It had been three months since Naina had moved into her new apartment, and in that time, she'd gone through more caretakers than she cared to count. The reasons she gave Rivaan were always trivial: "They donât know how to cook," "They wonât let me cook," or "Theyâre just not good at anything." Each excuse seemed sillier than the last, but they all led to the same outcomeâanother caretaker replaced.
Rivaan, at his wit's end, decided heâd had enough.
âYouâre going to live with me,â he said, his voice firm and unyielding.
âWhy?â Naina challenged, folding her arms defensively.
âYou know why,â he replied, his eyes steady on hers.
âWhat about your parents? Do they know about the baby? Will they be happy if I live with them?â she fired back, trying to find any reason to avoid moving in with him.
Rivaan looked at her incredulously. âDo I look like a teenager who still lives with his parents? I have my own place.â
Naina blinked, unsure how to respond. âYou will live with me in my home,â he continued, âand as for my parents, they donât know yet, but Iâll tell them soon. What about your parents?â
âIâll tell them soon too,â she lied, avoiding his gaze. The thought of confessing her pregnancy to her parents without being married made her stomach twist. They would never understand. But she knew she couldnât keep this secret forever. When the time was right, she would find the courage.
Or so she thought.
The very next day, Naina found herself moving into Rivaanâs house. It had only been a day, but seeing him around in his casual home attire was doing strange things to her. Whenever she saw him, her heart seemed to beat a little faster, and she found herself thinking about things she had no business thinking about. She blamed it on her pregnancy hormones, refusing to acknowledge the growing attraction she felt.
Rivaan noticed her staring more than once and felt the same magnetic pull between them. He wasnât entirely surprisedâheâd been reading pregnancy and parenting books ever since he found out about the baby, and they all mentioned heightened emotions and unpredictable feelings. But understanding it didnât make it any easier to ignore.
The next day, they had a doctorâs appointment. Everything was fine with the baby and with Naina, but she still wanted to go to the office afterward. Rivaan insisted she work from home, and she, feeling tired and hungry, didnât argue much. She knew she needed to pick her battles with him.
As the day ended, Naina sat in the living room, her hands resting on her growing belly. She thought back to the whirlwind of events that had brought her here, living under the same roof as Rivaan, co-parenting a baby they had yet to figure out how to deal with.
She glanced at Rivaan, who was engrossed in one of his books. The domesticity of it all felt surreal. Just a few months ago, he was her bossâa man she admired but also found infuriating. Now, he was reading about pregnancy and parenting, trying his best to support her in his own awkward way.
Naina sighed, wondering how long this delicate peace between them would last. With every passing day, she could feel the tension building, the unspoken words between them piling up, waiting to spill over. But for now, she was too tired to think about it. Too tired to fight. All she could do was take things one day at a time, hoping that somehow, theyâd figure out how to navigate this unexpected life together.