"Ratatouille?" Shubman asked and you nodded as you both sat on the living room couch, after you returned home.

"It was good at the restaurant," you turned to look at him. "But I want us to make it together."

"And what do I get in return?" He asked as you took a bite from your third ice cream of the day.

You had one after dinner, bought two for you and Shubman on the way home. But you ended up eating his ice cream cone too.

But he got his share from the regular stock in the freezer, so that was even.

You showed him the ice cream cone and he gladly took a bite.

"Something more," he said and you took his free hand, placing a small kiss on the back of it.

"Okay?" You asked while he took a spoonful of ice cream from the bowl he was holding, placing it in his mouth deliberately.

Leaning forward, Shubman kissed you, trading off the dessert before he pulled away and left you speechless.

"Okay," he agreed and you blinked twice. "I'll look up the recipe."

He held your hand that clutched the ice cream cone, bringing it closer to your mouth and you took a tentative bite.

You couldn't think straight when he looked at you like that.

Shubman Gill was really going to be the death of you.

He averted his gaze only when he heard Brownie come running inside the living room.

Placing the ice cream bowl on the table, he picked up your son who jumped into his arms.

"Hey, buddy," he lifted him up before holding him closer. "Did your aunt take good care of you while we were away?"

Watching him talk and respond to the tiny barks, you continued eating the ice cream.

You felt a small kiss on your shoulder and a head on your lap once the dessert was no more.

Shubman laid himself on the couch with Brownie on his chest as they communicated.

There was this tingling feel in your stomach as he did that, and you ran your fingers through his hair, focusing on the eyes that adorned him.

"Though you don't have to request me for anything, baby," he broke you out of your trance. "I'm always at your beck and call, ready to comply."

His eyes gazed up at yours, ushering him to raise a hand and caress your cheek.

"One look from you and I'll be at your feet," he tugged a strand of hair behind your ear.

"It's enough if I have you on my lap," you ruffled his hair before petting Brownie too.

Shubman smiled as you traced his cheek with your fingers.

"I'll get changed first," you tapped at his shoulder slightly for him to get up.

"Shall I help you with the zipper again?" He questioned as he moved to sit up again, still holding Brownie. "Or maybe another scoop of ice cream?"

He gestured his head to the lone bowl on the coffee table, reminding you of the ice cream kiss.

Your heart rate increased, a slightly bashful look overtaking your features. "Not in front of Brownie," you nudged his chest with your elbow before getting up.

His dimples were a sight to behold as you left the room.

You came across Shahneel in the hallways, taking the opportunity to tell her, "Your brother is such a pervert."

Look who's talking.

Time skip~

It was another night. Another stretch of hours where Shubman gets to hold you in his arms, wrapping you in his love.

He held you tight from behind as you drifted off to dreamland, leaving butterfly kisses on the back of your neck until he fell asleep too.

Snuggling into you in the middle of the night, he normally wouldn't have woken up.

But not after that time when he opened his eyes to an empty bed and (over)thought what could've happened.

Shubman was always on high alert if you even squirmed with discomfort, in lieu of peaceful slumber.

He had his sort of Spidey-senses tingling, his eyes opening and his gaze falling on you.

You still had your back pressed against his chest, hands holding his arms that were around your waist while Brownie slept beside you.

"Baby," he said in a low tone beside your ear and you only stirred a little in your sleep.

Shubman didn't want to disturb your sleep, but at the same time, he didn't want you to wake up feeling more uncomfortable in the morning.

"Honey," he called again softly and this time, your eyes fluttered open. "Are you awake, sweetheart?"

You hummed a little in response, albeit a bit confused.

"I think you got your period," he said and waited for your sleepiness to go away.

Then you reached for the switchboard beside the bed, turning the lights on.

Indeed, you did. There were red stains on the bed sheets, his sweatpants, and surely you felt yours too.

Swearing mentally, you got off the bed and Shubman followed, walking to the closet.

You immediately felt cranky at having to do this in the middle of the night, your sleep interrupted.

"There are pads in the bathroom cabinet, baby," he said, returning with a towel and a set of your clothes. "Do you want to freshen up with a shower, sweetie? Or shall I run you a bath?"

You shook your head, mumbling. "A shower is fine."

Getting your clothes from Shubman, you trudged to the bathroom, getting under the shower.

This is the first time you got your period while with him, but he had arranged things for you in advance.

One half of the cabinet below the washbasin was filled with body care products and bathing essentials.

The other half was stocked up with the best type of sanitary napkins he'd found after research and suggestions from his sister.

Shubman changed into different sweatpants while you were in the shower.

Carefully moving a sleeping Brownie to the couch on the other side of the room, he took the bedsheets off.

He changed the linen covers, dropping the stained ones along with his sweatpants in the laundry hamper, and moved a still sleeping Brownie back to the bed.

Making his way down to the kitchen, he quickly made a glass of lemonade from freshly grated ginger, a squeeze of lemon, and hot water.

Both taste-wise and nutrition-wise, it's great and Shahneel loves it when he makes it for her, though she'll never admit that.

Lemon is naturally alkaline and soothes your stomach when you're on your period.

Shubman picked up a bar of dark chocolate from the freezer, in case you craved it or hated the taste of ginger in the lemonade.

It's also his way to bribe you into finishing the glass, to ensure that you had a healthy period.

Regular chocolates contain high levels of milk solids that can worsen cramps.

When he returned to your bedroom, you were already out of the shower and sitting beside Brownie, your back leaning against the headboard.

"I ruined the bedsheets, right?" You mumbled as Shubman walked to the bed. "And your sweatpants too."

"No need to fuss about it, darling," he placed the chocolate on the nightstand and the glass of lemonade in your hands. "There are people to take care of it and if you don't want them to, I'll wash them. But now, do you want anything else?"

"Cuddle," you answered with your drowsiness catching up to you again.

"At your service, ma'am," he said playfully, kissing your forehead after you finished drinking the glass of lemonade.

Its warmth and dark chocolate made the taste of the ginger bearable, like the presence of Shubman in your life.

He made your life worth living. And you made his life beautiful with your love.

For him, a life worth living is one where you love each other.

You're all he needs forever.

A/n

I'm leaving for Bangalore tomorrow, early in the morning, to visit my closest family friends who I haven't met in person since COVID-19. I'll be staying there for a week, so the book will next be updated by the end of this month. Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter ヽ(•‿•)ノ