Chapter - 18
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Vihaan ~
"Maybe it was more than fine, sir." she had said. It wasn't a confession, not really, but it was enough. Enough to make me want to pull her closer, enough to let her know what she meant to me.
She looked away then, her expression softening in a way I hadn't seen before. I could have said something, anything. But instead, I let the silence between us stretch, finding is comforting.
The rest of the night, we figured out the papers before I dropped her home.
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The next morning was dragging. I was reviewing case files, but my mind kept drifting back to her. How she had looked at me, the way her hand had fit so perfectly in mine. I could not concentrate on anything except her.
By the time I passed her cabin, it was already early evening. She was sitting at her desk, her chair slightly turned away from the door, fixing her lipstick in the small mirror she held up. There was something about the way she did it, so casual, so effortless that had me rooted in place for a moment.
She ran the lipstick across her lips, then smoothed the color with her fingers, her brow furrowed in concentration. I leaned against the doorframe, watching her, completely smitten.
"Yeh ladki meri jaan leke hi maanegi," I muttered to myself, shaking my head with a smile.
(Translation - This woman is going to be the death of me.)
As if sensing my gaze, she looked up and caught me staring. Her eyes met mine, and for a brief second, I forgot how to breathe. "Ji kuch kaha aapne?" she asked, her voice teasing, the hint of a smile playing on her lips.
(Translation - Did you just say something?)
"Did you forget to react seeing me here Miss Chopra? Usually my presence makes you completely conscious." I tried to tease her to get her to blush for me but instead of that, she closed the little mirror shut and looked at me with all her attention.
"I heard you come in." She said, shrugging her shoulders a little.
I raised an eyebrow at her calm response, the corner of my lips twitching in amusement. "You heard me? And yet, you continued with that important thing?" My eyes flicked briefly to the lipstick she had been fixing, knowing fully well she was trying to appear unbothered.
Shivanya smiled, leaning back in her chair, her fingers playing idly with the closed mirror in her hands. "I figured if you were just going to stand there watching, I might as well finish."
There it was, that subtle spark, that edge in her tone. She wasn't the type to fluster easily, not until it was me trying but the way her lips quirked up told me she was aware of the effect she had on me.
I took a slow step closer, my hands resting on the edge of her desk. "And what if I told you it wasn't just the lipstick that had my attention?"
Her eyes flicked to mine, curiosity sparking in them, but she didn't respond immediately. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, a challenge clear in her gaze. "Then I'd say you're losing focus on your work, Sir."
"Sunshine, my work for the next two days is to only win you, to have you come running right into my arms and then put a ring on that finger."
Her smile faltered just for a second, a tiny crack in her composure that made my heart race, but she recovered quickly, standing up from her desk with her chin held high. "We'll see who wins, Vihaan Raichand."
As she got up and moved to walk past me, I gently caught her hand, stopping her in her tracks. She looked at me, her eyes questioning, but there was no resistance in the way her fingers remained laced with mine.
I stepped closer, my voice low and deliberate. "You can ignore this all you want, Shivanya, but you and I both know how this ends."
She raised an eyebrow, amused. "Oh? And how does it end?"
I leaned in, so close now that I could catch the faintest hint of her perfume, "It ends with you right here, in my arms."
For a moment, she didn't move, didn't speak, her eyes locked on mine. Then, she tugged her hand free, stepping back just enough to create distance but not enough to stop me from feeling her closer to myself. "You're forgetting one thing," she said, her voice softer, her smile almost challenging.
"And what's that?" I asked, still watching her intently.
"You may have a plan, Mr. Raichand, but so do I. All you have are today and tomorrow. Then, you accept my resignation." Her lips curved into a playful smile, and without another word, she walked past me, leaving me standing there, utterly smitten, my heart beating in a way that only she could cause.
As she disappeared down the hallway, I shook my head, muttering to myself with a grin, "This girl really is going to be the death of me. As for your resignation, that is not going to happen, jaan."
Then, I got a call from one person I never expected to call me.
It was Radhika, Shivanya's sister. The last person I expected to call me. I picked up immediately.
"Vihaan sir, I need to meet you. Please." Her voice was urgent, cutting through the silence around me.
"Radhika?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes, it's me. Taran and I need to talk to you." Her tone grew a little firmer this time, the hesitance replaced by determination.
I paused for a second, wondering what could be so urgent that she had to reach out to me, of all people. "Would you like me to come over to your place in an hour?" I offered, my mind already racing with possibilities.
"Yes," she agreed without hesitation.
As I hung up, a strange feeling settled in my chest.
I arrived at Radhika and Taran's house an hour later and as I stepped inside, Taran greeted me with a nod, but it was Radhika who looked unusually serious.
"Vihaan sir, I'll get straight to the point," Radhika began, her voice laced with an edge of vulnerability. "Do you really love her, do you really love Shivi Di?."
Her question caught me off guard but she deserved the truth.
"I do," I said firmly, without hesitation. "I love her with all my heart."
Radhika exhaled, as though my answer had lifted a burden from her shoulders. She glanced at Taran, who gave her a small nod of encouragement before she turned back to me, her expression softening.
"Then you need to know something," she said, her voice quieter now, "Shivi Di has been holding back and she will continue holding back. She will never accept it but she has never truly recovered from our parents' death Vihaan sir. She was eighteen, I was twelve. She gave herself up for me, for maa and papa. She has unlearnt how to live for herself sir. In fact, she blames herself for the death of our parents."
"Blames herself?" I did not hold myself back from asking and Taran asked the same thing to Radhika, who nodded with unshed tears in her eyes.
"Yes. That day, maa and papa had gone shopping. They were on their way back home when Shivi Di had called them to ask if they could bring her a new set of ghungroos for her Bharatnatyam arangetram which was supposed to happen that weekend." Her words were stabbing my heart.
She took a deep breath, steadying herself before she spoke again. "They were on their way to the instrument store to get her ghungroos," she said softly, her voice trembling. "But they never made it. On the way, they had an accident."
I felt my throat tighten as her words sank in. The thought of Shivanya carrying such immense guilt. Punishing herself for something beyond her control, twisted painfully inside me.
She paused for a moment, glancing at Taran before continuing. "Shivi Di blames herself for that day, for asking them to re-route just to get those ghungroos. She thinks if she hadn't asked, maybe they'd still be here."
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and her voice grew even softer. "She's carried that guilt with her all these years, never letting herself move on. And I don't think she ever will, Vihaan sir... unless someone helps her see it wasn't her fault."
Taran, who had been silent until now, spoke up, his tone heavy with regret. "That's why she stopped dancing, that's why she hasn't done something she used to live for in ten whole years. That weight, that guilt. She's locked herself in a cage she doesn't know how to break out of. It's why she pushes people away, why she doesn't let anyone get too close."
Radhika nodded, tears brimming in her eyes again. "Di has never told me any of it, ever. I accidentally came across her diary she used to write till the final year of her law school. Then, she stopped doing that too and closed her one last source of venting mechanism."
There was a moment of silence and my mind raced as I absorbed the truth. Shivanya had been carrying this unbearable burden for years, and no one had ever truly seen it, let alone tried to lift it from her shoulders. It explained so much—her guarded nature, her reluctance to fully open up. She had been living in a shadow of grief for a decade, unable to move forward.
"I am telling you all this because you say you love her and if you truly want a shot with her, you have to understand when she is coming from sir. She has not had an easy life in ten years and yet she shows up every day, ready to face it. She will never talk about this, god knows she won't but that does not mean it's not there." She looked up in my eye before continuing, "And if you truly want her as your life partner and are willing to make efforts for her, you have my blessing as her younger sister but sir, please, please don't ever break whatever is left of her heart. She is barely hanging by a thread, she will die if she gets played on by you or anyone else."
"Radhika," I said softly "I would never hurt her. Not intentionally, not ever. I... I had no idea she was carrying this, and now that I do, I will not just stand by and watch her suffer. I promise you, I will be careful. I will help her see that none of this was her fault."
"She won't make it easy, Vihaan sir. She's spent years convincing herself she doesn't deserve happiness. It's going to take time."
Taran, standing beside her, nodded solemnly.
I nodded, my resolve hardening. "I'll earn her trust. I'll show her that she doesn't have to carry this alone."
As I left their house, Radhika's words echoed in my mind. Shivanya had been carrying the weight of her past for too long. She did not have life easy like I had and that was something I had to respect.
If she needed boundaries between us initially, I will let her have that. Pushing her would only make her insecure and that was something I would never let happen.
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Mindlessly, when I had stopped driving, I found myself parked right in front of her house, only to find her walking in the little park. Her hair was tied in a loose bun, but a few soft strands had escaped, framing her face in a way that made her look stunning. She looked serene, lost in her own world that it almost made me drive back home, almost.
But I couldn't bring myself to leave.
Shivanya's Look ~
I stepped out of the car, my footsteps barely making a sound on the path leading to her. She hadn't noticed me yet, her attention focused on the flowers by the edge of the park. Her fingers brushed over them gently, as if even the smallest thing deserved her care.
"Shivanya," I called softly, my voice carrying across the quiet park.
She looked up, her expression startled for a moment, but then her gaze softened when she saw me standing there. She didn't say anything right away, just watched me as I walked closer.
"Mr. Raichand aap yeh sab kyun kar rahe hain? Aise mere paas aana, mujhse baat karna? Aap ek aisi ladki ko paane ki koshish mein hain jo filhaal khud ko nahi pehchaan paa rahi hai, aapke iraadon ko kya pehechane gi?" Her voice was steady, but I could hear the tremor of uncertainty behind her words, breaking me a little.
(Translation - Mr. Raichand, why are you doing all this? Coming close to me, talking to me like this? You're trying to win over a girl who doesn't even recognise herself right now—how is she supposed to understand your intentions?)
"Aap jaan hain humari, Shivanya," I replied, my tone softening. "Humein aapko paane ki koi zaroorat nahi hai, aap humari hi hain. Aadat aur ibaadat, dono hi aap hain."
(Translation - You are my very soul, Shivanya," I replied, my tone softening. You are both my habit and my devotion.)
Her eyes widened a little before she looked away, sighing.
"Sir you call me stubborn when it's literally just the opposite." There was edge of annoyance in her voice she tried to keep at bay.
"Call me what you like but I am in love with you Shivanya. I have been in love with you ever since I have seen you but I was too coward to admit to, too coward to talk to you all that time. But you Sunshine, you were the one who made me realise that if I don't act upon my feelings when I should, I would lose you just like the way you lost the love of your life. You taught me this that day on the terrace and if I don't learn from my mistakes, I am not Vihaan Raichand. Every moment I have spent watching you, every time you've smiled at me has deepened my feelings for you. I can't let this chance slip away. I will not."
I held her gaze, hoping she could feel the sincerity in my heart.
"And will you be able to spend your life with me knowing that I have loved another man?" Her question caught me off guard, leaving me speechless for a moment.
"I have no right to intrude upon your past, Shivanya. That belongs solely to you, and only you can reflect on it or question it." I took her hand in mine, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my fingers. "What truly matters to me is your present and the future we could build together if you choose to let me in."
She looked at me, her eyes searching mine, trying to find the truth in my words.
"Aur kya yeh jaan kar mere saath apni zindagi bita paayenge ki shayad mai kabhi aapse pyaar kar hi naa paaun?" Her gaze narrowed a little, making me smile at her words.
(Translation - And can you still spend your life with me knowing that maybe I might never be able to love you)
"Mera pyaar hum dono ke liye kaafi hoga, aap ek baar haan toh kariye Shivanya." I said, drawing her hand closer. I pressed my lips gently against her knuckles, looking into her eyes for any sign of hope of her yes.
(Translation - My love will be enough for both of us, Shivanya. Please just try to take this leap of faith for me, just once.)
She blushed, her cheeks turning a beautiful shade of pink, and I couldn't help but smile at the sight. "That blush on your face," I said, leaning in slightly, "tells me that the possibility of you falling in love with me is closer than you think it is."
"You should go sir. Tomorrow is the last day of this wager and whatever you thought would happen in these ten days, clearly didn't. You have lost your end of the bargain and it's best that all this ends right here." She took her hand away abruptly, turning away from me, crossing her eyes in front of her chest, refusing to meet my eyes.
"You're right. Tomorrow is the last day of this wager. But I need you to understand something important Sunshine, I am not giving up, even if I lose."
She shot me an incredulous look, arms crossed defiantly over her chest. "What do you mean? You'll lose, and that'll be the end of it."
I shook my head, stepping forward, refusing to let her retreat. "No. Today, for the first time, I saw a fraction of acceptance in your words and eyes. You might not be as appalled at the idea of marrying me as you pretend to be."
Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink, but she quickly masked her surprise with skepticism. "Not true."
I took a breath, determined to get through to her. "You can say that, but I saw it. The way you hesitated, the way your eyes softened for just a moment. I know you're trying to convince yourself that you don't feel anything, but it's there, Shivanya."
She crossed her arms defensively and turned her gaze to the side, as if searching for a way to escape this conversation. "This wager ends tomorrow, and I don't plan to keep this going."
I stepped closer, my voice steady yet gentle. "And what if I told you I never really cared about the wager? Losing does not mean I am going to just give up. I won't stop trying to find a way into your heart."
Her eyes widened slightly, and for a brief second, I could see her walls wavering. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, her voice softer now.
"I mean that even if I lose this bet, I' will find another way. I'm not going to walk away from what I feel for you." My voice softened as I continued, "Today, for the first time, I saw something in you, a spark, a flicker of interest. You might not realize it yet, but I saw it, and it gives me hope."
She shook her head, her frustration surfacing again. "Hope? Hope for what?"
"Hope," I said, stepping closer, "that one day, I might carve out a small place in your heart, if not claim it entirely." Gently, I tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, my fingers lingering for a moment longer.
Her breath hitched slightly at my touch, but she quickly masked it with a sharp exhale. "You're being extremely delusional," she muttered, but her voice lacked conviction. The blush creeping across her cheeks told me everything her words didn't.
"Am I?" I asked softly, my fingers lingering near her ear, where I had just tucked that loose strand of hair.
She took a step back, her arms folding defensively across her chest, trying to put a barrier between us. "This isn't some fairy tale where you just show up and sweep me off my feet Sir. Now if you don't mind, I'm going home."
"I'm not giving up, Shivanya. Not today, not tomorrow. Even if this wager ends and I lose, I won't stop trying. Because what I feel for you? It's not going away. And someday, when you stop fighting it, you'll see that I'm not going anywhere either." I confessed to her in all my honesty,
"Goodnight, sir," she said, her voice clipped, retreating into her guarded self as she turned and walked away, leaving me standing there.
I smiled, watching her disappear down the hallway. Giving up was not something I had learnt, even if I loose tomorrow.
Hey guys! This is the next chapter.
Apologies, this chapter hasn't come out like I wanted to. Sorry to disappoint you guys ://
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