Natasha's POV
As I draped my saree, getting ready for another day in my new house, everything seemed to be going well. I hoped that everything would remain the same in the future as well.
I wore a pair of anklets with my saree, which looked very beautiful and I really loved them. Siddharth was still sleeping, so I chose not to bother him.
It was 7 AM, so I decided to do the rest of the work in the house as my duty.
I went downstairs and saw a few maids already busy with their work, from cleaning the house to making breakfast. I noticed Siddharth's Chachi (Nandani) and walked up to
her.
"Good morning, Chachi," I said with a smile as she turned her attention to me.
"Good morning, my child," she replied with a smile.
"Where is Siddharth?" she asked.
"He is still sleeping," I said as she rolled her eyes.
"He has the habit of sleeping this late. Go wake him up," she said. I started walking back upstairs, but I stopped midway and turned to her.
"Chachi, what if he gets mad?" I asked, feeling a little nervous. She smiled reassuringly.
"No, he won't, my dear. And if he does, then tell us. We are here to protect you," Chachi said reassuringly as I nodded.
"Okay," I said and walked back upstairs to our bedroom.
I walked down the hallway, the sound of my anklets echoing softly. Gently, I pushed open the door of our bedroom and stepped inside, closing the door behind me.
Approaching the bed, I felt a bit hesitant.
"Siddharth?" I called out his name softly.
When he didn't wake up, I shook his arm gently. "Siddharth?" I called out softly again, and he opened his eyes, looking at me.
Feeling a bit nervous, I hesitantly spoke up. "Chachi told me... to wake you up," I said.
"Hmm?" He hummed softly, rubbing his eyes.
Seeming still half asleep, he greeted me with a smile. "Good morning, wife," he said.
"Good morning," I greeted him back.
"You should wake up now," I insisted, but he made an annoyed expression.
"It's just 7:15, let me sleep some more," he complained, burying his face in the pillow.
"But Chachi told me to wake you up," I reminded him, but he persisted.
"5 more minutes," he said, and I chuckled.
"Why are you like a kid-" I stopped mid-sentence, remembering his reply from last night.
He lifted his head and looked at me with a confused frown. "Kid what?" he asked.
I cleared my throat nervously. "Uh... ummm... nothing, just wake up already," I replied, feeling a bit flustered.
He grinned. "Heh, I haven't even done anything, and you're already blushing. Cute," he said with a chuckle.
I blush a little. "Why do you always call me nicknames but never my name?" I asked while looking at him.
"Why? Can't I call my wife different nicknames?" He asked, sitting up on the bed.
"No, I mean... you can," I said as he chuckled.
"So what's the problem?" He pulled me closer by my arm.
"Don't start here, Siddharth... I have to go now," I said with a slight blush as he laughed.
"Go where?" He asked while stroking my hair.
"Downstairs," I replied.
"Why?" He asked.
"To work," I said, and he stopped stroking my hair, looking at me.
"Work? Why? there are maids in this house,who is telling you to work?" He asked with a frown, getting a bit angry.
"N-no, no one is telling me to work, Siddharth. Calm down, I just want to work by myself." I said a bit nervously as he was getting angry
He seemed to calm down, but he kept staring at me with a frown. "You want to work?" He asked, and I nodded.
"Why?" He inquired.
"Because it's my duty as your wife and the daughter-in-law of this house," I explained.
"No, it doesn't matter. You are not working, that's it," he said firmly, and I nodded hesitantly.
"Well... ummm... okay," I said hesitantly.
"Now, go take a shower and get fresh," I instructed, and he nodded.
"Jaisa aap kahe, Madam," he said with a grin, kissed my cheek, and then walked inside the washroom.
"As you say, Madam,"
I felt myself blushing at his gesture. I just couldn't figure this guy out. Getting out of bed, I started straightening the sheets because they were a bit messy. Then, there was a knock on the door, so I went to answer it, and there was Chachi standing there.
"I sent you to wake Siddharth up, but you didn't come back, so I thought to check on you both," she said warmly, to which I smiled in return.
"He's in the shower, Chachi," I replied, as she nodded understandingly.
"Oh, I see... I thought you both were busy with your own business, new couples, right? I can understand," Chachi chuckled, and I couldn't help but smile shyly.
"No, Chachi, there's nothing like that, it's just..." My words trailed off, unable to find the right continuation.
Chachi laughed and gently tapped my cheek. "It's okay, it's okay. Enjoy your time. Just make sure to come for breakfast on time, alright?" she said, her smile comforting as I nodded in agreement.
With that, she walked away, and I closed the door.
I finished organizing everything, and after a few minutes, Siddharth returned from the bathroom, having taken a shower.
He was only wearing his long pants, completely shirtless. I found it hard to tear my eyes away from him, struggling not to stare at his well-defined abs.
However, he caught me looking and teased, "Can't take your eyes off me?"
I quickly averted my gaze, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment. "N-no, it's not like that," I stuttered nervously.
He walked closer, a smirk playing on his lips. "Then what is it like?" he asked.
his proximity making me even more flustered.
I remained silent, unable to find words as my blush deepened, feeling utterly embarrassed that he had caught me staring.
Suddenly, I remembered some incidents from last night, especially how he looked when I tied his hair as a toddler. I couldn't help but start laughing because I couldn't control myself anymore.
"What happened?" he asked in confusion.
I started laughing harder, finding it difficult to contain myself as I sat on the bed, clutching my stomach.
"Natasha, what's wrong?" he asked again, his confusion giving way to a smile as he watched me laugh.
"Last night," I managed to say between laughs.
"Last night, what?" he asked, still puzzled.
I finally regained my composure and looked at him. "Last night, I tied your-" I stopped mid-sentence, my smile fading away.
I shouldn't have told him. What if he gets mad after knowing that I tied his hair like a toddler and even took pictures? What if he scolds me, or worse?
"Tied my what?" he asked again, his curiosity growing as I remained silent, not wanting to continue.
"Natasha, what happened? You tied my what?" he asked politely, sitting beside me.
"N-nothing... you know... I'm stupid. I just say stupid things sometimes... No, don't believe me... it's nothing," I said, stuttering nervously, trying to convince him.
He frowned in confusion, and I knew he didn't believe me.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?" he asked softly as I shook my head with a small smile.
"Nothing... really," I said, but he shook his head.
"No, tell me what you did last night," he insisted, and my smile faded away again.
I looked away, not wanting to maintain eye contact with him, but he made me look at him again.
"My dear, say whatever it is. I won't do anything, I promise," he said softly as I looked at him.
"You... came back drunk last night... s-so... you were acting different... I... I tied your hair like a toddler... and took pictures of you," I spoke hesitantly in a low voice, nervously.
"What?" he said, surprised, as I looked down.
"I'm sorry," I apologized, not wanting to face the consequences of my stupid actions.
He cupped my face, making me look at him. "Sorry for what?" he asked gently.
"Because I took your... pictures," I said nervously as he smiled softly.
"I'm not mad... not at all, my sweetie," he said softly, and I felt relief wash over me knowing he wasn't upset.
"But can I see myself, at least how I looked?" he asked with a smile, and I nodded excitedly.
"Of course, you looked so cute and funny at the same time," I said, grabbing my phone from the nightstand as he chuckled.
I opened my gallery and showed him his picture. He took my phone in his hand, looking at his picture closely as I giggled.
"It's cute, isn't it?" I asked with a smile as he looked at me.
"Cute?Chuchundar lag rha hu me he said in disbelief as I burst out laughing again.
"Cute? I feel like a mouse,"
"Am I that funny?" he asked, trying to control his own laughter.
"No," I managed to say between my laughs. "It's just... you are sometimes funny, weird, romantic, all in one. It's hard to understand you," I said, holding back my laughter.
He gave a sly smile and then looked back at the picture again before turning his gaze back to me. "What else did I do last night?" he asked, and I cleared my throat.
"A lot of things," I said as he frowned in confusion.
"Like?" he prompted.
"You were asking for literal kisses," I said, feeling myself blush as he grinned.
"Oh, was I?" he replied casually as I nodded shyly.
"I felt so shy," I admitted, smiling shyly.
"Hmm, so... did you kiss me?" he asked with a smirk shamelessly, making me look at him in disbelief.
I looked away shyly. "Why do you flirt so much?"
"Because I love to tease my lovely wife," he said, putting a hand under my chin to make me face him. "Answer me, sweetheart, did you kiss me?" he asked again as I blushed and nodded shyly.
"You did?" he got excited. "That means I had my first kiss with you?" he asked, his excitement evident.
"Nuh uh... not on the lips, Mr. Malhotra," I said, chuckling, as he frowned in confusion, his excitement fading away.
"Then?" he asked.
"On the cheeks," I replied with a shy smile, but he groaned.
"Why?" he said annoyed, then he suddenly smirked.
"Can I have my kiss now?" he grinned again as I blushed.
"Shut up... why are you so weird?" I said, blushing, and got up to leave, but he held my wrist.
"Where do you think you're going?" he said, getting up from the bed as well.
"Leave me, Siddharth," I said, blushing, but instead, he started pulling me closer.
"Why should I?" he said, continuing to pull me closer to him.
"You can't be this romantic, Siddharth," I said, trying to be serious, but I couldn't hide my blush.
"Stay with me a while longer, and I can show you just how romantic I can be," he replied shamelessly, causing me to blush madly.
And then suddenly...
"HOOOOOOO Bhaiya!?" We heard a familiar voice, and we both turned to see Rohit standing by the door, covering his mouth with his hand.
Seeing him, Siddharth let go of me, and I stepped away from him.
"me to aap dono ko breakfast ke liye bulane aaya tha lekin yaha scene to kuch or hee h" Rohit said teasingly.
"I came to invite both of you for breakfast, but it seems like something else is happening here,"
"What are you doing here?" Siddharth asked annoyed, while I tried my best not to blush
"Mene abhi to bola me aap dono ko breakfast ke liye bulane aaya tha,lekin..." Rohit trailed off, giggling teasingly.
"I just said I came here to invite both of you for breakfast, but..."
"You're annoying, Rohit. I'm so pissed," Siddharth said in his cold and angry tone, but Rohit just grinned.
"Me sabko bataunga" Rohit threatened.
"I'm going to tell everyone,"
"Nahi,Rohit, Please" I pleaded.
"No,Rohit, Please"
"Bhabhi,aapbolrhi h to me nahi bolunga," Rohit said, crossing his arms, and I sighed in relief.
"Bhabhi, if you say I won't,"
"Agar tune kisi ke samne nhi ye bolne ki himmat ki to dekhna me Tera kya krta hu," Siddharth threatened him.
"If you dare to say it in front of everyone, see what I do to you,"
"Dekho,Bhabhi, agar bhaiya aise he muje dhamkate rehenge to me bol dunga," Rohit complained.
"Look, Bhabhi, he's threatening me again. I'm going to tell if he keeps threatening me like this,"
"Siddharth, bas Karo usse dhamkana; wo tumhara hee to Bhai haina," I scolded him, and he groaned annoyed.
"Siddharth, stop threatening him; he's your brother,"
Then, we all went downstairs to have breakfast. Siddharth took our seats, and everyone started eating. The maids were serving breakfast to everyone.
Siddharth sat beside me, while Rohit was right in front of us, smiling teasingly. I looked down to hide my blushing face, not wanting to get caught by anyone.
We had our breakfast while chatting with each other, which was fun. After a very long time in my life, I got to feel this moment, and I wanted everything to go well like this always. Then Siddharth's father spoke up.
"Siddharth, can you go out with me today after having breakfast? I have some work, and I need your help with that," his father said, to which Siddharth nodded.
"Sure, Dad, no problem," he said naturally, as his dad nodded in acknowledgment.
After having our breakfast, everyone got back to their work, but I was confused about what to do. Nobody seemed to need my help here. I was just free and bored.
"Let's go, Siddharth, are you ready?" I heard his father saying to him, and I saw Siddharth walking downstairs wearing a suit.
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He looked so good in that; he looked more handsome than usual. I was staring at him when he winked at me, so I looked away, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks.
I heard him chuckle, which added to my embarrassment as they both walked out of the main gate. Then, I remembered something, so I rushed towards them.
His father went to the other side, maybe for something, while Siddharth was waiting in front of the entrance.
"Siddharth," I called out to him as he looked at me.
"Yes, sweetheart?" he said with a grin.
"Aapne tika nahi lagaya bahar Jane se pehle," I said, noticing the omission, as he shook his head.
"You didn't apply tika before going out,"
"Nahi,me inn sb me wishwas nahi krta," he said casually.
"No, I don't belive in all these"
"Nahi,aapko bhagwan pe wishwas Krna chaiye,aapke pass Jo bhi h wo sb bhagwan ke wajase h," I insisted, but he just rolled his eyes.
"No, you should believe in God; what you have now is all because of God,"
"Fine, apply it then," he said grumpily.
"Alright, let me bring it," I said, turning around to leave, but he grabbed my arm and turned me to face him. I was confused.
"Mere pass utna time nahi h ki aap mandir Jake tika banaye," he said, rolling his eyes.
"I don't have that much time for you to go to the temple and prepare the tika,"
"Nahi,sirf 5 minutes lagenge," I said, trying to convince him.
"No, it'll only take five minutes,"
"Mere pass better option h," he said, cupping my face and leaning in closer.
"I have a better option,"
I was very confused about what he was trying to do, but I didn't question it as he leaned in and pressed his forehead on the same spot where I applied vermilion. I was so surprised that I didn't even react. He pulled away and stood up, smiling.
I saw the vermilion on his forehead, and I felt blood rushing to my cheeks.
"Khush?" he asked.
"Happy?"
"Lekin...ye tika nahi h," said, as he chuckled.
"But...it isn't tika,"
"Yes, it is," he said with a grin.
"I'm not a goddess," I said, as he stroked my hair.
"You are, my goddess Lakshmi," he said with a smile.
"Alright, I have to go now, hm?" he said, as I nodded with a small smile, still processing the situation.
His father came driving a luxury car and honked, indicating for him to join him.
"Bye," he said, kissing my forehead.
"Bye," I said, waving him goodbye with a smile as they both drove off.
I also went inside the house and kept myself busy with random tasks.
After a while, I noticed that maa and chachi were free and talking, so I decided to join them since I was also free.
I sat near them, and I was immediately greeted by them. "My child, do you need something?" Maa said with a smile as I shook my head.
"No, I was free, so I thought to join you both," I said with a smile. "Can I?" I asked.
"Of course, you can. You don't have to ask," Chachi replied with a smile.
"Beta, you know Siddharth chose you by himself, we didn't even get to see you. We saw you directly in the engagement ceremony, you know," Mom said with a smile.
"Yes, he came back from Italy just a day before, and without visiting us, he went straight to your house for the marriage proposal," Chachi said, and upon hearing that, I was also surprised.
"Really?" I asked in surprise.
"Yes, my dear, he was so excited," Chachi said with a smile.
"Well, Natasha, I never saw your mom the whole wedding. Did your mom pass away?" Mom asked as my smile faded away.
I nodded slowly. I actually never wanted to talk about my mom's death.
"I'm so sorry for you," she said, tapping my shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll love you like your own mom," she said with a reassuring smile. I smiled back.
What I was afraid of has happened.
"Can I know how your mother died?" she asked. I remained silent.
"I guess we shouldn't talk about this," Chachi suggested.
"At least tell us a little. We are like your own family, right?" Mom said again, wanting to know the reason.
I didn't want to tell anyone anything. I didn't want to share my personal life with anyone, no matter who it is. But I didn't want to upset her. I remained silent, not saying anything.
"Tell me, my child, please?" Mom said again, her eyes looking at me with so much hope that I felt bad for her.
"When... I was 10 years old," I started speaking hesitantly, very nervous to talk about this topic.
This topic was very sensitive for me.
"Our house was... set on fire and..." I stopped in between as my breathing got heavy, and I could feel myself shaking.
I just prayed for nothing to happen because I didn't want to create a scene. I stopped for a while, taking deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.
Mom rubs my back soothingly, "Take it easy, take it easy."
Yes, her rubs were soothing, but it wasn't helping. Not at all.
"I think we should stop talking about it," Chachi suggested again.
"At least we could try, Nandani," Mom said to Chachi as she remained silent.
"Try to continue, my dear," Mom said softly.
"T-then," I began stuttering again but couldn't continue further.
My throat started to hurt from the emotions I was holding back. It was so hard for me to control the emotions.
I clenched my dress tightly while taking deep breaths, trying hard to calm down, but nothing seemed to help. I started feeling dizzy.
__________
Author's POV
"Natasha?" Meena (his mother) said softly while still rubbing her back. "What happened?" she asked, a bit concerned.
"N-no," Natasha said, backing away.
Yes, she wasn't in control now. She lost it.
"D-don't touch me," she said, getting up from the couch. She was trembling uncontrollably.
Nandani and Meena both got up from the couch as well, worried about her condition.
"Mene bola tha ki ye topic Mt lana. Ab Aap kya karogi? Kya hoga agr Siddharth ko pta chala toh?" Nandani said to Meena as she remained silent.
"I've told you not to bring up this topic. Now what will you do? What if Siddharth finds out?"
"Natasha, look, my child, calm down," Meena said while trying to hold Natasha's hand, but she backed away again.
"Don't touch me, I'm nobody's child," she said while sobbing. "D-don't force me," she said as they both exchanged glances.
Nandani tried getting closer to Natasha, but she shouted, "DON'T COME NEAR ME, STAY AWAY!" She shouted and backed away while crying.
Hearing her scream, everybody in the house, including the maids, rushed there. They all gathered to see what happened.
"What happened? What was that noise?" Naksh (Siddharth's chacha? asked.
"What is going on?" Ayush (his cousin brother) asked, concerned.
They all saw Natasha crying and trembling and got even more worried for her.
Seeing everyone here, her anxiety raised, and the panic attack made it worse.
Instantly, Natasha's heart began to race, each beat echoing in her ears like a drum of impending doom. Her breaths grew shallow, the air suddenly thick and suffocating.
She tried to speak, to form words, but her throat constricted, refusing to cooperate.
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