Chapter 34
34
N avya paced the front entrance of her home. It was late evening now, and she was waiting for Armaan. She opened the door as soon as she heard his footsteps and leapt into his arms. God, he was finally with her. Armaan held her tight, refusing to let go of her. What an ordeal they’d endured. Finally, they were safe from at least any immediate threat.
He lifted his head. “Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
He palmed her face. “I was so scared, Navya. You were with him and…”
She pressed her hand to his mouth. “I am safe. We both are.”
“You are the bravest woman I know. I am so proud of the way you handled yourself. Your idea to make a call through your watch was outstanding. The way you made him speak throughout was brilliant.”
“I’m just glad it’s over.” Navya held his hand. “Come on in. My parents want to meet the man I want to marry.”
She turned, tugging him forward. When he didn’t move, she swirled. “What happened?”
His mouth opened and closed. “You said marry.”
“Well, yeah,” she frowned, “Don’t you want to marry me?”
“I was going to propose today, once we reached home.”
“Home?”
“I thought we already established that you’re not living away from me. My home is your home now.”
“Well then, we better make it official first and then tell my family that I’m moving in with you.” She put her arms around him. “Armaan Oshnov, I love you. I didn’t know I was waiting for you. I didn’t know I needed you in my life. You came like a storm and carried me away with you. I can’t imagine a life without you. So, will you marry me and make me the happiest woman alive?”
Armaan chuckled. “I can’t believe I am getting proposed to by a girl who took the longest to admit that she likes me.”
She made a face. “Really? You’re making me wait for your answer?”
“What was the question?” Mischief sparkled in his eyes. The eyes that she loved so much. “I didn’t hear it clearly.”
She laughed. “Armaan Oshnov, will you marry me?”
“Yes.” Lifting her in his arms, he twirled her round and round. “Yes.”
Happiness spread over her. She leaned down and kissed his smiling mouth.
“Well, aren’t you going to give me your ring?” she asked.
Armaan put her on her toes. “You want my ring as an engagement ring?”
“It’s important to you, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s enough for me.”
Armaan removed his ring from his little finger and put it on her ring finger. Contentment washed over her. It looked perfect, resting on her finger. If only she hadn’t rejected it earlier.
“Hey, we are here right now because it was meant to be this way,” he said. “I have no regrets about anything.”
She gave him a watery smile. “How do you read my mind every single time?”
He grinned. “Now, for your engagement gift, shall I get you a silver Ferrari 488 Spider?”
Her mouth fell open. “W… What?” And then she shook her head. “Do you remember everything I say?”
“Yes. So, about the Ferrari. Why silver and not red?”
“Oh God, I was kidding that day, and no, you’re not getting me a Ferrari. Come, let’s go meet my parents.”
Her heart was singing with joy as she took him along to meet her parents. Everyone was waiting for her in the living room.
“He said yes!” Navya squealed the second she saw her family. “We are getting married.”
Sheena and Ananya squealed too. Seeing their mom excited, Nia started to bounced in her mom’s arms, screaming in delight and Shiven started jumping in place.
Navya looked at Armaan. He looked stunned by all the uproar around him. Everyone was talking excitedly to one another, while Shiven and Nia shrieked loudly.
Navya linked her fingers with Armaan’s. “Is this all a bit too much for you?”
“Yeah, I mean, it’s only been my brothers and me for so long. We’ve never been part of a loud, boisterous family. All this excitement, the noises, the chatter is different. Good different, but I’m not used to it.”
“I told them that I’m going to ask you to marry me, hence all these reactions. Let’s meet my parents. They’ve been waiting for you.”
Navya took Armaan to meet her mom first. Sara Mehra pulled Armaan in a hug. “I’m so happy to meet you. Thank you for bringing her home safe. Take care of her always.”
“I will,” Armaan promised. “Thank you for raising Navya to be the strong, brave, and beautiful woman that she is.”
Her mom gave him a warm smile.
Her dad, Anvay Mehra, shook Armaan’s hand. “I’m glad to finally meet the man my Navya selected. For a while, I thought I’d never see this day.”
Her dad drew Navya in a hug and kissed her forehead. “I’m so happy you finally decided to let go of your past and chose to take a chance on life. Be happy always.”
Her eyes watered. “Thanks, Dad. You are the best, you know.”
“That I am,” he said happily. “Reina and you were always meant to be ours.”
She nodded. Next, Ananya came to Armaan. She lifted her jaw and squinted her eyes at him.
“Oh God!” Navya rolled her eyes. “You know you don’t look intimidating in the least.”
“Be quiet,” Ananya said. “I’m thinking.”
“About what?” Armaan asked, looking confused.
“Whether to give you a hug and accept you like my parents did or to continue giving you a hard time for how you behaved with her in the past.”
Rajiv put an arm around Ananya’s shoulders. “I think you and I together will give him a hard time for the rest of his life. What say?”
“Rajiv,” Navya clucked her tongue. “Not you too.”
“Brilliant idea,” Ananya concurred.
“But we will give him some brownie points for teaching Navya to fight so well,” Rajiv said.
“Just a few,” Ananya said, eyes twinkling with laughter.
Armaan looked heavenward.
“Well,” Sheena said, handing her daughter to her father, “while you both contemplate on how to deal with him, I’m going to give him a hug and welcome him into our madness.”
Sheena enveloped Armaan in a hug. “You’re a part of us now, and you will learn that we love hard and protect each other always.”
“Works for me,” Armaan replied with a happy smile.
“Welcome to our world!” Rajiv shook Armaan’s hand.
“Thank you.”
“I believe Navya’s decided to move in with you,” Rajiv said.
“Honestly, I’ll sleep better knowing she’s with me and it will be safer for everyone.”
“Alright,” Rajiv said. “My parents weren’t too happy about it, but they’ll come around. I’ll ensure it.”
“Thank you,” Armaan told him.
“I trust your bodyguard has been taken care of,” Rajiv checked.
“Yes, he will never bother us again.”
“Good. What about your cousin?”
“By now, he must have known that he failed. He will hide for some days, and plot again, I’m certain. We will be ready this time.” He looked at Navya. “We have so much more to protect now.”
“Just remember, I’m here if you need me,” Rajiv said.
“Thank you, Rajiv.” Navya kissed her brother’s cheek. “Having you in our corner means the world to both of us. We are stronger because of you.”
“I second that,” Armaan said.
Rajiv smiled. Shiven tugged on Navya’s hand, pointing at Armaan. “Who’s he?”
Laughing, she lifted her nephew off the ground. Seeing her brother get all the attention, Nia raised her hands at Armaan.
“Do you mind if I take her?” Armaan asked him.
Rajiv handed Nia to him.
“This darling boy is Shiven,” Navya said. “And that princess is Nia. Shiven, Nia, say hi to your Uncle Armaan.”
“Hi.” Shiven stared at Armaan.
Armaan flicked his nose playfully. “He’s cute.”
“He knows that, don’t you?” Navya asked Shiven.
Totally uninterested in them, the little boy pointed to the floor.
“I want to play,” he said.
Navya dropped him on his feet, and he ran away to play with his toys.
Nia plucked Armaan’s cheeks, demanding attention from him.
“Oh, you know you’re the prettiest, isn’t it?” Armaan told her.
“She’s a proper little princess,” Navya said. “She wants all eyes on her, always.”
Seeing her brother playing with his toys, she said, “Down.”
Armaan gently put her on her feet, and she went running to her brother.
“Now, when is the wedding going to happen?” Ananya asked. “I’ll ensure Noir covers it as the wedding of the century. It’s been on my mind to start covering some big-ass weddings. I’ll start with yours.”
“Hey, I never said I wanted a loud wedding,” Navya protested.
“You’re my sister,” Rajiv said. “Your wedding will be loud. You can make it as private as you want, but it will be grand.”
“Oh God. There is so much to be done,” Ananya lamented. “We need to plan outfits, then caterers, and décor, so much to do. Wait, we have to tell Reina as well.” Ananya checked her time. “But she won’t answer now; she’s not off work yet.”
Navya shared a look with Armaan. Her family still didn’t know that Reina was treating Vedant in London and living with him. And while Armaan had assured her that Vedant wouldn’t hurt her, and yes, she believed him, Navya hated that her baby sister was unintentionally involved with Armaan’s other brother, albeit as his personal doctor. Their family, however, continued to think that Reina was working at the hospital.
Navya couldn’t wait for the day Vedant was fully recovered, and Reina would return to her own home. Only then she’d be able to breathe freely. While Vasily had been captured, the threat of Ivan still loomed over their lives and she didn’t want Reina mixed with anything concerning him.
“Well,” Ananya prodded. “When’s the wedding?”
“Will you take it a bit slow, please? She’s just proposed to me,” Armaan replied. “We need to talk about it amongst each another first.”
Navya smiled at her sister. It was heart-warming to see Ananya so excited. She ran a gaze down her sister. Ananya still was too damn thin, and the circles around her eyes were getting darker. Even her crop t-shirt was hanging off of her. God. Ananya needed to eat more. She needed to get healthier. She needed to start living again. Navya needed to have a serious conversation with her soon.
“Dinner is set,” her mom called out. “I’m sure everyone is hungry after the eventful day we’ve all had.”
All of them turned to go to the dining table, discussing options for her wedding.
Armaan curled his hand around Navya’s waist. “So, moya tigritsa , I told you that one day you’d like me enough to tell your brother about me. See, not only did you do that, you even introduced me to your whole family. And I got to meet your nephew and niece as well, like I wanted. Look how far we have come.”
She laughed recalling those moments between them so long ago. How hard she’d tried to resist him. How convinced she’d been that their relationship would be short-lived. How wrong she’d been. She couldn’t live a moment away from him.
She looked into his eyes. “Armaan, we are forever .”
“I’ve always known that; it’s taken you a long time to accept it. Ask me that question you always ask me.”
She frowned, and then her face cleared. “Why me, Armaan?
“Because you’re you, and you are the only woman who makes my heartbeat double, who makes my skin tingle, and who makes me believe in happily ever after. I’m in love with you, Navya Mehra. I’ve loved you for a long time now.”
She grinned. “I love you, Armaan Oshnov. You make me so happy. You make my heart sing in joy. You make my soul sigh in pleasure. You’ve taught me the meaning of true love.”
“You know, I remembered the events of the night of the attack. I remember seeing Vasily behind the pillar just before you told me that you love me.”
Her eyes rounded. “I’m glad you remember everything. I still feel so guilty about hurting you that night with my ill-spoken words, and the fact that you forgot I told you how I felt about you made me feel that the universe was punishing me.”
“Everything we went through was because it was meant to be that way. But we are together now, forever.” He kissed her lips. “Now come on, your family is waiting, and I am hungry.”
“And the faster we are done, the faster we can go home, and I get to make love to my fiancé.”
His smile lit up his face. Pulling her closer, he kissed her again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Everyone could wait a little bit. She needed some more time with the man she loved.