116. #2
After a moment of silence, Shaurya slowly lowered himself onto one knee and reached into his pocket, pulling out a delicate golden ribbon.
Every mafia family present watched with warm smiles.
"May I?" Shaurya asked softly.
"Always," Aarav replied with a gentle smile.
Carefully, Shaurya lifted Aarav's foot into his hands and tied the golden ribbon around his ankle.
Aarav drew in a shaky breath when Shaurya leaned down and pressed a tender kiss over the ribbon.
Around them, cameras clicked relentlessly. Eve stood nearby recording everything on her phone, tears streaming freely down her face. She had long since given up trying to stop crying.
"Will you stand up already?" Aarav laughed through his tears. "Don't complain later that your knees hurt."
Shaurya chuckled and rose to his feet.
He took Aarav's hand in his own and kissed the back of it.
"I promise I'll cherish you for the rest of my life."
The words were enough to break whatever composure Aarav had left.
Fresh tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Oh, come on," Anirudh groaned. "Why is he crying again? This is getting embarrassing."
Unfortunately for Aarav, the photographers chose that exact moment to capture another dozen pictures of him in tears.
Ravi watched the scene unfold before asking with a perfectly straight face,
"Is it okay if I laugh?"
Every head turned toward him as though he had committed a crime.
Yug, however, hadn't taken his eyes off the couple for a single second.
Noticing that, Ravi casually slipped an arm around Yug's shoulders.
Yug glanced at the arm before looking up at him.
"I hope you won't be this dramatic at our wedding," Ravi whispered with a teasing smile.
Yug let out a quiet scoff.
"They're just two people in love," he replied softly. "You don't have any right to judge them."
Ravi smiled but said nothing.
In front of them, Shaurya gently wiped the tears from Aarav's face before leaning in to kiss his forehead.
Aarav looked up at him, eyes still glistening.
The two simply stood there, smiling at each other, as though, for a brief moment, the rest of the world had disappeared.
--------------------------------------------------
The celebrations had finally come to an end.
One by one, the guests drifted toward their rooms and private lounges, the lively chatter slowly fading into the quiet night.
Yug walked through one of the estate's pathways.
A few metres behind him, Ravi followed at an unhurried pace.
After a while, Yug stopped and glanced over his shoulder.
Ravi stopped too.
Yug let out a sigh.
"Do I smell bad today?" he asked.
Ravi frowned, clearly confused.
"No... why?"
"Then walk next to me."
Ravi blinked before giving a small nod. He closed the distance between them, and they resumed walking side by side.
After a few quiet moments, Yug spoke again.
"Can I tell you something?"
A guest passing by waved goodbye.
Yug smiled politely and returned the wave before turning back to Ravi.
"Sure," Ravi replied.
"I've been thinking about this for a while." Yug rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I've barely been around this past month because of work. And... if you're free..."
He hesitated.
"...would you let me take you on a date?"
The words tumbled out before he could stop them.
"Don't judge me, but it honestly doesn't feel like we're dating. And... I don't exactly have any experience dating a man."
Ravi stared at him for a moment.
"Are you possessed?"
"I'm serious."
For once, Ravi didn't have an immediate sarcastic reply.
He scratched the back of his neck, genuinely surprised.
His silence made Yug increasingly nervous.
Normally Ravi would've teased him by now.
Instead, he simply kept walking.
Yug glanced down at Ravi's hand.
For the past few minutes, he'd been fighting the urge to reach for it.
But what if Ravi found it strange?
Or pulled away?
Must be the wine, Yug thought, blaming the glass he'd sipped earlier.
Or maybe it was Ravi himself.
The tailored brown suit fit him perfectly. His hair was neatly slicked back, and his signature sunglasses hung from the front of his shirt.
Yug looked away.
He'd always assumed that if a man noticed another man, it was because of admiration or jealousy. Every other man gets jealous, if someone is even an inch taller than him or even a bit more masculine.
But whatever he was feeling now...
...was something entirely different. Something he isn't sure of.
Almost under his breath, he muttered,
"We don't even hold hands."
Ravi heard him.
"Wouldn't you mind if people saw us?" he asked.
Yug looked at him, startled.
"What?"
"If we held hands."
"Oh. No. Why would I?"
"I'm just a bodyguard," Ravi said."It could affect your image."
Yug shook his head.
"If anyone should worry about their image, it's the criminals around us."
He looked at Ravi.
"And you're not just a bodyguard. You're probably the reason Shaurya is still alive."
Ravi's lips curved into a faint smirk. Ofc it's Yug Khurana.
Without another word, he extended one hand toward Yug.
Yug looked at it questioningly.
"You can hold it," Ravi said.
Slowly, Yug slipped his hand into Ravi's.
His grip was timid.
Ravi smiled to himself and gently tightened his fingers around Yug's hand.
Comfortable.
Secure.
After a beat of silence, Ravi spoke with a perfectly straight face.
"So..."
He glanced sideways at Yug.
"Can I fuck you?"
Yug instantly yanked his hand away and pinched Ravi sharply on the side.
"Ow!"
Ravi clutched the spot, wincing dramatically.
"Itna zor se kaun karta hai, bhai?" he groaned. "Kidney hi daba diye ho matlab."
Yug tried to look annoyed, but the corners of his mouth betrayed him.
Shaking his head, he reached for Ravi's hand again.
This time, he held it without hesitation.
"You can come to my room tonight," Yug said.
He glanced at Ravi, making sure he understood.
"But we're just going to sleep."
Ravi had apparently taken Yug's words very seriously.
By the time Yug stepped out of the bathroom after changing into comfortable clothes, Ravi was already sprawled across the bed, one arm hanging off the edge, eyes shut.
His suit and shirt lay scattered across the floor in complete disarray.
Yug sighed as he bent down to pick them up. He folded each piece neatly and placed them on the couch.
"He's actually asleep..." he muttered, sounding more disappointed than he intended.
Yug shook his head.
He switched off the lights, slipped beneath the duvet, and lay down on his side, facing Ravi.
The room fell silent.
Rolling onto his other side, he pulled the duvet up to his shoulders and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the steady sound of Ravi's peaceful sleep. Which was weird knowing Ravi snored too loudly.
-----------
"You're just wasting your time," Anand Surani said, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Yug. "Nothing can help me. Nothing can get me out of this."
"At least talk to me, okay?" Yug said gently. "I'm here for you."
Anand let out a bitter scoff.
"Fine. Let's talk." He tilted his head slightly. "Your mother went to the hospital today, didn't she? Let me tell you the report."
He smiled faintly.
"She has cancer."
Yug stared at him in confusion.
How does he know Mom went for a check-up? he wondered. The reports don't even come before six in the evening.
"Still not satisfied?" Anand asked.
Yug let out a slow breath and placed his pen on the table.
"I don't know if astral projection is real," he admitted. "But I'd really like to understand it. And I want to help you."
"You can never help me." Anand's voice hardened. "You're just another frightened doctor hiding behind these stupid cameras."
He glanced toward the CCTV camera mounted in the corner.
"You think I'm crazy too."
"I don't think that," Yug replied calmly. "If it'll make you more comfortable, I can turn the cameras off."
He immediately called the control room and asked them to switch off the CCTV cameras.
A few moments later, he looked back at Anand.
"It's done. If there's something you want to say... you can."
Anand slowly rose to his feet.
"I just want to end my life," he said quietly. "Can you help me do that?"
Yug shook his head.
"I can't. I'm sorry." His voice remained steady despite the growing unease in his chest. "I'm here to help you live."
As he spoke, his eyes caught something in Anand's hand.
A small knife.
"Do you think this is enough to slice my neck?" Anand asked, holding it up.
"Where did you get that?" Yug's voice filled with panic.
He rushed toward Anand, trying to snatch the knife away.
Anand shoved him back.
The blade scraped across Yug's forearm, leaving a sharp cut.
"Security!" Yug shouted at the top of his lungs.
Anand chuckled.
Before Yug could reach him again, Anand drove the knife into his own throat.
Blood poured down his neck.
"No! Stop!" Yug cried, stumbling toward him.
But he was too late.
Anand had already done it.
He was already dead.
---
Yug jerked awake.
"Shit..."
He pressed a hand against his forehead, his breathing uneven.
The room was dark.
Beside him, Ravi was still asleep, lying on his side, completely unaware of the nightmare that had dragged Yug back into the past.
This was something Yug never talked about.
It was unsettling.
Years had passed since the incident that forced Yug to quit his previous job. Anand Surani had been his last patient.
For years, Yug had buried the memory as deeply as he could. But after Ravi mentioned it the other day, the memories had begun resurfacing one by one.
And now...
...the nightmare had returned.
Yug sat up, his heartbeat still uneven. He climbed out of bed, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it slowly before returning to bed.
This time, he left the bedside lamp on.
He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep again.
He couldn't.
With a quiet sigh, he turned to look at Ravi.
Still asleep.
Or so he thought.
Yug inched a little closer until their feet barely touched beneath the duvet.