HAPPY ENDING
Sheets loosely tangled around their bare bodies, skin still warm from hours of kissing, touching, loving each other without pause a different kind of hunger, a different kind of madness.
Ashiana lay curled on Aarav's chest, her fingers lazily tracing the lines of his collarbone.
Their breaths were slowly settling, but their bodies were still trembling from everything they had done.
Aarav's arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, thumb stroking her skin as if he couldn't stop touching her for even a second.
The terrace was silent... only the soft rustle of the night breeze and their heartbeat.
Ashiana tilted her face up toward the glowing sky, her cheeks flushed, her lips still swollen from his kisses, and whispered softly, almost dreamily
"Aaraavvv... look... how beautiful the sky is looking today... right?"
Aarav turned his head, watching her instead of the sky her bright eyes, her flushed face, her messy hair falling on his chest.
He whispered huskily, voice still rough from everything they had done
"Hmm... the sky is beautiful..."
He gently cupped her face.
"...par mere paas jo hai... usse zyada khoobsurat kuch nahi."
(but not more than what i have)
Ashiana blushes deeper, burying her face in his neck.
His grip tightens around her bare waist, pulling her even closer like he wants her body merged with his.
She giggles softly, breath brushing his skin.
Aarav presses a kiss on her forehead, slow and lingering.
The stars shine above them
The candles flicker
The blankets wrap them in warmth
And for the first time in months
Ashiana feels completely at peace in his arms.
then she suddenly sits wrapping blanket at her patting her hand at her forehead
I watched her scramble around the canopy like a panicked little storm, blanket wrapped around her bare body, hair messy, cheeks glowing red, mumbling,
"Hey Bhagwaan... see aarav, your love makes me forget everything..."
And God my heart actually hurt with how adorable she looked.
She finally found the velvet box and the card hidden under the table and rushed back to me, breathless, flustered, glowing like a firefly.
She sat in front of me, blanket slipping a little, eyes shining, and extended the gift with both hands.
"Aarav... this is for you..."
she whispered, blushing so hard she had to look away for a second.
For a moment, I just... stared at her.
The candles flickered behind her, the breeze lifted her hair, the blanket hugged her curves and she looked like the universe's most beautiful, precious chaos... my chaos... my wife.
Slowly, I took the velvet box from her trembling hands, but instead of opening it, my fingers slid over hers.
"Arshi..."
my voice came out low, rough, already full,
"you didn't have to get me anything... I already have the biggest gift sitting right in front of me."
Her breath hitched.
Her eyes softened.
She whispered,
"Aarav... open it, na..."
I smiled, cupping her cheek with one hand as I slowly opened the box with the other.
My breath caught the moment I opened the box.
Two small velvet cases
Her fingers trembling
Her eyes shimmering under the moonlight
God, the woman could kill me without a gun.
She pushed the box toward me and whispered,
"Aarav... these are for you..."
I opened the first caseand froze.
Inside lay a solid black ring, heavy, masculine, engraved in bold metal
A.M.
My initials.
But not simple engravingit had that dark, powerful aura the exact kind of thing a mafia king would wear.
My chest tightened.
She bought this... for me?
Before I could speak, she opened the second box and held it close to me like it was everything.
A delicate chain
silver
simple
but the pendant
"ASHIARAV"
Not printed.
Not carved.
Melted together.
Ashi for herArav for me
Our name.
Our identity.
Our world.
My heart actually skipped.
I looked at her hair messy from our hours of madness, wrapped in my blanket, glowing, nervous, excited, shy... all at once.
And she whispered, barely audible,
"I... I wanted you to have something that's yours... and mine... together."
I swear, no bullet in the world could hit as hard as that line.
I cupped her face gently and said, voice rough from everything we just did,
"Ashiana... do you even know what you're doing to me?"
She blinked up.
I took the chain, slid it around my neck slowly, deliberately, letting my fingers brush her collarbone.
Then I held out my hand.
"Put the ring on me."
She nodded quickly, her hands trembling as she slid the mafia-styled ring onto my finger.
I caught her wrist, pulled her onto my lap again her legs wrapping my waist, her breath catching against mine.
And I whispered against her lips,
"You didn't ruin anything... You made tonight perfect. Just like you made...me yours."
Her blush deepened visibly.
I pressed the pendant against her chest softly and said,
"From now on... wherever I go... whatever I become... I want this name on me."
She bit her lip, eyes shining.
I kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips slow this time, full of gratitude and possession.
Then I whispered huskily,
"Now come here, Mrs. Malhotra... because the night is still very, very long."
then he said ''wait mr. malhotra this is left too..''
Aarav sat there, half-covered in the blanket, hair messy, breaths still uneven from the hours you'd spent tangled together.
The moment her handed him the envelope, he had smirked... but the second he opened it and started reading her letter, that smirk slowly... slowly faded into something softer.
Something only she ever brought out of him.
His stormy grey eyes moved over each line, and with every word, something in his chest tightened.
By the time he finished, the paper trembled slightly between his fingers.
MYPOKKIE KUCH PUCHUU HUSBAND AARAV
I LOve you so much
you know my day starts with your name and.. ends with your screams oppsss.. see you makes me crazy at nights that i cant even know that i m this bold
ummm but... you know what i actually loves your every bit your stormy grey eyes your lips ufff just dangerouslly mine and your hands those damn hands uffffff its looks more sexier when lifts gun
and your abs heeyy bhagwaan... i screams whenever i sees them and your that my.. cute big.. that aarav uff it just sended shiver even thinking about it... aarav ..
i loves every thing of you but..the most beautiful thing is your soul..
you know you may .. be.. world thinks that you are cruel or rude .. but.. you know ... its the most beautiful you may rule whole world with fear but you know this your malhotra family you know you rules every heart here with love and respect
i seen in every eyes like how aditya bhaiyaa sees you with a most best person as best friend i seen how raghav and kabir bhaiyaa sees you as a most lovable elder brother who takes care of his family as a shield i seen how prerna and megha di sees you as a elder brother who respects each woman even if its family or outside the world because you remember when i was just joined your office as intern and you helped me by dropping me at home in the heavy rain and helped me by giving warm water in my cramps even when i was nothing for you but just intern
and i seen in raj s eyes that little boy admires you and you are his role model yes you aarav..
i know what you feeling right now while reading this but its all true aarav.
. and this is my aarav the person whom i loved who gave me stregnth to fight against wrong.
. who taught me how to face the bad times of life and your love gives me the strength to stand against the world against the person who lays finger on me you or us. ..
and thankyou very much aarav.. for giving me everything a sweet family.. and because of you only i got my brother back... aarav.. you are the reason of my life...
i love you my blessing of bhagwaan ji.. my aarav.. my everything
Aarav's pov
For a long momentI didn't move.
Couldn't move.
The envelope lay open on my lap, her handwriting poured across the sheet like she had spilled her entire heart into it unfiltered... innocent... fiery... painfully hers.
My throat locked.
My chest... damn... it actually hurt.
I blinked once.
Twice.
Trying to breathe.
Trying to understand how a man like me who lived in the shadows, who killed without blinking, who spent years believing he was born only for blood and fear ended up with a woman who wrote things like "my pokkie kuchu-puchu husband."
A laugh escaped me
shaky... broken...
followed by a burn rising in my eyes.
I cupped the back of her head gently, resting my forehead on hers, breathing her in as she sat close, wrapped in the blanket, cheeks flaming red because she knew exactly what she wrote.
"Ashiana..."
My voice cracked like someone had punched me in the lungs.
The letter slipped slightly from my fingers not because it was heavy... but because her love was.
My eyes moved over her words again:
"your stormy grey eyes... your hands when you lift guns... your abs... your cute big little Aarav—"
I choked on a breath, pulling her closer as she giggled in embarrassment.
Then the words that shattered me:
"You rule the world with fear... but you rule us with love... you're my strength... my reason... my everything..."
A tear actually slipped from my eye.
Me.
Aarav Malhotra.
The man who didn't flinch even when bullets grazed his skin.
I closed the distance, pressing a trembling kiss on her forehead.
"Arshi..."
I whispered her old name... her real name... the name that tied her to a family she thought she'd lost forever.
"Do you even know what you've done to me?"
She looked up, innocent eyes shining.
I cupped her face almost reverently like she was the most untouchable thing in this goddamn universe.
"You think I'm the reason of your existence?"
I whispered, voice rough, low, breaking.
"Baby... you brought me back to life."
She froze.
"You took a man who only knew how to destroy..."
I swallowed hard.
"...and taught him how to feel."
My thumb brushed her cheek.
"You made me a brother again. A son. A protector. A man. A husband."
I kissed her nose lightly.
"And now with this letter... you've made me something I never thought I'd be."
I inhaled sharply.
"Loved. Completely. Entirely. Unconditionally."
She pressed a soft trembling hand on my chest.
"Aarav..."
"Shh."
I kissed her slowly deeply the kind of kiss that says everything my words couldn't.
When I pulled back, my forehead rested on hers, both of us breathless.
"I love you," I whispered, voice barely a breath.
"More than my breath... more than my blood... more than my life, Ashi."
My fingers tightened on her waist.
"You're not just the reason I live... sweetheart...
you're the reason I want to live."
And he hugged her tight almost crushing her into him burying his face in her neck, letting the last piece of his hardened soul melt into the only woman who ever touched it.
after few days
Her giggles were still echoing in my ears as I guided her out of the car. She kept tripping and stumbling because of the blindfold, clutching my arm dramatically.
"Aarav... ohh.. so now you giving me surpriseee.. hmm..."
She teased, voice bubbling with excitement.
God... she was impossible.
And my heart... my heart was a puppet in her hands.
We walked a few more steps. She was smiling so wide beneath that blindfold— I could feel it.
I stopped.
Placed my hands gently on the knot behind her head.
"Ready?" I whispered.
She nodded furiously.
I removed the blindfold.
And her world froze.
Her breath left her chest. Her lips parted. Her hands flew slowly to her mouth as if her body was trying to keep up with what her eyes were seeing.
A big white building.
Beautiful garden.
Children's toys lined neatly.
Wind chimes.
Warm colours.
And a bold signboard:
"ASHIANA – A Home of Love."
Her name.
Her truth.
Her identity.
Everything she lost
Everything she gained
Everything she deserved.
She whispered, voice breaking,
"A... Aarav... this..."
I stepped closer. My throat tightened, but I spoke.
"Months ago, the day we married... I started this."
I looked at the building our building.
"I wanted to give you what you never got. A home that chooses you. A home that doesn't break. A home full of laughter, not lies."
She turned to me, tears filling her eyes, hands trembling.
"And..." I continued, "This place... these walls... this ground will be the safest place in the world. For every child who enters."
Right then, the gates opened.
Little children ran out laughing, cheering, some holding flowers, some holding hand-made cards.
One little girl hugged Ashiana's leg.
A small boy climbed straight into my arms.
Another child hugged both of us together.
And behind them Raghav, Kabir, Aditya, Prerna, and Meera came walking out, smiling like they were all part of this dream.
I softly cupped her cheek.
"It's yours, Ashiana. Every brick. Every smile. Every child. Your own orphanage."
Her tears spilled. She clutched my shirt, voice cracking.
"Aarav..."
I placed my forehead on hers and whispered:
"We'll adopt every child who comes here. No one will feel alone again. Not in your home. Not in our home."
She broke not in pain, but in overwhelming love.
And in that moment, surrounded by children, family, and a building that was her name, her identity, her new beginning
I realized
I hadn't given her surprise
I had given her a life she deserved.
A life full of love, belonging, and hope.
And damn I had never been prouder.
The Inauguration
The red ribbon stretched across the entrance.
Ashiana held the scissor with shaking hands while Aarav stood beside her, proud.
All the children chanted, "3... 2... 1..."
And the ribbon was cut.
Claps erupted.
Confetti flew.
The new beginning bloomed.
Inside, the orphanage was bright, colourful painted walls, tiny beds, shelves of toys, a library, a play area, and classrooms.
As they walked through each room, the family teased, laughed, pulled each other's cheeks, threw cushions, and created new memories in a place built for forgotten souls.
Raj climbed on Aarav's shoulders. Prerna and Meera admired the decorated walls. Raghav and Kabir argued about which kid looked like whom. Aditya smiled an unbroken, peaceful smile seeing his sister smiling so wide.
Ashiana wandered room to room, touching the walls with reverence... feeling everything her past, her pain, her healing, her new life.
Finally, they gathered in the garden.
A photographer said, "Everyone closer! Closer!"
They all laughed and squeezed together
Aarav's arm around Ashiana tightly,
Aditya's hand protectively on her head,
Raj in Raghav's arm,
Raghav and Kabir standing either sides expression playfully,
Prerna and Meeraon either sides of raghav and kabir holding their hands warmly,
Children hugging them from every side
A whole world of love in one frame.
Click.
The camera captured it:
A complete family.
A healed heart.
A new beginning.
A happy ending.
And as the breeze passed softly through the garden, Ashiana whispered to herself
A story of love that healed.
A family that completed.
And a destiny that finally came home.
? THE END ?