Radhika stepped out of the room and the moment she did , she was hit by the pleasant scent of food.
It was not the cheap take out kind of food wrapped in foil with zero warmth , this was real food cooked in a kitchen by someone who knew what they were doing.
Radhika's stomach rumbled in agreement as it shared the same sentiment as her.
'Not now...' Radhika told herself as she moved towards the kitchen , her steps slow and measured as if she was trying not to make a sound.
Radhika felt like a thief since she was sneaking around, but it couldn't be helped since she was feeling super awkward about facing the guy whom she had gotten married to...
....
She paused at the entrance to the kichen as she noticed him and frankly it was hard not to with the way he was built.
He was standing at the stove with his back to her and one hand on a pan handle, moving with the kind of unhurried competence that suggested he had done this a thousand times before.
His long hair fell just around his shoulder in a messy manner but it somehow worked for him.The morning light was coming through the window above the sink and landing on him at an angle that was frankly unnecessary.
His sleeves were rolled up past his forearms something Radhika clearly noticed.
'Oh come on.'
She stayed in the doorway and she was aware with the full clarity of a woman who had read enough to know exactly what was happening, that she was doing the thing.
The standing-in-a-doorway thing.
Cataloguing a man in soft morning light like he was a landscape she had accidentally wandered into.
Every novel she had ever rolled her eyes at was personally vindicated right now and she could not stand it.
So she did what she could... Just stood there and watched him move with a fluidity and grace that seemed unfare.
Why the heck did this guy seem more wife material than her ?!
Radhika rested her shoulder against the doorframe as she watched Arjun... Since it wasn't difficult to get lost in him...
....
Arjun turned around and his dark eyes found her immediately making her feel self conscious.
She had gotten used to the view from the back but wasn't prepared for the front , so when he faced her she had to deal with her heart that was beating in an irregular manner.
He was just standing there with that annoyingly handsome face with his hair let loose and a spatula in hand , the domestic vibes were too strong in him making Radhika have to avert her eyes.
Radhika became suddenly and acutely aware of every single thing about herself, the oversized t-shirt ,her hair, the fact that she had been leaning against his doorframe like she owned the place.
Radhika straightened up immediately her one hand smoothing out her shirt while the other going up to smooth her hair , it was done unconciously as she herself wasn't aware of it.
Arjun didn't speak he just held her gaze for one second longer than felt comfortable, then turned back to the stove.
"Breakfast is almost ready," he said while working on trh stove making Radhika blink wondering if that was all.
"Your toiletries are in the bathroom," he added, adjusting something in the pan without looking at her. "Across the hall."
Radhika turned around and moved to the bathroom while feeling a bit confused , she had mentally rehearsed the scenario thinking about to what to say , or what he would say to her.
But she hadn't expected him to just say these practical things ... Was she the only one being nervous here ?
Radhika's lips twitched as she sighed and decided to clear her thoughts with a nice bath , since the apartment looked luxurious surely bathroom should be too...
....
The moment Radhika left, Arjun let out a heavy exhale as he turned the stove off and leaned back against the countertop while pressing his hand against his face.
Arguably his face felt warmer than his hands it was burning so he just stood there in silence for a few moments before going back to the food.
....
Radhika stood at the bathroom sink brushing her teeth, blissfully unaware of what she had left behind in the kitchen.
The bathroom was exactly as luxurious as she had predicted and under any other circumstances she would have taken a moment to appreciate it. But her brain had already moved on to more pressing matters.
A problem that was surely going to cause her lot of troubles in the coming month.
A furious mother, snarky relatives, nosy neighbours.
And her father.
Who had given his word. Who had asked for one thing and had never once asked her for anything else.
Divorce was the clean simple solution, but even for that she needed to wait 1 year....
.....