Chapter 51

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I stood outside her door longer than I meant to.

My foot tapped against the marble floor, once… twice… like my body knew something my mind refused to accept.

I rang the bell.

Nothing.

A stupid thought crossed my mind-it won’t be awkward between us… will it?

I exhaled sharply and pulled out my phone. Enough thinking.

The call rang.

Once.

Twice.

I was about to cut it when-

“Haan bolo, Nav?”

Her voice sounded rushed. Breathless. Like I had interrupted something important.

“Tum ghar par ho?” I asked. “Socha office drop kar doon…”

A pause. Barely a second.

“Oh nahi yaar,” she said lightly. Too lightly. “Aaj main office jaldi aa gayi. Tum apne office chale jao.”

“Oh… okay.”

The word left my mouth softer than I intended.

“Haan. Bye.”

The call ended before I could say anything else.

I stared at the dark screen for a moment longer than necessary.

Then I smiled-small, crooked, meant only for myself.

“Chaliye, Nav ji,” I muttered, turning toward the elevator. “Aaj subah-subah Vani ji ke darshan naseeb mein nahi the.”

The elevator doors slid open.

I stepped in.

And the silence followed me inside.

✧

The office was quiet
just the low hum of the AC and the rhythmic tapping of my keyboard.

Spreadsheets blurred into numbers I wasn’t really reading.

My phone buzzed.

Papa.

I frowned slightly and picked up.

“Oye,” Papa’s voice came sharp as ever.
“Tera Ranvijay di beti naal ki chal reha?”

(What’s going on between you and Ranvijay’s daughter?)

I leaned back in my chair. Of course. Straight to the point.

“Kuch nahi, papa.”

(Nothing, dad.)

A scoff followed.

“Tu menu pagal samajhda? Sach-sach dass.”

(Do you think I’m an idiot? Tell me the truth.)

I rubbed my forehead.

“Papa… we’re just really good friends.”

A pause.
Then a laugh-dry, dangerous.

“Really good friends?”
“Main taan puttar kal hi paida hoya na.”

(Really good friends? As if I was born yesterday.)

I straightened instinctively.

“Sun,” he continued, voice lower now.
“Vani changi kudi aa. Je tu ohda dil todeya…”

(Listen. Vani is a good girl. If you break her heart-)

His tone hardened.

“Taan main tenu tod dunga. Farq nahi painda v tu mera puttar aa.”

(I’ll break you. I don’t care if you’re my son.)

My eyes widened.

I pulled the phone slightly away from my ear and stared at it-
half shocked, half stunned… and absurdly amused.

This man.

“Achha,” Papa said, suspicious now.
“Hun sach-sach dass… ki banda?”

(Now tell me the truth. What’s really going on?)

I stayed silent.

Didn’t deny.
Didn’t confirm.

Bad move.

“Koi gall nahi, puttar ji, nah dso.. ” he said sweetly-too sweet.

I choked on a laugh.

“Saab laa liya apna tere nal banu ki.”
( Figure out yourself, how you’ll be handled)

Then came the threat,

“Ehna kuttna aa tenu… naal viah vi nahi karona.”

(I’ll beat you up and still won’t get you married.)

I laughed openly now, shaking my head.

“Dekhaange, daddy ji.”

(We’ll see, dad.)

Silence.

Then

“‘Dekhaange’ da puttar…”
(We’ll see’s son?)

I teased him more

“Thoda aa, daddy.”
(I am your son, dad.)

“Bakwas na kareya kar mere moohre,” he snapped.
“Kise din kutt kha lenga.”

(Don’t talk nonsense in front of me. One day you’ll get beaten.)

“Chalo kutt lo,” I grinned.
“Main kheda koch kea? “

(Go ahead, beat me. I didn’t even say anything.)

From the background, I heard my mother’s voice, clear as crystal.

“Bola tha na,” she said dryly.

“Apne baap pe gaya hai bilkul. Ditto copy.”

(Didn’t I tell you? He’s exactly like you. A carbon copy.)

I laughed again, this time softer.

Papa lowered his voice.

“Isi baat ka toh dukh hai.”

(That’s exactly what worries me.)

A beat.

“Chal oye, main vehla nahi tere naal bakwas karan nu.”

(Enough. I don’t have time to argue with you.)

“Dhyaan rakhi apna.”

(Take care of yourself.)

My smile faded-just a little.

“Theek aa ji.”

(Alright.)

“Sat Shri Akal, Daddy ji.”

The call ended.

I placed the phone face-down on my desk.

And for the first time that morning-

I couldn’t focus on work at all.

✧

Nav stood at the entrance of his office building, leaning casually against the door of his black G-Wagon.

Phone pressed to his ear.
Eyes lifted toward the upper floors.

“Vani ji… call utha lijiye.”
(Vani ji… please pick up the call.)

The line clicked.

“Hello? Haan boliye, Nav ji.”
(Hello? Yes, Nav ji?)

He placed a hand on his heart instantly
like a complete idiot.

Blushing.
Smiling.

“Kahan kho gaye?” she asked.
(Where did you disappear?)

“Agar itne pyaar se naam logi,” he replied softly,

“toh main kaise bol paunga, Vani ji?”
(If you say my name so sweetly, how will I even speak?)

She scoffed.

“Chhichhore ho tum.”
(You’re so shameless.)

Nav almost chuckled.

“Pagal hoon, Vani ji…”
(I’m crazy…)

“…aapke pyaar mein.”
(…in your love.)

“Tsk tsk tsk.
So cheesy, Nav. So cheesy.”

He laughed, unbothered.

“Achha suno,” he said, changing his tone slightly.
(Listen.)

“Neeche aao.”
(Come downstairs.)

“Neeche?” she repeated, surprised.

She walked to her window and looked down.

Nav was already looking straight up at her.

He lifted his hand and waved.

“Tum?!” she exclaimed.
(You?!)

“Yahan kya kar rahe ho?”
(What are you doing here?)

His face fell dramatically.

😑

“Socha tumhara office ganda ho gaya hoga,” he said innocently,

“main tumhara cleaner ban jaaun.”

(I thought your office might be dirty, so I’ll become your cleaner.)

“Isi bahaane thode paise bhi kama lunga.”

(I’ll earn some money on the side.)
“Achha idea hai na? Job milegi?”

She rolled her eyes.

“Sudharne ka plan hai?”
(Any plans to improve yourself?)

“Tsk. Kabhi nahi.”
(Never.)

He smiled.

Vani shook her head, still watching him from the window-
annoyed, amused, and smiling despite herself.

“Achha suno,” he said again, softer now.
“Neeche aao.”

She hesitated.

“Long drive pe chalte hain.”
(Let’s go for a long drive.)

“Long drive?”
She paused, genuinely surprised.

“Vani, mana mat karna… please.”
(Please don’t say no.)
“Bas jaldi neeche aa jao.”

She laughed quietly.

“Do minute mein aati hoon.”
(I’ll be there in two minutes.)
“Wait for me.”

Nav straightened instantly, grin spreading across his face.

✧

Nav glanced at his watch again, pretending he wasn’t nervous.

Then he heard footsteps.

He looked up

and forgot how to breathe.

Vani walked toward him in a maroon coloured anarkali, the fabric flowing softly with every step. Her hair framed her face just right, and the evening light caught her in a way that felt unfair.

For a second, he just stared.

“Wow.”

She stopped in front of him, amused.

“Kaisi lag rahi hoon?”

(How do I look?)

He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, words spilled out of him-quiet, sincere, unplanned.

“Tainu chann keh deya,
par us ch vi daag ne.
Tainu phull keh deya,
par ohna ch vi na tere wargi mithaas ae.
Tainu jind keh deya…
kyonki kadd ke le gayi tu meri jaan ae.”

(I could call you the moon, but even it has blemishes.
I could call you a flower, but it doesn’t have your sweetness.
I could call you life itself
because you’ve taken my very breath away.)

He finished, smiling helplessly, unable to stop himself.

Vani blinked.

Then smiled wider.

“Exact samajh mein nahi aaya,” she said honestly,
“par sunne mein bahut achha tha.”

(I didn’t understand it completely, but it sounded really beautiful.)

He chuckled and translated, softer now.

“Tumhein chaand kah doon, par usmein bhi daag hain.
Tumhein phool kah doon, par usmein tum jaisi mithaas nahi.
Tumhein zindagi kah doon…
kyunki tum meri jaan le gayi ho.”

Before she could react, he leaned in and kissed her forehead,gentle, respectful.

Vani was certain her cheeks had turned red.

She couldn’t stop smiling.
Couldn’t stop blushing.
And for once, she didn’t even try to find the right words.

Nav stepped aside and opened the car door, gesturing politely.

“After you, miss.”

She slid into the seat.
He made sure her dress didn’t get caught in the door before closing it carefully.

Then he got in, settling behind the wheel.

“Kahin specific jaana chaahengi,” he asked casually,
“ya main apne plans follow karoon?”

(Do you want to go somewhere specific, or should I follow my plan?)

She raised an eyebrow.

“Pehle kuchh kha lein?”
“Maine already ek jagah reserve kar rakhi hai.”
(Let’s eat something first.)

His eyebrows shot up, impressed.

“Aur yahan main soch raha tha,” he said, smiling,
“ki saare plans mujhe hi banana padenge.”
“But you’re surprising me, Vani ji.”

She frowned playfully.

“Tumhara matlab kya hai?”
(What do you mean?)

“Ki main non-romantic hoon?
Ya main plans nahi bana sakti?”

He laughed and started the car.

“Baad mein ice-cream date bhi chalegi.”

(We’ll go for an ice-cream date later too.)

She groaned, shaking her head.

“Nav ke bacche…
tum sudhar jao.”

(Nav, you idiot… improve yourself.)

He just smiled, pulling the car onto the road.

The evening stretched ahead of them
unplanned, warm, and quietly promising.

✧

As they stepped out of the restaurant, the evening air cool against their skin, a familiar voice stopped them.

“Mr. Brar?
Miss Vani Rathore?”

Shock flickered openly across the senior board member’s face as he stood near the entrance, his wife beside him.

Nav and Vani spoke at the exact same time.

“Hello, sir.”

The man’s gaze shifted
from Nav,
back to Vani.

A pause.

“I didn’t know you two were… familiar.”

Before Nav could respond, Vani stepped in smoothly.

“We were just discussing our upcoming projects.”

A clean answer.
Professional.
Unshakeable.

“Oh.”
He nodded slowly.
“Good. Good.”

His wife touched his arm.

“Chalein?”
(Shall we go?)

“Haan, chalo.”
(Yes, let’s.)

As they walked away, the man glanced back once.

Just once.

Nav and Vani both felt it.

Silence followed for a moment as they headed toward the parking lot.

“Well,” Nav said lightly, hands slipping into his pockets,
“people might know about us now.”

Vani stopped mid-step and turned to face him.

“Does it bother you?” she asked directly.

He met her gaze without hesitation.

“No,” he said honestly.

Then added, calm and clear

“But it will bother others.”

She held his eyes for a second longer, then turned back toward the car.

“Let them,” she said, already reaching for the door.
“I don’t have enough time to waste on what others think.”

She got into the car.

Nav stood there for a second, watching her.

A slow smirk formed.

“My boss lady,” he murmured to himself.

The smile stayed on his face as he walked around and slid into the driver’s seat.

And as the engine came to life, one thing was certain

They hadn’t just been seen.

They had been noticed.

✧

She leaned back in her seat, arms crossed.

“Batane ka kasht karenge, Nav ji,” she said pointedly,
“ki hum kahan ja rahe hain?”
(Care to tell me where we’re going?)

He kept his eyes on the road.

“Bilkul bhi nahi.”
(Absolutely not.)

She shot him a glare.

“Aise mat dekho mujhe,” he added innocently,
“mujhe darr lagta hai.”

(Don’t look at me like that, it scares me.)

She scoffed.

✧

The car slowed down and finally stopped on a quiet, plain road.

No traffic.
No people.

Just a long stretch of silence, a low wall lined with wildflowers, and darkness stretching ahead.

She stepped out and looked around.

“Yeh hai tumhari special location?”
(This is your special location?)

He locked the car and came to stand beside her.

“Kyun gussa karti ho, pran-priye? Thoda khana hazam karte hain.”
Chalte hain thoda. Raste chalte-chalte kat jaate hain. Thoda tum chalo, thoda hum chalein.”

(Why do you get angry, my dear?Let the food digest a bit.Let’s walk.The path passes while walking.You walk a little, I walk a little.)

And without waiting, he started walking ahead
knowing perfectly well she’d follow.

She did.

Cautious at first.
Eyes scanning the surroundings.

Then she stopped.

In front of them
a long flight of stone stairs climbing upward into the dark.

She stared.

“Don’t tell me…”
She turned to him slowly.
“…we have to climb those.”

He grinned.

“Bingo.”
(Yes, we do.)

She looked up again, unimpressed.

“Ab hum itni raat ko seedhiyaan chadhenge?”
(We’re climbing stairs at this hour?)

He tilted his head, teasing.

“Oh.”
“Tum thak toh nahi gayi?”
(You aren’t tired already, are you?)

Her eyes narrowed.

“Kya matlab hai tumhara?”

He shrugged casually.

“Matlab yehi ki main gym jaata hoon. Regular.”

(I go to the gym. Regularly.)
“Par tum toh-“

She didn’t let him finish.

Without another word, she turned and started climbing the stairs, fast.

Leaving him behind.

He watched her go.

Then smirked.

“Itna aasaan tha?”
(That was easy?)
he murmured to himself.

He hurried after her.

“Ruko! Main bhi aa raha hoon, kareli.Akeli mat jao. Mujhe darr lagta hai tumhare bina.”

(Wait!I’m coming too, bitter gourd. Don’t go alone.I get scared without you.)

By the time I reached the top, my breath was uneven.

Not from exhaustion

but from what unfolded in front of me.

The city.

Spread out below us like a sea of light.

Every building glowing softly.
Streetlights threading golden lines through the dark.
Cars moving like distant stars.

And yet

Up here?

Silence.

No noise.
No rush.
Just wind brushing against my skin and calm settling deep inside my chest.

I stood there, completely still.

Mesmerised.

I hadn’t realised I was smiling until my cheeks started hurting.

Slowly, almost in disbelief, I turned to look at him.

Nav was already watching me.

Not the view.

Me.

There was no teasing this time.
No jokes.

Just a quiet smile
the kind that says this is exactly what I wanted you to see.

And in that moment, standing above the city

I understood.

This wasn’t about the place.

It was about the pause.

And somehow, without asking,
he had given me exactly that.

“Itna sundar…”
(So beautiful…)

I couldn’t stop staring.

“NAVVV- yeh kitna sundar hai.”
(Nav, this is so beautiful.)

“Bahut.”
He said it softly.

But he wasn’t looking at the view.

He was looking at me.

“Baithein?”
He gestured toward the grass.

I smiled instantly and sat down without thinking twice.

Nav slipped off his blazer quickly and spread it near me so my dress wouldn’t get dirty

but I ignored it completely and sat straight on the grass anyway.

He froze.

I didn’t care about the dirt.
The grass.
The world.

The view was worth it.

I crossed my legs comfortably, eyes still fixed ahead.

“Kiska wait kar rahe ho?”
(What are you waiting for?)
“Baithein ab.”

He stared at me for a second
amused, surprised.

Then he sat beside me.

A moment later, he pulled something out of his pocket and tilted his hand toward me.

I turned.

My eyes lit up.

“Chocolate?!”

I grabbed it immediately.

“You know this is my favourite chocolate.” he said

( He said in his mind)
Par tumse kam.

“Ab nahi milegi,” I teased.
(You’re not getting any now.)

He chuckled.

I opened the packet, broke a piece, and held it out to him.

“Achha, kha lo. Yeh lo.”
(Come on, eat it.)

He shook his head.

“No.”

“Bhav khate raho phir,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

I popped the chocolate into my mouth, smiling shamelessly, doing a tiny happy dance because
God, it tasted perfect.

Mid-bite, I glanced at him.

“Last time offer kar rahi hoon.”
(Last offer.)

I held the piece out again.

“Pakka apni favourite chocolate nahi khaoge?”
(You really won’t eat your favourite?)

“Khaunga na,” he said.

“Yeh lo phir,” I smiled, extending my hand again-

The chocolate was still warm on my tongue when he moved.

One second I was teasing him and the next

His fingers locked around the back of my neck

A gasp tore from me as he pulled me forward-no warning-no soft word

And then his mouth crashed onto mine.

Not sweet.

Not gentle.

This wasn’t tasting anymore.

It was consuming.

His lips were hard against mine

I tried to pull back instinctively, but his grip tightened, thumb pressing into my jawline to keep me right where I belonged, trapped between his body. The city lights blurred beneath us like stars collapsing under pressure…

Then, his tongue slid against my lower lip.

A demand. Not a question.

And God help me… I opened for him.

That’s when it turned deeper. Dirtier. More real than anything we’d ever shared before.

His tongue swept inside with a low growl, exploring every inch of warmth, the sweetness of chocolate mingling with something darker…

My hands clawed into his shirt crumpling fabric between fists, as he deepened the kiss

Our breaths tangled.
Fast.
Hungry.
Desperate.

My chest tightened as I ran out of breath.

I tapped his shoulder lightly-once, twice.

He pulled back

Then he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

Our foreheads rested together.

Both of us breathing hard.

I sucked in air, heart racing, cheeks burning.

He stayed close.
Didn’t move away.

Didn’t say anything.

And in that silence

I realised something quietly .

I am not scared
I don’t care about people’s opinions
I don’t care about my past
As long as he is with me

_____________________________________

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