CHAPTER 61
ADITI
It’s way too early for sane people to be out of bed, and yet here we are.
Or… here I am, practically dragging Abhimaan up a mountain before the sun is even properly awake.
The sky is still that deep, sleepy blue, with streaks of gold and pink starting to sneak in from the horizon.
The air is cold enough to bite, but it feels clean—sharp in my lungs, almost like it’s trying to scrub the nerves right out of me.
Spoiler: it’s not working. My palms are sweaty.
My heart is doing cartwheels. And my brain is screaming, "Aditi, you’re insane. " What if he says no?
Behind me, Abhimaan mutters under his breath for maybe the sixth time in the last fifteen minutes, “Aditi, this better have a good reason.”
I can’t help it—I laugh, though it comes out a little too high-pitched. “Why? Your old ass can’t climb a mountain?”
He shoots me a flat look, even as he keeps pace with me. “I’m not old.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, baby,” I sing-song, trying to distract myself from the fact that my legs are burning and we’re nowhere near the top yet.
We keep climbing. It’s quiet except for the crunch of our shoes on the dirt trail and the occasional sound of our breath puffing out in the cold air. The trees around us thin out the higher we go, and finally—finally—we reach the peak.
And oh.
Oh.
The view hits me in the chest like a slow-motion punch.
Below us, the world looks small, wrapped in a soft blanket of morning fog.
The sun is just lifting its head over the horizon, spilling molten gold across the valley.
The light makes the tips of the trees glow, like someone dipped them in honey.
It’s silent—the kind of quiet that makes you feel like you’re the only two people alive.
“See? It’s beautiful,” I say softly, my eyes fixed on the sun.
“Yes, it is,” he murmurs.
I turn to look at him—and find him looking at me instead of the view. That stupid, warm blush climbs my cheeks before I can stop it. I swat his bicep. “You’re corny.”
He laughs, stepping forward and closing his eyes for a moment, breathing deep like he’s trying to store the whole morning in his lungs. The wind messes with his hair, and it’s… well, yeah. Perfect. Too perfect.
My hands are shaking as I slide them into my jacket pocket and wrap my fingers around the small box. My heart is thudding so loud I’m sure it’s echoing off the mountainside.
Okay. Do it now. Before you chicken out.
I drop to one knee.
His eyes open and immediately widen. “Aditi—”
“Wait,” I blurt before he can say anything. “Let me just—” I take a deep breath. “I brought you here so you could understand the significance of us. Of what you mean to me.”
I look up at him, and my throat tightens. “Abhimaan, when I first saw you, all I could think was, ‘Wow.’ That’s a very handsome, arrogant man who has no manners or kindness at all.”
That earns me a snort, but I keep going.
“But then I got to know you. And I discovered you’re kind in your own ways.
You don’t sugarcoat things like everyone else, but you always have the best intentions.
You’re strong. And stubborn. And… I admire you for all of it.
Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you—and that might just be the best thing I’ve ever done. ”
The lump in my throat is getting bigger. I open the box with trembling fingers. “If you would do me the honor of marrying me, it would make me the happiest person alive.”
He’s quiet for half a second that feels like a year. Then, instead of answering, he bends down on one knee in front of me. My brain short-circuits.
“Aditi,” he says softly, “would you believe me if I told you I’ve been planning to propose to you for two months?”
I blink. “Then why didn’t you, you dummy?”
He chuckles. “Because you’re busy building your dream, and I didn’t want to pressure you or distract you from it.”
“You are neither a distraction nor pressure to me,” I say immediately. My voice is firmer than I expect.
He smiles, then nods toward the horizon.
“See that sunrise? Like the sun, we’ll have ups and downs.
But I want you to know—I will always stand by your side.
I will always love you and cherish you. I didn’t think I was capable of happiness, but here we are.
And how could I not be when I’m in love with a stubborn, strong-headed woman? ”
I gasp dramatically, and he grins.
“So, Ms. Aditi Malhotra… Would it be okay if I stole your surname?” He winces. “That sounded way better in my head.”
A laugh bursts out of me, so big it makes my chest ache. I throw my arms around him, still holding the ring box in my hand. “Yes. You can have my surname, Abhimaan. It definitely suits you.”
His arms wrap around me, squeezing tight. His voice drops to a whisper against my ear. “You’re my family. My everything. Thank you for choosing Varuna for your internship, or I’d still be a miserable pain in the ass.”
“What makes you think you’re not that now?” I tease, and he laughs into my hair.
But then I pull back just enough to meet his eyes. “However you are… you’re mine. And I’m yours.”
He searches my face for a moment. “So can I marry you then?”
“Yes,” I grin, “please do that.”
We both slide the rings onto each other’s fingers.
My hands shake, not because I’m unsure, but because this moment feels so monumental that my body can’t seem to contain it.
His fingers are warm—calloused from everything life has made him endure—and as the metal settles against my skin, it feels less like a piece of jewelry and more like a promise carved into eternity.
When he leans in and kisses me, the sunrise spills over the horizon; it is beautiful, but it’s nothing compared to the warmth curling through my chest. This warmth is deeper, richer—born from everything we’ve been through.
The battles, the misunderstandings, the moments we thought might break us.
Especially him… He’s carried so much on his shoulders and fought wars I could barely see, let alone understand.
And yet, here he is, standing before me, letting me in, letting me love him.
I didn’t realize how incomplete I was until he walked into my life.
I had thought I was whole, content in my own world, but he was the missing piece of a puzzle I didn’t even know I was trying to solve.
Now that he’s here, now that this piece has clicked into place, I can see the whole picture—and it’s more beautiful than I could have imagined.
His lips linger against mine, the kiss deepening just enough to say all the things words never could. And in that moment, with the sun rising behind us and his heartbeat steady against my palm, I know—this is forever.