ch 65 night begins
In the room
Ashiana's pov
I sit on the edge of the bed, hands resting on my lap, my bridal veil covering my face.
My heart is beating so loudly I swear even the flowers in the room can hear it.
Soft lights.
Flower petals on the bed.
Silence so beautiful it feels sacred.
I hear the door click.
My breath freezes.
Footsteps unhurried, confident, familiar.
Aarav Malhotra has entered.
Even without lifting my head, I feel him watching me.
The lehenga suddenly feels heavier... or maybe it's just the weight of his gaze.
He comes closer.
Slow.
Almost reverent.
My fingers twist nervously.
I don't know whether to hide my face more or look up and say something stupid like "Hi husband" and run.
He stops right in front of me.
My heartbeat becomes chaos.
He bends a little, his voice low and impossibly gentle:
"Ashi... look at me."
I lift my eyes through the veil.
His expression hits me like a wave Soft, mesmerized, a little stunned... and so full of love that my breath stutters.
He reaches for my veil.
For a second, my hands automatically clutch the bed because I don't trust my knees.
Very slowly, he lifts the veil.
The world feels brighter when I see him clearly.
His eyes travel across my face like he's memorizing every tiny detail.
My blush spreads instantly, uncontrollable.
He whispers:
"Beautiful... meri dulhan."
My heart does a somersault.
I look down, shy and smiling like an idiot, and he gently lifts my chin with his fingers:
"from today... forever... you're mine."
My voice comes out in a soft whisper, barely audible:
"Aur aap... sirf mere."
(And you too mine ... only mine)
He smiles that rare, soft smile that only belongs to me
And sits beside me, our shoulders brushing, warmth spreading through me like fire and comfort at the same time.
The moment feels like magic. Like we're finally, truly... home.
The veil lies folded beside her now.
Ashiana sits quietly, fingers playing with the edge of her lehenga, eyes lowered, cheeks blooming red.
Aarav sitting beside her, the usually unshakeable man suddenly unsure how to begin.
The room is filled with soft jasmine fragrance but between the two of them
complete silence.
Not the uncomfortable kind.
Not the cold kind.
Just two people overwhelmed beyond words.
She lifts her eyes for a second.
He looks at her at the same time.
Both immediately look away.
A tiny, shy smile appears on her lips.
A faint amused exhale escapes him.
Another moment passes.
No one speaks.
Ashiana, who always talks nonstop who teased him, who planned ten reactions for him sits there now, speechless, searching for words that refuse to come.
Aarav, who commands empires with a single sentence, who can intimidate with silence finds himself struggling to fill this one.
He steps closer.
She straightens just a little.
He sits beside her on the bed, leaving just a few inches of space.
The mattress dips slightly under his weight, and her bangles clink softly.
They glance at each other again.
This time, neither looks away.
She opens her mouth to speak nothing comes out.
He lifts a hand, as if wanting to say something but even he can't.
The silence stretches... gentle, warm, fragile.
Two newlyweds.
Two hearts racing.
Both waiting for the other to speak first.
Aarav finally lets out a tiny chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief at the situation.
Ashiana bites her lip, flustered, eyes sparkling with a shy embarrassment even she is not used to.
The silence is still there but now it's sweet. Comfortable. Full of unsaid things.
And between them a soft warmth finally begins to melt the awkwardness.
Aarav's POV
She finally speaks.
"Aarav... you know... Prerna di and Meera di told me... that... many things happen tonight..."
She looks up at me with those wide, innocent eyes.
"...you knows na... I mean what they mean to say..."
Damn.
My pulse stops.
Starts again.
Harder.
She's sitting in front of me my wife beautiful, shy, nervously twisting her dupatta like she genuinely doesn't understand what she's hinting at.
Her innocence is going to be the death of me.
I drag in a slow breath, trying to keep my expression neutral.
Trying not to grab her right now.
"She told you... many things happen tonight?" I repeat slowly, watching her cheeks heat.
She nods like a flustered child, swallowing.
"I–I don't know what they mean... but they were giggling sooo much..." she rambles, eyes darting away, "and they said 'Ashiana, you'll understand tonight'... but I don't know what I'll understand..."
Her voice gets softer at the end, almost a whisper.
Almost... scared.
Almost tempting.
I bite the inside of my cheek to control the smirk threatening to appear.
She has no idea what she's doing to me.
"You really don't know?" I ask, leaning slightly closer.
My voice is calm. Too calm. The kind of calm I use before something explodes inside me.
She shrinks back just a little, clutching her lehenga.
Her lashes flutter.
"N–No..." she murmurs, cheeks turning a deeper red, "but... you... you know, na?"
I do.
And if she keeps talking like this...
I won't be able to hold back much longer.
I sit a little closer, brushing a knuckle gently along the back of her hand.
"Yes, Ashiana," I say quietly, eyes fixed on her lips. "I know exactly what happens tonight."
Her breath stutters.
"And if you really want," I add, lowering my voice, "I can show you... what they meant."
She looks so innocent...
So confused...
So mine.
Her veil slips slightly and I gently push it back, letting my fingers trail down her cheek.
She gasps soft, startled and it's the cutest, most dangerous sound I've ever heard.
I lean in closer, my voice dropping to a low, molten whisper.
"Do you want to know," I ask, brushing my thumb over her lower lip, "what a husband does on his wedding night?"
Her eyes widen.
Her chest rises and falls faster.
She grips the bedsheet like she's holding on for life.
"Aarav..." she whispers, my name trembling from her lips, "I... I don't know..."
I smile slow, teasing, bold.
"Then let me teach you."
I take her hand small, warm, trembling and place it over my heart.
"Feel that?" I ask.
She nods shyly.
"That's what you do to me. Every time you look at me. Every time you say my name."
Her breath hitches.
I lift her chin gently with my fingers, forcing her eyes to meet mine.
"You've been teasing me since haldi..." I murmur, leaning dangerously close, "since sangeet... since terrace..."
She blushes hard, eyes dropping again.
I don't let them drop.
I tilt her face back.
"Look at me, Ashiana."
She obeys.
Good.
I slide my hand around her waist, pulling her just a hint closer enough for her to feel the heat but still leaving space to breathe.
She lets out a tiny sound half shock, half something else.
"Tonight isn't scary," I whisper against her ear, my breath brushing her skin, "it's beautiful."
Her fingers curl into my sherwani.
"And I won't do anything you don't want," I add softly, brushing a kiss to her forehead, "but if you say yes... even once... I won't stop."
Her whole body shivers.
I pull back just enough to see her expression.
Red cheeks.
Glassy eyes.
Lips slightly parted.
Completely overwhelmed.
Perfect.
I cup her face in both hands.
"So tell me, Mrs. Malhotra," I say bold, warm, teasing,
"do you want me to stop... or continue?"
Before I can react, she grabs the collar of my sherwani and pulls me down with surprising force.
"O-offooo... Mr. Slow..." she mutters, cheeks flaring red but eyes blazing,
"you are so stupid."
For a second, I freeze.
Did my wife...
My shy, blushing, sweet Ashiana...
Just call me stupid?
And then
She kisses me.
Not soft.
Not hesitant.
Not shy.
But hard. Fierce. Claiming.
My breath leaves my lungs.
My hands instantly tighten around her waist.
She rises on her knees on the bed, still in her bridal lehenga, fingers clutching me like she's waited a lifetime for this.
The kiss deepens, fiery sweet, her lips warm and urgent against mine.
I groan against her mouth, pulling her closer.
"So that's how it is?" I murmur when she finally lets me breathe, my forehead resting against hers.
"You kiss me senseless and I'm stupid?"
She bites her lip bold and adorable.
"Very stupid," she teases, poking my chest.
"I waited since evening. And you were doing slow acting like a film hero..."
I chuckle, sliding my hand along her back, pulling her flush to me.
"Oh trust me, Mrs. Malhotra," I whisper against her ear, "slow is the last thing I'm planning to be tonight."
She gasps, gripping me tighter.
Then challenging me she says, breathless:
"Good. Prove it."
And that was it.
The last thread of control snapped.
I kiss her again harder, deeper lifting her slightly so she melts into me, her hands threading into my hair, her heartbeat thundering against my chest.
Her bridal bangles jingle, her veil slips, and all I feel is her—
my wife, my fire, my world.
Everything else disappears.
The moment turns breathless.
Teir mouths still tangled in a hungry kiss, Aarav's fingers slide up to her earrings.
He brushes my cheek once soft, asking
then gently removes one earring... then the other all while never fully breaking the kiss.
The tiny clink of jewelry falling onto the bedspread mixes with the sound of their uneven breathing.
she tug him closer by his collar, lips chasing his, kissing him again—
deeper, faster.
He exhales a low growl of a laugh against her lips.
"So impatient," he murmurs.
she don't even deny it.
her hands fly to the heavy bridal necklace around her neck, fumbling.
Aarav catches her hands, smirks, and whispers against her jaw
"Let me."
He unhooks the necklace with practiced ease, letting it slide into his palm.
she use the same moment to snatch off the bangles from one wrist
cling, cling, cling
they fall beside us as she pull him down again.
This time the kiss is messy breathless
like they can't decide who reaches who first.
He kisses her.
she kiss him back harder.
He pulls off the maang-tikka.
she remove the heavy pins from her hairs.
He takes off her ring.
she unbutton two buttons on his sherwani in revenge, smirking into the kiss.
their lips meet again and again and again
soft, slow, urgent, teasing, claiming
as every piece of jewelry and accessory drops away one by one.
By the time he finally cups her face between his palms, both of them are flushed, breathing hard, jewelry scattered around like fallen stars.
Aarav leans his forehead to mine and whispers, voice rough
"Tonight... you're mine, Mrs. Malhotra."
Ashiana smile, lips brushing his.
"I already am."
He kisses her again
and this one feels like the beginning of forever.