Morning Routine
Arnav could only let out a soft exhale, followed by a quiet, helpless chuckle. Of all the possibilities she could have imagined, she thought it was work? Did she really believe that the only thing capable of dimming his expression was the endless stream of corporate matters?
“No,” he said simply, shaking his head.
“Then what is it? I saw the way your face turned somber. Something must have happened, right?” she pressed gently, tilting her head. “If I’ve been disturbing your sleep. If I keep waking you when you should have full rest for the next day, maybe I should move to another room. That way I won’t bother you.”
She said it lightly, almost playfully, the way she always did. Raellyn had a way of disarming tension with her blunt honesty, of offering solutions without hesitation, even before he had the chance to voice a complaint. It was one of the many things about her that both amused and unsettled him. How she could simplify what he, a man often lost in the weight of his own thoughts, struggled to untangle.
Arnav stared at her for a moment, his lips curving faintly, though his chest tightened. How could she think the idea of “moving to another room” was the answer? How could she think his melancholy was anything other than the quiet storm of love and worry that came with watching the woman he adored carry their child?
“I don’t feel bothered at all,” Arnav said, his voice steady and warm, as he lifted another bite of breakfast to his mouth. “In fact, I’m glad I get to be a part of your pregnancy. Please… don’t overthink it.”
Raellyn’s expression softened, but her gaze lingered on him, searching for any flicker of doubt behind his calm eyes.
“Then promise me,” she said gently, her tone almost pleading. “Promise me that nothing’s wrong, and that everything is really fine. But if something is ever troubling you… please, tell me.”
Arnav paused for the briefest moment, letting the weight of her words settle between them like a soft, invisible tether. He could see the honesty in her eyes. The quiet strength of a woman who wanted to share his burdens even as she carried new life within her.
“Of course,” he replied finally, his voice low but firm, a promise wrapped in simplicity.
Breakfast didn’t take long. Both Raellyn and Arnav quickly moved on to their own routines. Yet, as always, Raellyn insisted on helping her husband with his tie before he left for work. The gentle ritual had become theirs alone, a fleeting moment of intimacy in the quiet morning light while the maids cleared the table behind them. Once upon a time, Raellyn had stubbornly insisted on cleaning up after herself, claiming she felt uncomfortable letting others do it for her. But lately, she had learned to let the household staff handle it, especially now, with the tiny life growing inside her.
“Raellyn,” Arnav said, his deep voice smooth yet carrying a note of concern, “you have a doctor’s appointment today, don’t you?”
He wasn’t just asking. He was confirming, recalling the faint memory of a small circle drawn on the calendar in their bedroom. The mark of an important day. He had no intention of letting her go alone, not this time. Arnav still remembered the previous appointments when Raellyn, in her stubborn kindness, had insisted on going by herself. She hadn’t wanted to bother him or interrupt his work.
But this was their child. Their journey. And Arnav couldn’t stomach the thought of missing even a fragment of it .This time, he silently vowed, he wouldn’t let history repeat itself.
“Yes, that’s right,” Raellyn replied softly.
For a brief second, Arnav caught the flicker of surprise in her eyes as if she hadn’t expected him to know about the appointment at all.
“I’ll pick you up later,” he said at last, his tone leaving no room for argument. It wasn’t just a casual statement; it sounded more like an order, one she instinctively knew she couldn’t refuse.
“You’re always so… authoritarian, aren’t you?” Raellyn sighed with a helpless smile. “I can’t even say no when you speak like that.”
“What choice do I have?” Arnav countered, his voice calm but firm. “You keep slipping away to the doctor without me.”
“I only wanted to make things easier for both of us,” she murmured, her tone playful yet tinged with guilt. “Besides, I always tell you everything the doctor says anyway, don’t I?”
“You do,” he admitted, stepping closer, his gaze dark with quiet insistence. “But I want to see it for myself. I want to be there.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Raellyn said, giving in with a small laugh. “Of course, you have to be.”
Arnav suddenly pulled Raellyn into his arms, the warmth of his embrace washing over her in an instant. He pressed a soft kiss to her cheek before lowering his head, positioning himself right in front of her small, rounded belly.
“Little one,” he murmured with a playful grin, his voice dropping to a tender whisper, “Daddy’s leaving for work now, okay?”
His tone was boyish, almost comically sweet, yet it carried a quiet reverence that melted Raellyn’s heart. She watched him with a mixture of amusement and affection; this softer, gentler side of her husband always surfaced in moments like this, and though she would never admit it aloud, she adored him most when he was like this.
“Arnav…” she sighed, biting back a smile and gesturing toward the clock on the wall. It was already seven past the hour. “You really need to go. You’ll be late for your morning meeting.”
Arnav glanced at the clock, a hint of reluctance flickering across his face, then turned his gaze back to his wife. For a heartbeat, his dark eyes held hers with a warmth that said everything he didn’t put into words. He leaned in once more, claiming her lips with a soft, lingering kiss that made her chest flutter.
“I’m leaving now,” he said at last, his voice low and full of unspoken longing.
“Good luck today,” Raellyn replied with a gentle smile, her tone tender and sincere. “And drive safe.”
Wasn’t this such a beautiful moment? A household in harmony like this was never something earned overnight. Raellyn felt it in her bones. The journey of this marriage, the twists and turns that had led them here, the bond that had become so unshakably strong. It felt almost like a miracle, one she could hold in her hands, one she could wake up to each morning.