Chapter X
"Midnight Kicks & Pillow Wars"
It was late — the kind of deep night where even the moon seemed tired. The world outside had quieted down completely, the streets hushed, the city fast asleep. Inside our room, the lights were dimmed, the blanket was warm, and sleep was slowly wrapping itself around me like a soft lullaby.
Until…
THUD.
Suddenly, I felt something — a hard shove. A push, strong enough to break the peace of my dreams and jolt me awake. My eyes flew open in confusion, and before I could react or steady myself, I lost balance and—
BAM.
Fell straight off the bed.
Onto the cold floor.
Rubbing my shoulder and groaning softly, I sat up, completely dazed and half-asleep, trying to figure out what had just happened. My heart was racing, and I looked up toward the bed, only to find Sita blinking innocently down at me.
"Sita?" I said, wide-eyed. "Did you just push me?"
She blinked once, twice… then gave me that adorable sweet-face expression she always used when she was caught doing something wrong.
"I… I didn't mean to!" she said quickly, pouting slightly. "You were talking in your sleep again, Ved. I got scared. I panicked… and I may have… accidentally kicked you."
I stared at her, completely flabbergasted. "You kicked me?! In your sleep?!"
Sita tried to hold back a laugh, failing miserably. "Not in my sleep! I was awake. You were the one mumbling like a haunted radio, so I thought — maybe a little push would silence the demon inside you."
I gasped dramatically, climbing back onto the bed. "Sita! You could've asked me to be quiet, not launched me off the bed like a missile!"
She giggled, clearly enjoying this far more than she should. "Sorry! I got scared. It was instinctive. My leg just flew!"
I crossed my arms and gave her my best grumpy face. "You know what I think? I don't talk in my sleep. You kick people in yours."
She raised a brow. "Are you calling me a liar?"
"Yes. A sweet-faced, adorable, dangerous liar."
She stuck her tongue out. "Well, I heard you. You were muttering something like — 'No! Don't take my jalebi!'"
I tried not to laugh. "That's ridiculous."
"Oh yeah?" she smirked. "Admit it — you dreamt about someone stealing your food again."
I rolled my eyes. "Not the point! The point is — you kicked me. Just say sorry."
"I did say sorry," she said with a dramatic eye roll, then added sassily, "but maybe you deserve another kick for questioning my honesty."
Before I could respond, she suddenly actually kicked me again — lightly this time — right in the thigh.
"Oi!" I yelped. "You did it again!"
She giggled, "Go sleep on the sofa. This bed is for well-behaved people."
I gasped. "Excuse me? Why should I go to the sofa? This is my house. My bed!"
She raised an eyebrow like a queen on her throne. "Correction. This is the house of my hubby. And I happen to be his favorite person. So, guess who should leave?"
I climbed back onto the bed like a warrior returning to claim their land. "Not happening. I'm sleeping right here, even if I have to hold onto the mattress for dear life."
She narrowed her eyes. "Ved… don't test me."
"Oh, I will," I whispered dramatically — then suddenly reached out and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close before falling back onto the bed with her tangled in my arms.
"Ved!" she said, flustered, squirming. "Let me go!"
"Nope," I said, my voice soft but stubborn. "This is where you sleep. Right here. With me. No more kicks, no more muttering, just… this."
Sita huffed, still pretending to be annoyed. "You're impossible."
I tightened my arms slightly. "And yet, here you are… still stuck with me."
She didn't say anything for a moment. Then I felt her body relax just a little.
"Fine," she mumbled. "But if you talk about jalebis in your sleep again, I swear, next time it won't be my foot. It'll be a pillow to the face."
I chuckled, burying my nose gently in her hair. "Deal."
And just like that, we settled back in — a tangle of limbs, half-arguments, and half-laughter — into the kind of sleep that only comes after you've loved, fought, laughed, and chosen each other all over again.
Even in the middle of the night.
Even through flying kicks.
"The drool Trap: A Very Personal Prank"
The first rays of morning slipped quietly through the curtain, casting soft golden stripes across the bed. I stirred lazily, tangled in the warmth of blankets and the fading fragments of dreams. For a few precious seconds, I remained wrapped in that half-sleep state — warm, safe, floating somewhere between consciousness and comfort.
Until…
Drip.
Something wet touched my chin.
Drip… drip.
I opened my eyes slowly, blinking in confusion. And then I felt it.
My drool — my drool — was sliding down the side of my face.
With a gasp, I shot upright, my cheeks flushed with immediate embarrassment. "Oh no, not again," I muttered under my breath, grabbing a tissue from the nightstand and dabbing at my mouth as quickly — and discreetly — as possible.
Because if Sita saw this?
I'd never hear the end of it.
As I cleaned myself up, I reassured myself, This is weird. I never drool in my sleep… right?
That's when something really strange occurred to me.
I glanced around.
The bed was empty.
I stretched my arm across the mattress, half-expecting her to be curled up beside me, but all I found was the cool fabric and the faint scent of her hair on the pillow.
Then I heard it — the soft sound of water running from the bathroom.
Sita was in the shower.
I exhaled in relief.
At least she didn't see the drool incident… phew!
Just as I relaxed, I lifted my hand to rub my forehead — and paused mid-motion.
There was something… off.
A weird pressure on my nose.
I slowly reached up and touched it — and to my utter horror, felt something metal.
"What the—?"
My fingers brushed across a small, cold object pinching the bridge of my nose.
A…
Clothespin?!
SITA HAD PUT A CLOTHESPIN ON MY NOSE.
A full-size wooden clecher, clipped neatly and firmly, cutting off my ability to breathe through my nostrils — which is why, in the middle of the night, I'd unknowingly shifted to breathing through my mouth.
And… yes.
That's why my drool had betrayed me.
At first, I sat there frozen, stunned into disbelief.
And then it hit me like a thunderclap.
SITA!
That absolute prankster. That menace in a nightgown. That sweet-faced devil I had MARRIED.
I jumped out of bed, practically tearing the clothespin off my nose and throwing it aside. My voice echoed through the room as I marched toward the bathroom, filled with righteous fury and dripping dignity.
"SITAAAAAAA!" I bellowed, loud enough to shake the shampoo bottles.
"You better run, you sneaky little monster!"
There was silence for a moment behind the bathroom door.
And then…
A faint, guilty giggle.
Oh, she knew.
She knew exactly what she'd done.
And she thought it was hilarious.
I slapped my forehead, half-laughing despite my irritation. "I'm going to get you for this. Just wait till you're out of the shower. This is war."
From behind the door, her voice came out, cheerful and totally unapologetic:
"Oh nooo, Ved! What happened to your drool control? Maybe I should get you a bib!"
I groaned, but I couldn't stop the smile tugging at my lips.
Because honestly?
Only Sita could annoy me and endear herself to me in the same breath.
Only she could turn a peaceful morning into a comedy scene.
Only she… could turn something as gross as drool into a memory I'd never forget.
And as I stood there with a red nose, slightly damp chin, and an overfed sense of vengeance…
I realized something.
This — this — was what life with her was going to be.
Messy.
Mischievous.
Unpredictable.
And utterly wonderful.
Because even when she drove me crazy… she did it in a way that made me laugh — eventually.
But still.
As she sang in the shower, completely unfazed, I raised a finger to the ceiling and swore to the universe:
"This isn't over, Sita. The great drool Prank will be avenged."
To be continued...