The Awkward Sweetness
589 Words
Morning sunlight slipped through the curtains.
Aarti woke up first.
And immediately remembered.
*I’ve already chosen you.*
Her cheeks warmed all over again.
She stayed still for a second, wondering if he was awake.
He wasn’t.
Or at least he pretended not to be.
She carefully slipped out of bed and escaped to the kitchen before facing him.
Coward, she scolded herself internally.
When Manav walked into the kitchen, she was overly focused on stirring tea.
Too focused.
“You woke up early,” he said casually.
“So did you.”
“I always do.”
Silence.
She handed him a cup without looking up.
Their fingers brushed.
She almost dropped the spoon.
He noticed.
“You’re shaking.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
She finally looked at him, defensive. “Why are you observing me so much today?”
He took a slow sip of tea.
“Because you observed me for months.”
That made her freeze.
He leaned slightly against the counter.
“You avoided eye contact yesterday.”
“I was sleepy.”
“You were blushing.”
“I was warm.”
He smiled properly this time — not teasing, not smug.
Just… happy.
She hated that it made her heart skip.
As they sat at the dining table, he said softly—
“So… you have no response?”
She tried to keep her voice steady. “You don’t need one.”
“I don’t?”
“You said you’ve chosen me. That’s your decision.”
“And yours?”
She swallowed.
Calm. Stay calm.
“My decision was made when I married you.”
The words slipped out before she could filter them.
Silence.
She blinked.
Oh.
Manav slowly put his cup down.
“Meaning?”
She immediately tried to backtrack. “I mean… I accepted this marriage. So obviously—”
“No,” he interrupted gently. “That’s not what you meant.”
Her pulse jumped.
He stood and walked around the table, stopping beside her chair.
“You’re very composed,” he said softly. “But sometimes you forget to guard your words.”
She looked up at him.
Big mistake.
He was too close.
“I didn’t just marry you because my parents said yes,” she admitted before she could stop herself.
The truth had been sitting in her chest for months.
“I said yes because when we met… you felt safe.”
His expression shifted.
Not shocked.
Not triumphant.
Just deeply attentive.
“And I didn’t need dramatic love,” she continued, voice quieter now. “I needed something steady.”
A beat passed.
“And you were steady.”
There.
She had said more than she intended.
Her face burned.
She immediately stood up. “I m going to get ready.”
She tried to walk past him.
He gently caught her wrist.
Not forceful.
Just stopping her.
“You chose me too,” he said softly.
She didn’t pull away.
But she didn’t look at him either.
“Get ready for work,” she muttered, trying to sound normal.
He didn’t let go immediately.
For the first time since their wedding—
The air between them wasn’t polite.
It was mutual.
And real.
When he finally released her, she escaped toward the bedroom, heart racing.
Behind her, Manav exhaled slowly.
For months, he thought he was the only one slowly stepping forward.
Now he knew—
She had been standing there all along.
Waiting for him to catch up.
- Writer
