Chapter 32 #2
Arundhati had a different glow about her as she stepped into Verma and Associates that day.
Her smile lingered constantly like sunshine on her lips.
She looked visibly relaxed and happy after a long time.
A couple of her colleagues even stopped her on the way, teasing and asking what the reason was behind her cheerful mood.
She only laughed it off, brushing away their questions.
She wasn’t ready to make anything official yet.
Not without Kushal standing beside her, saying it out loud, claiming her openly the way she secretly craved.
Later that evening, she walked into her uncle Raj’s cabin with a steaming mug of coffee for him. He was hunched over his laptop, typing furiously, but the moment his eyes landed on her, his face broke into a smile.
“Coffee for me?” he said, pushing the laptop aside. “Where’s the heart on it?”
Arundhati froze for a second, recalling the heart she had made on Kushal’s coffee the other day, the one he had rejected with that stubborn pride of his. Raj uncle had ended up drinking it instead. Now her lips curved slowly as she placed the mug before him.
“You already have my heart, Uncle,” she teased softly.
Raj chuckled, sipping the coffee, eyes narrowing with mischief. “And what’s special today? You don’t usually pamper me like this.”
Her smile softened. “Because you are my lucky charm… and I wanted to say thank you. What better way than with your favourite coffee?”
“Lucky charm, am I?” He leaned back, intrigued. “What did I do? I don’t recall anything significant lately.”
Her eyes shimmered as she shook her head. “You’ve done too much for me… ever since childhood. But the best gift you ever gave me was Kushal. You’re the one who proposed our marriage to him.”
Raj’s smile faltered as he became a bit emotional, but Arundhati wasn’t done yet.
“And last night,” she added quietly, “after you left… things between us started mending too. Slowly, but surely. That’s why I said you are lucky for us.”
Raj’s brows lifted in surprise, his heart thudding with hope for the two of them. “Really?” he asked, leaning forward, eager. “What exactly happened?”
That was when the door knocked, and Kushal walked in.
Even after a long, exhausting day at court, he carried that devastating aura with him.
Even the faint shadow of fatigue was unable to dim his sharp features.
His eyes immediately sought her, catching her in one brief, wordless glance that lingered long enough to make her insides flip.
A faint smile tugged at his mouth, but he quickly turned toward Raj, slipping back into his serious tone.
“We won the Mittal case,” he announced proudly as he pushed the thick court file onto the desk. “The decision was in our favour.”
Raj’s face lit up. He shot up from his chair, beaming, and embraced Kushal warmly. “Congratulations, Kushal. I knew you’d get it. You always do.”
Arundhati too looked at him with the same pride. “Congratulations, Kushal.”
For a beat, their eyes met again. The heat in his gaze was unmissable, like he wanted more from her than just a polite word. Like he wanted her to say it differently. To say it with the same intimacy they had between us the last night.
Raj noticed the charged silence between them, the way they were staring as though no one else in the world existed. He cleared his throat loudly, but neither Kushal nor Arundhati flinched.
Thankfully for him, the shrill ring of his extension phone broke the moment. He answered, frowned slightly, and then said, “A client’s waiting for me in the conference room.”
He gave the two of them one last knowing look before excusing himself and leaving the cabin.
And just like that, they were alone.
Kushal finally turned to her. “You didn’t wish me.”
“I did.”
He stepped closer, before his hand slid around her wrist, tugging her toward him until there was barely an inch between their bodies. “That’s not how wives congratulate their husbands. If we’re working on this marriage, Aru… we need to upgrade our ways of celebration too.”
Her brows lifted, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.
She knew exactly what he meant. Her eyes glinted as she leaned forward on her toes and pressed her lips against his cheek.
It was a soft, wet, lingering kiss. She made sure to take her time, letting her lips graze and linger deliberately before pulling away with maddening slowness.
He liked it, but damn her, she had kissed his cheek. His cheek? When what he wanted, what he burned for, was her lips on his? But this was their game. Torturing each other, testing who would bend first.
Still holding his gaze, she murmured, teasingly. “Congratulations, Kushal. You had to win. I never doubted your intelligence or your capabilities.”
He smirked darkly. “But you doubted my love.”
Her brows drew together in mock confusion.
“Did I?” she countered. “I don’t remember you ever telling me you loved me. Did you already do that? Please remind me when—”
The challenge in her voice stabbed straight through him. And she wasn’t wrong. They had never said it. Never spoken those three words the way they should have, and it was high time now!
He released her abruptly, stepping back. For a moment, she worried she had pushed too far. But then she caught the flicker of mischief in his eyes, that dangerous curve of his mouth, and relief rushed through her veins.
“Time to make some serious amends then,” he said.
“Absolutely,” she replied instantly, matching his tone, her eyes sparking. “We need to go in order. Date first. Then comes the proposal. Kiss. And then…” Her smile curved wickedly as she let the rest hang in the air.
He narrowed his eyes. “You think we are going to wait that long?”
She shrugged, cocking her head like the innocent temptress she was. “I would. But I can’t say the same about you. Either way, we are going to do this order-wise this time.”
His hot and intense gaze locked onto hers before he accepted her challenge. “Then let’s start with a dinner date. Tonight. Let’s see who breaks the order first.”
She arched a brow, agreeing to his challenge. “Any dress code?”
He thought for a moment, letting the silence stretch as his gaze raked over her pretty face. “Surprise me.”
Before she could bite back, the door creaked open and Akash stumbled in, clutching a file. His eyes widened as he froze at the sight of them standing far too close.
“Uh…I was looking for Mr. Verma. Sorry, you please carry on!” he stammered and immediately backed out, disappearing like smoke.
Arundhati’s cheeks flushed as she quickly turned toward the door. She was halfway out when Kushal’s voice followed her. “We’re leaving at eight. I have work to finish before then.”
She turned just enough to meet his eyes once more. “Eight sharp,” she confirmed softly, and then walked away.
What would she wear? Something bold. Something unforgettable. Something that would make him lose the control he prided himself on? She didn’t have much time to prepare.
****************
Kushal finally wrapped up with the client around 7:45 p.m. Although he was tired, the moment he checked his phone, all his exhaustion vanished. Her text blinked on the screen:
‘I’ll be waiting at the parking lot, sharp at 08:00… at your car.’
Excitement pulsed through him. This wasn’t just a dinner.
It was their first step in starting over.
He quickly stripped out of his court-worn shirt, tugged on a fresh crisp one from his cabin closet, and slipped into another smart suit.
He had always kept spare suits stocked in his office for emergencies—unexpected client meetings, sudden trials.
Never had he imagined he’d be using them to walk into a date… with his wife.
By the time he stepped out, the office was nearly empty. He bid quick goodbyes to the handful of staff still lingering and made his way to the elevator.
The clock hit 8:00 p.m. as he entered the underground parking, and there she was…leaning casually against his car. His wife.
Kushal froze.
Holy f*ck.
He had asked her to surprise him, but that didn’t mean he had expected her to wear something like this.
Maroon was his weakness, especially when she wore it on her body. And this time it wasn’t in the form of a saree. No, she had gone further, pushed the line into dangerously sinful territory.
She wore a maroon bodycon dress that hugged every inch of her, with those thin spaghetti straps holding it over her shoulders. The hem barely kissed her knees, and a teasing slit on her right thigh offered just enough of a promise to wreck his focus entirely throughout their dinner date.
His throat went dry. Because one look at her and his first instinct was not dinner. It was to reach her, drive home straight, and spend the night showing her just what wearing that did to him.
He didn’t realise he had almost slowed down his walking speed to 0.5x. She saw it and even read every unfiltered thought flashing across his face.
By the time he finally reached her, she pushed off the car with a sway that made his jaw clench.
Rising slightly on her heels, she leaned in close, wanting him to take the fragrance of his favourite perfume.
She’d been purposely wearing it for him tonight, the same scent that had haunted him in his sleep during their initial months of their marriage.
“I guess I know who’s going to break the order first…” she whispered, her lips brushing dangerously close to his ear. “And it’s not me.”
Heat blazed down his spine. Damn her. She was right. He could already feel the walls of his restraint crumbling.
He bit the inside of his cheek hard, forcing back the growl before looking at her again.
“Let’s see,” he muttered low before he reached for the handle of the car door for her.
She turned around to slide into the seat. The faint stretch of her body as she leaned in, the sway of her hips, the view of her perfect, rounded bottom…he saw it all, and it hit him like fire to gasoline.
Because f*ck, he was already hard. Just like that. One single move from her, and his body betrayed him.
He shut the door a little too firmly, dragging in a ragged breath as he straightened.
If she looked at him right now, she’d know.
She’d see exactly how undone he was by one simple, sensual act of her getting into his car at the front passenger seat.
If this was him even before the start of their dinner date, how the hell was he supposed to follow the order that she was so particular about tonight?
God help him indeed.