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"Yaar, Raj aap na ek dum boring se ho."

(Dude, Raj, you are honestly very boring.)

The words came out of nowhere, slicing through the soft hum of the laptop typing.

Raj paused mid typing. His fingers hovered above the keyboard as if the sentence had physically frozen him. Slowly, he turned his head toward the bed where Shakshi lay on her stomach, legs slightly bent, a paperback novel clutched in her hands. The yellow glow of the bedside lamp fell softly on her face, making her look annoyingly calm for someone who had just declared her husband boring at one in the morning.

"Hein... kya?" Raj blinked.
"Yeh achanak se main tumhe boring kyun lagne laga, Shakshi?"