Change did not arrive loudly.
It arrived quietly.
Anaya noticed it the next morning when she walked into the dining room and found Aarav already seated at the table. No laptop. No phone. Just a cup of coffee in front of him.
"Good morning," he said.
She stopped mid-step. "Good morning."
He poured her tea without asking, the way the house staff usually did. It was a small gesture, almost invisible, but it made something tighten in her chest.
This was new.
---
That evening, Aarav came home earlier than usual.
"You're home," Anaya said, surprised.
"Yes."
"That never happens."
"I said I would try," he replied.
The words settled between them — not warm, not cold, just real.
---
They ate dinner together, not across the long formal table, but at the smaller one near the kitchen.
"This place feels… different," Aarav said.
"Different how?" Anaya asked.
"More… normal."
She smiled faintly. "That's not a bad thing."
"I didn't say it was," he replied, though his tone was thoughtful.
---
After dinner, Anaya moved to wash the dishes.
"You don't have to do that," Aarav said.
"I know," she replied. "But I want to."
He hesitated, then said, "Can I help?"
She turned slowly. "You want to wash dishes?"
"Yes."
She handed him a plate and a sponge.
He stared at it like it was an unfamiliar object.
"This is inefficient," he muttered.
Anaya laughed — a real laugh, surprised and soft.
It was the first time she had laughed in this house.
And he noticed.
---
They sat in the living room afterward, the silence no longer uncomfortable, just… quiet.
"You read a lot?" Aarav asked.
"Yes."
"What kind?"
"Romance."
He frowned slightly. "Unrealistic."
She tilted her head. "Hope isn't unrealistic."
He studied her. "What do you expect from this marriage?"
The question caught her off guard.
She thought carefully before answering.
"Honesty," she said. "Effort. Respect. And one day… safety."
"Safety from what?" he asked.
"From feeling alone while being married."
The words landed heavily between them.
---
"I don't know how to be good at this," Aarav admitted quietly.
"You don't have to be good," Anaya said softly. "Just present."
He nodded once.
"I'll try."
She met his eyes. "Trying is dangerous."
"Why?"
"Because it creates hope."
Silence stretched between them.
"And hope," she added quietly, "is harder to break than contracts."
Aarav looked at her.
Really looked at her.
For the first time, he understood that the risk wasn't the contract.
It was her heart.
---