Part 3: The Shifting Balance

Morning: The Decision is Made

Karan stirred awake, feeling the soft fabric of his T-shirt and track pants against his skin. It was a relief after days of sarees.  For a brief moment, he felt like himself again.  

Then, Sneha’s voice cut through the morning quiet.  “You should wake up early today.”Karan frowned, pushing himself up. “Why?”  Sneha stretched, slipping on her wristwatch. “An important meeting came up. Since you’re still on this bet…” She gave him a knowing look. “I’ll go in your place.”  Karan blinked. “Wait, what? When was this decided?”  She sighed, checking her reflection in the mirror. “An email came last night. I didn’t want to wake you.” 

That unsettled him. Work emails always came to him.  Had they sent it to her instead?

Before he could dwell on it, Sneha turned back toward him.  “You should get ready too.”He raised an eyebrow. “For what?”  

She tilted her head, as if it was obvious.“To be a good wife while I’m gone.” Karan tensed.  She let the words settle before adding, lightly, “Come on. You were getting used to it.”

Her voice was teasing, but something about the way she said it made it impossible to argue.  When he finally stepped out of the bedroom, the soft rustle of a saree followed him.Karan stepped toward the dining table, then froze.  

Before the bet, that was his seat.  He had always sat at the head of the table.  But now… Sneha was there.

She didn’t look up, didn’t acknowledge the shift—because to her, it wasn’t a shift at all.  

She was simply where she belonged.  Karan swallowed. When had this happened?  

It wasn’t just that she had taken his place.  It was that he hadn’t even noticed.  

Slowly, without thinking, he moved to the seat beside her.  Not across from her.  Not opposite.  Beside.

The office had once been Karan’s domain.Now, Sneha walked in with quiet confidence, greeting employees by name.

She wasn’t replacing him.  Not officially.

But the way people responded to her—the way conversations naturally flowed toward her—it was clear.  When Karan finally checked his emails later that afternoon, he found something that made his stomach drop.  

A client had already CC’d Sneha in a business discussion.That evening, Karan was in the kitchen, clearing up after dinner. The soft clink of dishes filled the air.  

Sneha walked in, rolling her shoulders slightly. She looked… refreshed.Karan glanced at her. “Did you go somewhere?”  

She smirked, picking up a glass of water. “Just a quick ride. Needed some air.”Something about her tone made him pause. His eyes flickered toward the side table—where his bike keys usually sat.  

They weren’t there.A strange feeling settled in his chest.  

Before he could ask, Sneha leaned against the counter, stretching her arms. “You know, I forgot how much I liked night rides. There’s something… freeing about it.”  

Karan forced a chuckle. “Since when do you go on joyrides?”  She took a slow sip of water, eyes unreadable. “Since I felt like it.”

Karan didn’t press.  But later, when he finally found the keys, they were in a different spot than usual.

Had she…?  He shook his head. No. He was probably just overthinking.

As he moved past her toward the living room, he caught something faint in the air. Not perfume. Not the usual scent of her body lotion. Something sharper. 

He frowned. Almost… smoky?

But before he could place it, Sneha pulled her hair up into a loose bun, exhaling as she stretched. “Long day. I’ll head to bed soon.”  

The moment passed.  Karan let it go.  

That evening, Karan was in the kitchen, clearing up after dinner. The

Something about her tone made him pause. His eyes flickered toward the side table—where his bike keys usually sat.They weren’t there.A strange feeling settled in his chest

Later in the nightKaran stepped out of the bathroom, stretching his arms. His usual nightwear a loose T-shirt and track pant lay folded on the bed.

But right next to it—something else.A satin nighty.Karan frowned. “Uh…?”

Sneha barely looked up from her phone. “That one’s more comfortable. The weather’s been humid, right?”

He hesitated, touching the soft fabric. It was cool against his fingertips.Sneha barely looked up from her phone. “That one’s more comfortable. The weather’s been humid, right?”

He hesitated, touching the soft fabric. It was cool against his fingertips.“It’s just for the night, Karan. No big deal,” she added, flipping to another screen. “You don’t want to wake up all sweaty, do you?”

“It’s just for the night, Karan. No big deal,” she added, flipping to another screen. “You don’t want to wake up all sweaty, do you?”

Karan exhaled. She made it sound so… normal.A little too normal.Still, she had a point. The nights had been warm lately.

And it was just for sleeping.Right?

By the time Sneha put her phone down, Karan was already settled in the nighty.

She smirked. “Looks better on you than I thought.”Karan chuckled nervously, adjusting the fabric. It did feel soft. Comfortable.Not too different… right?

Karan stretched his arms, already feeling the nighty’s soft fabric against his skin.Sneha sat beside him, cross-legged, idly scrolling through her phone. Then, she glanced at his hands.

"Your nails look dull," she murmured.Karan barely had time to react before she grabbed his hand.Karan barely had time to react before she grabbed his hand.

She uncapped a light pink nail polish.“Sneha”“Shh,” she said, already brushing smooth strokes over his fingernails.Karan sighed, but he didn’t pull away."It’s just nails," he told himself. It'll wash off.

Sneha hummed softly, painting each nail with practiced ease. The polish was subtle—not too bright, not too obvious.Karan stared as the glossy pink dried. Strange. But not bad.Then she reached for his foot.Wait"Shh," she murmured again, lifting his leg onto her lap.Karan stiffened. This felt… different.

She took his toes, steadying them with her fingers, and began applying the same soft pink.One toe. Then another.The slow, delicate strokes made his skin tingle.Sneha’s face was calm, focused, like she was doing something perfectly normal.Karan swallowed.It was just nail polish.Right?Karan yawned, stretching his arms. The satin nighty moved smoothly against his skin.The soft pink on his freshly painted nails caught the dim light.Sneha sat beside him, scrolling through her phone. Then, suddenly She picked up an eyeliner pen.Karan glanced over. “What are you doing?”She twirled the pen between her fingers and smirked.Then, right in front of him, she drew a sharp mustache on her upper lip.Karan blinked.Sneha turned toward him, tilting her chin up slightly, as if showing it off.“Well?” she asked, amused.Karan let out a breathy laugh. “What are you doing?”“Just having fun,” she said, stretching her arms behind her head—her posture suddenly feeling too… masculine.Karan shifted slightly, suddenly aware of the nighty, the nail polish, the way his legs were tucked under him.Then, he noticed.Sneha wasn’t wearing her nightwear.She was in his track pants. His T-shirt.At some point, she had changed.Karan stared. How had he not noticed before Sneha caught his expression and smirked.She leaned in slightly, voice low and teasing.“Maybe I should take your razor too.”Karan swallowed. A joke.Just a joke…