"Tell me you still love me, even though I'm the size of a small whale," Shruti whined as she made her way into her and Arjun's kitchen.
"More today than yesterday," he confirmed with a smile. "And I especially love you the size you are now," he went on, leaving out the 'whale' comment for his safety, "because you're carrying our child. I can't wait to meet him."
"I can't wait for him to make his exit," she grumbled, settling down into a chair in the breakfast nook. "At least I'm this pregnant in December and not the middle of July. I'd probably have murdered by now if I were."
Arjun just chuckled at his wife's flair for the dramatic. "What time is the baby shower today?"
"Two," she answered. "Shanaya is picking me up at quarter til, but you'll have to come after 'cause we'll need to haul everything back here."
"Okay," he agreed. "What time would you like me there?"
"Five or so," she shrugged. "Why Arohi insisted on having this shower a week before Christmas is beyond me. Why couldn't she wait until January?"
"She and Neil are going on their trip to Italy then," Arjun reminded her. "They leave the second and won't return until the nineteenth."
"What if I go into labor early?" Shruti worried. "I need my best friend to be there."
"I'm not good enough?" he scoffed.
"Of course you are," she assured him, "but she's important, too. We do want her to be his godmother, do we not?"
"You do," Arjun smirked. "I said yes because you agreed to Neil being his godfather without complaint."
"I just like the idea of the godparents being married," she reasoned. "Should something happen to us—Bappa na kare—he'll still stay in one place and have his family."
Arjun made a face. "Don't talk like that."
"I'm just being cautious," she said. "We're going to be fine."
"In that case, we should probably talk names again," he sighed, knowing it would inevitably lead to an argument.
She frowned. "Do we have to? Can't we just wait until he's here and name him then?"
"You and I both know you'll go crazy that way," he pointed out. "Are you still keen on Kiaan?"
"I also like Tapan and that was one of your original choices back in May!" she cried. "You're a flip-flopper."
Arjun just rolled his eyes. "If we name him Tapan, I'll be accused of naming him something related to May's temperature. I quite like Veer now."
"No," she shook her head. "Not going to happen. I hate that."
"Well, do we at least still agree that his middle name will be Sarnaik, right?" he wanted to know. "His three names should roll off the tongue smoothly."
"We agree," she nodded. "So Something Sarnaik Punj."
"What about Rudra?" he tossed out. "I like that."
"Rudra," Shruti repeated. "Rudra Sarnaik Punj. Hmm. I don't hate it, but I don't know that I love it either. It kind of reminds me of Rudra Raichand."
Arjun furrowed his brow. "Do I know him?"
"He," Shruti emphasized, "was a character on a television show that was popular when I was in school. Isn't there a footballer named Rudra, too?"
"You'd have to ask Shivam," he replied. "I don't know anything about football."
Shruti groaned and gently beat her head against the table. "Let's just let him name himself when he's old enough. We'll call him 'Baby' until then."
He grinned. "I fear what he'd choose someday. I've heard Bhaskar Bose's podcast; no son of mine will be called Frankenstein."
"Aryan!" she exclaimed suddenly, looking up at him once again. "Aryan Sarnaik Punj."
"Aryan," he mused. "I like Aryan."
Shruti beamed. "So we're agreeing on Aryan?"
"We are agreeing on Aryan," he confirmed, reaching for her hand from across the table. "Shivam will probably call him Gabbu during his childhood days, you know."
"There are worse nicknames," she grumbled. "I'll just be happy if he doesn't call him Aru or Golu."
"I'm sure he'll do that, too," he laughed.
Shruti pressed a hand to her stomach. "Ooh, he's energetic this morning."
Arjun moved around the table to place a hand next to hers to feel his son kicking. "Oh, wow. That will never cease to amaze me."
"Yeah, well, get your amazement in now because this is going to be our one and only child," she told him. "I am so not one of those women who likes being pregnant."
"No?" he murmured, nuzzling into her neck. "But we're so good at making him."
"Oh, I like that part," she assured him. "It's the nine months after that fucking suck for me."
Arjun pressed a kiss to her jaw and stood up to get her something to eat. "Oatmeal or yogurt?"
"Can't I have something greasy?" she complained. "I'm tired of eating healthy. It's boring. And Bappa, I'd saw off my right arm for a cup of expresso."
"Four more weeks," he grinned as he pulled the yogurt and fruit from the fridge. "And then I'll just hook you up to an IV filled with coffee."
"Don't tease me," she pouted.
"Sweety, even I haven't had any alcohol or caffeine in just as long," Arjun reminded her.
"Liar!" she cried. "You drank at Anmol's engagement party. I watched you!"
"Oh, that was one shot," he scoffed. "It hardly counts."
"It's more than I've had," she mumbled.
"Isn't he worth it?" he wondered, mixing the fruit and yogurt.
"We'll see," she joked.
By the time Shanaya picked Shruti up, she was in a foul mood. Aryan, as he was now called, had been sitting on her bladder all day, so she was uncomfortable and cranky.
"If you're going to be in a bad mood, I'll take you back home and Arjun can deal with you," Shanaya snapped after listening to Shruti complain about the cold. "It's December in Delhi, Shruti. Of course, it's cold!"
Shruti glared at her sister-in-law. "Well, excuse me for being eight months pregnant with another human inside my body."
"Like, half a million babies are born every day," Shanaya reported. "This isn't anything new, and you guys wanted this. Stop making the rest of us miserable about it. We've put together a really lovely baby shower for you, so if you're going to ruin it by being heinous, tell me now."
"I'm not," Shruti muttered. "It's just been a long day already and it isn't even two. At the party, I'll make sure to only complain to Arohi if it bothers you so much."
"I understand that being pregnant is no picnic," Shanaya said, "but stop complaining. A month from now, you're going to be a mother, and that's something I'd kill for."
Shruti glanced at her. "You guys want to have a baby?"
"I do," Shanaya corrected her sadly. "Rishabh says he isn't ready yet."
"Why?" Shruti wondered. "He's great with kids."
"He says since we've only been married just over a year, we should wait," Shanaya explained. "He says that once we're parents, our alone time with decrease significantly, and he likes having me all to himself right now."
"Well, that's sort of sweet," Shruti offered, feeling her maternal instinct kick in. "And it isn't as though he never wants children, right?"
"He does," Shanaya sighed, "but I want us all to have kids close in age, you know? I don't want your baby to be so much older than mine."
"You do realize I'm only having this one, right?" Shruti asked her. "Arohi will likely never have a child, and Ananya and Shivam are too unstable to even think about moving in together, let alone planning for a family. You're the only one of us I see having more than one baby."
"I want four," Shanaya declared as she pulled up the driveway to Arohi and Neil's house. "Rishabh says he thinks three will be plenty, but I'll convince him otherwise. I'm just hoping I'll do it sooner rather than later."
"I'm sure you will," Shruti said as she carefully climbed out of Shanaya's Mercedes. "You'll be pregnant before you know it."
"Don't come in yet!" Arohi yelled as she hurried outside. "There's one last surprise that we're setting up."
"Damn it, Aru," Shruti swore. "I told you I didn't want anything over-the-top."
"Oh, please," Arohi rolled her eyes. "I've known you my entire life. When have you ever not wanted a party to be over the top? You had horse rides at your farewell in school."
"She was in a mood earlier," Shanaya warned. "I wouldn't push her."
Arohi, perhaps the only person on the planet who wasn't intimidated by Shruti, just waved Shanaya off. "It'll be fine. You'll love it, Shruti."
"Fine," Shruti sighed. "How much longer though? It is freezing and I'm maintaining body heat for two here."
Ananya stuck her head out the front door then. "It's all ready, Aru."
"Okay," Arohi nodded. "Come on."
She took Shruti's hand and led her into the house, where Shruti was immediately greeted by the sound of a crying baby.
"Who brought their kid?" Shruti whispered.
"Manya," Arohi muttered, referring to the Punjs' cousin. "She's going to give you more advice than you'd ever want because she thinks she's Super Mom."
"Didn't her oldest kid end up in the hospital last year because Manya let her eat dirt?" Shruti laughed softly, waving at her guests.
"I said she thinks she's Super Mom," Arohi smirked. "I think she's incredibly annoying."
"Shruti!" Manya called her over to where she was sitting on one of the couches in the formal sitting room. "Come, sit with me for a moment."
"Ugh," Shruti groaned quietly as she walked over to the older woman. "Hi, Manya."
Manya bounced her crying youngest daughter, Nayantara, on her chest. "How are you feeling? Have you read those articles on co-sleeping that I sent you? There are so many benefits to it."
"Mm-hmm," Shruti lied, having never even opened the attachments. "Arjun and I have talked about it, and I think we're going to skip the co-sleeping though. We bought a beautiful bassinet to put next to our bed, so he'll be right beside us."
Manya frowned. "You should reconsider. It's best for the baby."
"I'll bring it up to Arjun again," Shruti said. "I should go and say hello to some of the other guests." She stood up and hurried away to the kitchen, where she found Arohi standing with Ananya and Akshara, who'd flown over for the shower and Christmas; the rest of the Maheshwari family would arrive within the week. "Waheguru Ji, she's the worst."
"Told you," Arohi taunted. "She's one mommy blog away from being completely insufferable and uninvited to all family functions."
"Can't our faction of the family just decide that anyway?" Shruti suggested. "She accosted me within seconds and I'm only pregnant. What's she going to be like when the baby is here? Oh! Speaking of, we decided on a name."
Akshara lit up. "What is it?"
"Aryan Sarnaik Punj," Shruti recited, loving how it sounded. "We've been fighting pretty much since we found out he's a boy, and then this morning, he made a joke about Bhaskar Bose, and I remembered a kid's name being Aryan, and I just liked it."
"I like Aryan," Arohi nodded. "Shivam will call him Aru, but it's nice."
"He won't," Ananya denied. "Not if he wants me to continue sleeping in the room."
Before Shruti could say anything else, Shanaya stormed in and huffed in frustration. "Can you bitches please come out here? If I have to listen to Manya and my grandmother argue any longer about the pros and cons of making your baby food, I'm going to set this house on fire."
Shruti laughed. "Yes, let's go in. I'm hungry."
"What's new?" Shanaya joked to Arohi as they followed her back to the sitting room.
"I told you when you first got here that we had a surprise for you," Arohi began as Shruti finished opening her gifts. She nodded to Shanaya, who disappeared into Neil's office momentarily. "This is something Shanaya, Ananya, and I have been working on for the last month or so, so you better like it, princess."
Shanaya reemerged, carrying a tall gift-wrapped present in her arms. She set it down in front of the pregnant woman and stepped back.
Tentatively, Shruti unwrapped the gift and laughed upon seeing what was inside. Her friends had worked together to have a miniature replica of the Peter Pan statue in the Kennigston Palace built. "You guys!"
"It's for his room," Ananya explained. "We told Arjun about it, and he said there would be a place for it."
"It's lovely," Shruti breathed, standing up to hug them all. "Thank you."
By the time the shower—which was lovely, and very tastefully done—was over, Shruti and Arjun had acquired more baby stuff than they would ever know what to do with.
"What is this thing?" he asked once he'd arrived to load up his Range Rover.
Shruti looked at the box he was holding. "It's a bottle warmer."
"You're going to breastfeed," he recalled. "Why do we need a bottle warmer?"
"Well, I won't breastfeed forever," she answered. "And when you're with him and I'm out, he won't have my breasts there, so you'll need bottles to put my pumped milk into."
"Hey, have you guys decided what you're going to do about a nanny?" Ananya wondered as she helped them carry things out to the SUV.
"We aren't going to have one," Arjun said. "We always had nannies, and our parents used them as an excuse to avoid and neglect us. Shruti and I wouldn't do that, but we refuse to even risk it."
Shanaya made a face. "What are you going to do, take him on tour?"
"Some," Shruti shrugged. "I will cut back on touring, and he's gonna cut back on how long tours last. The tour for Tuu starts in March, and it'll only last until mid-July. That's significantly shorter than usual, and Aryan and I will join occasionally."
"Oh, but Manya would disapprove," Arohi teased. "A tour bus is no place for a baby, Shruti."
Arjun chuckled. "I assume you got plenty of parenting advice today, sweety?"
"In one ear and out the other," Shruti smiled. "She means well, but Manya is a bit more bohemian than we are, so I just think our parenting strategies will be vastly different."
After loading up the car, Arjun drove them back home but stopped her before she could go inside.
"Okay, I've got a surprise for you," he explained. He pulled a silk blindfold from his pocket. "I need you to trust me and put this on."
"This makes me nervous," she muttered as he covered her eyes before taking her hands to lead her inside. "Am I going to have to go upstairs?"
"Just one level," he confirmed. "I promise not to let you fall."
Shruti carefully ascended to their second floor, clutching his hands tightly. He guided her down the hallway and stopped just outside the nursery.
"So, while you were with the girls all afternoon at your shower, I was here with my brothers, Rishabh, and Anmol," he began, opening the door. "I know you've been stressing out about getting the nursery finished, especially since we got all those gifts today, so I wanted to take one more thing off your plate." He reached up to remove the blindfold. "Surprise."
She gasped as she looked around the completed nursery. They'd decided upon a Peter Pan theme as a nod to their favorite childhood story, and it had turned out much better than Shruti had ever imagined.
"Prince and Neil painted the walls, and then I did the Big Ben and characters," he said as she looked around. "Rishabh, Shivam, and Anmol put the furniture together and decorated a bit."
"Oh, I love that," she breathed, pointing to the framed quote on the wall. Tears filled her eyes. "Arjun, this is perfect. I don't even know what to say."
"I'm glad you like it," he beamed. "I was a bit nervous you'd be upset we finished it all without you."
"No," she shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love it. And I love you."
"Good," he grinned, kissing her softly. "I have one more surprise for you."
"You do too much," she told him.
He led her over to the rocking chair next to the crib and then turned on the small television. "So, you know how I've been doing the secret project in the studio with Anmol?"
"Yes," she nodded.
"Well, it wasn't just me," Arjun reported. "I'm not sure if you know this or not, but we teamed up and write a song together." He turned the TV on and a music video of Arjun in the studio started playing. "This is what we came up with. It's called 'Duniya Chhod Doon,' and I hope you like it."
Mere Yaara Taan Rushnaiyan
Sang Sang Teri Parchhaiyan
Tu Hi Te Mohabbatan Sikhaiyan Ve
Khushiyan Mere Hisse Paiyan
Ambran Bunda Barsaiyan
Mere Ishq De Naal Khudaiyan Ve
Kinni Raat Main Jaggeya
Ankhiyan Na Laggiyan
Aayega Tu Yeh Soch Ke
Main Soya Nahi Main Soya Nahi
Main Soya Nahi
Guzre Hai Din Taare Gin Gin
Ishq Tere Bin Kisi Aur Se
Mujhe Hua Nahi Mujhe Hua Nahi
Mujhe Hua Nahi
Ab Chhod De Parde
Mujhme Rang Bharde
Ruswaiyan Tu Ab Door Karde
Ek Baar Mile Jo Tu Mujhe
Saari Duniya Chhod Doon
Tu Na Ho Mera Jismein
Woh Rasmein Tod Doon
Ek Baar Mile Jo Tu Mujhe
Saari Duniya Chhor Doon
Tu Na Ho Mera Jismein
Woh Rasmein Tod Doon
Tu Jeete Main Haar Jaawan
Zindagi Guzaar Jaawan
Sang Sang Tere Meharbaan
Khud Nu Tere Naam Lagawan
Tere Pichhe Pichhe Aavan
Jive Tere Pairan De Nishaan
Jo Sunta Hoon Main
Awaaz Mein Tu Hai
Duaon Mein Tu
Namaz Mein Tu Hai
Tere Sang Hi Shamein
Tere Sang Sawere
Khud Ke Rahe Na
Bas Ho Gaye Tere
Ek Baar Mile Jo Tu Mujhe
Saari Duniya Chhor Doon
Tu Na Ho Mera Jismein
Woh Rasmein Tod Doon
Ek Baar Mile Jo Tu Mujhe
Saari Duniya Chhod Doon
Tu Na Ho Mera Jismein
Woh Rasmein Tod Doon
Shruti was openly crying by the time the video ended. In their six-and-a-half years together, Arjun had written dozens of songs for her, but this was easily her favorite of them all.
"Bappa, if sex wasn't so uncomfortable for me in my current state, I'd blow your mind right now," she joked, wiping her eyes. "I love it. It's my favorite song you've ever written."
"More so than even 'Tu Mileya?'" he asked.
"Maybe it's a tie," she shrugged, still loving their wedding song. "Can you believe that in like, one month, we'll be parents?"
"I can't wait," he confirmed, kissing the top of her head. "It'll be our greatest adventure yet."
January 23...
"Shruti, you have to keep pushing," her gynaec, Dr. Navya, explained as she readied herself to deliver the baby. "Can you do that for me?"
"Yes," she breathed, clutching her husband's hand.
"You're the strongest person I know," Arjun whispered to her, pushing her hair off of her head. "You can do this, sweety. One more big push and he'll be here."
She nodded and pushed as hard as she could, praying to whomever she had to that she wouldn't poop on the table; Manya had told her that happened.
Suddenly, a cry filled the room and Shruti looked at Arjun in excitement.
"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Punj," Dr. Navya grinned, holding the baby up for them to see. "It's a boy. Arjun, would you like to cut the cord?"
With shaky hands, Arjun took the small scissors from one of the nurses and cut the umbilical cord, watching in amazement as their son was hurried to the small bed to be cleaned off before he would be presented to his parents.
"We did it," Shruti cried happily.
Arjun kissed all over her face. "You did it, Shruti. This was all you."
"I think someone is ready to meet you guys," Shruti's head nurse, Madhvi, announced as she carried the baby over, tucked tightly in a soft gray blanket.
"Hi, baby," Shruti beamed as she nestled him against her chest. "I'm your mommy, and this is your daddy."
Arjun sat down on the edge of the bed and ran a finger across the baby's cheek. "He's so perfect."
"Of course, he is," Shruti confirmed. "He's ours."
"Name?" Madhvi asked, ready to fill out the birth certificate.
"Aryan," Arjun spoke up. "Aryan Sarnaik Punj."
Madhvi filled it in and smiled at the new family again. "Welcome to the world, Aryan Sarnaik Punj."