The following weeks felt like a rollercoaster of emotions, endless appointments, and a flurry of adjustments. Arun turned into a self-appointed guardian, making it his mission to shield Ria from anything remotely stressful. His motto? Rest, recharge, repeat.
One crisp morning, Ria was perched on the edge of the couch, reaching for her laptop to dive into an early meeting. Before she could even open it, Arun swooped in, armed with a steaming cup of herbal tea.
"No meetings before breakfast," he announced firmly, gently easing the laptop out of her hands.
Ria raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "Arun, I'm not made of glass, you know."
"I know," he replied, his tone soft but resolute. Then, with a knowing smile, he placed his hand tenderly on her growing belly. "But our little bean deserves first-class care. And that starts with you taking it easy."
Ria couldn't help but chuckle, her heart swelling at his protectiveness. "You're going to be one of those hands-on dads, aren't you?"
"Hands-on and then some," Arun said, his grin widening. "I've already mastered three different diaper folds. Wanna see my practice towel?"
"Seriously?" Ria laughed, her eyes sparkling. "You're practicing diaper folds? What happened to winging it?"
"Oh, we're not winging anything," Arun said with mock seriousness, puffing out his chest. "This baby is getting a dad who knows his swaddles from his burp cloths."
"You're ridiculous," Ria said, shaking her head, though she couldn't hide her smile.
"Ridiculous or prepared?" he quipped, raising an eyebrow.
And just like that, the weight of the weeks ahead felt a little lighter, wrapped in the warmth of their shared excitement and Arun's ever-creative ways of showing he cared.