RAM

He was being punished.That was the only explanation for it. God had decided that he’d been too much of a prick and must be taken down a peg or two. And apparently, vomit over his favourite custom-made leather shoes was the way to go.

He stood beneath the shower, water pouring down his head, and prayed for patience. But apparently his prayers wouldn’t be answered. Only Aadhya’s would. Vomit on his fucking shoes!

Thankfully the manic pixie bunch outside had vanished when he’d stormed into the bathroom to shower and change. He toweled off and pulled on tracks and a tee-shirt before leaving the sanctuary of the bathroom.

The bedroom was thankfully empty and even more thankfully, clean. Someone had called the help to clean up. Most of the smell was gone too and the ashtrays had been emptied out. His room still looked like a tornado had hit it, but the worst of the debris was gone.

Ram grabbed his laptop bag and was almost to the door when it opened, and Aadhya walked in hauling a bucket and a mop. He stopped, blinking at her.

“Why are you cleaning up?”

Aadhya shrugged, not looking at him. “I made the mess. I’ll clean up.”

Ram blinked a bit more. “You can call someone for that.”

Aadhya stiffened, her back still to him, her mop working aggressively across the floor. “I clean up my own messes.”

Ram hovered awkwardly by the door, watching her. “I can help,” he offered, putting his laptop bag down.

Aadhya scoffed, pulling a cloth out of nowhere and scrubbing at the marble top centre table.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ram bristled.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You made a noise. A disdainful noise.”

Aadhya snorted a laugh now. “A disdainful noise! You’re a prudish eighty-year-old British woman stuck inside the body of a thirty-year man.”

“And you’re a petulant teenager in the body of a twenty-four-year-old. Yet, here we are.”

“Yeah! Here we are!” Aadhya shrieked suddenly and flung the mop at him, barely missing his head. “Why the fuck are we here?”

Ram glared at her, furious. “You fucking lunatic! What is wrong with you?”

“What is wrong with me??” She shot him a wild-eyed look. “What is wrong with you? You married me for what? To make my life miserable?”

“Don’t you dare think about throwing that bucket at me,” he warned, advancing on her, a watchful eye on the bucket she was hefting. “And in case you haven’t noticed, sweetheart, I’m more fucking miserable than you are.”

“That’s your fault!” she shouted. “You did this to both our lives. Why?”

“You know why!”

Aadhya shook her head. “I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you don’t,” he sneered. “Your family might buy your innocent act. I fell for it for a short while too. But I know you now, Aadhya Reddy. I know exactly who and what you are.”

She widened her eyes at him dramatically. “And who and what am I?” she gasped. “Do tell.”

Ram could have sworn there was steam erupting from his ears. “Don’t fuck with me, Aadhya. I’m not in the mood.”

She dropped her hands on her hips and cocked her head at him. “Oh, I’m not fucking with you, Ram. Nor will I be fucking you. Not ever again.”

“Good. I have better things to do than to be sticking my dick in a venus flytrap.”

“You can just stick your dick down your own throat,” she replied, with a polite smile.