Chapter 58

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Total words:- 3800+
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In between making me wear the chudiyan, he deliberately pressed the back of my hand—slow, teasing.

I glared at him instantly.

He tried to hide his smile. Failed.

His fingers lingered inside my palm on purpose, tracing nothing, doing everything.

My stomach flipped.

Butterflies—thousands of them fluttered wildly, making it hard to breathe properly.

After he finished helping me wear the chudiyan, he lowered his head and kissed the back of my hand.

Then he brought my hand up to his forehead, eyes closed, holding it there for a second longer than necessary.

When he looked back at me, his expression was soft.

“abb to maaf krdo. Please,” he said quietly.

(Please forgive me now.)

I narrowed my eyes at him, unimpressed , or at least pretending to be.

He quickly picked up Tuffy, holding him against his chest, facing me.

Making the most innocent face possible, he said,

“look, tuffy is also saying ki maaf krdo bichare ko.”

(Look, even Tuffy is saying—please forgive the poor guy.)

Tuffy turned his head away at that exact moment.

Nav narrowed his eyes at him.

“kutta kahika,” he muttered.
(You little dog.)

Then he looked back at me.

I turned my face away, biting my lip, trying desperately to control my smile.

When I looked back

He was making puppy eyes.

“bow bow… please… maaf krdo…” he said, acting shamelessly.

A laugh escaped my mouth before I could stop it.

“kardiya, kardiya,” I said, cupping his face and kissing his cheek.

(Alright, I forgive you.)

Then—Tuffy’s.

“Nahi!” Nav reacted instantly.
“Isne toh kuch kiya bhi nahi. Tumhari saari kisses meri hain.”

(He didn’t even do anything. All your kisses belong to me.)

He immediately put Tuffy down, going into full defensive mode.

I laughed harder.

Tuffy tried to climb back up again, but Nav stopped him with his hand.

“Dekho, Nav,” I said, lifting Tuffy into my arms, pretending innocence,

“tum toh wapas chale jaoge. Ab tumhari saari kisses toh yeh hi lega na.Mano ya na mano.”

(You’ll go back, right? All your kisses will go to him now. Like it or not.)

He stared at me, jaw dropping in shock.

“Ji nahi, madam,” he said firmly.
“Main yahin hoon.”

(Not at all. I’m staying right here.)

I rolled my eyes.

“Haan haan,” I said sarcastically.
“Mere ghar mein rehne ka irada hai?”

(Planning to live in my house now?)

He straightened slightly, clearing his throat, suddenly formal.

“Let me formally introduce myself,” he said.
“I am your new neighbour.”
“Yehi saamne wala ghar hai mera.”

(The house right in front.)
“I hope we keep meeting each other.”

My eyes widened in shock.

And suddenly, we heard footsteps approaching my room.

My breath hitched.

Panic shot through me instantly heart racing, palms turning cold.

Before I could even react, he leaned in and pecked my lips

quick, soft

and ran toward the balcony.

“Jaldi visit karna mujhe…” he whispered hurriedly. “Tumhein house tour bhi dena hai…”

(Come visit me soon. I still have to give you a house tour.)

I was still frozen from the shock of that sudden kiss when

he jumped out of the window.

I screamed and sprinted toward the balcony.

“ABYE OYE PAGAL AADMI!!!!” I yelled, leaning over.
(Are you insane?!)

He was already walking toward the gate below
casual, confident, like he owned the place.

One hand slipped into his pocket.

As he walked, he turned around, still moving backward, and looked up at me.

Then, with a grin I could feel even from this distance,
he saluted me with two fingers.

And turned back around.

Just like that, he walked out of the property.

I stood there, stunned.

Heart pounding.
Lips still tingling.
Mind completely blank.

“Anne mat dena isse, uncle, andar phir se!!!” I yelled after him to the security guards.

(Don’t let him come inside again!)

My voice echoed.

And yet—

I knew.

He would. And i would let him.

“Vaani???”

I turned toward the voice.

Mom and dad stood at the door.

“Bacha, kya hua?” mom asked, rushing toward me.
“Tu cheekhi kyun…?”

(My child, what happened? Why did you scream?)

She cupped my cheek gently, worry etched all over her face.

“Us chachundar ke bache ko toh main abhi batata hoon,” papa looked around the room and he snapped angrily and started moving forward.

(I’ll deal with that rascal right now.)

I instantly grabbed his arm.

“Kisko baat kar rahe ho aap?” I asked quickly.

“Nav hi tha na yahan?” papa said, his anger flaring.

(It was Nav, right?)

“Uski toh haddiyan tod dunga.”
(I’ll break his bones.)

“Ungli pakda di, to kya haath hi pakadega ?.”

(Give him a finger and he grabs the whole hand.)

Fear shot through me—shock mixed with panic.

I tightened my grip on his arm, genuinely scared he might actually do something.

Mom stepped in immediately, placing a calming hand on his other arm.

“Vijay ji… shaant ho jaiye,” she said firmly.
(Calm down.)

Papa wasn’t calming down, but mom keep caressing his arm
Papa took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

Then he looked at me.

“Tu cheekhi kyun?” he asked.
(Why did you scream?)

It was obvious now, they already knew about Nav.

“Woh khidki se kood gaya ekdum,I got startled.” I said quickly.

(He suddenly jumped out of the window.)

Mom’s eyes widened.

“Kya?!” she almost yelled.
(What?!)

“Use chot toh nahi lagi?”
(He didn’t get hurt, right?)

Papa walked to the balcony and looked down, unimpressed.

“itni bhi height nahi hai ….” he said dismissively.

(It’s not that high.)

“Jawan hai, itna toh aaram se chalta hai.”

(He’s young. He can manage that easily.)

Mom slapped her forehead in frustration.

“Kuch nahi ho sakta…” she muttered.
(This is hopeless.)

Mom and I looked at each other.

And without saying a word

we understood.

We shook our heads in sync.

✧

In the evening, I took Tuffy out for a walk.

Somehow—without me really planning it—the path led straight toward my neighbour’s house.

I slowed down.

Stopped.

I stood a little away from the gate, Tuffy tugging gently at the leash, while my mind spiralled in a hundred different directions.

Go back.
This is stupid.
Why am I even here?
He’ll laugh.
What if someone sees?

I turned halfway, ready to retreat.

Then stopped again.

After fighting with my thoughts for a good minute, I finally walked up to the house. My heart thud harder with every step.

I lifted my hand to ring the bell—

Before I could, the guards noticed me.

They opened the gates immediately.

I froze.

Shock flickered across my face.

Before I could even process what just happened, Tuffy tugged forward againconfident, excited, like this place already belonged to him.

I followed, almost instinctively.

It felt less like I was walking the puppy…

and more like the puppy was walking me.

Toward him.

As I stepped inside, I slowed down without realising it.

I looked around the house.

Warm lights. Clean lines. Plants by the corners.
It didn’t feel like a new house—it felt lived in. Comfortable.

“wow, kina sundar ghar hai…” I said softly, genuinely awed.
(Wow, such a beautiful house.)

“apse kam.”

He spoke from behind me.

(Not as beautiful as you.)

Before I could turn, his arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling me gently into his chest. I leaned into his touch instinctively, like my body already knew this was safe.

“badii der se ai aap, mohtarma,” he murmured near my ear.
(You’ve come quite late, madam.)

His breath tickled my skin.

I smiled and turned to face him.

That’s when I noticed

He was wearing an apron.

My eyebrows shot up.

“khanna bana rahe the kya?” I asked, amused.
(Were you cooking?)

“nahi, insan kaat raha tha,” he replied casually.

(No, I was cutting people.)

I scoffed instantly.

“sidha jawab mat dena kabhi tum,” I said, shaking my head.
(You never give a straight answer.)

He chuckled, eyes crinkling with that familiar mischief.

“jesa aap kahe,” he said obediently.
(As you wish.)

The next hour passed easily.

We made supper together, side by side, bumping into each other in the kitchen, stealing glances, stealing smiles.

Tuffy roamed around us like he owned the place, tail wagging wildly, occasionally sitting near our feet as if supervising the whole process.

After dinner and a slow, comfortable tour of the house, I finally spoke.

“ab hum chalte hai fir,” I said, glancing at the clock.
(We should leave now.)

“kyuu??” he asked immediately, genuinely confused.

“koch bakki hai?” I continued.

(Is there something left?)

“Aur dekho, raat bhi ho gayi hai.”

(And look, it’s already night.)

“Ab hume chalna chahiye.”

He tilted his head slightly, pretending to think.

“haan,” he said slowly,
“but I want to do things only girlfriend-boyfriend do at night…”

My breath caught instantly.

“Nav!!!!!” I blurted out, shocked.
“You are shameless…!!!!”

My heart was racing, words tumbling over each other

Before I could finish, he interrupted calmly.

“I was talking about the movie night.”
Then, casually
“Wait, what did you think??”

My already widened eyes widened even more.

Silence.

Then realization hit.

“Nav, you jerk!!!!” I snapped,
“You did that on purpose….”
mortified and furious all at once

He burst out laughing, completely unapologetic.

“Your mind is garbage, Vani,” he said between laughs.
“Not my fault.”

I stared at him, cheeks burning, heart still pounding, half embarrassed, half amused.

And the worst part?

Somewhere beneath the annoyance…

I was smiling.

“chlo na movie dekhte hai… please,” he said softly, trying again.
“agar chaho to we can do what you think too.”

I slapped his arm instantly.

“shameless!” I snapped, half-embarrassed, half-laughing.

I pulled my phone out of my trousers.

“I’ll inform mom,” I said.

He nodded obediently, like he’d been caught red-handed.

✧

It was already pretty late.

Even though my house was just a few steps away, he insisted I stay.

For once, I didn’t argue.

Maybe because I was tired.
Maybe because I didn’t want the night to end.

While my mind kept running in unnecessary directions, he showed me the guest room.

“Your room,” he said casually.
“And if you are planning to do something, then you can take my room.”

I shot him a look.

I took the guest room.

But sleep didn’t come.

So I stepped out quietly into the hall.

The house was dim now, calm, warm. I walked slowly, brushing my fingers over the decorative pieces, smiling to myself without even realising why.

“vaani?”

I turned at his voice.

He stood by his bedroom door.

I turned back instantly, refusing to look again.

A towel was wrapped around his lower body.
Water droplets clung to his skin.
His hair was wet, strands falling onto his forehead.

And my brain short-circuited.

He walked closer and stood in front of me.

“kya hua?” he asked gently.

I couldn’t meet his eyes.

My gaze dropped before I could stop it

and my fingers almost moved.

“eyes up here, madam,” he said firmly.

I froze.

“kya kar rahi ho?” he asked again.

Panic took over.

“where am I?” I blurted out.
“Maybe I am sleep-walking.”
“I’ll walk into sleep.”
“More night. Good.”

And with that, I practically ran back into my room.

Heart pounding. Face burning.

I jumped under the duvet, covering myself completely.

“chee, Vani,” I whispered to myself.
“What a creep you’ve become.”

Outside, he stood alone in the hall.

A slow smirk curved onto his lips—not arrogant, not teasing—just amused.

“Oh… so this is working,” he murmured to himself.

He rubbed the back of his neck once, exhaled, and went back to his room.

The house settled into silence again.

But sleep?

Sleep had other plans.

✧

In my sleep, something felt… different.

Warm.

There was a steady rhythm beneath my cheek-slow, calm-like a heartbeat that wasn’t mine.

My body stiffened, fear crept into my veins.

An arm was wrapped around my waist, firm but careful, holding me like I’d slip away if he loosened his grip.

I shifted.

The warmth didn’t disappear.

Instead, it adjusted-an arm tightening around my waist, pulling me closer,

My eyes flew open.

I froze.

This wasn’t my bed.

This wasn’t the guest room.

My breath hitched

I was in his room.

His arm was around me, his hand resting securely at my back. My head was tucked under his chin, my face pressed against his chest.

We were… cuddled. Sleeping. Breathing in sync.

What-how-when-

I lifted my head slightly, terrified of waking him.

He was asleep.

Peaceful.

Shock froze me in place.

How did I get here?

I didn’t remember walking.

Didn’t remember leaving my room.

His grip tightened a little, not waking, just instinctive-like even in sleep, his body knew I was there.

I swallowed hard.

I tried to remember how I got here.

Nothing.

Before I could move away, he shifted.

His forehead rested lightly against my hair, his breath warm against my temple.

“Vani…” he murmured, half-asleep.

“Hmm?”
No other word came out of my mouth.

He opened his eyes slowly. His eyes softened when they met mine. and he kissed my forehead.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice thick with sleep.

He lifted his hand and gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear—slow, careful, like he didn’t want to startle me.

“How did I end up here?” I asked quietly.

“Sleepwalking,” he replied easily.

I narrowed my eyes and tried to sit upbut his arm was still around my back. I couldn’t sit properly, only halfway.

“In my 26 years, I have never sleepwalked, mister,” I said.

He instantly made a confused face and pulled the blanket up to cover his chest.

“Toh tum, jaan-bujh kar mere kamre mein aakar meri izzat lutne aayi thi??”

(So you deliberately came into my room to ruin my honour?)

I scoffed.

He closed his eyes dramatically.

“Meri izzat loot ke ab toh khush hogi na tum?”
(You must be happy now after ruining my honour.)

“Shaadi se pehle yeh sab…”
“I didn’t expect this from you, Vani.”

I almost laughed.

I finally sat up properly, just to watch the whole performance.
I was enjoying this.

He opened his eyes and looked at me.

“Kya?” he asked.

“Aur kuch baaki hai?” I asked innocently.
(Is there anything else left?)

He sat back and leaned against the headboard.

“Tumhein yeh sab mazaak lag raha hai??” he said seriously.
“Dekho, aise tum kisi ke kamre mein jaakar—”

I interrupted him by grabbing his collar and pecking his lips.

Just once.

He froze.

Shock written all over his face.

“Waise hi bol dete ki you miss me,” I said softly.
“I never would have said no.”

His eyes widened.

“Sachi…?” he asked.

I leaned into him, resting my head on his chest.

He wrapped his arms around me instantly, pulling me in without hesitation.

“I feel safe with you, Nav,” I whispered.

I glanced at the clock. It read 6:30 AM.

“With you, I don’t wake up from nightmares,” I continued.
“You know, Things still haunt me, Nav… but I think my heart knew it was safe with you.”
“My body knew it was safe with you.”

His hand moved gently through my hair, slow and grounding.

“I never needed an alarm. Four o’clock—exact.”
“I used to wake up with the same memories.”

My voice started trembling. Tears slid down silently.

He didn’t interrupt.

Didn’t rush me.

He just held me closer, his grip tightening slightly—protective, steady—like he was bringing me to the present.

“I was a cheerful girl once,” I said quietly.
“An extrovert. I joked around. Tried to lighten the mood. Loved making friends.”
“I always tried to understand people, without their saying.”

His breathing grew heavier. I felt it.

“But in my first year of college, I started liking him.”
“But After a friend warned me, I tried to keep my distance.”

My throat closed.

“I made a best friend—or so I thought.”

I paused, memories refreshing again

“She was actually with Paras.”

Nav’s arm tightened around me.

“She found ways to humiliate me in college—sometimes changing my speech at the last moment, sometimes making jokes about my body in front of everyone, calling it ‘friendship’.”

My breath hitched.

“They drugged me.”

I felt his chest rise sharply beneath my cheek.

“He wanted revenge because I rejected his proposal.”
“So… in front of his friends…”

My voice broke completely.

His fist clenched

I couldn’t continue.

My head dropped.

“You don’t have to,” he whispered finally.
“If you don’t feel like it.”

Warm drops fell onto my hair.

He was crying too.

“I want to tell you everything,” I said desperately.
“Please let me.”

He nodded against my head.

“I never had the chance to tell anyone.”
“I never even wrote in diaries—what if someone read them?”

My hands trembled.

“I still have cigarette marks on my body.”
“Many scars are fading, but the memory stays.”
“When I see blood, I faint—it reminds me of the knife, the punches, the blood, everything.”

His hold tightened again. His jaw clenched.

“I never made friends after that.”
“I stopped trusting people.”
“I became rude so no one could come close.”
“I even distanced myself from my family.”
“I felt like a scar, a stain.”

My breathing turned uneven.

“I tried suicide,” I admitted.
“When Mom thought I ruined Papa’s reputation, having you as my boyfriend… I couldn’t take it, i tried again, but i was saved, again. Mom wasn’t at fault. She was manuiplated, she just wanted what’s best for me, i know.”

His arms shook around me.

“I tried self-defence classes. I thought I could face it.”
“But when he came back into my life, my senses shut down.”
“My body went numb.”
“I became helpless.”
“I hated my own version.”

“ There was a time when I removed all of the mirrors in my room because i couldn’t look at one, I scrub my body so hard, that it leave scratches, but the pain never went away, the disgust of his touch.”

I pressed my face into his chest, sobbing.

“I always ran from you,” I whispered.
“Because you don’t deserve someone broken like me.”
“You still have a chance…
You still do nav. ”

He didn’t speak immediately.

That silence wasn’t emptiness.
It was him holding himself together.

His arms tightened around her—not crushing, not urgent, just firm enough to say I’m here. His breathing was uneven now, slower than mine, like he was forcing calm into the room.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low.

“Vani,” he said once.

He tilted his head down until his forehead rested against mine.

“Listen to me.”

I felt his thumb press lightly into my back—anchoring me.

“You didn’t survive all of that because you’re broken.”
“You survived because you’re strong.”

I shook my head instinctively.

“No,” he cut in gently, but firmly.
“Don’t argue with me.”

His jaw tightened, not in rage control.

“What he did to you,” he continued, “that wasn’t power.”
“That was cowardice. His male ego couldnt take rejection”

His grip tightened again, this time around my shoulders.

“And what you did after that?”
“You stood up.”
“You kept going.”

“You built a life anyway. No one knew how much pain you were holding inside. You still smiled for you family when you were breaking apart, you took stand for inayat bhabhi when you were fighting for yourself ”

His voice dipped.

“That doesn’t make you damaged.”
“That makes you dangerous, in the best way.”

He pulled back just enough to look at me.

Not searching my face.
Not checking my reaction.

Just meeting my eyes.

“I’m not here to fix you,” he said quietly.
“Because you’re not something that needs fixing.”

He reached for my hand and placed it flat over his chest again.

“But this?”
“This stays.”

He took a breath.

“I won’t rush you.”
“I won’t push you.”
“I won’t demand parts of you you’re not ready to give.”

Then, softer

“But I won’t walk away either.”

My throat tightened.

“If you wake up shaking,” he said,
“I’ll be here.”

“If you freeze,”
“I’ll wait.”

“If you fall apart,”
“I’ll sit with you in it.”

His thumb brushed my knuckles.

“And if one day you decide you don’t want me anymore,” he added, honest and steady,
“I’ll let you go.”

He paused.

“But until you say that—”

His eyes didn’t waver.

“I’m not leaving.”

I tried to speak.

“I—”

“No,” he said softly, shaking his head once.

He leaned in and pressed his forehead to mine again, grounding me back into my body.

“Don’t turn this into your fault.”
“Don’t carry someone else’s sin on your spine.”

His hand slid to the back of my neck, warm, steady.

“You didn’t ‘ruin’ anything.”
“You didn’t ‘invite’ anything.”
“You didn’t ‘fail’ anyone.”

His voice lowered.

“And you don’t get to decide you’re unworthy of love on my behalf.”

A tear slipped down my cheek.

He wiped it away with his thumb.

“If you’re broken,” he said quietly,
“then I’ll sit with the cracks.”

“If you’re scared,”
“I’ll slow down.”

“But don’t push me away because you think I deserve better.”

He leaned in, brushing a kiss to my temple—nothing claiming, nothing demanding.

Just there.

“You don’t get to disappear on me,” he murmured.
“Not anymore.”

And for the first time

The weight in my chest didn’t feel like it was crushing me.

✧

Vani felt peace.

For the first time in years, her body wasn’t bracing for impact.
Her breathing was steady.
Her mind quiet.

But inside Nav

something else burned.

A rage so controlled it was almost silent.

He held her close, his hand still moving gently through her hair, his face calm enough to fool anyone watching.

But his eyes were fixed on nothing.

He memorised every word she had said.
Every pause.
Every place where her voice had broken.

And somewhere deep inside, he made a promise

No one walks away from this.

Carefully—so carefully she didn’t feel the shift—he reached for his phone.

The screen lit up.

His thumb hovered for just a second.

Then he dialled.

And whatever peace Vani had found that night

someone else was about to lose theirs.

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Tooooo kesaaaa lagaaaaa chapter??? And andd we are coming closer to its end.. just a thumbs up.. i think abhi sayad 10 12 chapter honge… Agar mera mood change na hua to….