A week had flown by just like that. Our mornings were always full of work, and we spent our evenings together over dinner and little coffee talks. As usual, we were having coffee on the terrace when curiosity gnawed at me, and I asked, "Kavya... tell me one thing..."

She hummed, turning toward me. She looked so innocent, like a kid, with coffee on her lips. A small chuckle escaped my throat, earning a glare in return from her.

"How many years are you going to complete this year, princess...??" I asked, brushing the coffee foam off her lips with my thumb.

"I'll be 25... what about you...??" she replied, sipping her coffee.

"29..." I said, once again brushing the foam from the sides of her lips. She just hummed in response.

"Accha, tell me... how did you use to celebrate your birthday back at home...??"

Her smile faded as she said, "I don't remember anything, Ansh... but..."

I placed the coffee mug on the teapoy and turned toward her.

"I was only 2 years old when my brother was born... and they almost forgot about me. But thanks to my school records and social media... that Sakshi used to celebrate in college..."

I was dumbstruck by her words. Curiosity gnawed at me again. "What about your parents then... didn't they at least wish you...??"

An exasperated laugh escaped her lips. "Huh... after Kunal's birth-or maybe even before... they had forgotten that I... their daughter ever existed..." Her eyes were moist, and her voice came out a bit choked.

A rush of anger surged through me, but I hid it. I didn't want Kavya to see that side of me, especially when it came to her parents and family. I was angry with myself too, because unknowingly, I had reopened her wounds.

"I'm sorry, princess... I didn't mean to hurt you..." I said softly.

"It's okay, Ansh... I know you would never hurt me. And I've already accepted my parents' coldness as my reality..."

I gently brushed the back of her palm with my thumb. I didn't want to press further-pushing now would only deepen her pain.

After sitting there in silence for a while, we headed toward our room. Once inside, I excused myself and took a cold shower to calm my nerves, which had been jolted by Kavya's words. My mind raced with thoughts about her parents being so cold toward her. Why were they like this? They treated her as if she was a burden. I felt helpless for her. I knew she was strong, but she was human too-she deserved love, not neglect.

I switched off the shower, my mind still racing. Stepping out, I wore a T-shirt and sweatpants. I saw Kavya scrolling through her phone.

"Princess... why are you still awake...?" I asked, settling on the other side of the bed.

"I wasn't feeling sleepy... so thought of scrolling..." she replied, her voice so innocent, like a small child's.

I smiled at her childish response and laid beside her, pulling her into my arms. She rested her head on my chest.

"Ansh... what happened?? Are you okay...??" she asked. Shit, she could hear my heartbeat. My heart was drumming in my chest, and yes, my wife is a doctor-so of course she could tell if I wasn't okay.

I lifted her face gently, holding her chin, and said, "When you're with me... how can anything go wrong... my lucky charm..."

She glared at me, narrowing her eyes. Looking at her face, a chuckle escaped my mouth. She lightly hit my chest, but I pulled her close, and soon she fell asleep.

But my mind was still racing with thoughts from our terrace conversation. No matter what... my princess will get everything she deserves... when I'm here, I'll make sure she feels special in every way possible... I promised silently.

I was still sitting, resting my head on the headboard, when my thoughts were interrupted by Kavya's soft murmurs.

"Mamu... please... please don't do this..."

She was tossing uncomfortably, so I pulled her into my arms, running my fingers gently through her hair. Soon, she calmed down, and sleep consumed us both.

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The morning sunlight filled the room, and I fluttered my eyes open, adjusting to the light. As always, I had woken up before Ansh. I felt his warm breath against my chest, his head resting gently there. I bent my neck slightly to look at him.

I was completely lost in his face. He looked so adorable, and his messy hair had fallen all over his forehead. I softly brushed it away from his face.

"Why are you awake this early, princess...??" he asked in his sleepy voice.

A shiver ran down my spine - I hadn't realized he was awake.
"You... you are awake...?" I asked, gulping down the lump in my throat.

"This is not the answer to my question, princess..." he murmured, tightening his grip around me. He brushed his face against my neck, and the light scratch of his stubble tickled my skin. My heart skipped a beat at his actions - it felt like it had stopped for a moment.

"Why did your heart stop beating...??" he asked, and my eyes widened in horror. How the hell does he know everything?

I couldn't even speak from the shock.
"Don't worry, princess... I was just kidding..." he said, loosening his hold.

I inhaled a deep breath, feeling relieved. And I was nowhere near losing this opportunity - I quickly walked to the bathroom.

After almost 45 minutes, I stepped out, wearing a green-and-blue cotton saree. I walked to the dresser and carefully applied a bindi and sindoor along my hair partition. Once I was ready, I went near the bed to wake Ansh.

His eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the sunlight.
"Is there anything special today...?? Do you have some event at the hospital...??" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Mmm... no, nothing special... why...??" I replied.

"No, nothing..." he said, sitting up.

"Okay then... get ready soon..." I said, walking toward the door.

I was about to step out when I heard his voice.
"You're looking very gorgeous, princess..."

I turned back to face him, but my cheeks had already turned a deep shade of red at his words.
"Thank you, Ansh..." I said softly, then turned on my heels and dashed out of the room.

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She dashed out of the room, but her cheeks had turned a deep shade of red.
"Get ready soon, officer sahab..." she said, walking out of the room.

I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck. As soon as she left, I quickly texted Nikhil:

Me: Hey... meet me today evening...

Nikhil: Why...?? What happened...??

His reply came at rocket speed - he was online, of course. I groaned in annoyance; he always had a question ready for everything.

Me: Tomorrow is Kavya's birthday... I want you to help me with her birthday surprise.

He instantly replied with a voice note:
"Wohoo!! Let's go!" - his voice practically screamed with excitement.

"Aagh... my earbuds... this guy is still a kid," I muttered to myself, holding the phone far from my ear. After a brief conversation with Nikhil, I stepped into the washroom to freshen up.

When I came out, I was wearing a green formal shirt with beige pants - the outfit Kavya had chosen for me. I headed downstairs toward the dining room. The fresh aroma of breakfast filled the air, but my eyes immediately found her.

Kavya was setting the breakfast table, and I crossed the distance between us in two quick steps. Before I could even open my mouth, she signaled toward the other family members walking toward the table.

"Aghh..." I muffled a groan as she walked to the other side. I suppressed my feelings and quietly took my seat. As always, she came and sat beside me.

After breakfast, we left for work together, and I dropped her at the metro before heading to my office. The whole day blurred into meetings and discussions about new policy developments.

(In the evening)

It was around 7 p.m. when I finally wrapped up work and headed to the café to meet Nikhil. He was already there, waiting for me. We settled down and ordered our coffees.

"So, what's the plan, sir ji...??" he asked.

I stared at him for a brief moment. "I want some ideas... that's why I came to you... idiot..." I said, breaking the silence.

"Are you serious, dude...?? She's your wife. You should know what to do..." he said, giving me the worst death stare ever.

And he was right - she's my wife. I should know. But her confession about nobody ever celebrating her birthday kept gnawing at the back of my mind. I ran my fingers through my hair before confessing everything to Nikhil.

"What the hell, man??" He was clearly shocked.

"That's why I want everything to be planned perfectly... and moreover, it's her 25th birthday... it should be very special..." I said, sipping my coffee.

He nodded, and for a while, we both fell silent, lost in our thoughts.

"I've got an idea..." I finally said, setting my coffee mug down.

He looked up, raising an eyebrow, and I continued, "Let's give her a surprise party at 12 a.m. And tomorrow, I'll take her on a date. It's Sunday, so she'll be free."

"That's a great idea! And why don't you buy some flowers and a dress for her too?" he suggested.

"But..." I paused. I liked the idea - but I had never shopped for a girl before.

"But what, Shivu...??" he asked, exasperated.

"But I've never shopped anything for a girl..." I admitted.

"Idiot... you've got a little sister, no? Take her. Use her shopping skills," he said, leaning back in his chair.

I grinned so wide that my jaw hurt. Without wasting a second, I called Ritu - the little hurricane of a sister I had. She picked up within two rings.

"Hello, bhai..." her cheerful voice came through.

"Ritu... get ready. I'm coming - we need to go shopping..." I said.

"Why?? What's the occasion??" she chirped excitedly.

"Shh... Ritu, don't scream. Just come to the nearest metro station near the shopping street... and don't tell anyone. I'll pick you up from there."

"Okay, bhai... on my way..." she chirped and hung up.

"I want you to handle all the party arrangements and explain everything at home. Got it!!" I said, pointing a finger at Nikhil.

He finished his coffee and gave me a thumbs-up in agreement. We left the café after paying the bill.

By the time I reached the metro station, Ritu had already arrived. As soon as she got into the car, she bombarded me with questions.

"Why are you taking me shopping suddenly?? What do you want, haan??"

"You didn't tell anyone, right...??" I asked, letting out a deep breath.

"I haven't told anyone. Just chill, bhai... but that's not an answer to my question," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Okay... fine. Tomorrow is Kavya's birthday, and I want to buy her a dress. So I need your help... please, little sister..." I said.

"Woww... how sweet of you, bhai... I'm definitely in," she said, hitting my arm playfully.

"Bhai... what kind of dress do you want to gift bhabhi??" she asked as we reached the shopping street.

"Something she's comfortable in... and something she can wear more often..." I said after thinking for a while.

Ritu thought for a moment and then chirped, "Then let's gift her something modern as well as desi!"

I stared at her, confused. Modern as well as desi?

"Here... let's buy this kurti-style co-ord set for her. She'll love this pattern..." she said, holding up a dress.

"But... I don't know which colour she would like..." Confusion crossed my face - and hers too.

"I guess... this brown and beige would look good..." I said, finally settling on the one.

"Woww, bhai... how do you know which color bhabhi likes...??" Ritu asked, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes.

"Little sis... she's my wife, and I've seen her wearing dark and bright colors. And she doesn't have this color in her collection..." I said with a smirk.

"Oh God, bhai... are you going to buy this now, or just keep imagining her in it..." Ritu teased, rolling her eyes.

I nodded and went ahead to buy the dress. Soon, we were on our way back home. Nikhil had already done his part, and everyone had agreed to the plan.

It was around 9 p.m. when Kavya called me, asking me to pick her up from the metro.

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I called Ansh around 9 pm to pick me up from the metro. He had already reached by the time I came out. I walked over and took my seat in the car.

"How was your day, princess...?" he asked with a smile.

"It was very hectic... I'm too sleepy..." I said with a sigh.

"And how was your day, Ansh...?" I asked while putting on the seatbelt.

"Good..." he replied and started driving.

'Good?' Just a one-word answer? He always responds clearly... then what happened to him today?

"What happened, Princess...? What's going on in that little mind of yours...?" he said, interrupting my thoughts.

I glared at him, and he chuckled as he added, "I know you're hungry... let's go and have food. We'll talk later."

I just nodded and thought to myself, "How well has he studied me? I didn't even tell him I was hungry... yet he still understood."

"Kavya... do you want me to serve food here in the car itself...?" he said, snapping me back to the present.

I stared at him and got down from the car. I went straight to the room to freshen up. But the thought still lingered at the back of my mind - "He was busy with something when I came near the car... what the hell is he doing...?"

Author's Note

She's spent years convincing herself that her birthday doesn't matter. But tomorrow... someone's about to prove just how deeply it does. Because healing sometimes starts not with words - but with a celebration you never expected.

Do you believe small acts of love can change the way we see ourselves?

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