as your bond is forged by nature. Right?
And both of yours relationship is way much stronger than you think, cause we have recently tested it, isn't it?"

Ved stated and probed her, to which she answered him with an affirmative slight nod.

"Hmm!"

"Yes, so it means being already much stronger, your bond no longer requires the constant nurturing."

Ved reasoned out. Then darting his eyes from her to Shaurya and Manjiri, he resumed speaking by adding

"But you see their fellowship is requiring constant nurturing at present. Being life - partners of each other are completely new roles for both of them. They are still yet to understand that a girl doesn't become a wife and a guy doesn't become a husband just by simply marrying... they have to make efforts and try to live up to it together. And don't you think it would be very unsympathetic of you if you won't allow them to make efforts for their bond?"

"Ved I'm getting what you're telling but you know it's way harder to acknowledge the fact that your baby - sister's priorities are day by day refashioning... Trust me I'm happy that she is contentedly getting involved in her new life, but at the same time I'm also disliking the fact that from now on I've to compete with Shaurya for Miru's time and attention."

Comprehending with Adishri's state of mind and self - undervaluation, Ved put forward gently

"Arre! You don't have to compete with anyone. You brought up Miru along with your Dadi, you cared for her needs like a mother, you only made her marry... So now let her freely explore her life with him. If when three years back Miru could welcome me wholeheartedly between you and her, then why are you finding it so hard to provide Shaurya the same privilege which Miru offered me when we got married, huh?"

"Hmm!"

Adishri meekly nodded her head, though she was completely convinced with everything but still a desirous clinging part of her wanted to keep her baby sister only to herself, just for the time being.

"It's your duty to give them their space. You can only aid Miru to sail through her this new journey but instead of you, you've to let Shaurya be Miru's sailing partner here.... You can only show and teach her what life priorities are, but not control her completely.
Up until now she has been a princess in your heart, so now it's your turn to set her free and be the queen in her husband's heart... just the way she allowed you to be the queen in mine three years ago.
Remember you both are irreplaceable in each other's lives. Today you're feeling insecure from Shaurya, and in future when she'll be a mother, at then also will you be feeling the same from her child?"

"No, not at all. I'll treat him or her like my own child... And why won't I, after all he or she will be my baby sister's baby...."

Adishri instantaneously blurted out all this in a single breath in response to Ved's indiscreet question. Offering her a knowing look, Ved spoke again

"Exactly! Here's the point, you'll bigheartedly accept her child in her and your life.... But when it is coming to Shaurya, you're finding it hard.
Is he not related to her?
Remember you only tied both of them up, isn't it?"

"Hmm!"

"So just stop rearing a newly formed insecurity in your mind. You already unknowingly once made a huge mistake, so now please hold back yourself from making an another...."

"Alright Ved! You're absolutely right. And I promise I won't repeat any such stupidity ever again..."

Incontestably Adishri agreed, not just only because she feared of getting distanced from Manjiri, but also because Ved's words were literally holding some finer sensibilities and forewarnings.

"Good!"

Ved smiled contentedly and for the next few minutes they stayed quiet, mostly observing the nature and people around them.

_

"Don't you think that something is wrong with Dev these days?"

Adishri instantly probed Ved when her glance abruptly fell on Dev, who was in one corner of the swings' area, busy talking on a phone call with an unpleased and highly disturbed face.
To which Ved expressed nothing but

"Huh?"

"I mean at times isn't it crystal clear from his expressions and actions that something is bothering him?"

When Adishri rephrased her sentence, Ved too followed her glance and muttered

"Yaa I too felt the same. Even Sam appears disturb these days..."

"Did you meet her recently?"

She asked turning her head towards him.
To which he slightly shakes his head in no whilst telling

"No! But she hardly puts up any social media updates, stories or statuses these days..."

"Yeah! And this is something very much contrary to her usual personality habit.
Though Dev still manages to mask everything with his jokes and all in front of the whole family, but I'm seriously not liking him seeing like this. You go and ask him na..."

No sooner did Adishri suggest him to have a word with Dev about that matter, then Ved cut her in middle of her speech stating

"Even if he's my younger brother, I've no right to interject in his and Sam's relationship. They get to decide about their own lives, unless their choices are unquestionably destructive to themselves or others, I won't intervene.
Being elder siblings Shri, our responsibility is only to support and love our younger siblings... We can only guide them but not govern them."

"Take some more time to understand your inner self, in the process you will surely learn to understand others better........."

_

_

_

"No fancy relationships goals,
No special status or stories.
Just be with me forever...............
Cause that's all I want!"

"Ok ok we'll go to the same jewellery store tomorrow and ask them to resize this..." A young man surrendered in front of the lady pacing with him on the walking trail.

"You should have confirmed about my ring - finger's size before na? But no, you're habitual of taking decisions alone..." The lady fretfully enunciated.

"Firstly, you complain that I don't give you any surprises and now when I gave you one, you're complaining again!
It's hard to deal with you truly." The man exclaimed defeatedly.

As the young couple passed by their bench, Manjiri heard Shaurya's questioning words

"Umm... where is your ring?"

"Engagement one?"

"Hmm!"

"I... I took it off."

Manjiri felt a little bad at first, but then she murmured slowly whilst eyeing his facial expressions from the corner of his eyes. She didn't want him to misunderstand anything now, she wanted him to believe her that this relationship too meant a lot to her. But before she could even think to come up with something in her defence, Shaurya probed her yet again

"To not reveal to your college people that you're married?"

"Not really!
Nearly everyone in the college knows about my marital status. But yes, that ring, being the flashy gold one. With it at times I used to feel like that I was purposely advertising or showing off my ring whenever anybody accidentally used to notice it or pose a question about it to me.
Hence, I took it off to avoid that."

Without dwelling much on being a little embarrassed at then, Manjiri just simply spoke up the actual things which were in her mind.

"That's flashy as it originally Maa's ring. She bought it for herself but when everything, I mean our wedding arrangement's started taking place in a haste, that ring only proved to be the last minute arrangement from our side."

Shaurya told her whilst gazing at the green grass, spread as a large green carpet on the flooring of the big ground. Pondering over his words and those hasty circumstances, Manjiri nodded her head in understanding manner.

"Oh!"

"By the way by your appearance it seems like you dislike to adorn yourself with any type of jewellery. Am I right?"

Turning his head towards her and on sharing a look with her eyes, Shaurya casually inquired. Shaking her head slightly in a no, Manjiri expressed

"No, no! It's not like that I like jewelleries, but prefer wearing them on only specific occasions. While in daily settings, I just feel better when I don't have any on."

"Got it! You're among those who certainly tend to 'less is more' kind of standard."

Shaurya spoke up as he took off his specs. To which Manjiri replied

"Umm can say! But yes I never got used to of wearing any of those against my skin except of these studs... I even gave up on wristwatches since the time I got my first phone."

All this while, whilst speaking Manjiri keenly eyed his hands, who were busy cleaning the lenses of his specs with the help of the loose end of her own hosiery - cotton stole sprawled on the bench, between both of them.

"Where's yours?"

"What?"

Receiving such an absent-minded reply to her questioning words from him, Manjiri frowned and exclaimed a little irritably

"God! They are cleansed. Don't scrub them anymore."

"Don't fret unnecessarily!
I just want them to be spotless."

Shaurya scoffed, still busy in completing his so called work properly. Taking a defeated sigh, Manjiri leaned back on the bench and started roaming her eyes all around consciously. She began muttering

"So then use the end of your own T-shirt na... You using my stole for it may seem odd to others."

"Arre, what's so odd and freakish in this? Moreover, I prefer cleaning my specs with cotton cloth only....."

Shaurya said in a sheer nonchalant manner. However, the slight upturn of his lips with a jesting smile didn't get unnoticed by her short - fused eyes. She prickly inquired

"Shall I go and arrange a soap and a sponge for you... I mean for more effective results?"

Rolling his eyes at her ill - humoured yet sudden outlandish behaviour, he probed friskily as he wore back his specs

"All ok with your intellectual capacity today?"

"Everyone is entitled to act self - righteously once in a while, but I guess you're probably abusing the privilege now."

Within a split second, Manjiri retorted back which made Shaurya chuckle heartily at his own expense.

"Wow that was a smart one!
So what were you asking?"

"Umm... your ring - finger is unornamented too. Where's yours?"

Pointing her index finger towards his hand, she questioned this. She appeared way too inquisitive to know about his ring's whereabouts.

"Ahh! Well nothing really tears the latex gloves swifter than a glitzy ring. Also I'm required to wash my hands frequently, thereby I too took it off. And on top of everything, performing surgeries isn't allowed with any accessories on."

"Hereby, we both are at par to not abide by this societal tradition."

With a coy smile, Manjiri spoke up whilst glancing him directly. Returning a gentle smile in her direction, Shaurya casually shrugged and added for a good measure

"Certainly in all likelihood!"

"But you know recently I read an article that stated that - 'having a ring on your left ring - finger is the most promising, showy and universal symbolism of being married or committed to one another'.

After a few seconds of utter silence, Shaurya mentioned this, making Manjiri meet his gaze yet again but this time both of their smiles were wavering. She asked him

"You too think so?"

"No! I don't. I only mentioned what I read.
Do you think so?"

Shaurya asserted and questioned her back.

"Umm! I believe that at the end of the day, it's a person's decision of wearing it or not wearing it at all. As long as the couple is contented with what they have, nothing else should matter. Cause they're together for each other, not just for only following the societal or ceremonial traditions."

"Impressive!"

On his remark, Manjiri smiled with a slight kind of blush gracing her cheeks. Shaurya spoke up with surprise

"I never knew you too can talk like this..."

"I mean insightful talks like Dadi."

He added when he received nothing from her side except a brief genuine smile. Soon he heard her asking

"You know the story why the ring is worn on the ring finger?"

"Yes, I do! In ancient times, people were under the impression that the vein of the ring - finger, of course of the left hand, directly gets connected to the heart. And to solidify this amusing notion, they started encircling a ring around the finger to let the vein of love, popularly known as vena amoris, signify the courtship or the companionship between the couple."

Taking a pause amidst his speech, he chuckled a little and then again resumed criticizing the age old notion by enunciating

"However, I feel sad for all of them cause presently, our modern - day understanding of medical sciences suggests that this ages old belief is nothing but a kidology... And I don't know why some people still trusts this fallacy more than the Science....."

"Oh come on, screw your beloved Science here in this case...
If people are gladsomely designating their any particular finger's vein as more significant than the others, so just let them be. If they are happy with their partner by reckoning their beliefs that way, then more power to them."

Shaking her head in a negative, Manjiri professed her views to him as a protest. On hearing her words, Shaurya forcibly held himself back from giving her a sarcastic reply, perhaps cause he wanted her to express her thoughts freely in front of him or perhaps because her words were actually holding some meaning. Lost in his own thoughts, he was brought back to reality by her abrupt quizzing words

"Do you have any clue regarding Chinese theory on this matter?"

"They too got a different theory for this?"

He asked in astonishment. To which she replied

"Yep and you know it's a beautiful explanation and also it's way more well grounded than the previous one."

"Interesting!
What's that?"

Shaurya turned his face more towards her direction and keenly demanded her to tell him.

"See if one properly looks at his or her hand, then he or she can precisely notice each finger of the hand as a simple representative of past, present and future generations within one's life. According to their belief let's assume that thumb is one's parents while the index finger represents his or her siblings. The middle one is he / she himself or herself, the fourth one which is commonly known as the ring - finger is his or her spouse. And at last the pinkie, one's fifth finger represents the future kids that he or she will may have someday."

"Ok! And?"

Shaurya incited her to proceed further, taking his words as a cue to speak, she added

"So after joining the both hands in such a way that all the fingers' tips are touching together. Except the middle ones, who are bent down together, allowing the knuckles to touch...."

She joined her hands in the same way, Shaurya too tried but couldn't join them in the manner in which they supposed to be. So Manjiri held his hands and corrected them whilst muttering

"Hereby, when one will start trying to pull away the each finger apart individually, he or she will observe that the thumbs will separate easily as nobody is ever so blessed that his / her parents are destined to live with him or her for forever.
Same thing will go with the index fingers and the pinkies, as one's siblings and children will too have a family of their own one day. Therefore, they too are not meant to be for forever in one's life.
However, surprisingly when one will try separating the ring - fingers then he or she won't be able to do it without disturbing the middle ones.... See I can't!"

Manjiri finished speaking as she moved her joined hands close to his, so that he can observe them nicely. Shaurya too showed her his joined hands whilst constantly trying to pull his ring fingers away from each other.

"Yeah so do I, see! It's weird but true."

"You know why?"

Manjiri probed as she disconnected her joined hands and put them back on her lap.
Resting his elbow on the backrest of the bench, Shaurya started explaining her

"Oh come on, this is so simple Manjiri!
There is a common muscle called Extensor Digitorum that has little connectors between the tendons that go to the backs of each finger that allow them to extend all the way. So when one will bend the middle ones, then he or she will end up fixing the tendons, thus causing the ring fingers stuck....."

"When I'm talking about an intangible metaphysical topic, then why did you bring your anatomical knowledge in between?"

Without even waiting for him to complete his speech, Manjiri whisper - shrieked this in agitation. Witnessing her glare, Shaurya simply shrugged

"Well, the reason I provided you is the practical one."

He waited for her to open her mouth and speak something, but much to his dismay she didn't. So he himself only tried neutralising her expressions

"Ok, ok, my bad!
Tell the reason you know... Why can't one be able to separate the ring - fingers without budging the middle ones?

"Cause it is believed that life partners are joined by a unique, precious bond which is undeniably unbreakable. Thereby, at long last they both are only supposed to be with each other for the rest of their lives in every thick or thin together."

At first Manjiri thought to show him some attitude and not tell him anything, but then she couldn't really refrain herself from ignoring him.
So she told him, but little did she know that he would come up with something like this in response

"I agree that this hypothesis is more convincing than the previous one, but if we go with the actuality, nothing really goes in that way always, be it an unbreakable bond or the vena amoris....
I don't know why people fabricate certain things by subsiding the real convictions to walk the way. These theories have no practical applications, as we can't claim a relationship as an unbreakable bond by only placing a ring on somebody's hand... A lot more is needed, you know?
If in case all these theories were real, then the world wouldn't have ever witnessed any breakups or divorces........"

"Oh! No, no! Don't associate these ancient believes to practicality Shaurya. Cause there are a lot of things, people often tend to believe even after when they haven't seen or heard any overwhelming evidence behind them. Sometimes, our belief system isn't built up on any firm evidence, rather it is usually and purely based on the strong foundation of personal - observations and experiences....
And as far as the fragility and reliability of relationships are concerned, then nobody ever learnt to swim without trusting the waves. Right?"

She asked hopefully. To which he thought deeply for a second and added

"Umm.... Perhaps!
Well you're amazing me a lot today... What did you eat in the lunch?"

"The same which you ate.
Now I think we should get back to Dadi, it's getting dark."

Manjiri smiled and replied whilst getting up. Shaurya nodded and too got off the bench. As they began strolling together, he started speaking with a conflicted look pasting on his face. His tone too seemed to be a little serious

"You know Manjiri except parent - child and grandparent - grandchild relationships, every other relationship in the world needs constant efforts. And it is often said that its harder to wriggle out of marriage than to wander into it....."

Manjiri instantly understood where all this was going, so cutting him in the middle of his speech she held his hand and murmured softly

"Shhh! I got it, I got everything yesterday.
And please don't even think for a second yet again that I don't appreciate your efforts... or you cause I really do. Undoubtedly future is uncertain, but I really wish to look forward for the days in which you are by my side."

Undoubtedly, Shaurya and his heart smiled radiantly on realizing the fact that she was gradually responding to him and his efforts. His liking for her was bit by bit levelling up each day, or by each moment whenever he was with her. The explanation of the feel of her palm against his was something that he couldn't really easily put in some mere words. But when he tried to intertwine his fingers with hers, he sensed her getting slightly uneased. But before he could take back his hand, he heard her mumbling

"My hand at times might trembles in hold of yours, but it's not that I don't want you in my life, I do but you.. you make me feel things, you make my heart weirdly rush and that's too terrifying for me.
If that is making any sense to you..."

"Yep! Look Manjiri I ain't gonna recite any filmy unrealistic lines in response to your words and I even don't promise to be your light in the darkest hour... But yes I promise that whenever it will be dark and you will be all alone, you'll always find my hand tightly grabbing yours."

Shaurya responded her with a dazzling assuring smile. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, he added

"I understand that every relationship have ups and downs and I too really wish to grow through these times with you..."

At then hearing him, Manjiri went speechless. Getting overwhelmed to the extreme point, her cheeks began colouring into a deeper shade of pink. Witnessing her such state, he couldn't help but ask her

"Have you always been this shy?....."

As the sun descended, clouds started to grow silver linings, thus creating an impressive contrast of darkness and brightness at the spur of the moment. Without a doubt, this sunset was not only evoking positive feelings in both of them but also was creating a magical moment that was so effortlessly amplifying the growing fondness between them.............

"Holding hands is my favourite type of PDA!
I adore the way hands perfectly intertwine like two puzzle pieces that fit together...... It's so intimate yet comforting; it doesn't have to be romantic, it's a way of saying 'I'm here. I'll go wherever you want to go, without saying anything at all.'
Isn't it???"

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This is it for now. Hope you liked it. I am sorry for the mistakes.

In case if you want to share your views or suggest something, you are more than welcome.

⭐My sincere request to all the SILENT READERS - Do vote this chap.⭐

Till then take care and stay connected.

Love ♥️✨