47. MOMENTS
VEERANSH:
For a second, the world feels unreal. She is lying on my bed.
Not because I forced her. Not because she was scared.
But because she chose to stay. Her saree is slightly messy from when I carried her.
Her hair is open, falling around her face, her eyes still soft, still unfocused from the kiss. My first kiss. With her.
I don't even remember when was the last time I felt my heart beat like this, not fast because of anger, not because of control, not because of ego.
But because of want. Real want. I lean closer, slowly lifting my hand toward her saree pallu.
It's resting on her shoulder, barely holding itself in place.
My fingers hesitate mid-air. Not because I don't want to.
But because my mind is screaming one thing.
Be careful. Don't ruin this. She looks at me, her eyes searching my face, not scared, not tense, just curious, nervous, and trusting.
Trusting. That word hits me harder than anything.
I, Veeransh Sarkar, the man who locked her in a basement, who slapped her, who controlled every breath she took, now standing here with a woman who trusts me enough to close her eyes in front of me.
My fingers finally touch the edge of her pallu.
Just the fabric. Nothing else. I slide it slightly, not even revealing anything, just moving it away from her neck.
Her breath changes. Not fear. Not panic.
Just awareness. And that alone is enough to make my chest tighten. I whisper her name again. "Aarohi..."
She looks at me like she's waiting for something, not demanding, not expecting, just open. I bend a little more. And then. Knock. Knock. The sound hits the door. Loud. Clear. Real. I freeze. She freezes too. My mind takes a second to register what just happened. Another knock.
"Aarohi?" my mother's voice comes from outside. "Beta?" Shit. I straighten immediately, stepping back from the bed like a guilty teenager. She sits up instantly, pulling her pallu properly over herself, her face turning red again.
I run a hand through my hair, trying to act normal.
"One minute, Maa!" I reply. I walk toward the door.
And that's when I feel it. Something... sticky.
On my lips. I swipe my thumb across my lower lip without thinking.
And see the faint pink shade on my thumb.
Her lipstick. Smeared. Not much. But enough.
My heartbeat drops into my stomach. I look at the mirror near the door.
And there it is. A light smear near the corner of my mouth.
Not obvious. But visible. Anyone who looks closely will know.
I barely get time to react before my mother opens the door from outside.
She is standing there, in her simple cotton saree, hair neatly tied, glasses resting on her nose.
Her eyes move from my face... to inside the room. To Aarohi, sitting on the bed. Then back to me. And then. Her eyes pause. On my lips. Just for half a second. But I see it. I see the realization. The understanding. The quiet shock. She doesn't say anything.
She doesn't smile. She doesn't tease. She just clears her throat softly.
"I just came to ask," she says calmly, "there's some work downstairs for the wedding preparations.
Both of you were needed." I nod. "Yes Maa.
We're coming." Her eyes move back to Aarohi.
Aarohi stands up immediately. "Mom I..."
My mother raises her hand gently. "No no, beta. It's okay." Then she looks at me again. And this time... there is something different in her eyes.
Not anger. Not disappointment. Not suspicion. Just... understanding. And maybe a little surprise. She turns to leave. "When you're free," she says softly, "come downstairs." And then she walks away. The door closes. The room goes silent.
I stand there for a second, not moving. My thumb still stained with her lipstick.
I wipe it off quickly on my shirt, feeling like I just got caught doing something illegal.
I turn around slowly. Aarohi is standing near the bed, her eyes wide, her face burning red.
"Did Maa... see something?" she whispers.
I exhale. "Maybe." She covers her face with both palms. "Oh God..." For some reason, instead of feeling awkward... I laugh. Not loudly. Just a soft breathy laugh. The kind that comes from relief. From reality hitting. From knowing that the moment wasn't fake.
It wasn't a dream. It actually happened.
She peeks at me from between her fingers.
"You're laughing?" she asks, shocked. I nod slightly.
"Yeah." "Why?" I walk closer to her, gently pulling her hands down from her face.
"Because," I say quietly, "for the first time in my life, my mother caught me with lipstick on. "
Her eyes widen. Then. She laughs too. A real laugh.
Soft. Shy. Nervous. But real. And in that moment, standing there in my room, with her laughter filling the space.
.. I realize something terrifying. I'm not just feeling attraction.
I'm not just feeling desire. I'm feeling attachment.
The kind that doesn't disappear when the door knocks.
The kind that stays even when the moment breaks.
The kind that makes me think. What if I actually fall in love with her?
And for the first time in my life... That thought doesn't scare me.
The house is still awake. Voices float from the hall, Maa, Suhana, Bua, laughter, discussions, colors, fabrics, themes for the wedding. Everything feels loud, warm, alive.
And yet I'm standing near the staircase, watching only one person.
Aarohi. She's sitting on the carpet near Maa, holding a color chart, listening carefully like she always does.
Her head tilts slightly when she's thinking.
Her dupatta keeps slipping from her shoulder and she keeps fixing it without even realizing. She looks tired.
Not sleepy tired, the kind of tired that comes from being around people all day, smiling, listening, adjusting.
I walk toward them. "Aarohi," I say. She looks up immediately.
"Yes?" "Come to the room." She blinks. "Now?
" "Yeah." She looks at Maa. "I'll come, we were talking.
.." "I said come to the room," I repeat, a little firmer, but not harsh.
"You're tired. It's visible on your face." There's a small silence. Maa looks at her face, then at me, then smiles. "Yes beta, go rest." Aarohi nods slowly and stands up. She walks toward me, still confused, still quiet. We go upstairs together. The room is dim, soft yellow light from the lamps.
She goes straight to the cupboard and takes out her night suit, disappearing into the bathroom. I sit on the edge of the bed, removing my watch, my phone, letting the noise of the house fade away.
She comes out a few minutes later, wearing a simple cotton night suit, hair loose, face bare. No sindoor, no jewelry, no bangles. Just her. She looks smaller like this. Real. I say quietly, "One thing from the evening was left incomplete." She freezes. "W... what thing?"
I stand up and walk toward her. Slowly. She takes one step back.
I lift her without warning. Not roughly, just easily, like her weight doesn't even exist for me.
"Veeransh ji..." she gasps. I place her on the bed, gently, my hands still holding her arms. My fingers move without thinking, from her arms to her shoulders, to her hair, to her waist.
She looks at me, breath uneven. "Veeransh ji... I want to sleep..." I lean closer, my forehead touching hers. "Yeah," I whisper. "So when did I stop you? Go to sleep." She closes her eyes. For a few seconds, she really thinks I'm going to stop.
Then she opens them again. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I smile slightly. "Just like that." She suddenly sits up. "I'm going to sleep with Suhana," she blurts out. "Your intentions don't seem right to me."
I step back. "Yeah go." She stands. But I add calmly, "It's very dark outside." She hesitates. Looks at the door. Then at me. Then back at the bed. She slowly sits down again. I tilt my head. "What happened? You were leaving, right?"
She mutters, "I don't want to go." I smirk. "Come on go, my intentions aren't right, remember?" She doesn't reply. I remove my shirt. Not dramatically. Just normally, like I do every night. She freezes again. "W... what are you doing?"
"Taking my shirt off." "Why?" "It feels comfortable for sleeping." She swallows. "But..." "But what?" I interrupt softly. "If you want to sleep then sleep. Otherwise go to Suhana." She looks at the door again. Then slowly lies down beside me.
Facing the other side. I lie down too. Not touching her. Just close enough to feel her warmth. Silence. I think she's sleeping. Then she whispers, barely audible, "Are you still looking?" I smile in the dark. "Yeah."
"Why?" Because I waited too long to look at you like this. Because I'm scared of touching you too much. Because I'm scared of not touching you at all. But I only say, "Just like that." She turns slightly, still not facing me, but closer now. Her hand accidentally brushes mine.
She flinches. Then doesn't move it away.
My heart slows. Then she whispers, "Good night.
" I reply softly, "Good night, Aarohi." And for the first time in my life.
.. I fall asleep next to her, without any worry.
And she doesn't know it yet, how long I waited for this.
How much I wanted this. To make her comfortable with me.
And the feelings floating inside me... I decided to confess.