"You're my rainbow. I want to go through all the storms with you."

- Crazy Rich Asians

~ A D V I K ~

And then.....

Aarohi sneezed directly in my face.

The moment shattered instantly.

Completely.

I blinked once. She blinked twice.

Silence.

Then horror slowly spread across her expression.

"Oh my God."

I stared at her.

"You just sneezed on me."

"I did not sneeze on you."

"You absolutely sneezed on me."

"It was the Rain!"

I physically stepped back now, deeply offended. "RAIN?"

"Yes!"

"You literally just -" I ran a hand through my face "-shit"

She covered her face immediately, mortified now. "I hate this."

And somehow... I did wanted to feel offended but seeing her expression I couldn't even try to be angry.

So,

I started laughing. Actually laughing.

Because five seconds ago I'd been standing there ready to ruin my entire emotional stability by kissing my wife in Paris rain...

and now she looks seconds away from apologizing to the entire French population for sneezing.

"God bless you Aarohi" I say somehow in between laughing while she looked so mortified .

This woman was genuinely impossible not to love.

Dangerous thought. Abort immediately.

Aarohi groaned dramatically. "Don't laugh. This is humiliating."

"You sneezed during a cinematic moment."

"It was the cold!"

"You personally hate romance or what?"

"That sentence makes no sense."

I grinned despite myself before finally sighing. "Come here."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because you're freezing."

That much was obvious now.

Her lips had turned slightly pink from the cold while rain still soaked through both our clothes completely.

And suddenly all traces of tension vanished beneath something softer.

Protective.

Without another word, I gently wrapped my arm around her shoulders and guided her back toward the hotel entrance.

This time...she didn't resist.

The ride back to the suite was quieter.

Not awkward.

Just... heavy with things neither of us were ready to say aloud yet...

Rain tapped softly against the car windows while Paris lights blurred outside.

Aarohi leaned slightly against the seat beside me, exhausted now after the cold and chaos and emotional warfare she'd unknowingly put me through tonight.

And unfortunately...I kept looking at her.

Hopelessly.

The damp curls near her cheeks. The oversized tux jacket still wrapped around her shoulders.

Mine

The way she tried not to shiver dramatically every thirty seconds because apparently she wanted dignity.

Adorable.

Then suddenly...she sneezed again.

I sighed deeply. "Excellent. We're dying."

She looked offended instantly. "You dragged me into the rain!"

"In my defence " I leaned closer " you wanted to get rain showered"

"Correct."

A tiny smile appeared on her lips again.

Worth it.

By the time we reached the suite, Aarohi looked half-asleep already.

Sleepyhead...

The second the door shut behind us, she kicked her heels off aggressively before groaning dramatically.

"My bones hurt."

"You're twenty six."

"I am fragile."

"Aww my delicate feather..."

I laughed softly before grabbing towels from the bathroom and walking back toward her.

She stood near the balcony windows trying to wring rainwater from her hair unsuccessfully.

"Sit," I ordered calmly.

She narrowed her eyes. "That sounded controlling."

"It sounded practical."

"I support feminism. I can do it on my own"

"Women....are you seriously rejecting princess treatment???"

"Princess treatment???"

"Yes...my delicate little very fragile yet very fearless...wifyyy"

Silence. For a moment. Then she obeyed.

And God help me...

something about that domestic little moment nearly undid me emotionally again.

I stood behind the couch drying her hair gently with the dryer while she sat wrapped in blankets looking deeply betrayed by the weather itself.

Something about this moment felt more romantic than kissing her could have ever felt.

Marriage has ruined me.

My fingers slowly moved through her hairs, carefully .The dryer still on as warm air made contact with skin.

Her hair , now falling in curls made her look adorable.

"Why do you straighten them....?" I asked unknowingly. Lately I just wanted to know everything about her .

"My natural hairs are curly" she sighed " too hard to manage"

"You look beautiful in curls" I said instantly, earning a slight chuckle from her. And perhaps I could help with managing those curls:)

"Aww..." She cooed "my husband is growing very ..... gentlemanly nowadays"

"I was always a gentleman....you just noticed late"

"You know," she muttered sleepily, "this is technically your fault."

"You accepted the dance invitation voluntarily."

"You manipulated me "

"I manipulate everyone."

"That is unfortunately true."

Her voice had softened now. Sleepy. Warm. Dangerous for my sanity.

Then quietly..

"Advik?"

"Hm?"

"I liked tonight."

Something tightened painfully inside my chest again.

Because she sounded sincere.

Just honest.

I looked down at her slowly.

And for one stupid terrifying second-

I almost told her I liked it too much.

Instead I gently tapped the towel against her head.

"You sneezed during our romantic climax."

She gasped in betrayal immediately.

And just like that....

the dangerous softness eased again.

....................

The next morning-

I woke up feeling like death.

My throat burned. My head hurted. And every muscle in my body felt personally attacked by Paris weather.

I opened one eye slowly before immediately regretting everything.

Then beside me.."Advik..."

I turned slightly.

Aarohi looked equally miserable wrapped completely inside hotel blankets except for her face.

"...I think we're sick."

I stared at her flatly. "No. Really?"

She coughed weakly in response.

Disaster.

An hour later...

both of us sat in the suite living room looking tragic while room service delivered soup, medicine, tissues, tea, coffee, and enough vitamin supplements to revive us .

Aarohi sneezed again dramatically.

I pointed at her immediately. "Bless you"

"You literally danced in the rain willingly."

"You sneezed first."

"That proves nothing."

"It proves biologically you are more quicker to catch cold."

She glared weakly before sipping warm water.

Despite the fever, the cancelled meetings, the ruined flight plans....

I felt strangely content sitting there with her.

Which honestly felt like a much bigger problem than the flu.

Then my phone buzzed.

I checked the screen before sighing heavily.

"What?"

"Bhai!! You are viral!!!" Adheera , on the other side said too enthusiastically.

"Your Vedio reached 2 lakh plus views " Adesh added as I put the phone on speaker.

"What Vedio???" Aarohi asked weakly.

"The dancing in the rain... someone posted it online "

Great. Now entire nation knew about my failed attempt to kiss my wife. My very own wife.

I rubbed my thumb against my temple

While Aarohi sneezed again "acchho"

"WHO POSTED IT???" I asked finally, eager to know the traitor.

"Your friend...YASH AGNIHOTRI"

Adheera answered back as I started to calculate the ways I could strangle him.

Idiot Bastard.

"Advik....take care of her..." Dadi's voice came next .

"Yes dadi" I sighed "mere bare main bhi puch lo koi"

(Someone ask about me too...I am also your family)

"Aww mera baccha..... Isiliye kehti hu Masti mat karna. Par janab sunte hi nahi!!" My mother's voice came next .

(Aww my son...That's why I tell you not to be mischievous...but you never listen)

"Maa....I am 30.... baccha thodi hu" Aarohi grinned beside me "Aapki bahu ko bahot Masti hai"

(Mom I am 30!! I am not a kid. Your daughter in law is very naughty)

"Are call cut karo .... disturb nahi karte!!!" Badi maa's voice came next.

(Heyy cut the call! Don't disturb them!)

Entire family was on phone.

Waah re meri family.

(Wow my family)

"What happened badi maa??" Aarohi asked .

"Bhabhi...Dadi said , I quoted" Adheera clears her throat before imitating dadi's voice "honeymoon phase abhi bhi chalu hai"

(Honeymoon phase is still going on)

I was two seconds away from strangling myself. I hated everyone right now.

Aarohi flushed pink .

"Adheera bad manners...aese personal cheeze discuss nahi karte. We are family friendly" Adesh said from the other side , then that idiot added "When are we getting good news anyway????"

(Adheera, Bad manners. You shouldn't discuss such personal things. We are family friendly. Anyway, when are we getting good news)

I immediately disconnected the call because I clearly had no immunity to deal with them .

Why is everyone so nosy nowadays.

"You should sleep....you are feverish " Aarohi said softly touching my forehead with her palm , then checking herself.

I nodded , before pulling the duvet over my face sleepily.

~ A A R O H I ~

I woke up sometime around noon feeling absolutely horrible.

My throat burned. My head felt heavy. And every inch of my body ached like Paris itself had personally declared war against me.

Somewhere outside the suite windows, rain still tapped softly against the glass.

I groaned dramatically into the blanket.

"This is your fault."

"You enjoyed it" His hoarse voice came from somewhere.

His hair was messier than usual, grey sweatshirt slightly wrinkled, glasses resting low on his nose while he stood near the kitchen counter heating soup with the expression of a man on the verge of deing.

And despite clearly being sick too,

he was still taking care of me first.

Which was becoming a serious problem for my emotional stability.

I pushed myself up weakly against the pillows while watching him quietly.

"You're supposed to be resting too."

Without turning around, he answered flatly, "I will rest."

"You're heating soup."

"Multitasking."

"You should rest . I can adjust"

"You are allergic to 'princess treatment '" he declared.

A laugh escaped me before immediately turning into coughing.

Advik looked up instantly.

And the shift in his expression...

God.

Every trace of sarcasm disappeared immediately.

Concern replaced it so naturally that my chest tightened painfully.

"Hey."

He crossed the room quickly before crouching slightly beside the bed.

"You okay?"

I nodded weakly.

Still...his hand moved instinctively toward my forehead anyway.

Gentle. Warm.

The contact lasted barely three seconds.

Yet somehow my heartbeat completely forgot normal functioning.

"Fever is down now" he muttered quietly.

I stared at him.

At the exhaustion beneath his eyes despite the fact that he'd barely slept because apparently I coughed dramatically every thirty minutes through the night.

At the way he kept taking care of me automatically without expecting praise for it.

Dangerous man.

"You're staring," he informed me suddenly.

I blinked instantly. "You started it."

"That is not a defense."

"It is ."

His lips twitched slightly.

Victory.

Then he stood up again before handing me a mug carefully.

"Drink."

I frowned suspiciously into the cup. "What is this?"

"Tea"

"Huh..?."

"Medicine tea."

"That smells disgusting"

"It's French."

"That explains absolutely nothing."

He looked deeply tired now. "Just drink before I lose patience."

I obeyed mostly because his sick voice sounded unfairly attractive for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

The tea tasted awful.

I physically recoiled. "This tastes like puke"

"It cost twenty euros."

"Harmful to our economy."

That finally earned a low laugh from him.

Soft. Hoarse. Warm.

And suddenly...

the suite felt strangely intimate.

Rain outside. Blankets everywhere. Both of us sick and exhausted and trapped together inside this giant luxury hotel room.

No business masks. No pretending. No perfectly controlled versions of ourselves.

Just...us.

Advik moved around the room quietly afterward gathering medicine packets, tissues, water bottles and soup containers with tired concentration.

And despite the fever making my thoughts fuzzy...

I kept noticing things.

The way he checked my temperature before his own. The way he remembered I hated swallowing tablets. The way he adjusted the blanket around me automatically whenever I shifted.

Tiny things.

Domestic things.

The kind of things that shouldn't have affected me this much.

But they did.

Because nobody had ever taken care of me like this before without making it feel heavy.

Without acting like love was an obligation.

Advik did it naturally.

Like my comfort mattered to him instinctively.

And maybe...that scared me slightly too.

A while later he finally collapsed onto the couch opposite the bed with a dramatic groan.

"I'm dying."

"You have a cold."

"If I die....donate my savings to the poor."

"You're so dramatic."

"I am "

I smiled weakly into my tea.

Then quietly...

"You stayed up because of me last night."

His eyes flicked toward mine immediately.

"You were sick."

"So were you."

A small silence followed.

Rain continued falling outside softly.

Then he said,"I didn't mind."

Something inside my chest melted instantly.

And judging by the way Advik looked away right after saying it...

he realized exactly what those words had done to me.

Coward.

I stared at him for another second before speaking softly.

"You know... you're very different from what people think."

That made him glance back toward me slowly.

"And what do people think?"

I smiled faintly.

"That you're emotionally unavailable and terrifying."

"I am terrifying."

"You made me soup."

"That is the bare minimum"

"You tucked the blanket around me three times."

"You were shivering."

"You checked my fever every hour."

"I'm extremely committed to healthcare."

I laughed softly.

And God....

the way his face relaxed hearing that laugh made something ache warmly inside me.

Rain tapped softly against the windows while Paris blurred grey outside the glass.

And across from me-

Advik looked exhausted, sick, emotionally complicated...

and impossibly gentle.

Then before I could stop myself-

"Thank you."

The words slipped out softly. Real.

His eyes lifted toward mine again.

And for one strange suspended second-

neither of us looked away.

Something shifted there. Quietly.

Not attraction. Not tension.

Something softer.

Then naturally-

Advik ruined the moment completely.

"If you infect me further," he informed me hoarsely, "I'm suing you financially."

I threw a tissue box at him immediately.

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