However, the air was different near Rhea and Karan. They stood like two opposite poles of a magnet. Rhea stood a few feet away from him, her chin held high and her gaze fixed firmly on us, looking everywhere but at the man beside her. Karan was a statue, but I noticed his jaw tighten every time Rhea moved. When her silk saree accidentally brushed his arm, she pulled back as if she’d been burned, giving him a look of pure ice. His eyes followed her for a second too long before he returned to his mask of indifference. There was a story there, a dark one but today was about light.
Finally, the priest declared us husband and wife. A roar of cheers filled the garden as a rain of rose petals fell over us. I turned to Kavya, my wife, for the second and final time. I didn't need to be in the sky to feel like I was soaring.
“Ready to start our real life?” I asked, looking deep into her eyes.
She tucked her hand into mine, her smile brighter than any light in the garden. “I thought we already had, Saurav. But I’m ready to go further. Anywhere you go, I go.”
I led her back down the aisle, the petals crunching softly under our feet. We walked away from the candles and into the moonlit night, leaving the ghosts of the past behind and walking straight into our forever. For a man who used to love the clouds, I realized that the best view in the world was right here on the ground, holding her hand.
_________
Epilogue
TEN YEARS LATER
SAURAV
“It was a hectic day. I need a massage,” I said. I pulled off my t-shirt and jumped into bed next to my wife.
“Children are still awake,” she warned. “They never sleep before midnight.”
“It’ll be quick.” I ran my fingers along the curve of her neck, then leaned in to kiss her. I couldn't get enough of her. The longer we were together, the stronger our bond became.
Kavya cupped the back of my head and closed her eyes. I loved the way she reacted to my touch, the soft moans and the way she pulled me closer.
I was about to pull away her underwear when the door slammed open. I scrambled away from Kavya immediately.
“Dad!” Kavish, my three year old boy, came in screaming. “Shaurya is scaring me again!”
I glanced at Kavya with a sigh, got out of bed, and put my t-shirt back on. I walked into the children's room. It was large enough for all of them to play comfortably. I never imagined I would have four kids.Four kids.Shaurya was eight; Kirti and Sanaya were five-year-old twins; and then there was little Kavish.
I loved my children, and I loved Kavya for giving them to me. They were the best things that ever happened to me.
Inside, I saw Shaurya flying his remote-control aircraft. The buzzing sound was likely what scared Kavish. Meanwhile, Sanaya and Kirti were busy looking at a star projector. Shaurya loved planes and jets, just like me. My daughters were obsessed with the planets; they dreamt of visiting space one day. And Kavish? My little guy was always moving to a beat. He was a born dancer.
My house was full of different worlds.
“Hey dude, come here,” I called to my eldest son. He put down the remote and followed me. “Are you scaring your brother?”
“He’s a coward, Dad,” Shaurya grumbled.
“He’s your brother,” I corrected him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “It’s our job to protect him.”
“Okay, Dad,” Shaurya rolled his eyes. He reached out for Kavish’s hand. “Come here, then. I’ll teach you how to fly the planes.”
I watched Shaurya lead his brother back toward the fleet of toy aircraft. Even though he called him a coward, he held his hand gently. With the boys settled, I turned to the other half of the room, where the "Space Station" was in full swing.
Kirti and Sanaya were huddled under the Milky Way glowing on their ceiling. They didn’t even look up; they were too busy debating the atmosphere of distant worlds.
"Dad! Look!" Sanaya pointed at a swirling gas giant on the wall. "Did you know that on Neptune, it rains diamonds? The pressure is so high it turns carbon into crystals!"
"And Saturn would float in a giant bathtub because it’s mostly gas!" Kirti added, her eyes wide. "We want to build a rocket that goes past the Kuiper Belt, Dad."
I sat on the edge of their rug. "Diamonds in the rain, huh? I think your mom would like a weather forecast like that."
"But it's cold, Dad," Kirti reminded me seriously. "You'd need a very thick suit. We're designing one now."
I listened as they talked about light-years and black holes. These concepts were so vast they made my hectic workday feel like a tiny speck of dust. My mind was full of budgets and schedules, but theirs were busy conquering the stars.