It slipped Shanaya's mind that she was wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt. She slid the door wide open, allowing Shaheer who stood outside to take a good look at her. The calm over his face vanished in an instant. His cheeks blushed pink and he lifted his eyebrows in embarassment, clearing his throat at the same time.
"Oh," Shanaya said to herself, realising what had happened and in a haste almost closed the door on his face. Luckily, he stepped behind on time. She sighed deeply and counted to three, letting her erratic heart go back to normal before slightly jerking the door open to peek out. "Did you get what I asked?" She said hurriedly and for a moment Shaheer's brows furrowed in confusion. "What? Oh, yes. Yes, here it is. Ms. Arora," He said and passed through the little gap a bag with her clothes. Shanaya grabbed it without another glance and turned around to find Dhruv looking at her with a smirk. "And who might that be?" He said, more to himself than to her and took a step at a time leisurely towards the door. He was still only wearing a towel around his waist. She outstretched her arm, causing him to halt. Under her touch, she felt his muscles tense. The sight was too tempting and Shanaya had to try very hard to not take another look at those abs.Dhruv tilted his head and waited, looking at her with raised brows, his eyes shining with innocent confusion."Don't make it more awkward than it already is," She said in a sickly sweet voice with a pursed, wide, ear-to-ear smile. He frowned at her dramatically and said, "Sure, darling," loud enough for people to hear in a half mile radius. However, he poked her nose a second later and continued his way to the door. She groaned and stopped behind a wall to change into the new clothes. As she dressed herself, she heard the two guys talking. "Good morning," Dhruv greeted her assistant, his voice full of confidence. Shaheer on the other hand replied with a smaller voice, "Good morning, Sir." There was a pause and then he asked, a hint of curiosity and amusement in his tone, "So you sent Ms Arora those tulips yesterday?" While pulling the jeans up her thighs, Shanaya could picture Dhruv nodding slowly. "Yes," He said cheerfully, but then his voice lowered, "I know, I know. She loved the bouquet so much, she couldn't stop kissing it?" "Er-actually, Sir, when I asked if I should put them in a vase, she told me she hated tulips. Especially the yellow ones and then she tossed them very carelessly into the bin." Shaheer added after a pause, his voice barely a whisper, " I think she also tore down your note to bits. The flowers were beautiful though. What a waste of beauty."Shanaya resisted the urge to cackle up and walked out right in time to catch Dhruv frowning at Shaheer's words. She had never been prouder of the latter before. But, when their gazes met, the smirk returned to Dhruv's face. His eyes raked up and down her figure and the smirk widened. "You looked better in my clothes, darling. You always do," He commented. As Shanaya walked past him, swaying her hips, she threw the t-shirt on his face that was clutched in her hand. He pulled it down, slowly unmasking his wide grin. Dhruv sighed and waved at her. Shanaya pretended to completely ignore him. Shaheer was already in the car when she left the house. "Whether you want to or not," Dhruv shouted on top of his lungs so she could hear him across the road, leaning against the door frame, "we'll meet again. Until then, miss me!" When they were well out of sight, Shanaya looked out of the window and said, "Shaheer?""Yes, Ma'am?" "A word of this goes out and you know what will happen, right?" "Y-Yes, Ma'am." "Good," Shanaya remarked, smirking to herself. _____Shanaya successfully slipped into the Arora mansion through the back door, avoiding anyone's notice and sighed in relief when she got into her room unseen. Tossing the purse on the bed, she entered the bathroom and showered once again because she felt the urge to do so. Shanaya told herself not to think of what happened the previous night between her and Dhruv, but her mind didn't comply, and little goosebumps lined her arms as she recollected moments from the night. The dress, she thought. It didn't deserve that fate. With a swift movement of his strong arms, Dhruv had ripped it from the front, all the way down to her waist before pulling her closer. Before creating havoc inside her body. Before kissing her like his life depended on it. She blushed at the memory. It was engraved in her mind forever; nothing she did would ever erase it. As Shanaya slowly massaged her scalp, she remembered how Dhruv's fingers ran through her hair, gently caressing it as they kissed each other. A shiver ran down her spine at the memory. She traced a finger over her slightly swollen lips and sighed, realising her mind was occupied completely by him.Druv's dark eyes and that stupid smirk plastered across his handsome, handsome face.She needed a distraction. She had to stop thinking about him.Wrapping herself in a bathrobe, she stepped out and for a moment her soul left her body when she saw someone lying across her bed. "Kabir!" She shrieked, holding a hand over her chest to calm her erratically beating heart. "You scared me!" "I see you tried hard but the scent lingers," Kabir commented, straightening himself, a sly smile playing about his lips. "You smell like sex." She rolled her eyes at him. "Is that a gyn thing to say?" Shanaya asked, walking across the room to plug in her hair dryer."It's true then. You got laid last night. That explains why you didn't come here."Epilogue *A year later* “I need two more minutes, Shan,” Dhruv said through trembling lips. He let out a loud exhale. “Today’s an important day. I’ve never felt this way before any of my business meetings.” Shanaya placed her hand over his in a reassuring manner, passing him a genuine smile. “Hey, silly. This is a lot more difficult than any business meeting you’ll ever have.” Leaning forward, she reached out her hand to touch his cheek. “I’m glad I’m doing this with you. When we see her, everything will feel great. All this nervousness is going to fade into joy which will last a lifetime.” He nodded. “Of course, babe. I know that.” He wetted his lips before letting out another sigh. “Wow, I’m so ready to do this with you. Just give me one minute.” Shanaya agreed, nodding. She had never seen him so nervous. It was surprising and amusing at the same time. The air carried with it the scent of petrichor, greeting her senses as stepped out of her car. It was still warm despite the re
Shanaya couldn’t get any words out of her mouth as she watched Dhruv easily knock against the door to her grandmother’s room before he walked inside with a smile. How could he do that so casually? What was Shanaya missing? When she turned around to see Kirti’s face, she found amusement on it—not confusion like she had expected. “Is this really happening right now, Kirti? Please pinch me!” she said hurriedly, her voice filled with panic. Kirti laughed in response, instead urging her, “Go inside. I bet he needs you by his side.” “He’s not just about to do what he said he was going to,” Shanaya mumbled more to herself than to Kirti, gently patting her chest that stirred in anticipation. “Please, tell me.” His sister inched closer, a look of understanding crossing her eyes. “Dhruv hasn’t mentioned it to you, but he has been secretly visiting Dadi ever since she got sick. Actually, she was the one who requested him to meet her.” “But why would she do that?” “She… she felt sorry an
Ahail cleared his throat, adjusting the tie around his neck before he persuaded himself to press the doorbell. The moment was exhilarating. He felt as though he was going on an adventure—even though confronting someone did not count as one. But that night, he was determined to set things right. He had delayed far too long already. The door opened with a jerk and Noor’s face fell as she spotted him. The curious look faded away into a frown before she quickly replaced it with a difficult smile. He knew her enough to see right through it. Right then, as the moment stood silent, he debated with himself. He could walk away, ending the conversation before it started. Noor was already uncomfortable, he could see that. But the annoying voice inside his mind—that had been bothering him for days—urged him to stay put. He had to do this. He had to do it for Shanaya. And for himself. “Hey,” he managed to say, his voice coming out thick despite clearing his throat seconds before. When he he
The conversation with Nazir swirled inside Shanaya’s mind long after he left with Shaheer. All through the day as she sat through meetings and walked around her office, she pictured how things would’ve been had Nazir found the courage to confess his love for her grandmother, Suhala. If fate had favoured him, Shanaya would not exist. And if Suhala had indeed rejected him, it would have likely ruined their friendship. Shanaya was more baffled than sorry for the old man. Not once had she sensed even the hint of unrequited love from Nazir despite seeing her grandmother with him for several years. He did a great job hiding his feelings, and she could only imagine how heavy it weighed on him. She realised how lucky she was to get a second chance with Dhruv. Where would she be had he not stormed back into her life? Everything was better with him. And she had missed that feeling for all these years never knowing she had been craving it. She sighed, an audible cue for when she was do
As the morning sun bathed her white cabin in warm hues, Shanaya sat at her desk, engrossed in her work. She had things to take care of that day and with Priya back to work, she was glad to have someone to rely on. After the previous night had ended, Shanaya was reluctant to leave Dhruv’s side. She wanted to continue being in his arms, his touch bringing her the comfort that she craved. But then when Dhruv told her that at the end of the day, she’ll be back in his arms, she smirked at her and laughed it off. She teased him, making him look like a lovesick person. Once more, the world was abuzz with discussions about them. The rumors surrounding their relationship intensified, particularly when Anjali confidently appeared in public with her high school sweetheart and declared their engagement. Speculations arose regarding the nature of the bond between Anjali and Dhruv, yet neither of them contributed to the gossip mill. Dhruv reassured Shanaya that if she wasn't bothered by people's
Hours later Shanaya was in Kabir’s clinic, staring at the pictures hung up on the walls with other posters that gave out important information about hygiene as she recited the incident to him. Kabir’s eyes were wide as saucers. “She really asked you that?” “Yes,” Shanaya said, chewing on her bottom lip. “Future husband.” Kabir shook his head, sighing in disbelief. “Are you sure you didn’t just hallucinate that?” he emphasized, placing his elbows on the table. “Kabir, come on. She has… changed. I think she believes she doesn’t have enough time to hold grudges anymore.” “I think,” her best friend began. “She realizes that he makes you happy. And that’s what she wants for you. She has seen you struggle, Shanaya. No one else has been an active observer.” Shanaya shrugged. “So, that’s a good thing, right? It means she approves.” Kabir checked his wristwatch, his eyebrows narrowing. He stood up and took off his whit coat. He tried to sound nonchalant but Shanaya sensed the curiosity