Ankitha's pov:

I was very excited to see ram's gift. He silently took my hand and started walking towards our garden. It was decorated beautifully with balloons and lights. When i turned and looked at ram questioningly, he simply shrugged his shoulders. Suddenly ram started walking towards a corner and took some woods from there and placed them in centre of our garden and started the fire. Unable to take the suspense, i asked him what is my birthday gift. Instead of answering me he simply took my hand and sat in front of the fire.

Ram's pov:

Me and ankitha settled in front of the fire. Though i know she loves me, i was nervous because i have never done any such thing in my life. I know i am already married to her and things between us are good now but our marriage somehow felt incomplete for me not because of lack of physical intimacy but since i didn't even like her at the time of marriage. I always believe marriage not as promise between two lovers but as "A THING BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE WHO PROMISE TO SPEND THE REST OF THEIR LIFE WITH OTHER IN BOTH GOOD AND BAD TIME AND TO KNOW THEM, COME TO LOVE THEM AND ACCEPT THEIR SHORTCOMINGS AND BE AS A FAMILY THROUGOUT"

Thats why arranged marriage in our country still works because no two people fall in love at first sight and no person is perfect. There are few love at first sight but even that require the phase 'Getting to know each other' to go on further. And since i married ankitha only because of my family i feel our marriage incomplete. We slowly got to get to know each only in these days and befor we both physically and emotionly become one i wanted to vow my life with her together.

Ankitha's pov:

I don't know what happened but suddenly ram was in deep thoughts. Finally he came out of his dreamworld and stared at me straight in my eyes. It was like he was searching something in my soul and telling something to my soul through my eyes. I was mesmorised by his eyes. He slowly took some box from his pocket and opened it. It had two identical rings in it. When i asked him why he has two rings, he told me its for our marriage. It took me a moment to understand what he is telling. I kept blinking my eyes like a fool and told him that we are already married.

Ram's pov:

Ankitha kept blinking her eyes like a child. I wanted to laugh. Seeing her confusion, i took her hands in mine and told her that though we had a marriage, it was not for us but for our family. I know you love me now and even i love you but before we totally live as a husband and wife, i want a marriage with vows said by us from heart and a marriage which means something to our heart, which brings happy memory when we think about it.

With that said, i took the ankitha's face in my hands and softly told her that in front of this fire, in this beautiful evening, on a beautiful day like today when years back you came to this world, i swear my heart and life to you. I will always cherish you in my life and though i cannot promise to always keep you happy throughout the life, i will promise you that i will never leave you in time you need me. I promise me as a birthday gift to you today and as long as i live, i will only thing of you as my wife, a women who holds my heart and as the women who will be the mother of my children and to me too at times...with that said, i gently slipped the ring in her hand and lightly pecked her on her lips. She was frozen, she didn't even blink now. I chuckled and again took her lips in mine and started kissing her.

Ankitha's pov:

God can this day get any better. Ram keep surprising me. He was the one who didn't even consider the marriage, he was the one who slapped me when he was angry, he was the one who ignored me. But today his words, the depth of his love for me which made him think so much on our marriage amazed me..All the sadness in my life till now disappeared but i remained frozen. When he started kissing me again, i came out of my thoughts and kissed him back. Finally when we broke our kiss, i took the other ring and slipped it in his hand. I know life cannot be like this all the time. I know at times he will hurt me or even me do the same. But the love within us for other and few occasions like today is enough for me to spent the rest of my life with him contentedly.

After my birthday celebrations, life continued. We didn't do anything that day. We both felt contented to be in each others arm seeing the fire die out and eventually fall in sleep on each other. "Baby steps"......thats what we did in our life, slowly step by step we built a relationship which was strong. The understanding and the time and efforts and patience we showed in our intial stage of relationship made us all the more happy and close in our long run of life.

At times we both used to get busy with our work and we actually fought more these days after me and ram became close. But its our way of expressing ourselves without any inhibitions and masks which we all usually wear in front of a other strangers. After three months of my birthday celebrations, we took a break from our work and planned to go on a holiday..

Little did i know it will be another turning point in my life...

a/n...hai guys..sorry for the late update...i thought of finishing the story in this chapter and writing a epilogue in next.. but i only could come till this and didn't wanna do a epilogue..so next one is the final chapter and there will be no epilogue.. sorry for this chapter....i know its confusing in this chapter coz of alternate point of view but couldn't think of writing it any other way...hope u like it...plz vote and comment...will slowly start editing the chapters..sorry for the mistakes...