I don’t want to anger him. If I had spoken this much in front of my father, I’d be dead by now. At least Rudraksh tolerates me.
“Trust me, Shivani. I more than like it,” he says, his voice low and steady. He stares at me and then inhales deeply, “Fine. I’ll come early from today,” he adds with a defeated sigh.
I smile in victory. He looks at me and gives me a small smile.
“Can I hug you?” he asks and straightens his spine.
I walk up to him and nod. I think I like his hugs—no one else’s. But his. I tried hugging Aditi ji yesterday, and it was a disaster. We both ended up awkward. She politely excused herself while I just stood there, embarrassed.
But now, I feel his arms wrap around me, his hard body pressing into mine. I hug him back, silently inhaling his masculine scent—it’s intoxicating.
I think we stand there for too long, lost in the moment. Just as I sink deeper into the warmth of his arms, the door creaks open, and I instantly push him away. A bit too hard, maybe—he stumbles but steadies himself quickly, looking at me in astonishment.
“Brother, did you not hear me?” Aarav steps in as he looks between us, and a playful smirk appears on his face.
“I think I disturbed you guys. Continue whatever you were doing,” he teases, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
Then he closes the door halfway before peeking through again.
“Just wanted to remind you, I’m too young to be an uncle, so please use protection.”
“Aarav!” I exclaim, but he’s long gone. I can hear his laughter echoing down the hallway.
In the past few days, I’ve grown very close to Aarav. He’s more of a friend than a brother-in-law. He took me to the arcade yesterday—it was my first time. He taught me most of the games; he also made sure I was getting the rules and regulations of each game. I didn’t enjoy them that much, but he seemed happy, and that made me happy.
“What was that, wifey?”
Wifey? My eyes widen. He does call me darling, sweetheart, and all these sweet endearments—butwifey? My breath catches in my lungs. It feels personal, as if he's acknowledging me as his wife. I didn’t notice Rudraksh had gotten so close. He’s just inches away, bent to my eye level, his warm breath mingling with mine.
“Wh-what?” I stutter.
He smirks, clearly amused, “You pushed me away.”
I think he loves making me flustered.
“What if Aarav saw us?” I question, avoiding his eyes as blush blooms across my face.
“So what?” he shot back, sounding breathless. “You’re my wife. We can do anything we want, baby.”
Slowly, he raises my chin, and I look at him. His pupils are dilated. His phone starts ringing, but he doesn’t move.
“Yo-your phone is ringing,” I whisper.
“I know,” he replies, rubbing his knuckles along my jaw, and I close my eyes momentarily.
“Y-you won’t pick it up?” My breath hitches as his knuckles trail down my neck. I instinctively tilt my head, giving him more access.
“No. I’m with my wife. Everyone else can wait, darling,” he whispers in my ear. His warm breath tickles down my neck.
A shiver runs down my spine. I know I’m red—totally red. I push him away again, but gently this time. It’s almost as if he steps back on his own. I turn to run, but he catches my wrist and pulls me close, gently. I feel his chest press against my back.
“How long will you keep running? You’ll have to come back here eventually,” he murmurs in my ear and gently bites my earlobe, making me squirm in his arms.
His grip loosens, and I take the opportunity to escape. I rush out, closing the door behind me.
Leaning against the door, I try to catch my breath. My heart is racing—I might as well have a heart attack at this rate. He definitely loves teasing me.
“I know you’re out there, Shivani,” he says. Oh God, not again.
