Page 22 of Heal my Heart


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RUDRAKSH

“You really think we’ll let you go that easily? You’ll have to pay to enter!” Aditi says, wiggling her eyebrows. I roll my eyes. These idiots have been pestering me for the last ten minutes.

I could push through them in a second. But I didn’t. Maybe because seeing Shivani made me feel weird, and stalling gave me a second to breathe. It's not like I don't want to meet her. I really want to, and these idiots have already wasted enough of my time. Shivani is waiting for me inside, but these four morons have decided to guard the entrance like it's some damn fortress.

“How much do you want?” I ask, already tired of their antics.

“One lakh,” Aditi replies smugly. “Per person,” she adds with a wicked grin.

So, four lakhs in total. Fine. I can deal with that.

“You’ll get it tomorrow,” I say casually.

“Nope. We want it right now, bhai,” Aarav chimes in, arms crossed.

“You earn your own money, Aarav. My one lakh won’t even make a dent in your account. And you all know I can justpush you aside and walk in,” I state firmly. It’s not a threat. It’s a fact.

I’ve fought both Aryan and Siddhant in boxing matches and won. They’re decent competitors, but I’ve always got the upper hand.

I glance at Aditi. “And you know I mean it when I say something. I’ve never said no to you, have I?” She may be my cousin, but she’s the only sister I’ve got. Annoying as hell, but I care about her—more than she knows.

“So impatient to meet his wife,” Siddhant teases. “Already whipped.”

“That’s called love, you idiot.” Aryan smacks the back of Siddhant’s head.

“Which is why no girl ever looks at you.”

“We can’t really blame him. Bhabhi is adorable,” Aarav says, and the rest of them nod in agreement like idiots.

“First of all, I’m not in love,” I roll my eyes and reason out. “I just care about her.”

“Second, move. Now.” I say, switching to my intimidating tone. Not that it works on them—they’re used to it.

“Let him go; the poor guy can’t wait to see his wife,” Aditi giggles. I pull her ear playfully, and she yelps.

“Out of my way,” I mutter, pushing the rest aside. Their laughter fades behind me, but it's still buzzing in my ear.

I take a deep breath and open the door to our room. My eyes scan the room, and then I see her—and everything stills around me.

I see Shivani standing on the balcony, her gaze lifted toward the night sky. I made enough noise coming in for her to notice, but she didn't turn around. Maybe she’s lost in thought.

I walk toward her in long strides, my chest tightening with a strange kind of urgency. Just the sight of her does things to me I haven’t figured out yet. As I approach, the moonlight gently bathes her features. She looks ethereal.

“Shivani,” I call softly.

She startles slightly, like someone pulled her out of a dream. When she turns to face me, my breath catches. She’s been crying.

Even a stranger could tell—puffy eyes, red nose, unshed tears still glistening. My heart stumbles like it has missed a beat. I have taken punches in the ring, but this hit somewhere deeper. My pulse spikes. I panic. What happened? I lift her chin gently with my finger.

“Why are you crying? What’s wrong, darling?” I ask, my voice urgent. She doesn’t reply.

“You’re scaring me, baby,” I murmur.

“Speak up.”

She finally looks at me and smiles. But it’s not a fake one. It’s real. “I’m just overwhelmed,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “It's because I am happy. The kind of happiness that makes your heart race and you wish for that happiness to always stay.” She chuckles lightly.