⭒⚝⭒

Arya stretched her arms, reaching towards the ceiling before letting them drop to her sides. It had been one of those days that would show its effects on her legs and arms by night. And she still had a long way to go before the final bell rang and she could return home.

She was beginning to regret her decision to pursue a masters. Even her job hadn't been this strenuous.

"I'm planning on not doing PHD." Her friend casually dropped a bombshell on her, making her eyes whip towards her in shock.

"What? Why? I thought you had already found a research topic too."

Her friend blinked at her with her small but cute doe-like eyes and an expression of grief. "I'm getting married."

"What does getting married have to do with it?"

Her friend sent her a pointed expression, "Not everyone gets married into highly accomplished and supportive families like you."

Arya simply blinked in response. Her friend let out a sigh, "The groom has only pursued bachelors. According to customs, I can't be more accomplished than him, right?"

"That's some bullshit."

Her friend laughed, "It is, it is. But well, my dad's delivered the verdict. I've gotta go along with it if I want my inheritance."

"That's just plain sad, Dhithi. You shouldn't have to put your education on hold for some idiot guy."

Her friend tapped her fingers against the desk, "I haven't met that family yet. If they are the regressive type that expects me to stay at home to serve my lord husband, I'm doomed. But if they are supportive..."

"Then, you might have a chance," Arya said, slowly.

"Exactly." Dhithi snapped her fingers. "Well, anyways. Why don't you come over to my house today? My mom's been asking you to visit home."

Arya hesitated, her fingers lingering on the strap of her bags. She had already politely declined multiple times. If she did it once more, her friend would only be offended. Mentally, she grimaced. She wanted to rush back home and laze around.

Arya considered the fact that the next day was Saturday. She'd have ample time to laze around before Nirav's cousin's wedding on Sunday.

"Alright, I'll go with you. Let me text my husband, though."

Arya pulled out her phone and hid it from her friend's snooping eyes. Dhithi withdrew after a few more moments of effort.

"The two of you are marriage goals." Dhithi sighed, "I can only hope that whoever I'm married to is not a patriarchal idiot."

Arya shook her head with a small smile before tapping on his contact and shooting him a quick text about where she would be and when she would be coming back. She herself had no idea when he'd be back home. It had been an unpredictable week for him. Some days, he was overwhelmingly busy. On other days, he appeared free as a bird.

He had informed her that he couldn't let her know the details but he was assigned to a project that was long-term and not time-bound. So, it was going to be pretty unpredictable.

Arya hesitated after putting the phone in her bag. Her husband usually didn't check his texts. It would be better to just give him a quick call. She hoped she wasn't interrupting anything as the ring went on. He didn't pick up the call. A robotic woman's voice informed her that his phone was switched off.

Arya sighed before dialing the Neighbor Auntie's landline.

"Hello, Auntie? It's Arya from next door."

"Tell me, child. Do you need some help?"

"Are you at home right now, Auntie?"

"Yes, child."

"Well, if you see my husband coming back from work, can you let him know that I'll be home late? His phone is switched off so I can't reach him."

"Sure, child."

"I'll be home before 7 or 8 mostly. If he comes back before then..."

"I'll take care of it-Joseph, you are literally wearing the glasses you're searching for."

Arya suppressed a giggle. "Then, I'll hang up now."

"Okay, child. I'll let your husband know. Take care of yourself."

After Arya hung up, she followed her friend to her home.

"Do come by another time. Maybe bring your husband along for lunch." Dhithi's mother said, her hand on one side of the doorframe.

"Sure, Auntie," Arya said, non-commitally. She disliked visiting other people's homes because she hadn't done it a lot when she was younger. It always put her in an awkward position.

"Come on, I'll drop you off at the bus stop," Dhithi said, ushering her away. Arya waved a quick goodbye to Dhithi's mother and a nod targeting her friend's father. Once they had stepped far enough from her home, Dhithi let out a long sigh, "They're not gonna let me hear the end of this now."

Arya laughed.

"They're going to keep pointing you as an example until I get married." Dhithi groaned, "I'm never bringing you home again."

Arya continued snickering, "Now I'm definitely going to come. Your mother is really sweet."

"That she is. She is too sweet to everyone. Can never say no. That's why I am in this predicament. She should've spoken her mind to my dad." Dhithi rolled her eyes.

Arya smiled sympathetically. She felt lucky that she could speak her mind to her parents and her husband. It wasn't as easy for other women. She hoped things improved from her generation.

"Anyways," Arya turned to Dhithi once they reached the bus stop. "I'll meet you in college on Monday."

Dhithi nodded, pursing her hands in her pocket, "I'll let you know the progress on my plans of running away."

"You're really serious about that?"

"Dead serious. You will be my accomplice."

Arya laughed once again, "Sure. I haven't done something as sneaky as that. Even if I got into trouble, I'm pretty sure my husband will somehow rescue me."

Dhithi rolled her eyes, "Stop torturing single people like me."

Once the bus arrived, Arya got on it and bid a quick adieu to her friend. She pulled out her phone and checked the time. It was 8:30 pm already. Nervousness began building in her once she realized how late it was. Thankfully, the bus was crowded with women.

She got down at her stop, nervously glancing around her quiet neighborhood. It was dark and nobody seemed to be lurking around. Just a little while longer and she would be home safe. Hopefully.

"Arya?"

Arya turned at the familiar voice. "Auntie? Did my husband come home?"

"Yes, he did. He came earlier than I thought, it looks like." The auntie trodded towards her and they walked together. "It was a bit of a mess."

"What do you mean?"

"The thing is, I had just stepped out to the grocery store but you know how that lady is. She started filling me in with all the gossip. So, I wasn't at home when your husband came back. I caught him near the police station and told him where you were."

"The police station?!" Arya froze.

"It looks like he had gone there to file a complaint. You hadn't been back in hours."

"If he had switched on his phone, he would know where I was." Arya desperately wanted to smack her head.

"It looks like his phone had died."

Arya thanked the neighbor and hurried into her house, opening the door with her fidgety fingers. He found her husband pacing the room. His hair had been run through by his fingers multiple times and he looked panic-stricken.

"Nirav?"

Nirav whipped around. After letting his gaze travel down to her feet and back, he rushed towards her and pulled her into his arms, "Thank fucking god."

Arya dropped her bag on the floor and hugged him back. "I'm back. Sorry, I worried you."

"Just let me hold you for a bit. Then, we'll talk."

"Okay."

Arya nestled her face in the crook of his neck, letting his warmth soothe away the fatigue the day had brought on her.

"Next time, you need to have your phone charged and on." Arya scolded Nirav, washing the plates. Her husband dried the washed plates with a towel and put them on the rack, "I know. I'm sorry."

"Maybe we should install a landline. We'll be able to call the landline from someone else's phone in case our phone is dead."

"I'll work on that tomorrow. I'll get a guy to fix it up." Nirav acknowledged.

"You should also give me at least one of your co-worker's numbers. One who actively ensures his or her phone is not dead." Arya gave him a pointed expression. Nirav sighed, nodding.

That day, Arya wound up on Nirav's bed, safe and cozy in his arms. Once asleep, she couldn't feel his fingers still tremble slightly. The fear hadn't fully shaken off. But it had given him a wake-up call. He wasn't single anymore. He had a woman he loved and had to take care of.

He needed to put in place lots of precautions for her safety. 

⭒⚝⭒

a/n : this novella will be coming to an end in 2 chapters. how are we feeling about it all? all thoughts are welcome in the comments <3 

drop a vote if you liked the chapter!