"It's best if I accompany Shikha for her routine checkup. It will help us keep up with the appearances and solidify the idea we had planted about our marriage, and also since Rajeev needs someone around him," said Vikram, alternating his gaze between the two sisters.

Shikha regarded his tense form of contemplation, and the space between her eyebrows decreased while her lips parted. "I will stay outside the room. You don't have to worry about that," said Vikram, pushing his palms into his pockets and averting his eyes from her.

Her lips stretched towards her ears on their own accord at his regard for her comfort. A part of her wondered if his decision had more to do with his reluctance to see the irrefutable proof of her pregnancy, but the larger and the more rational part of her reminded of the way devastation had danced on his features during her threatened abortion.

His concern for her extended to her unborn. She had little doubt about the same, and the thought filled her heart with warmth more often than she would ever admit. She had expected apathy, derision, and hatred for her growing fetus, and had spent every second leading to their meet with apprehension and fear.

By proving her wrong about his intentions for her baby, he had ignited the conflagration that had engulfed her poor perception of him into flames. The flames had shed new light upon him and in the light and warmth of the flame, the dormant seed of admiration in her heart had germinated and flourished.

"Why can't the scan happen here? It would reduce the risk of attack during travel or at the hospital," said the worried elder sister, pulling Shikha out of her thoughts.

The corners of his eyes tightened and the bridge of his nose crinkled at the question. He shifted on his feet and Shikha could see the muscle twitching at the angle of his clenched jaw.

"True, but if we appear terrified, it would do no good. They can still think the marriage is a farce and is a rumor, and unless they see us together, it will not establish that rumor as the truth," said Vikram.

"I agree, and the change of scenery would be good as well! I'll get changed," said Shikha, before her sister could pose more questions, which would only add to the palpable discomfort of the formidable man.

She had not missed the twitch of the edges of his lips towards his ear or the way he almost heaved a sigh of relief. She gave a curt nod to the occupants of the living room before she made her way towards her room to get changed.

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"You would be so happy to see our baby for the first time, Samar. I hope, where you are, you are cracking the jokes that no one but you find funny like always." She chuckled despite her glistening eyes.

She ran her fingers over the shining surface of the laminated photograph. Her fingers trembled as they caressed his smiling face. "I miss you! Looks like you were right about me missing your jokes when you are gone."

"Looks like you shared a lot of love over the years!"

Vikram's voice had surprised her enough to take a step away from the photo and turn her head towards him. "Samar sounds like a decent man who loved you with great passion," he said, walking into her room and reaching her side to eye the picture capturing the joyful moments of the said man and the woman beside him.

"He did," she said with a slight smile. Her fixated eyes swirled with nostalgia and anguish, and the grief of loss clenched her heart in a tortuous grip. "Weeks ago, I was not sure about yours. But now, after everything, I have little doubt about your love as well."

Vikram arched his eyebrow in surprise. "Really?"

"Maybe not always, maybe not when you forced me to marry you, but somewhere down the line, I think your feelings transitioned into love."

Vikram stared at her without uttering a word. His silence had accomplished the goal which words - passionate and redundant - could not achieve. The betrayed part of him wondered if it was another tactic of manipulation employed by her to blind him from the reality. And that's when he realized!

It was that tiny voice - continuous and unrelenting - at the back of the head which she accused him of leaving behind as a scar. It was that plague of insecurity she had referenced in her allegations against him, and despite her understanding of emotions and the warmth in her smile, he had never felt more crushed by her actions than he did in those few seconds.

He cleared his throat and straightened himself, licking his lips. "Shall we?" he asked, choosing to not respond to her acceptance of his amour and ardor.

The lack of acknowledgment made her eyebrows approximate, but she nodded in affirmation. He gestured her to walk ahead, and she stepped ahead of him, picking her purse. The familiar excitement and slight giddiness to see her baby had replaced her confusion regarding his reaction sooner than it took to step out of the room.

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"I want you to see the baby. I'm sure you will have nothing but best intentions for the baby, and I wanted to tell I have no issues if you are inside the room. So, unless you don't want to, you can stay," said Shikha, eying him from the corner of her eyes.

Vikram's eyes widened and shot her an astounded stare. She had hurled surprises at him since the morning, and he could not make head or tail of the situation. "Why, uh, would I want to leave?" he asked.

Shikha shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I just did not want to force you to stay." She gave him a tight-lipped smile and rolled her eyes to train her gaze at the false ceiling of the hospital.

"I realized my assumptions reflect my thoughts and experiences, and not you. So, I'm trying to keep them to a bare minimum to allow us to have the fresh start we both deserve."

The bright light from the false ceiling danced off her soft features and offered her a resplendent and divine glow. "That's..... thoughtful. I didn't want to stay because I thought it would make you uncomfortable, and I don't know what's the right thing to say or do is."

Shikha chuckled and shook her head. The sound of her chuckle - like the sound of gurgling of water to a parched man - had filled him with the vitality he had craved since months. "That makes two of us. We'll be fine."

The lopsided grin of her chapped lips made his heart skip a beat and his lips stretched on their own accord. "Friends? I hope you don't spurn my offer of friendship again," she said, offering her outstretched hand to him.

He alternated between her hand, which trembled with a slight but noticeable quiver, and her expectant eyes. His mind raced to find an explanation for her actions, but his heart would have none of that. His smile widened, and he accepted her handshake. "Friends."

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