A pic of Tulasi and Vinay is added..

Annaprashan – First rice eating ceremony. It's conducted when a baby is ready to make a transition from liquid diets to solids. Performed after six months of a baby's birth.

Puja – Prayer to God

Thank you @ALUCKYJ99 for the wonderful cover u made for this one.

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I checked myself in the mirror. Except for the dark circles under my eyes, I look fine. In fact, I look the way I used to be. The weight I gained during my pregnancy is lost with the sleeplessness nights after my delivery.

"Are you ready?" I heard Vinay from the living.

Instead of replying, I trotted up to him.

"You are going to wake her" I said, implying our six months old daughter.

"Sorry. I forgot" he said with a sheepish smile.

"How can you? You struggled almost an hour to make her sleep" I said amusedly.

He chuckled "I know. It just slipped my mind. So, when are your friends coming?"

"They should be here by now" I mumbled, looking at the clock.

I received a call from Sindhu yesterday that they reached Vizag. Since Karthik's parents live in the city, they stayed with them but she promised to come as soon as possible; but is not here, yet.

"Let me set up everything in the meantime" I informed him and headed towards the kitchen.

Since Vinay isn't superstitious or religious, he didn't want me to call a priest to do the rituals. After much pleading, he agreed to sit with me for puja.

My parents went on a pilgrimage trip a month ago, to visit the auspicious temples of north India and aren't back yet. Since we wanted it to be a simple family affair, Karthik and Sindhu are the only guests we invited.

Fifteen minutes later, a vehicle pulled up at our house and I ran to the living to welcome my friends.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, hugging Sindhu.

"How are you?" she asked with a small smile and I grinned "Perfect"

"What took you so long?" I said, glaring at Karthik.

"It had nothing to with me" he replied in a defensive tone "Your best friend here couldn't decide what to wear"

"Obviously" I said, rolling my eyes.

"She said she will wear a saree because she wanted to look traditional. Seeing herself in the mirror she complained that she is fat and changed into a dress"

I glanced at Sindhu who looked guilty "You are not fat"

"I don't know. I feel like it sometimes" she said, not meeting my eyes.

Something about her screamed weird to me. Not that she isn't crazy all the time but this is totally weird. Sindhu always had a bright smile on her face which is not present now.

Deciding to question her later, I looked at the couple who stared at my husband with blank looks on their faces. Remembering this is their first meeting, I quickly introduced them to each other.

"Hi" Vinay said, extending his hand to Sindhu who glared at him.

"Does that promise still stand Tulasi?" she asked, looking at me.

"What promise?" I said, not understanding her question.

"The promise that I can slap him"

Instinctively, Vinay's hand moved up to his face as if guarding himself from her incoming slap and I chuckled.

"He changed now" I said, feeling the urge to protect him "He's been a great support all these months. I told you this already; on the phone. Didn't I? "

She nodded "But you didn't tell me that he is very handsome"

"Sindhu!" Karthik shouted, gaping at her in shock.

"Oops" she said with a mischievous smile "Sorry"

Vinay and I laughed.

"So, where's Akira?" Sindhu asked excitedly.

"Asleep. And I want her like that until we start" I gave a firm reply and she pouted.

In no time, we made arrangements and started the puja while Vinay returned with our baby.

Once the prayer is done, we fed mashed rice with ghee to our daughter who spilled half of the contents on her new dress, the rest on my saree.

Sindhu took pics with her camera while Karthik observed her from the corner of his eyes.

After that, we left Aki on the ground to let her choose the items placed on the banyan leaf. Books, pen, jewels, food and soil. This ritual symbolizes baby's aspirations in future.

In her first attempt, she chose pen which means wisdom.

"She proved to be the daughter of a professor" Sindhu commented when Akira held the pen in her tiny little hands.

In the next two attempts, she chose books and food respectively which implies a possible love for knowledge and food.

"Being a girl, she didn't choose gold or property. No materialistic things. Wow" Sindhu said, picking up Aki from ground who is spraying food on the rest of the items.

"I bet you chose them when you were her age" Karthik said with a smirk.

"I wouldn't know; of course" she replied with a roll of her eyes.

Sindhu sat on the sofa with Aki perched on her lap and the rest of us joined her.

"So, when are you coming here?" I asked Karthik who's observing Akira play with Sindhu's gold chain.

He looked at me with a frown "Not sure"

"Finding an IT job here might take a while" Vinay said casually.

"Yes, that's the problem" he replied, observing Sindhu who is making Aki laugh with her weird faces.

An unknown smile crept on his face and Vinay and I looked at each other in confusion.

Something's definitely going on.

After lunch, Vinay took Akira into the guest room and Karthik followed him while I led Sindhu into the master bed room.

"What's wrong?" I asked directly, locking the door behind me.

"What do you mean?" Sindhu asked, looking totally clueless.

"You are hiding something. You don't look the same too" I informed her.

I have an idea of what happened but I wanted to hear it from her.

Her face saddened "How do you know?"

"Sindhu" I began compassionately, seeing tears in her eyes "Is something wrong between you and Karthik? Tell me. I will kick that bastard for you"

She smiled between tears "No. He did nothing"

Seeing her calm, I voiced my doubts "Are you pregnant?"

"How did you guess?" she shot back and I grinned, hearing her reply.

"You are?" I asked in excitement.

"I don't know. I am not sure" she said unsurely.

"You don't know? Why didn't you----"

"I am not sure if Karthik will be happy hearing the news" Her face contorted to that of pain as she said "He didn't want kids for another year, at least"

"How can you be sure about it? You should have told him that"

"What if he gets angry knowing that I forgot to take the pill?" she began in a panicked tone "That I am always careless? He's already worried that he's unable to find a job here. I can't make---"

"Sindhu!" I began in a soothing tone, holding her shoulders firmly "Do you really think Karthik will be angry at you? Just think peacefully. You will know the answer"

She looked at me sadly "You are right. I should--"

Stopping herself, she began pacing the room talking to herself "I mean he didn't say a word when I tried straightening our puppy Oscar's hair"

She did that?

"Or when I bought a cute pink t-shirt for him" she walked furiously as she continued "Or when Oscar pooped in the bath tub when I forgot to take him out after a shower"

I looked at her in shock when she added "Or when I made chic-ton curry"

"Chicton? What is it?" I asked in a surprised tone. I am pretty sure I never heard of that word.

"Oh, that" she said, looking at me proudly "That's the curry made with chicken and mutton together. I invented it"

"Was it good?" I asked doubtfully, although I knew the answer to it "What was the end result?"

She looked embarrassed "Mutton was still hard by the time chicken was cooked. So, I let it on stove until it was done"

"And?" I asked curiously when she didn't continue.

"By then, Chicken almost became paste" she said, blushing a little and I laughed.

"What did Karthik say?" I asked between chuckles.

"He laughed for an hour" she said, smiling fondly at the memory.

"See. He didn't say anything even after you did all those things. Why do you think he will scold you for forgetting a pill?"

"That is different" she defended.

"Answer me first. Do you want kids?"

"Of course, I do. I am only scared how Karthik will react to this. Moreover, I am not sure if I really am pregnant" Seeing my disbelief look, she added "I never checked"

I went towards my cupboards and grabbed a pregnancy test kit, holding it out to her.

She took it tentatively from my hands "Should I check now?"

"Yes" I replied firmly and slowly, she walked into the attached bathroom.

Hearing a knock on the door, I opened it to find Karthik and Vinay who walked into the room leisurely.

"She is sleeping" Karthik said with a smile and Vinay added "He is good with kids"

Good. No doubt he will be a good father then.

"Where is Sindhu?" he asked, looking around the room and I pointed to the bath room.

"So, Karthik!" I began, pretending to look thoughtful "When are you planning to have kids?"

A secret smile touched his face as he answered "Probably in another six months or so, I guess"

What the hell!

"You knew?" I exclaimed in shock and he nodded with a mischievous smile.

"Why didn't you tell her then?"

"Come on Tulasi" he said with a naughty smile "You think I will give up the chance of hearing it from her mouth. Knowing Sindhu, I bet it will be interesting and funny"

I gaped at him in shock. He is not the guy I loved, a few years ago.

"She is pregnant?" Vinay asked doubtfully.

Karthik grinned "Hopefully"

"How did you know?" I asked and before he could reply, the bathroom door opened and Sindhu entered the room with a small smile on her lips and tears in her eyes.

I gave her a questioning look and she nodded with a small smile making me sigh in relief.

Karthik noticed our silent exchange but pretended that he didn't.

I gave a pointed look to Sindhu to inform her husband and she looked at him tentatively.

"Karthik" she began timidly "I n-need to t-tell you something"

He nodded and walked towards her.

"We will let you talk in privacy" I informed, taking a step back with Vinay while Sindhu interrupted "No. Please stay here. Please"

Seeing her desperate look, I nodded. Vinay and I sat on the bed, gaping at the couple curiously.

"Karthik" she said, taking his hands into hers "Um I know that you are worried for not being with your parents and not being to----"

"That's not a problem Sindhu. We will come here when the right time comes" he said casually, as if he didn't understand what she's trying to say.

Sindhu gaped at him, no doubt lost for words.

One look at Karthik and I know he's not going to make it easy for her.

"What I wanted to say is that our life is going to change. We can't be---"

"My life changed the moment I married you" he said dramatically, imitating her voice.

I whispered to Vinay who is sitting beside me "Thank God. You didn't make me go through this"

He had an amused smile on his face as he said "Poor woman. I wonder how she is going to confess"

We chuckled under our breaths turning our attention back to the drama ahead of us.

Sindhu gulped, looking tensed "There's going to be a change from hereon. I will eat more. I—um—will have to eat the content sufficient enough for two"

"You already eat food enough for two" he said, pretending to keep a straight face and she glared at him.

I put a hand to my mouth to stop myself from laughing and my husband is struggling to do the same.

She is trying everything she could to make him understand and he is dodging her every attempt.

"I don't eat that much" she defended.

"Whatever" he said, rolling his eyes "You were saying something?"

After a few seconds, she began again "Your mother is expecting something from us, right? We can finally give what she wanted"

"She wants us to live with her" he said sadly "But that's not possible until I find a job here"

Groaning in impatience, she finally blurted out in anger "I am going to be the mother of your kid, you idiot"

Silence persisted for a few seconds followed by the three of us bursting into laughter.

Sindhu gaped at us in shock before turning to her husband with an accusing look "You knew?"

He nodded, laughing "I never thought I'd hear such a filmy line in real life"

Glancing at me, he added "Told you. This will be interesting"

Sindhu looked at me, betrayal in her eyes "You told him?"

"I promise I didn't. He confessed to knowing it after you went inside to check" I said in an honest tone.

"You were making fun of me?" she said, looking at Karthik with tears in her eyes.

"Shit. No, I am not. I was--" he stopped himself, taking her into his arms "I am so sorry. I only wanted to hear it from you"

As he continued his explanation, Sindhu winked at me, making me gasp in surprise.

That girl! Very clever! Faking that she's upset.

"How did you know?" she asked slowly, getting out of his embrace.

He smirked "Do you think I can't identify the changes in my wife's body?"

She blushed "So, you had your doubts?"

He nodded with a playful smile "You are throwing tantrums all the time. Crying for no reasons. Had a glow on your already pretty face. So, I guessed"

"So. Um--- Is it OK?" seeing him frown, she added "I meant, are you OK to be a dad?"

"I was OK the day I gifted Oscar to you"

"What do you mean?"

"You still don't understand. Do you?" he said with an amused smile "Oscar wasn't just a gift for our anniversary or to keep you company. It was my way of saying that I am ready to start a family with you"

"What?" she exclaimed in shock "Why didn't you tell that before?"

"I thought I will let you figure it out. But hearing your dumb answers made me realize that your stupid brain will never be capable of finding it"

"Hey. Don't call my precious brain as stupid. Not everyone is as smart as you. You could've told me straight on my face but instead chose to play the puzzle card" she argued.

"Well, I thought you will understand if your mind is stable enough to raise a baby--"

"What did--"

"Guys please" Vinay stood up, raising his hands for them to stop arguing "What's done is done. Why don't we play a game?"

"What game?" Karthik asked curiously.

"How about cards?" he asked and Karthik nodded "I will get them then"

Vinay left the room and I gaped at the couple in amusement when Karthik cleared his throat and Sindhu scowled at him.

"I am sorry for embarrassing you" he confessed, taking her hand into his "I just wanted to say that—um—I—Thank you. For giving me everything. Happiness, a content life and now, a part of you"

She grinned "I think I didn't hear you properly. Did you say you want a part of me?"

He chuckled "I did. Anything that's yours—ours—will be amazing"

"But I might have cravings. Sometimes, in the middle of the night and I will irritate you until--"

He smiled "I will get you anything you want"

"And I might yell at you. Like those drama queens from daily soaps" she teased.

"I will bear everything"

"What if my legs and back pain?" she said, wiggling her eye brows playfully.

"That's not until--" he stopped, smiling at the wicked look on her face "You are so evil. Um- Yes, I will massage"

"What about changing baby's diapers?" she asked, smiling naughtily.

He looked lost for words until he finally managed to say "I have to change them?"

When she nodded, he added with a pleading look "How about we share? 50-50?"

"Done" she said, throwing her arms around him and kissed his cheek who grinned.

Hearing a throat cleared, I looked up to find my husband looking at me with a frown "Don't you think we should leave them alone? For a while"

I nodded, heading out of the room calmly.

"They are exactly like you said" Vinay said as we sat on the sofa set "Such nice people. Now I understand why you love them so much"

I smiled "They took care of me as if I am family. I will forever be indebted to them"

"I am sorry that we didn't get to share our happiness like them. If I was not----"

I put my hand over his mouth to stop him "We can't change the past. It's done. Our beginning might not be the best but how we ended it, is all that matters. You stood by me these past few months and helped me with everything. You are the husband I wanted and I am happy and content with my life now"

"Thank you" he said, kissing my hand and I smiled.

Few minutes later, Karthik and Sindhu strolled into the living and we began the game.

Sindhu confessed that she doesn't know how to play and we explained the rules to her.

After a dozen games in which she didn't win a single, she complained of not understanding anything and asked us to explain again.

Thankfully, Akira woke up the same time and Sindhu got up from the game to play with her.

After having a bottle of milk, she slept only to be awake a few minutes later, making Sindhu busy again.

Sindhu tried to give inputs in her husband's game but he told her to go away when he got tired of her relentless commenting; one of which when she accidentally blurted out 'Why are you giving a seven spade. You have a six spade, you can get an eight'

As evening fell, our games continued and I had to ask Sindhu to make Aki sleep who took her into the guest room.

At seven, Karthik got up from the game saying that they have to leave.

"Why don't you stay here tonight?" Vinay asked hopefully "We can watch a movie or play games"

"I'd love to but I promised mom to return home for dinner" he said calmly "Since we will be leaving tomorrow, I want to spend as much time as possible with my parents"

"Fine but you should come the next time you visit Vizag again" he reminded.

"Sure bro" Karthik replied with a smile as he walked towards the guest room to call Sindhu.

Seeing him at the doorway with a fond smile on his face made me walk towards him in curiosity.

I chuckled seeing what brought a smile on his face.

Sindhu is sitting on the ground, with her head laid against the bed and sleeping peacefully while Akira is staring at the ceiling with a look of awe on her face.

"You told her to make your daughter sleep and look what she is doing" Karthik said with an amused smile and Vinay chuckled from behind me.

"This is why I didn't confess to her that I want a kid. She is a baby herself and has to be looked after" he said, patting her shoulder to awaken her.

"And now I have the responsibility to take care of two kids" he mumbled under his breath, patting her again "Sindhu. Get up. We have to leave"

She woke up grumpily and looked at all of us in confusion "What are you doing--" seeing the baby awake, she added "She didn't sleep?"

"No. You did" Vinay said, chuckling at her.

She gave a guilty smile "I tried everything to make her sleep. Finally, I closed my eyes pretending to sleep thinking she'd do the same seeing me. Don't know when I fell asleep"