[ unedited / this is the one-shot that this novella is loosely adapted on ]

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At the end of the day, he was tired. His shoulders sagged with the weight of the burdens he needed to fulfill, simply to live.

His simple black bag hung carelessly around his rigid neck. He tilted his head to his right and his left, feeling satisfied as he heard the familiar 'crack!' sound. Rubbing his eyes, he removed his ID card and stuffed it into his pocket, glaring right back at the lights of the metro. Then, he shuffled in along with the other dreary passengers.

Quickly occupying a seat, he finally allowed himself to slump against his chair. To let his back muscles catch a break after the long, weary day. The metro slowly picked up pace and began moving. The familiar sound of the metro and it's rails induced a sense of ease within him.

His eyes gazed at the other passengers around him. The gray and the mundane. The bright children, accompanied by their tired parents. The couples with an air of pink about them. His eyes followed the small gestures between one such couple.

The boy's hand was intertwined with the girl's, gripping onto them tightly. His eyes watched her, intently as she rambled about her day. Smiling when she tried a joke, frowning when she talked about her encounters with the bad in the world. Every one of his expressions hung on the words of the girl.

She was his whole world.

He looked away. It reminded him of his wife, who was probably waiting for him at home, speaking with her mother. They hadn't known each other before marriage. Strangers when they were married to each other. It was a strange way of their culture but it worked for them.

It turned out, by the peculiar ways of luck, that they were quite compatible. Their thoughts on finance, politics and even the most mundane of things aligned.

Of course, they fought. They fought a lot, despite all their similarities. But, in the end, they let go of the ocean of flaws and differences between them. They'd roll down from the edge of their beds and give each other a hug.

It had been a year since they got married. He was used to her, by now. Her careless strands stretching in every direction as she slept soundly on his bed. Her small smiles every time he kissed her. The delicate frown every time he suggested watching a science fiction movie.

Do you want my brain to resemble a scrambled mess? She would whine and protest, stealing a chuckle from him. In the end, she would have her way and they would watch a romantic comedy.

Her bright eyes welcomed him, each time he opened the door and announced that he was home. A huge smile on her face decorated her words, 'Welcome back, love.'

He would reciprocate the smile involuntarily and wrap her in his arms. Then, he would reluctantly let go when she'd pat his back gently. Go and freshen up. Work was tiring for me today so I decided to order out for dinner tonight.

That's fine. He'd reply as he would climb the stairs.

Sometimes, on rare weekends, they would go out on a date. Sometimes to the movies or sometimes to the neighbourhood park, simply to take a walk.

The children of the neighbourhood, usually a shade of annoying red in his eyes, would somehow soften down to a pastel shade of the same when he'd hear the sound of her laughter at their antics.

The trees and the flowers, usually a blur of green in his eyes, would take proper form and appear beautiful when she wrapped her fingers around his and commented about them.

His world lightened up when she was with him.

As he finally reached his station and got down from the metro, he glanced one last time at the young couple. The boy gently led his girl through the crowd, ensuring she didn't get shoved about.

With a faint trace of a smile on his face, he wandered back home.

As he opened the door, the familiar scent of his house graced his nose. A ring of laughter sounded from somewhere within the maze of the house.

Searching for it, he looked through each room before finding his wife in the master bedroom, laughing at her mother's words, an expression of mirth accompanying it. As she spotted him, her eyes brimmed with delight.

Welcome Back. She mouthed.

He leaned against the door frame, drinking her in. He had missed her through the whirlwind of the day. Smiling at her, he mouthed back. Thank you. I'm back.

At the end of the day, it is only you and me that I look forward to. Because, you are my home.

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a/n : if you liked the one-shot, drop a vote! all thoughts are welcome in the form of comments <3 thank you for your support!