Six months into their marriage, Aakash and Meenakshi were living the best phase of their lives. Meenakshi completely ignored the taunts from Padma and the indirect mockery from Lavanya, who constantly compared her with Sharmi. Aakash had given up asking Rajesh to find a job for himself but he also didn’t intervene when his father took it upon himself to repeatedly remind Rajesh that he was still unemployed.
Meenakshi’s parents visited her twice and Aakash and Meenakshi had visited them once. But after witnessing how scared Meenakshi felt around her mother even while having food, Aakash silently decided that he would never again put her in a place where she would be denied something as basic as food.
With Aakash, Meenakshi felt that her life was nothing short of bliss. He never left a single stone unturned to give her the happiness she deserved. They teased each other, understood each other deeply and true to their words, they were slowly exploring their married life and intimacy.
Meenakshi washed the vessels and walked out of the kitchen just as Lavanya returned from college.
“Lavanya, don’t use the AC during the daytime. The EB bill is already twice the usual amount we pay. Use the AC only at night,” Balaram said.
Lavanya dropped onto the sofa and rolled her eyes.
“Yeah right… your son buys the AC but doesn’t want us to use it. He wants to show that he is sacrificing everything for this family but the truth is he has changed now. He gives more importance to his wife than to the family. He doesn’t even have any friends and just sticks with his wife all the time,” she said mockingly.
Meenakshi, who was walking past, stopped in her tracks when she heard those words. Anger coursed through her veins at the way Lavanya spoke about Aakash.
That man was pouring his blood and sweat into this family, yet this ungrateful girl never stopped taunting him. Meenakshi had silently endured all the mockery directed at her, but hearing those words against Aakash struck a raw nerve. She walked straight and stood firmly before Lavanya.
“What is wrong if a husband chooses to stand by his wife’s side? And how dare you talk about him like that? Whether you accept it or not, he is doing everything he can to give everyone in this house a better life. He even works on Sundays now. You know we are a middle-class family, yet you keep demanding things and he never refuses you. You don’t have to be grateful because he does all this out of love for his family but don’t mistake that love for foolishness.
I don’t care how you treated him as your brother but now he is my husband and I will not tolerate a single word against him. So mind your words and show him the respect he deserves,” Meenakshi lashed out.
Everyone in the room was stunned to see such an angry Meenakshi.
“She is just a little girl. Why do you have to remind her that we live on your husband’s money?” Padma asked.
Meenakshi took a long breath to calm herself before finally turning toward the real culprit.
“Lavanya would have been a good and understanding sister and would have respected her brother if you had corrected her the very first time she disrespected him. She will never change unless you change in this family. For once, look at your elder son and stand up for him the way he deserves. If you can’t do that, then don’t stop me. It might be fine for you to watch your son being disrespected but I cannot stand by and watch my husband being mocked, taunted and insulted,” Meenakshi said firmly.
Balaram’s chest swelled with pride as he saw Meenakshi standing up for Aakash. Meenakshi was about to retire to her room when Padma stopped her.
“Where are you going? Prepare tea and snacks,” she ordered.
Meenakshi simply rolled her eyes.
“I have some work to do in our room. Why don’t you tell Lavanya to prepare tea today? Her mouth works very fast and very cleverly, so let’s see if her hands can work too. Didn’t you say my mother hadn’t taught me how to handle household chores properly? Then let’s teach Lavanya to handle household chores. We wouldn’t want her future mother-in-law taunting us for failing to teach her basic household responsibilities,” Meenakshi replied calmly.
“Sabash” Balaram exclaimed with a wide smile on his face and Padma glared at him.
“This is just the beginning. If you keep taunting her like this, we will surely be thrown out of the house one day,” Balaram muttered before leaving to join his friends for tea.
Meanwhile, Meenakshi was folding clothes in her room, lost in thought about what Lavanya had said earlier. Just then, she received a call from Hema. She closed the door before answering it.
“Hello, bestie. Looks like your husband has made you forget everyone else. Should I book an appointment with you or with your husband to speak to you?” Hema teased as usual.
“Stop it. We spoke just last week. And it’s not like I’m the only one who is busy all the time,” Meenakshi replied and heard Hema chuckle on the other end.
“Alright, alright. I called to invite both of you. It’s been months since we met, and I’m really missing you. So I wanted to invite you both for lunch. I spoke to Vishnu as well and he is happy to have you guys over. And I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer. Let your witch of a mother-in-law and that brat of a sister-in-law cook for themselves for one day,” Hema said firmly.
Meenakshi smiled, feeling happy at the thought of meeting Hema.
“Actually, I was thinking the same thing. I felt Aakash needed someone else to talk to apart from me. Of course, we share everything with each other but still I think he needs a friend he can reach out to or hang out with once in a while, someone who can give him a break from everything. I don’t want him to get bored of being with only me all the time. He needs a friend too,” Meenakshi said thoughtfully.
“If you think he needs a friend, then we’ll definitely set a date for Aakash bro and Vishnu. But don’t you ever say that my brother would get bored of you. I’ll sue you for that ” Hema said dramatically.
Meenakshi chuckled, knowing very well how much Hema respected Aakash after seeing the way he treated her.
Finally, the friends decided to meet over the weekend. That night, Meenakshi informed Aakash about Hema’s invitation and he agreed instantly since he had spoken to Hema a couple of times over the phone while the friends were chatting.
“Amma and Lavanya looked gloomy today. Did something happen?” he asked her.
“Your amma wanted Lavanya to learn household chores, but she prefers to live the life of a princess. Don’t worry, they will be fine by morning,” Meenakshi replied as she changed the pillow cover.
Aakash hummed in response. Then he took out a small parcel from his bag and placed it on the table.
“Here, I bought snacks for you. It’s the same one I bought last week. Do you want me to get something else tomorrow?” he asked, removing his shirt.
“Stop buying so many snacks and stop treating me like a baby. I might put on weight. Oh God, I’m already overweight,” she mumbled.
Aakash immediately pulled her closer by holding her hair gently and wrapped his arm around her.
“You are my cute baby… and do you want to be punished?” he whispered near her ear before giving her a playful smack.
Meenakshi turned to him, shocked by his words. “Aakash… did you… did you really say that? These words? How do you even know such… kinky words?” she asked, both shocked and surprised.
Aakash stretched his arms and leaned back against the bed before beckoning her to stand between his legs.
Still stunned, Meenakshi walked over and stood between his legs while Aakash slowly traced his finger along her waist.
“Didn’t I say I would do anything to take care of you? I read that novel you mentioned and I think such novels give quite a lot of ideas. They provide plenty of information about… about everything,” he said with a teasing smile.
“But there’s one small problem,” he said and Meenakshi looked at him puzzled.
“Imagining you and me as the characters keeps distracting me. I get turned on, baby. I end up wanting to pull you close and ravish you. But when I’m in the office, I could do nothing so I have to control myself and distract my mind with work,” he added softly, giving a gentle bite on her waist while his hands squeezed her bosoms.
Meenakshi, still shocked that he had read an erotic novel just for her sake, hugged him tightly. The sudden force made Aakash fall back onto the bed.
Meenakshi immediately panicked and moved away.
“Did I hurt you? Is your back okay?” she asked anxiously, worried that her weight might have hurt him.
Aakash pulled her down beside him and gently bit her lower lip.
“You really have your own way of breaking the moment, Meena. And one more time you talk about your weight, I’ll stop touching you.” he said shaking his head.
Meenakshi quickly held her ears, asking for forgiveness in a playful manner.
“So… what else did you learn?” she asked in a husky voice.
Aakash simply pinched her nose teasingly.
“Come here… let me show you something,” he said and made her stand beside the table while he stood behind her, placing soft kisses on her nape.
Moments later, their clothes lay scattered on the floor as Aakash held her close from behind. He pounded into her from back and covered her mouth gently with his palm, allowing her to bite down on his hand to suppress her moans, while he himself struggled to hold back the sounds threatening to escape his lips.
A loud grunt finally slipped from him, making Meenakshi turn her head in shock.
“Can’t hold it back, baby,” he whispered with a mischievous wink and she slapped his arm playfully.
He pulled away and almost chuckled but Meenakshi quickly covered his mouth with her palm.
“If you had read the novel properly, their bedroom was soundproof… unlike ours,” she whispered.
Aakash pressed a soft kiss on her forehead, feeling a deep sense of bliss.
On Sunday, Aakash and Meenakshi arrived at Hema’s house and were warmly welcomed by the couple. Hema pulled Meenakshi into a tight hug while Aakash watched them with a smile. Seeing their bond made him happy and he was glad that Meenakshi had someone who loved her for who she truly was.
“Welcome home,” Vishnu said, shaking hands with Aakash.
“We have a lot to talk, gossip and chat so let’s have lunch before I steal you from my brother. Let bor and my husband have their endless conversations,” Hema said, quickly pulling Meenakshi toward the dining table.
Meenakshi and Aakash sat opposite Hema and Vishnu.
“Bro, please feel comfortable. Think of this as your home. Let’s serve ourselves and skip the formalities,” Vishnu said, serving biryani onto Hema’s plate before serving himself.
Meenakshi served Aakash and before she could serve herself, Aakash took the ladle from her and filled her plate.
“The biryani is amazing. Don’t tell me you cooked this,” Meenakshi said, glaring suspiciously at Hema.
“Vishnu cooked it. I only helped him with my hugs and by praising how handsome he looks while cooking, to boost his confidence,” Hema replied proudly.
Vishnu gave a dramatic bow. “She promised something else too,” he added with a playful wink at Hema.
Aakash noticed the spark between Hema and Vishnu as they teased each other. Their bond felt natural and effortless and the entire atmosphere radiated warmth and positivity. Slowly, Aakash relaxed and joined their conversation.
“I’m sure this woman would have married Meenakshi if she wasn’t already married. Every time she opens her mouth, it’s about Meenu. Sometimes I wonder if I’m her husband or just someone listening to her love story,” Vishnu teased and Aakash burst out laughing.
“Thank God I married her first,” he replied, squeezing Meenakshi’s hand under the table.
“You could do that above the table too, we wouldn’t mind,” Vishnu said with another wink.
Aakash and Meenakshi instantly turned red, but Hema burst out laughing.
“Bro, it’s normal for couples to do that, so it wasn’t hard for us to guess. Relax, you are just holding your wife’s hand. And I don’t mind holding my bestie’s hand either,” Hema said mischievously.
She slowly stretched her hand across the table toward Meenakshi but before she could reach, Aakash quickly interlaced his fingers with his wife’s.
After lunch, Meenakshi and Hema decided to spend some time together and walked into the guest bedroom.
Vishnu watched them and teased loudly. “Should I come check on you later to remind you that you are still married to me?”
Hema simply shrugged and shut the door behind her. Aakash chuckled before turning to Vishnu.
“Did you both have a love marriage?” he asked, thinking about the way Hema and Vishnu interacted.
“No, bro. It was a perfectly arranged marriage,” Vishnu replied, the smile on his face clearly revealed how happy he was.
“I honestly thought it was a love marriage. Your bond feels so natural, like you have known each other for years. And where are your parents?” Aakash asked curiously.
“People say the early days of marriage are full of romance and yes, we had that too. But more than romance, we talked. A lot,” Vishnu said thoughtfully.
“She knows everything about my life and I know everything about hers. The more we talked, the more we became best friends. That’s what made our bond so natural. We tease each other, but we never give up on each other. And we never stop expressing our love, even in the simplest ways. She loves it when I hold her hand in public and I love seeing the happiness in her eyes when I do it. Since we understand each other well, I know exactly what makes her happy,” Vishnu said, taking a slow breath” Vishnu said with a smile and took a long breathe.
“And about my parents…”
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A/N:
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