Published on 15th January 2022.

______________________________

♡ I just wanna leave right now

Could care less about rainbows

Trippin’ outta my mind

Got me hallucinatin’ your face ♡

– S H R U T I –

My heartbeat rose as I checked the time. Rishabh calls me at seven everyday but there was no sign of his call today. If he was busy, he could've messaged me. I was scared. I mean, anything wrong could've happened.

The time was 7:30 now.

If he's not going to call me in the count of five, I'll beat the shit out of him!

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

I heard my phone emitting a loud sound and sighed. It was him! I picked the call up and turned my camera off. "What are you doing Shruti? I can't see you."

"I know."

"Then turn your camera on."

"Do you have any reason for why you're thirty-one minutes late?" I asked and he sighed. "Any explanation?"

"Meeting. And I couldn't message you because it was mandatory to switch phones off. The meeting stretched out an hour late because the head of the other party overslept."

Overslept?

What type of head he or she was? I mean, how unprofessional can someone be.

It's not my concern.

Poor Rishabh and his company have to deal with them.

"So, are you going to enlighten me with your presence, your majesty?" He asked while walking around the room, showing me the view in background. I groaned and switched my camera on.

"You aren't funny at all." I tossed on the bed and controlled my breath. He let a short laugh out and I held my phone parallel to my eyes as my head lied comfortably on the soft pillow.

"What are you doing?"

"Talking to you."

"Your sense of humour is bad too. We're a great match indeed." I rolled my eyes at his flattering speech and sent him a kiss emoji. "Umm... A kiss? Don't you think real kisses are better than this?"

"Your expectations are too high. Moreover you flew there, not me. Your loss." I answered and he shook his head. "How many more days are you gonna stay there?"

"The trip is for fourteen days and eight days are done. Fourteen minus eight equals to six. Hence, six days are left. You know, it's a first grade's calculation."

Six days!

I'm missing him a lot.

Plus, tomorrow is the last day of year.

He sat on the couch and poured water in a glass before sipping it slowly. "Are you on your periods?"

"No. But it's gonna arrive soon."

He's more eager about my periods than me.

"Well... Rishi..." My eyes fixated on his throat as he hummed, "How about we try it again?"

"Try what?"

"You know. The same we did a day before yesterday."

We tried phone sex that night and it was not explainable in words. To our luck, ma and papa were out as it was weekend, or else the tension of my loud moans would've consumed my mind the entire time.

I remember how a normal facetime turned into something steamy. His voice turned heavier and all our clothes left our bodies in a few minutes. We were thousand miles afar yet together.

"You're sure? I remember how you shivered later because of the cold there." He teased and a small smile touched my face. He was true. Our little pleasure lasted for a few seconds and when I was on my high, the cold wind striked my skin, making me shiver profusely. He literally laughed at me and told me to cover myself with thick quilt.

"You don't need to remind me." I narrowed my eyes and he laughed, "So are we gonna do it right now?"

"Umm... No. Let's wait. Time and wait makes it better."

My nose scrunched and I whined. "Rishi!" I was hating this. My horny condition wasn't helping either.

"No... Where are ma and papa? I need to talk to them too."

"They're in the living room or their room."

"Hmm. Had your dinner?"

"No. We're just going to make it." I said and walked out to the kitchen, carrying my phone in my hand without facing him even once.

"Shruti?" He called my name out and I hummed. "Talk to me. It's not going to work like this. I told you, not today. You need to understand me and practice patience. I'll be there soon."

Letting a deep sigh out, I settled my phone perpendicular to the kitchen slab and looked at him while starting my work for dinner. "How soon?"

"I told you six days. Okay?"

"Hmm."

✨

"Akriti, I forgot to confirm it earlier but wasn't it you who packed all that multi-colored stuff when I was flying for my honeymoon to Mauritius?" I knew it was her but I wanted her to say this from her mouth.

Currently, I was having afternoon tea with Akriti while mumma was preparing our lunch. Adit was sitting just beside us, filling colours in the butterfly I drew for him a few minutes ago.

"That's my son sitting just beside you. Do you want him to hear our unfiltered talks?" She asked and I widened my eyes. She was the one among us who had open mouth, not me. "Okay, I accept it was me. Happy? But I didn't do anything wrong. It was just a present from my side for your convenience."

"Convenience?"

"Don't tell me it didn't help you. You used all of them, didn't you?" She asked and I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. "I packed correct fourteen sets. Fourteen different colours for fourteen different days!"

"Mumma, can I get new colours?" Adit interrupted and I chuckled. Akriti pointed towards the crayons he had in his hands and looked at him.

"No, you just got these a week ago."

"But you gave masi thirteen, no, fourteen colours. I want them too!" He whined and I controlled myself from laughing at this point. Akriti's face flushed and she quickly grabbed a cushion to keep it on her lap.

"Okay, I'll fetch you crayons, but not now."

"I want them!"

"Next week."

"I want colours mumma!" He started crying and I sighed. Kids! He's literally growing up. He can now speak each and every word properly without stuttering. He even understands major of our conversation, which is actually a threat.

"Adit, if you're going to show tantrums, I'm leaving. No means no." She threatened and he immediately stopped wailing. The mother-son duo knows the tactics to handle each other.

"Sorry..." He rubbed his eyes and then nose, "But I want them next week. Promise?" He blinked his eyes with hope and she nodded.

"Okay, now go inside." Akriti cleaned his face properly and placed him on the bed, covering him with duvet. "Stay inside and don't come out. It's cold." While he was busy in his drawings again, we walked to the kitchen and made mumma leave, handling the matter of lunch on our own.

"I... I did use a few, not all of them." I spoke and her smile grew wider.

"Thank God. Atleast my gift was useful for you. I thought all my money went in drain."

"It didn't, thankfully."

"So, when are you planning to use the rest of pairs?"

"Not anytime soon. Maybe, not until this season gets over. Wait! Why are you worried about my sexual life?"

"Because I'm your elder sister. Those gifts were bought with my money."

"Akriti, you should've gifted me condoms if you wanted the live update about me and my condition."

"God, this generation is so outspoken!" She gasped and I hit her with my elbow.

"This generation is so outspoken! You belong to the same generation my dear sister." I mimicked her and checked the rice while she gave me a fake smile, showcasing all her teeth.

Just when our work for lunch was done, I leaned my back on the wall and closed my eyes. "Did you talk to your husband? Today is the last day of year. Atleast call him and talk to him."

"We call at seven daily. Don't worry." She walked out, leaving me all alone in the kitchen and came back in a few seconds. Just when I heard the sound of outgoing rings, my gaze went towards the phone in her hands.

It was mine.

And she was calling Rishabh.

This woman!

I snatched the phone from her hand but before I could cut the call, Rishabh had already picked it up.

"Hmm. How're you?"

"Fine. I was cooking. What are you doing?" Before he could answer I interrupted, "Wait, let me shift it to video."

"No, don't."

"What? What are you doing and where are you?"

"In my room."

"Then what's wrong in switching cameras on?"

"I can't."

"Why? What's wrong? Just tell me."

"I'll see you later. Bye."

"Wait-" The line went off and I sighed.

What the hell was that?

"Is everything alright between you both?" Akriti asked and I shrugged my shoulders. Everything was alright, wasn't it?

"I don't know why he was speaking in such a way. I mean, we just talked last night. Everything was fine then." I sighed and closed my eyes. "He wasn't ready to show himself. Was he hiding something from me?"

Did he...

Did he find someone else?

"Akriti, I don't know... Is he-"

"Hey, relax! Calm down." She made me sit on a chair and handed me a glass of water.

"How can I relax? My husband is miles away and isn't ready to talk to me properly. What should I even think?" Salty tears ran down my cheeks and I quickly let a sip of water down my dry throat. "Is he cheating on me?"

"Shruti! Are you mad or what? Be sure of what you're speaking."

"But, what if he's just like Yash?"

She closed her eyes and let a sharp breath out. "You're going crazy, trust me. If there's a possibility that Rishabh is like him, there's also a possibility that he's never gonna do something that man did."

I so badly want to believe it.

"But what if he's over me? What if he's not interested in me anymore?"

"What do you mean by over you? Have you ever seen the way he looks at you? Don't doubt on him unless you have proof."

"Akriti, wasn't Yash the same? He never left a chance to show his affection for you."

"Shruti! Why the hell are you dragging that man here?" She raised her voice, making me jump at my place. She's scary. "He was just a past and nothing else. What do you even know about him? What do you even know about us? Nothing was good between us, nothing!"

I had pulled the wrong string.

"Why are you shouting Akriti?" Mumma stepped inside the kitchen and saved me from the wrath of Akriti.

"Ask your daughter. She thinks that Rishabh is cheating on her." Akriti spoke and mumma turned towards me, taking slow steps in my direction.

Dragging a chair beside me, mumma sat on it and asked, "What did you see?"

"Nothing."

"You didn't see anything. How come you're so sure?"

"I just called him a few minutes ago and he wasn't ready to turn the camera on. What more should I even think mumma? He must be hiding something from me."

"Stop assuming things. He's not going anywhere. He'll be back in a few days. Talk to him and clear everything." I nodded and wiped my tears. "Did your periods arrive?"

"No." I spoke and felt a sharp pain emerging in my abdomen, "I guess yes. I need to use the bathroom." Rushing to toilet, I emptied my bladder and saw the pool of blood.

God!

After packing myself up with pads and stuff, I walked out and saw both the ladies waiting for me.

"What?"

"Listen to me. I know it's hard for you to control your emotions these days but atleast try. Don't assume things and talk to to him directly."

"I will."

I know I reacted with impulse.

But what if it's true.

No!

If you have any question or suggestion regarding the book, drop them here (please do inline comment).

I would try to sum up all of the answers in the end.