Five years ago,

"Hey! Don't you think you are forgetting something?" prompted Aniket, much to Ashna's surprise. She was the one with better memory among the two of them, and she was taken aback to realize that she needed a reminder from him.

Aniket chuckled warmly and pulled her over onto the couch that he was seated on. Ashna's heart skipped a beat, relishing and basking in his warmth. A rare smile broke out on her lips when she wrapped her arm around his and increased their proximity.

"I don't remember. What is it?" asked Ashna, grinning ear to ear. Excitement and desperation bubbled in her broken heart, eager to know what turned her usually stoic husband into the lively one she had once fallen in love with.

She was not aware of the reason, and yet, she promised herself that she would give many such reasons if it brought the jovial Aniket back. "It is the day you had signed the contract for your first film, four years ago. I will never forget how happy you were that day!" replied Aniket, gazing into her staggered and overwhelmed eyes.

His answer stupefied her in more ways than one. Her dear husband had forgotten more birthdays and anniversaries than he had remembered, and yet, he remembered the day her life had turned upside down for good. He had let it show, more often than not, how he despised her choice of profession and its ways, and it was touching to note he had still remembered her first step into the industry.

"That day I had not just signed that contract, I had signed my fate and freedom. Remember, Maa was over the moon that day. She was so elated to escape from his shadow," mused Ashna, resting her head against his shoulder and snuggling closer to him when he wrapped his arm around her.

There was something moving about his proximity. His tantalizing touch, the way he draped his arm around her in a possessive way, and his intense gaze was so magnetic that the world faded away from its existence in its wake.

"She was so proud of you, and you continue to make her prouder every day," he whispered, pressing his lips against her forehead. Myriads of complaints wafted in his mind, but they did not stand a chance against the ardent amour which had risen from its deep slumber.

Complaints and circumstances had lulled his affections into an unwavering sleep, but they refused to remain unvoiced and unheard. Not on the day which would rank high on the most significant days of his wife's life.

"And you? Are you proud of me?" asked Ashna in a trembling voice. Despite her heart pounding against her ribcage and dread pooling in her abdomen as she wondered if it would ruin the fleeting and fragile moment between them, Ashna could not suppress her heart's deepest desire to be validated by the one who owned it.

"It's done! The contract is signed, and I received the advance amount of 20 Lakhs!" exclaimed Ashna, jumping into his arms, without a care or concern of the world.

"Woo-hoo! 20 Lakhs! That's amazing!" replied Aniket, lifting her off the ground and twirling her around as she screamed his name while laughing heartily.

"Yes! We can move out of the house! Do you remember the 1BHK flat that we saw on the outskirts? I will rent that house! Maa won't have to see him anymore! We will be on our own! I.."

Aniket captured her supple lips with his rough ones in a frenzy and a tantalizing kiss. Her racing heart and heaving breaths calmed into a gentle rhythm when she pulled him closer and allowed herself to drown in a serenity brought upon by his presence. They pulled out of their kiss and rested their foreheads against each other, panting to catch their breath..

"You will fulfill every single dream of yours! And you won't be on your own. Ever! I will always be there to hold your hand," he vowed, holding her hands, rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand.

"I love you!" muttered Ashna, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest to listen to the lulling rhythm of his heartbeats.

"I love you too!"

"I am. The most important thing to you was standing on your own feet. Everything, I mean everything, appears justifiable when you are that desperate. I realize it was just unbridled passion that pushed you towards that decision," said Aniket, playing with her hair, struggling to gulp the complaints and restraints down.

"Does that mean...."

"Yes. It is not my place to forgive you, Ashna. Besides, horrible memories should not mar such a remarkable day," he advised, lifting her chin northwards using his thumb.

That burst of ecstasy and bliss in her eyes after listening to her acquittal conveyed what a thousand words could not. To have unimaginable power over someone's mind and heart and not to be swayed by the rush that it gave was next to impossible by human standards. And Aniket was no saint.

His hands explored her sensuous figure, and the intoxication of desire had woven its wondrous webs around them. She pressed her quivering lips upon his stretched out ones and allowed herself to be possessed by the blinding ardor. He pulled her into his lap and deepened the kiss, capturing her lips between his. His expert and dainty fingers unbuttoned her button-down sleepwear, and she raked her fingers through his luscious curls.

"Don't you have to go to your office?" she asked, pulling away from the kiss, hoping that he would answer in a negative.

"Later, maybe! Right now, I have some other work. Like celebrating this wonderful day with my wife!" he replied, standing up from the couch whilst carrying her in his arms.

She giggled in response to his answer. She did not know what had changed or what caused the change, but she wanted to make the best out of it.

Relish every moment. Cherish every touch. Capture every part of their moments in her memory whilst it lasted.