chapter 10 "Between Silence and Stolen Glances"
it's a dinner time
Ira sat among her new family, sharing a meal like she truly belonged.
The dining table was filled with laughter, teasing, and a warmth she hadn’t expected. Aarav’s father playfully flirted with his wife, making the younger ones groan.
"Bade papa, stop embarrassing badi maa,you make me feel so single" Kabir complained, but his grin said he was used to this.
"Let your bade papa be, Kabir," Sunita, Aarav’s mother, said with a soft smile. "It’s good to see he still remembers romance."
Ira smiled as she quietly ate. This family… they were different from hers, but in moments like these, they reminded her of what she once had—a home filled with love, laughter, and small, stolen moments.
Aarav sat beside her, mostly silent, his eyes scanning the table. But for the first time, she noticed… he wasn’t completely detached. He was watching them. He was listening.
And when his father threw a teasing remark at him, a ghost of a smirk tugged at his lips.
For a moment, Ira forgot everything—the contract, the conditions, the coldness between them.
Tonight, she wasn’t just Ira Sharma, the girl trapped in a marriage of convenience.
Tonight, she was Ira Malhotra, a daughter-in-law, a part of this family.
Or at least, she let herself believe it.
Ira tossed and turned, her mind restless. This house was still unfamiliar, and no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t ignore the feeling of being in a strange place.
Finally, she gave up. Slipping out of bed, she wrapped a dupatta around her shoulders and stepped out onto the balcony.
What she didn’t expect was to find Aarav already there.
He stood against the railing, hands in his pockets, eyes lost in the city skyline. He looked untouchable, unreadable.
She hesitated. Maybe she should turn back.
But before she could, his deep voice broke the silence.
"You’re awake too?"
She blinked, caught off guard.
"So are you," she replied softly.
Aarav exhaled, glancing at her briefly before looking away. "Couldn’t sleep."
"Me neither," she admitted. "New place… I guess I’m still adjusting."
Aarav didn’t respond, but he didn’t walk away either. That was something, right?
After a long silence, Ira spoke again.
"Before my father fell ill, my home used to be like this… filled with laughter, teasing, warmth." Her voice was soft, distant, as if lost in memories.
"Everything changed when he got sick."
Aarav turned his head slightly, listening.
"I never realized how fragile happiness is until then," she continued. "One moment, you’re laughing with your family. The next… everything is different."
He didn’t reply, but something shifted in his posture.
Then, to her surprise, he spoke.
"My father still flirts with my mother like they’re newlyweds."
Ira blinked, not expecting him to share anything.
"Kabir once got caught sneaking out at night. Grandpa lectured him for two hours, and Mom made him drink haldi doodh like he had a fever."
Her lips twitched into a small smile.
"And you?" she asked. "Were you ever scolded?"
Aarav smirked, a rare sight. "I never got caught."
Ira let out a soft laugh, and for a second, it was as if the tension between them vanished.
The conversation faded into a comfortable silence. They both leaned against the railing, side by side.
Aarav glanced at her, observing her without realizing it.
Her innocence.
Her simplicity.
The way the moonlight softened her face.
She didn’t belong to his world, yet here she was. His wife, but not his.
Ira, on the other hand, stole a glance at him.
His sharp jawline.
His well-built frame.
The faint dark circles under his eyes.
A man who carried more than he said.
Their eyes met.
A second stretched into eternity.
Neither spoke. Neither looked away.
Something shifted. Something changed.
But neither acknowledge it
Aarav was the first to break the moment.
"It’s late. You should sleep."
Ira nodded, turning to leave.
But just as she reached the door, his voice stopped her.
"...Goodnight, Ira."
She stilled.
For the first time, he had said her name without coldness, without distance.
She turned back, meeting his gaze.
And then, with a small, soft smile, she whispered—
"Goodnight, Aarav."
"As she stepped back inside, she didn’t realize—somewhere between the silence and stolen glances, the night had changed something between them."