Arvi's pov:

The front door shut behind me with a soft thud, exhaustion beginning to settle in. The college chaos, the car ride, Rayaan's unexpected softness it was all still playing in my head on a loop.

I was halfway through wondering what Maa and choti maa had made for lunch when Aleesha's voice rang out from the stairs.

"Arvi bhabhi! You're home!"

I looked up. Aleesha, Arekha, and Vanisha were descending together, arms filled with shopping bags and expressions that were just a little too smug.

"Where were you guys?" I asked, confused.

Arekha blinked. "Uh... shopping?"

"For?" I asked, and that's when Vanisha, the traitor, smiled sweetly and said, "Bhai's birthday, obviously."

Time slowed.

Rayaan's what?

I stared at them, words getting stuck somewhere between confusion and panic. "Today's his birthday?"

All three heads nodded.

"We were going to tell you in the morning, but you'd already left," Aleesha said, tossing her bag on the couch. "We were planning a surprise after shopping. That's why we skipped college."

Skipped college... for him.

And I, his wife, didn't even know.

My stomach twisted. I mumbled something and rushed upstairs, heart thudding in that helpless, guilty rhythm.

I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, breath shaky. My eyes landed on the bed. His jacket was thrown casually on the edge, his watch still resting on the side table. Like always, his presence filled the space quiet, strong, impossible to ignore.

How did I not know? Why didn't anyone tell me before? I could've done something... anything.

I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands clenched in my lap. I didn't have a gift. No fancy plan. Nothing that could match up to what his sisters were doing.

I couldn't sit still. The guilt gnawed at me like an itch I couldn't reach. I didn't want to just scribble down some rushed words or bake some half-hearted surprise. I needed to get him something something that would matter.

Without thinking too much, I grabbed my bag, stuffed my phone and wallet inside, and slipped out of the room. The house was still buzzing with the girls unloading their shopping bags and chatting in the living room. No one noticed as I slipped past the hallway and made it to the door.

I didn't tell anyone. I didn't want to.

This had to be just me.

For him.

My fingers trembled slightly as I adjusted the pallu of the red saree over my shoulder. It was the only one I had simple, not too heavy, but the color made me feel... different. Bold, almost. Like I was stepping into a version of myself I hadn't met yet.

I had tied my hair into a loose bun, letting a few strands fall around my face. A small bindi adorned my forehead, and I kept the makeup minimal just kajal, a bit of blush, and a soft tint on my lips. My heart thudded in my chest as I looked at my reflection.

Would he even notice?

More importantly... would he care?

I slipped on the gold bangles Aleesha had once forced me to keep and held the tiny box carefully in my hand. It was wrapped now navy blue paper with a thin golden ribbon.

Tucking it under a cushion on the couch.



Her saree

The red fabric clung to my body, hugging curves I didn't usually pay attention to. I had never worn anything like this before. It felt like something out of a movie. Romantic. Dramatic. Dangerous.

And yet here I was a girl in red, standing by the window, fingers nervously clutching my saree

His birthday.

Everyone downstairs was waiting for him the girls told me just this evening that it was Rayaan's birthday. I didn't know. I had spent the day outside, hunting for the perfect gift, trying to make up for the moment I missed.

And now, the house was glowing.

I could hear their voices from here laughter, excited whispers, the clinking of glasses. Choti maa's sharp instructions, maa's warm humming as she probably checked the final arrangements, bade papa and chote papa chatting in the background. Vivaan's loud voice rose above the rest as he cracked another joke.

They were all there.

Waiting for him.

But I wasn't.

I didn't go downstairs. I didn't want to blend into the crowd, be just another face in the circle of warm wishes. Not when my heart was doing flips in this red saree and I was holding something that felt too small to mean anything, and yet... everything.

I sat on the edge of the bed, letting the silence wrap around me while the celebrations happened below.

The car pulled in.

My heart leapt.

His footsteps soon echoed through the hallway below, and then

"Happy Birthday, bhai!!"

The loud, joyful chorus came from the girls.

Vivaan whistled. "Finally, the birthday boy is home!"

"Bless you, beta," Sulekha maa said, her voice tender.

Bade papa clapped his back. "Getting older, huh?"

"Still the same angry expression though," chote papa teased.

"Wait till you see the cake," choti maa chimed in.

I could imagine the scene in perfect detail Rayaan standing there, surrounded by his entire family, everyone talking over each other, showering him with love in their own chaotic ways.

And yet, I stayed upstairs.

I don't know why. Maybe I didn't want to be another voice in that crowd. Maybe I wanted to give him something quiet, something personal. Something just ours.

I heard his deep chuckle faintly from downstairs.

He was happy.

And I... I was still trying to gather the courage to face him

The door creaked open.

I turned, slowly.

And there he was.

Rayaan.

Still in his black three-piece suit from work, hair slightly tousled, eyes sharper than ever but the moment he saw me, he stilled. Completely.

His gaze traveled from the red drape of the saree wrapped around me, to the tiny bindi I had barely dared to wear, to the box clutched nervously in my hand.

For once, I couldn't read his expression. There was something in his eyes surprise, maybe. Or something deeper, quieter.

I stood up, suddenly conscious of everything. My breath, my posture, the way my bangles clinked softly.

And yet, I managed a small smile. "Happy Birthday."

His eyes didn't leave mine. "You didn't come downstairs."

"I know," I said, walking toward him slowly. "I wanted to wish you... here. Just us."

His eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

I held the small box out to him, both hands wrapped around it. "I got you something."

He looked down at it, then back at me. "You didn't have to."

"I know," I whispered. "But I wanted to."

He took the box, opening it silently.

Inside, nestled on black velvet, was a silver chain simple, minimal with a tiny R charm dangling from it.

He stared at it for a beat. No teasing. No sarcastic comments. Just silence.

"I know you don't wear flashy things," I began, nervously rambling. "So I thought maybe something subtle. Something just for you.



You don't have to wear it, obviously, I just-"

But he cut me off.

"Put it on."

My breath caught.

"What?"

He held out the chain. "You put it on me."

I blinked. My fingers were suddenly clumsy as I stepped forward, heart racing. He turned slightly, giving me access to the back of his neck.

As I clasped it around him, my fingers accidentally brushed his skin.

Warm. Steady.

He turned back around, the small R now resting near his collarbone, just visible through the slight opening of his shirt.

I looked up. "It suits you."

"It's perfect," he said, voice quiet. "Just like you."

And for a moment, everything else faded. The people downstairs, the party, the chaos none of it mattered.

Because right here, in this quiet room, he was just a man with a letter around his neck... and I was just a girl in red, trying not to fall harder than she already had.

Rayaan's pov:

The moment I stepped inside the mansion, voices burst around me.

"Happy Birthday, Rayaan!"

Mom came forward first, her smile warm as she cupped my face. "Mera beta aur ek saal aur handsome ho gaya."

Jaya chachi hugged me next, followed by Dad and Shankar uncle. Vivaan clapped my back like we were celebrating a victory.

Aleesha, Arekha, and Vanisha came in with cake, balloons, and way too much glitter.

I gave them all a small smile not a huge fan of attention, but they tried.

And yet... as the room filled with laughter and voices, something felt off.

She wasn't here.

Arvi.

My eyes scanned the room again, hoping I'd just missed her. But no she wasn't here

A strange, unexpected twinge settled in my chest.

I excused myself after a few minutes, heading upstairs. Maybe I was being ridiculous. Maybe she was in the room. Maybe

I opened the door.

And froze.

There she stood.

Bathed in the soft light of the bedside lamp, wearing a red saree that made my brain short circuit for a second.

She wasn't looking at me yet adjusting her bangles nervously, hair falling gently to one side, a small box clutched in her hand.

I think I forgot to breathe.

She turned slowly, and when our eyes met, she gave me the softest smile I've ever seen.

"Happy Birthday."

Everything stilled.

I thought she forgot. I thought she didn't care.

Turns out, she was just waiting.

For me.

And damn... I wasn't prepared for this.

She stepped closer, slowly, like she was unsure if this was okay.

As if I could ever say no to her in that moment.

Her eyes flickered down nervously before she extended the small box in her hand.

"I... I got you something," she said, voice soft.

I took the box, fingers brushing against hers.

Opened it.

It was a chain.

Simple. Elegant. A thin black thread with a small silver charm.

The letter R.

My throat tightened.

She didn't say anything. Just waited, chewing on her bottom lip like she thought I wouldn't like it.

But I did.

God, I liked it more than I should've.

There was a silence not awkward. Just heavy. Like everything she didn't say was still hanging in the air.

I held the chain tighter. "Put it on me."

Her eyes snapped up to mine, surprised. Then she nodded, stepping behind me.

I tilted my head slightly as she reached up, her fingers brushing the back of my neck.

It sent a shiver straight down my spine.

The clasp clicked into place.

She stayed there for a second longer than needed.

When I turned around, she was already looking away.

But I didn't let that slide.

I gently took her wrist, pulling her back to face me.

"Its perfect," I said, voice barely above a whisper. "just like you."

She smiled, small and shy but it reached her eyes.

And for a second, everything else family, noise, the chaos downstairs faded.

It was just us.

Her red saree. My birthday.

And a chain around my neck with an R that somehow meant more than anything else I owned.

Her smile was still lingering when I stepped closer, not letting go of her wrist.

I slid my hand gently around her waist, pulling her toward me in one smooth motion.

She gasped softly, eyes widening as her palms landed on my chest.

God, she looked breathtaking up close that red saree hugging her like it was made for this moment.

I leaned in, my fingers brushing lightly over the curve of her ear, tracing her earlobe slowly deliberately.

She froze, eyes fluttering for a second as goosebumps rose on her skin.

My lips were barely inches from her ear when I whispered,

"Thank you, wifey for this gift."

Her breath hitched. I felt it.

She looked up at me, cheeks flushed, lips parted like she wanted to say something but couldn't.

So I said it for her, my thumb brushing her waist as I smiled softly,

"You have no idea... what you've just done, Arvi."

And for the first time in a long time... I didn't feel like Rayaan Oberoi, the one always in control.

I felt like a man who just fell a little deeper for the woman standing in front of him.