I bring my hands to her shoulders and gently pull her back as I sit up. Then, with all the control I’ve got left, I press a quick kiss to the tip of her nose.
“Now let’s try another move.”
“You’re such a mood killer,” she whines, throwing my own words back at me with a grin.
I smirk. “Payback, sweetheart.”
She groans as we both get to our feet.
The next thirty minutes fly by. With every strike and counter, her confidence grows. Eventually, I glance at the clock and say, “Alright. That’s a wrap for today.”
She wipes the sweat from her brow, still catching her breath. “You owe me an ice cream.”
“I definitely do, sweetheart.”
She places a hand dramatically on her chest, her eyes going all mock-dreamy. “Aww… you really are the best boyfriend.”
I grin, grabbing a towel and tossing it at her. “Damn right I’m.”
She catches it, still laughing, when her phone beeps from the bench.
“Let me get that,” she says, walking over and picking it up.
But the second her eyes hit the screen, I see the shift. Her laughter dies mid-breath and her shoulders go tense. She inhales sharply as her thumb hovers above the phone. My instincts immediately flare, and I’m beside her in a heartbeat.
“What is it?” I ask, my voice tight.
She looks at me, swallowing hard before turning the phone towards me. My gaze drops to the screen, locking onto the blurry, greyscale image.
“Kavya’s ultrasound,” she whispers.
I look up as she takes the phone from my hand and swipes to the next picture.
“She’s showing already,” Nisha murmurs, her voice cracking at the edges. “She looks so happy. Glowing.” She draws in a shaky breath as tears pool in her eyes, her fingers tightening slightly around the phone. “I still remember when we were little, we’d take turns stuffing pillows under our shirts and pretend we were pregnant. We even made lists of baby names.”
She lets out a fragile smile, lost in the memory. “She always wanted to name her baby Rahil.”
I smile faintly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s a beautiful name.”
She laughs softly through the tears. “I wanted to name mine Aryan. After this fictional prince I used to write about in my diary. I even swore I’d marry someone who looked like him.”
I raise an eyebrow, half-teasing. “You mean tall, handsome, dark eyes?”
She glances at me sideways, her eyes narrowing just a bit. “How do you know?”
I shrug with a smirk. “I just described myself.”
She scoffs and nudges me lightly with her elbow. “You’re so full of yourself.”
“I’m,” I agree, then my voice softens. “Maybe we can go visit her. You could be there for the last trimester… the baby shower… the delivery. All of it.”
Her eyes widen just slightly, like she hadn’t dared to hope for that until now.
“Yeah, I’d like that.” She leans in without a word and rests her head on my shoulder, her hand splayed over my chest, right above my heart.
I wrap my arms around her and hold her close, knowing I’ll make it happen. Because her dreams aren’t just hers anymore. They’re mine now. My mission. My purpose. My command.
Chapter 31
