“So you’re saying ki tum mere bhai se shaadi krne mai khush thi but when you got to know it’s me you are getting married to, you wanted to cancel the wedding. But you went ahead only because you didn’t want to harm your parents’ reputation.”

He whispered and she felt her heart ache. She had wronged him so much.

“Initially haan, but Ved, I promise ab aisa nhi hai, I-”

“Why did you say yes to Vedant?”

She got tongue tied for a moment. How should she explain this to him?

“Ved, bachpan se mera sirf ek hi dost raha hai. Vedant ke alawa kabhi koi nhi tha mere paas. Being an introvert maine kabhi koshish bhi nhi ki. He had always been there at every point of my life and never being exposed to other male attention mujhe ye lagne laga ki…ki mai usse pyaar krti hu.”

The hurt on his face didn’t settle well with her. He started to get up but she held his hand.

“Ved please meri baat suniye-”

“Kya sunu? Kya sunu Isha? Tumhe apne bhai ke liye apni feelings confess krte huye sunu?”

“Nhi! I don’t have those feelings for him! I’ll not lie, I did have a crush on him in my teenages but that was it. Maine haan isliye kri kyunki mujhe lagta tha ki mai usse pyaar krti hu, but aisa hai nhi. I do love him and care about him as a friend and that’s it. I’m telling you Ved, aisa isliye tha kyunki meri life mai uske alawa kabhi koi tha hi nhi. But I swear, the moment I accepted this marriage, I forgot about it all.”

Tears fell from his eyes and he looked at her with a hurtful expression.

“Trust me when I say this Ved, lekin hamari shaadi se ek raat pehle jab aapne mujhse wo sab waade kiye the, wo sab cheezein kahi thi, I couldn’t sleep the whole night. Puri raat bas aapke baare mai sochti rahi, ki aap kitne achhe hai aur mai kitni buri. Uss raat mera faisla aur bhi strong ho gaya ki meri life mai ab jo hai bas aap hai. Uss waqt laga tha shayad pyaar na kr paau lekin loyal hamesha rahungi. Lekin phir jab aapne meri maang mai sindur bhara, something in me shifted.”

She sniffed and held his hand in both of hers.

“Uss din se pehle sirf suna tha ki shaadi ek atut bandhan hai, ek sacred bond hai, pavitra rishta hai and all that. Pr uss din jab hum phere le rhe the, maine wo bond feel kia Ved. Uss pal se aur aane wali puri zindagi tak, mai sirf aapki hu Ved. Tann, mann aur aatma se, jiss pal se hamari shaadi hui hai mai sirf aapki hu.”

His eyes softened a little and she took a step closer. She round her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly.

“Love is not just something that makes you feel butterflies or makes you want to see the person you love, or makes you blush when you see them. Love is something which awakens your soul. Something which consumes you like fire but at the same time it makes you feel liberated. Love is not grand gestures, but those little moments. Pyaar dimag se nhi hota, kyunki jo choice se, soch samajh kr ho, wo sauda hota hai. Aur pyaar mai sauda nhi right? Pyaar dil se hota hai…and I…I love you Ved. I’ve spent a lot of my life not loving and I want to make up for all the lost time. Please give me a chance, Ved. Please let me love you.”

The moment she uttered those words, his lips came down crashing on hers. She moaned at the rudeness and clutched his shoulder. He moved forward until her legs hit the the bed and they fell on it with her under under.

“You’re mine! Only mine!”

He whispered while peppering kisses down her jaw and neck. She breathed heavily, her mind hazy with desire and whispered a confirmation.

“O-only yours! Always!”

She snapped out of her haze when she felt his hands creep inside her top and cup her bra clad breasts. A moan escaped her lips when he gave it a firm squeeze. She felt his teeth nip at her neck and she was sure he was going to leave a mark. But she didn’t care.

It was when his hands found the hooks of her bra when she snapped out of the desire. 

“Ved! Ved stop!”

She whispered and placed her hands on his chest. She saw him frown but then a thought crossed her mind. What if he thought she didn’t love him if she stopped him now? With shaking and hesitant hands, she started lifting the hem of her top only to be stopped by his hands.

He placed a tender kiss to her forehead and said.

“You don’t have to force yourself to prove anything Isha.”

She sagged in relief and closed her eyes. He turned their position sideways and hugged her tightly.

“I’m sorry…I just…need some more time.”

“Don’t be sorry jaan. I meant it when I said we’re not doing anything until you’re completely ready.”

She smiled and nodded. She had thought of surprising him. He had done a lot for her. Now it was her turn. 

A few days later, Ved was in office when the HR of their department came in and patted his back.

“Your leave is approved man, enjoy your vacation.”

He said with a wink and left leaving Ved confused. Leave? When did he apply for any leave? And what vacation?

He checked his inbox and saw mail from the HR as a reply to a previous mail sent by him. But he never sent it. He read through the contents of the mails and chuckled. His wife was a sneaky minx. How she managed to send this mail without his knowledge was beyond him.

…Vacation with my wife…

This was the reason stated in the mail and he couldn’t stop grinning. That day when he reached home, everyone was waiting in the living room already.

“Aa gaya tu? Chal jaldi se fresh hoke aaja, khaana laga deti hu.”

His mother said and he nodded. He gave a discreet look to Vanisha and motioned her to come with him in the room. She bit her lip and got up.

“Mai..uhh..abhi aati hu.”

She said awkwardly making Vedant grin.

“Haan haan jao jao. Bulawa aaya hai, saiyaan ne bulaya hai.”

He received a smack on his head from Vanisha and a chuckle from his parents while she all but ran inside her room.