The next morning Raavi stretched her arm out from under the covers to turn off the blaring alarm on the bedside table. Still, in a haze, she shifted under the covers, turning on her side, not ready to start the day. The appointment wasn't until one o'clock, but everyone around her was going to give her hell for going through with this and she wasn't ready to face them. The moment she moved, Raavi noticed that the sheets under her felt strange. The large duvet on top of her felt larger, in fact, the whole bed felt bigger than normal. When her eyes opened she didn't recognize any of her surroundings. Raavi quickly sat up in bed and the colder air hit her body, making her realise she was naked. Quickly pulling the blanket up to cover herself, she looked around the unfamiliar room.

It was larger than her bedroom with cream-colored walls and a white fireplace on the left wall. The pictures on the mantle were too far to see what they were, but she could see a family lived here. A wave of disgust washed over her, thinking she somehow got drunk and slept with a man she didn't remember. She's been drunk in the past, and she's made mistakes but she did not want to be the reason for breaking up a family. Raavi kept the blanket wrapped around her as she got out of bed in search of her clothes. The ones laid out on the floor didn't look like anything she owned, but there was nothing else. When she threw on the pink pajama set, she noticed the diamond ring on her finger.

"Oh my God!" She whispered, trying to remember what happened last night.

Raavi became mesmerised by how beautiful the ring really was. It was the kind of ring she imagined if she could ever get married. One and half-carat diamonds sat on a silver band with blue sapphires on each side, so clean it almost looked new. She became so distracted looking at the ring that she didn't hear the approaching footsteps in the hallway. Arms wrapped around her waist while a deeper voice mumbled in her ear, making her jump.

"Good morning, jaan!" The man's lips kissed her neck sweetly.

The familiar voice almost made her relax since he was finally something she recognized, but she stepped away quickly. "Shiva? Tu yeh kya kar raha hai?" Raavi rubbed her neck in an attempt to get the feeling of his kissing off.

"Main tujhe dekhne aaya hoon. Maine sabke liye breakfast bana diya hai, par mujhe nahi lagta ki unhe tere khaane ke aage kuch bhi accha lagta hai." Shiva took off his shirt, walking towards one of the doors that apparently led to a closet. His voice became distant, staying in the closet to change his clothes for the day. "Khair.. Unhone mere dil pe pathar phenk ke oats naashta kar liya. Maine tujhe sone diya kyunki tujhe energy chahiye thi. Kal raat ke baad toh definitely!" He walked out in blue jeans and a black fitted t-shirt.

The smug smirk on his lips made Raavi's eyebrows knit together, looking over at the bed as she put together what he was saying.

"We had sex last night? Like the one with an orgasm? Are you serious?" Her body cringed at the thought of sleeping with him.

He shrugged, leaning on his elbow against the fireplace. "Well, I'd say 'orgasms' as in the plural & yeah, a few times if I remember correctly." Shiva's smile was almost smug thinking about the night before. To him, it was impressive that after so many years together, they still had a strong relationship. It was also just as fun as the night they first got together.

"Humne kal kitni pi li thi?" Raavi's eyes wandered down this new version of Shiva. Not that he was ever bad to look at. He's always been attractive in a boyish kind of way. Looking at him now, he seemed older and looked sexy in a more sophisticated way. The oversized graphic t-shirts were gone, his hair was kept neatly and he seemed comfortable with himself. But they were enemies, like, frenemies at best, she wasn't attracted to him like that. Still, it was hard not to be curious about the experience.

Shiva tilted his head quizzically with a slight hum. "Pi thi? Kal raat ko Arnav ka Junior State Championship ka tennis match tha. Aur woh hero apne trophy ki khaan ko badhane ke liye ek aur ghar le aaya, isliye hum unhe ek ice cream treat ke liye le jaa rahein hai aaj!" He stepped closer to her, gently stroking her arm and grabbing her hips.

He was standing so close that she could smell his aftershave. Her heart started to beat fast under his warm touch. They've always been close, well, as close as you could be as frenemies, but the look in his eyes said something more. Raavi chewed on her lip, trying to look away from the intensity of his gaze. Her eyes landed on the row of photos displayed on the mantle again. She quickly stepped away from him, grabbing the picture in the middle as her eyes widened. It was a photo of her in a bridal lehenga, kissing Shiva in a Sherwani.

"Oh god!" She muttered. Her eyes looked over the rest of the photos, seeing her and Shiva with two kids spanning over seven years. At least she knew that she was right earlier, a family did live here, and apparently, it was hers. "Hamari shaadi ho chuki hai?" Raavi put the photo back and took his hand to look at the ring on his finger, trying to wrap her head around all of this.

"Haan, woh bhi pichhle 10 saal se.. Tujhe kya laga mujhe yaad nahi hoga? Mujhe yaad hai, Chipkali, in fact.. Main soch raha tha ki kyun na hum anniversary ke liye ids baar kuch naya karein? Inn shaitaano ke aa jaane ke baad waise bhi ghar mein aag lagne se bachaane ke liye yahaan pe tainaat rehna padta hai. Aisa nahi hai ki mujhe koi shikaayat hai, but mujhe seriously lagta hai ki 10 saal bina ek doosre ko kahin zinda gaade saath rehna hamare liye kaafi bada achievement hai!" He looked her over, noticing something different about her. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but she didn't seem like the same Raavi that he married. Her eyes looked distant and confused almost like she was scared.

It was like she didn't remember their life together. Not remembering last night was concerning already, but now she doesn't remember their marriage. He wondered if she should be taken to a doctor or if he was overreacting. If this was some kind of joke, he hoped she wouldn't act this way in front of the kids. Raavi was normal yesterday. She took the kids to school, cheered Arnav on at his match, and even yelled at another mom for accusing Arnav of cheating. Nothing was different until now.

Was she Married to Shiva? The immature, commitment-phobe, awkward Shiva? Crazy seemed like an understatement. It was hard not to laugh at the idea. Not only were they married, but they have two kids. A boy and a girl with brown hair somehow. Raavi gently ran her thumb over the band on her finger, feeling how real the silver metal under her skin was. He was standing in front of her, talking about a tenth anniversary when she couldn't believe they were together. Ten years with him seemed impossible. Ten days with him seemed impossible.

The weirdest part of this was that he seemed calm. Shiva of all people was acting like this was normal. This had to be a dream, there was no other explanation. Even if she did ask him what was going on, he wouldn't know. It seemed like her best option was to go along with everything until she figured this out. The hardest part was going to be acting like a wife to Shiva and a mother to the kids. Raavi was great with kids but didn't know what this family dynamic was like. "Mujhe nahi pata tha ki tu anniversary type hai."

Shiva took his hand back from her, raising an eyebrow at her. They'd celebrated every anniversary together. Maybe their celebrations have dwindled after the kids were born, but they still acknowledged every anniversary. He would buy her flowers and she cooked him a nice dinner. They were definitely the anniversary type-together. "Raavi, tu theek hai? I mean, tu bohot alag si lag rahi hai."

"Nahi, main theek hoon, I just can't believe it, that's all. Ten years.. It's exciting!" Raavi looked up at him, studying the sincerity of concern on his face. If she was going to act like everything was fine,

she was going to have to be better at it. "So, aaj ka kya plan hai?" She went into the closet to change, looking through the unfamiliar clothes. It seemed simple enough to just wear jeans and a white shirt.

He sighed, scratching the back of his head with a slight shrug. It didn't seem like everything was fine, but he didn't want to push. "Zyada kuch nahi. Just the ice cream and I was thinking about taking them to the bookstore. They need better books, I don't want them to fall behind."

When following him down the hallway Raavi glanced at each photo hanging on the walls. Most were of their little family, but there were also pictures of them with their friends. Everyone in the group looked older, it wasn't just them. She briefly wondered how everyone else's life had changed until she heard arguing in the living room.

"I wanna watch 'Best of Luck Nikki'!" The little boy on the couch yelled at his sister, pulling the television remote out of her hand. She assumed that was Arnav that Shiva referred to earlier.

The girl grabbed the remote back with a glare on her features that reminded Raavi of Shiva when he was upset. "Too bad, we're watching 'Spongebob'!" The argument between the siblings was like her own fights with Anita almost every morning. Raavi glanced at Shiva, wondering what he was going to do about the kids fighting over the television. Technically she was their mother, but she didn't know how to break up a fight. He went over to the twins, grabbing the remote from them.

"Papa!" The girl's demeanor changed immediately, smiling up at him like she was innocent.

"Kya chal raha hai yahaan?" Shiva looked between them, waiting for an answer. The twins started to talk over each other, telling their side of the story. When he put his hand up, they both stopped. "Agar tum dono koi ek cheez pe agree nahi kar sakte ho toh, saath mein karne ke kuch aur dhoondhlo. And for your information, backyard mein rakha hua trampoline bohot dino se bohot lonely feel kar raha hai!" He placed the remote down on the coffee table.

"Okay!" Ahaana stood from her place on the floor and went to the back door to put her shoes on. Arnav wasn't far behind, but he didn't seem as enthusiastic.

Raavi stared at Shiva in disbelief at his ability to redirect their energy. She followed the family to the backyard and the first thing she noticed was the patio. The stone flooring with a wooden pergola overhead provided shade, laced with string lights for the night. There are couches and a chair with white cushions. In the center was a matching wooden table where Raavi could picture their family & friends gathering.

The backyard itself was a large grass area lined with tall trees. Raavi put her fingers in her pocket as she walked around the yard, admiring how beautiful it was and feeling the warm sun on her skin. She heard the rushing water from the natural stream at the edge of the yard. This house was better than anything she's ever imagined.

It was a home. Their home.