“Yes, right,” Rudra Bhai-sa said quickly.“Where were we?”
It was well past midnight. We sat in the open garden beneath a sky scattered with stars, with fruit juices on the table, and the hookah resting nearby.
Rudra Bhai-sa and Ranvijay Bhai-sa weren’t smoking because Rudraja was asleep peacefully in Rudra Bhai-sa’s arms, and Aishwarya Bhabhi-sa was pregnant. Ranvijay Bhai-sa had declared firmly that he wouldn’t carry even the scent of smoke back to her.
Only King Abhinandan and I took a few drags. The clove and cinnamon flavour soothed my throat in the cool night air.
“We were talking about how married life is no joke,” I said, bringing the topic back.
“Yes,” Rudra Bhai-sa nodded.“Married life is no joke.”
“Especially when you’re responsible for keeping your wife happy and healthy,” King Abhinandan added.
“I agree,” Ranvijay Bhai-sa smiled.“The real challenge is keeping the queen of your heart happy. I never knew women had such wild minds. They can imagine things out of thin air. It’s impossible to tell what’s bothering them.”
I frowned slightly.
“And when they’re angry,” Rudra Bhai-sa added,“it’s worse.”
King Abhinandan chuckled.
“But it’s also cute, exciting, even when they’re angry.”
Rudra Bhai-sa glared at him.“Don’t tell me you deliberately make Trisha angry for fun.”
King Abhinandan shrugged.“Sometimes.”
“Well,” Ranvijay Bhai-sa said casually,“I do it too. Aishwarya looks even more beautiful when she’s angry.”
I stared at them blankly. They clearly did not know what actual anger looked like. I did.
“I disagree,” Rudra Bhai-sa cut in.“You two have calm wives who look cute when angry. But Nandani, when she’s angry? That’s a lost game. I excuse myself and let her cool down, or she’ll clean the entire chamber and me out of my palace.”
We all laughed at that.
“You deserve that,” King Abhinandan said.
I swallowed and glanced at Rudra Bhai-sa.
“Bhai-sa… can I ask you something?”
He nodded.“Yes.”
I ran a hand through my hair, hesitating before asking,“How do you know when your wife is going through something but isn’t telling you?”
Rudra Bhai-sa went quiet for a moment, then lowered his gaze.
“Silence,” he said simply.“When she becomes silent, understand that something is wrong. Everything’s fine until she’s laughing, teasing, shouting. But silence means it’s serious.”
“Oh,” I murmured.
“And when she stops looking into your eyes,” Ranvijay Bhai-sa added.“When she looks at everything else but avoids your gaze, there’s something you need to worry about.”
I nodded slowly.
“And,” King Abhinandan said, drawing our attention,“when she starts smiling too much.”
We all looked at him.
