"Talk to me, Sreesha" I kept mum.

"At least say my name" he pleaded.
"Do you even know my name? " there was a hint of anger in his voice which made my reflexes active. I took my hand away from him. I tried to move away but he stopped me by holding my hand.

"Hey... hey relax. I'm not going to hurt you, Sreesha. Relax okay? I just wanted to know if you by any chance did not know my name. Do you think I will hurt you?" He asked slowing like he was talking to a child. I nodded.

"You do?" I nodded again; hope I would not have a sprain in my neck with all this nodding. I want to talk to him too but the fear in me crushed my voice "Sreesha, I know you're from different background and environment. Your family must have set a wrong example of marriage for you. But you're not with them anymore, you can throw those ideal wife qualities in a dustbin and be yourself. In Shekhar's family, we men treat our wives as equals. You are not Sreesha Verma anymore, you're Mrs Sreesha Karthik Shekhar. You're my wife Sreesha I would not dream of hurting you. Feel free to voice your thoughts openly, feel free to point out my mistakes because a wife has every right to correct her husband's mistakes. And feel free to tell me if you're not ready for the next step in our marriage" his little speech made me speechless. Never had I ever thought he would say all those things.

I kind of like the sound of Sreesha Karthik than Sreesha Verma.

Did he just say husband and wife are equals?

Seriously?

If my father gets to hear it, he will have an early death. His stone heart might get a crack listening to his words.

How the hell my father accepted to this match again?

'Everything will be fine di, do as father says and I'll deal with the rest. Just trust me' I recalled Tej's words. This is what he meant; he knew Karthik is a good person. That is why he did not want to stop the marriage.

Sorry for the misunderstanding, Tej. I love you I mentally announced my love for my brother.

"Sreesha" his voice pulled me harshly from my la la land. "Will you answer me now?"

"Ji" I mumbled.

"I want you to say my name, Sree" Sree? "Can I call you Sree from now?" he asked rubbing his neck. I nodded.

"K- Karthik" I stuttered.

"What? I didn't hear you. Sure, you said something but I didn't get to hear it" he said frowning.
"Er... Karthik" I said, this time a bit loudly.

"I missed it again, I think I'm having a hearing problem" he mumbled touching his ears. I feel bad for him, but I used my regular voice last time I said his name.

"Karthik," I said a little too loudly, if my mother was outside the door, she would have heard it.

"I think I missed it again" his frown was constant but slowly it turned into a smirk. He had been playing with me from the start.

"Karthik! Stop playing with me." I yelled, somehow, he succeeded in waking up the Sreesha I buried a while ago. The evil side of Sreesha.

Did I just yell at him?

Fear surged through me. I raised my voice at him! What would he do now? I still remember the day when my father slapped my mother for raising her voice at him.

"Woah! I got a little tiger for a wife" he grinned. When I thought his smile would melt an ice cube make it a glacier when he grins. He can melt a freaking glacier with his grin. I was literally swooning over him right now.

He snapped his fingers before my face snapping me into reality. I frowned I want to stay in my imagination I created a while ago... at the melting glacier.

"There is a little drool over there," he said pointing at my mouth, like an idiot I am, I wiped. Just like that, he burst into fits of laughter while I stay silent watching him. I'm planning to make the freaking Himalayas melt now.

"Sree, oh god, I did not laugh like this much in years," he said holding his sides, still laughing at my expense.

When his laugh seized, he said: "You look beautiful when you smile".

I did not realize that I've been smiling looking at him. His smile was contagious. Normally I would get angry when someone makes me a laughingstock but with him, I don't mind being a joker just to watch him laugh.

‘You sound like a lovesick puppy, Sreesha! Get a grip on yourself it's only been a day you got married and you started falling for his charm? What would you do if this is all an act?’
That did it. I rebuilt the walls around my heart which he succeeded in breaking with just using a hand full of words.

‘Stop being so naive, Sressha, just because he was polite doesn't mean he did not have the power to break you. Remember we should not trust men; they always leave you when you needed them the most’ My conscience talked some sense into me.
"Are you sleepy?" He asked frowning.

"Yes," I mumbled.

"Okay. You sleep here, on the bed I'll take the couch" he said while standing. Why is he acting so polite? I want to hate him for marrying me, I want to hate him for not trying to ask my consent for our marriage.

I just want to hate him, curse him for everything that is going on in my life. Is it too much to ask?

But he is making it hard to hate him with all the sweet-talking and politeness.

And he wants to take a couch? Why?

Maybe he didn't want to sleep next to you?

Maybe he was forced into this marriage as well?

Or maybe he was just being polite!