Page 138 of Mrs. Rathore

"I can't believe this is the same Aryan who once scolded me for not wearing slippers in the kitchen!" I exclaimed, holding up my saree.

He splashed water at me, and I shrieked.

Our laughter echoed through the night. He wrapped his arm around me, wet clothes and all, and whispered, "No more counting days, Avni. Let's just live with them together."

And in that moonlit moment, I knew I wasn't just in love with Aryan, but I was his home.

_______

Chapter 56

AVNI

I strolled back and forth across the living room, biting my lower lip nervously. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking, so I curled them into tight fists, trying to get a grip on my nerves, in reality. Anything. The last time I had my period was two months ago.

Two months.

I stopped mid-step, pressing my hand against the wall for support. How could I not have noticed? I blamed the contraceptive pills, maybe they were messing with my cycle. They hadn’t before, not in the last five months of taking them. But then again, a missed period wasn’t unheard of. Stress, fatigue, overexertion... These things happened.

Still, something felt different this time.

I had been sexually active with Aryan for five months now. And my period disappeared two months ago without any clear explanation. I didn’t know what was happening, but the pit in my stomach told me something wasn’t right.

Should I see a doctor?

Yes, of course I should. I had to. Why had my period stopped so abruptly? Why did I feel dizzy every time I spun during kathak practice? It wasn’t just during dance either. Lately, I had felt nauseated in the mornings too, especially at the smell of food. My stomach would churn like I was about to vomit.

Aryan had scolded me just last week, accusing me of skipping meals for the sake of dance.

"You’re not eating properly, Avni," he had said, his brows furrowed in concern. "This competition can wait but your health can’t."

He didn’t understand. I couldn’t wait and I wouldn’t. After two years, there was finally a national-level kathak competition being held in Delhi. I had been dreaming of winning it for so long. I couldn’t let this go. Not now. Not when I was at my peak. I had poured everything I had into this. Blood, sweat, and now apparently… tears.

I glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall, my eyes scanning over the past weeks. I counted again. Fifty-six days since my last period.

My breath caught in my throat. I plopped onto the couch, my legs giving up beneath me. My head fell into my palms as I tried to calm the frantic rhythm of my heartbeat. Panic surged like a tidal wave. I didn’t want to go there. I didn’t want to think about it. But my body had already betrayed me. Deep down, I knew.

No. No, no, no. I might be… pregnant.

The thought wrapped around my chest like a rope tightening with each passing second.

A sharp breath escaped me. The room dimmed for a second as black spots clouded my vision. I clutched my temples, shutting my eyes tight, willing the fear away. Focus. Breathe. Inhale… one… two… three. Exhale.

I needed to know for sure. I reached for my phone, my trembling fingers barely able to unlock it. I opened the online pharmacy app, typed in…pregnancy test kit, and ordered one. It said delivery in fifteen minutes, but every second felt like torture. Like I was trapped in a shrinking box, gasping for air.

I gripped my phone tightly, licking my dry lips and tapping my foot in a staccato rhythm on the floor. Fifteen minutes turned into an eternity. The air around me grew heavier, and denser.

And then finally the doorbell rang.

I jumped, heart slamming against my ribcage. My feet moved on automatically. I opened the door, paid online, and grabbed the small paper bag like it weighed a hundred pounds.

My fingers tore open the package, my mind buzzing. I rushed into the bathroom and locked the door behind me.

The minutes crawled as I waited for the result.

And then… the result came.

I stared at the stick. I blinked. Once. Twice. But the lines didn’t change. I stumbled back, clutching the sink for support, tears welling up in my eyes as the world tilted slightly on its axis.