Samaira stirred in her sleep as she felt a sharp pain shoot through her spines.She slowly opened her eyes and realized her position. She had fallen asleep last night in a sitting position on the floor. She nodded her head in negation to herself as she tried to stand.As she stood, she felt a strong grip on her left palm which was resting on the bed before. She slowly looked down at it only to see Ayush's hand wrapped around it. He was fast asleep.
She felt a a sense of awkwardness as she tried to free herself from his grip. Feeling something shifting beside him, Ayush slowly opened his eyes and looked up. He saw Samaira staring at him awkwardly. She looked down and he followed her vision to see their intertwined fingers. He quickly loosened his grip and got out of the bed.
He felt really strange about this.

"I.. I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to do that. I was asleep. "he stammered.

"It's okay. "she said as she walked hastily out of the room.
He diverted his glance to Praniti's portrait. She was smiling and it reached her eyes. This was what he loved the most about her. Her eyes will reflect the emotion she's going through. And her eyes are indeed beautiful.
"Good morning, Praniti!"he whispered.
.................................
Samaira was giving a baby bath to Prarthana. The baby kept crying and splashing water on her face as if giving her mom a bath in return. Samaira could only chuckle at the girl's antic.
"Momma!!! I'm hungry."she heard Kevin shout from the kitchen.
"Coming Kevin! "she shouted back and wiped the baby with a towel. She made her wear tiny clothes and took her in her arms, plopping a kiss on her head.
She made her way to the kitchen. As she reached the kitchen, she saw Ayush spreading butter on a bread with a spoon. She made Prarthana sit on her toy mat and approached him.
"Why are you doing this?I was coming no? "she hissed as she snatched those from him.
"Kevin was hungry. And this isn't a big deal. "he said as a small smile adorned his lips.

"Why are you laughing? "she asked,confused.

He quickly wiped out something from the tip of of her nose and showed it to her. She saw some foam on his fingers.

"You look funny when you're angry with foam on your nose. Did you give bath to Prarthana or was it the opposite way? "he asked sarcastically.

She tucked her tongue out at him and continued her work. Though both of them were still feeling awkward, they didn't show it outside.

Kevin and Ayush laughed out loud seeing Samaira's facial expressions.
"Stop laughing. Okay? Or you both will not get anything to eat. "she said.

Both of them put their fingers on their lips like obedient children and watched her make food.

She toasted the bread and made breakfast and served it to everyone.

"You're sho beauchiful mamma. "Kevin said when she was washing the dishes.

"What do you want,Kevin?Chocolates?"she asked playfully.

Kevin grinned, exhibiting all his little teeth as she understood his trick.

Samaira laughed and gently smacked his head. She took out a chocolate bar from the fridge and handed it over to him.

"Kevin... "she heard Ayush calling Kevin from the bathroom after a while .

Kevin ran to his dad.
As he reached, he saw Ayush with an unbuttoned shirt on .

"What's it,Daddy?"he asked as he licked the chocolate that had melted everywhere on his little palms.

"Can you help me button up my shirt, Kevin? "he asked as he came down to the boy's height.

"No daddy, I wanch to lick my chocolate. "he said and ran out of the washroom.

"Why did he call you, Kevin? "asked Samaira who had now finished washing the dishes.

"After bath, Daddy wanched to button up hish shirt. But I wanch to eat chocolate."he said innocently.

"He's your daddy, Kevin. You can't do such a small help for him? You love chocolate more than daddy? Very bad Kevin. "she scolded him and he pouted, his eyes brimmed with tears.She knew that Ayush won't call her so she only wished him to get help from anyone he calls.

"Ey. Don't scold him. It's okay. I'll manage. "Ayush said as he came out of the washroom, still in his unbuttoned shirt, showing his abs.

"You're so stubborn, Ayush. Never call me. Okay? Never. "she said as she neared him.

She started buttoning his shirt and he stared at her. Her fingers brushed his chest between the process to which both of them didn't give a damn. None blushed. None shivered. Everything was as usual. They still treated each other as friends.Or did they just not show anything outside?
.....................
Ayush stared at the star studded sky. He was sitting on a bench in the compound of the building. A flash of moments passed before his eyes. He had made a firm decision today. He had decided to give life a chance. Give Samaira a chance. Seeing the amount of care she's showing him, he realized that she deserved all the love. He didn't know how she would react to this decision of his. But he knew very well that she needed this. She needed someone to stand by her and love her with all his might even though she did not show anything outside. Though he himself didn't know how to do it  as Praniti's  memories were still fresh in his mind, he was determined to give it his best. Though she's a strong woman who doesn't really need a man or a partner for help, she would really need a trustworthy person, someone who'll be with her forever.
This feeling had led him to take this decision that would bind their lives forever.
He wanted to heal her wounds.He wanted to comfort her. First of all, he wanted to bring himself near her to do this.
He knew that love,care and support can be repayed only with the same. But this was not a repayment, as he knew she didn't do anything expecting something in return. He was doing this for themselves. For their children's well being. For Praniti.
He was persistent on gifting her better tomorrows. He wanted to make sure that she felt loved and insecure. More than that, he didn't want her to regret marrying him for Praniti.
He knew for this, he had to talk to her and take help from her. This was something he had been abstaining all these while. But now, it was time for change.
...............................
Helllowwww!!!Remember me? 😁
I don't know how often I can update as exams are literally screaming at my doors. But I have a little plan to finish this story before exams. Dunno if it will workout.
Do tell me how u liked this chapter. Not proofread! How's the banner?
Now, Thank you so so much Cara DevaDDK for this awesome cover.

And darling Aru_pranu  for these edits.

Love,
Chris.