Love sick rivan and forced kiss #4
The old RIVAN never asked anyone for anything.
This one demanded affection as if it was his birthright.
Most shocking of all...
He had started calling Virendra "Papa."
And Yashodha...
"Maa."
The words still echoed in their ears every single time he said them.
Even Virendra occasionally stopped reading his newspaper just to process the fact that his son had voluntarily called him Papa three times in one morning.
The entire family sat in the living room that evening pretending to watch television.
Nobody was actually watching it.
Everyone was secretly observing one particular person.
RIVAN.
He was sitting across the room with his laptop open, supposedly attending an important business meeting.
Supposedly.
Because every thirty seconds...
His eyes drifted toward the staircase.
As if waiting for someone.
Aradhya quietly leaned toward Payal.
"I give him exactly..."
She checked an imaginary watch.
"...twenty seconds."
Payal whispered back,
"I say fifteen."
Rudraksh folded his arms.
"I say ten."
Virendra sighed.
"You people seriously have nothing better to do?"
"No."
All three siblings answered together.
Virendra shook his head helplessly.
Exactly twelve seconds later...
Footsteps echoed from upstairs.
Devyani descended the staircase wearing a simple white kurta with her hair loosely tied.
The moment RIVAN saw her...
His business meeting disappeared from his priorities.
He immediately closed the laptop.
The client on the other side was probably still talking.
RIVAN didn't care.
Without saying a word, he stood up.
Walked straight toward the dining table.
Picked up a glass of water.
Then calmly walked to where Devyani had just sat.
Without asking...
He placed the glass in front of her.
"You forgot to drink water."
Devyani blinked.
"I..."
"I wasn't thirsty."
"Hmm."
"You'll be in ten minutes."
She looked at him strangely.
"How do you know?"
"You always get thirsty after coming downstairs."
She frowned.
"I do?"
Silence.
She didn't know what to say.
Neither did anyone else.
Payal slowly looked toward Aradhya.
Aradhya looked toward Rudraksh.
Rudraksh looked toward Virendra.
Virendra quietly removed his glasses.
"What..."
he whispered.
"...is happening?"
Before anyone could answer...
RIVAN had already disappeared into the kitchen.
A minute later he returned.
Holding a small plate.
On it were neatly cut pieces of apple sprinkled with black salt.
He placed it beside Devyani.
She looked up again.
"I didn't ask for this."
"I know."
"You skipped fruits yesterday."
"So eat."
She stared at him.
"...Were you counting?"
"I notice."
That simple answer made her unexpectedly quiet.
Meanwhile...
The Thakur family looked ready to faint.
Aradhya whispered dramatically,
"Who kidnapped my brother?"
Payal nodded seriously.
"This is definitely not him."
Rudraksh scratched his head.
"I think someone replaced him."
Virendra looked toward Reyansh.
"Tell me honestly."
"What did you people feed him?"
Reyansh burst into laughter.
"I've been asking the same question since he returned."
Before the conversation could continue...
Another scene unfolded.
Devyani was trying to lift a heavy flower pot from one side of the garden.
The moment RIVAN saw it...
He almost sprinted toward her.
"What are you doing?"
She looked at him.
"Moving this."
"No."
"I can."
"No."
"Mr. Thakur."
"No."
"It's not even heavy."
"It is."
"It isn't."
"It became heavy."
"When?"
"When you touched it."
Without waiting for permission, he carefully moved the flower pot himself.
Then dusted his hands.
"There."
"Done."
Devyani folded her arms.
"You know..."
"...I can do these things."
"I know."
"Then why do you keep stopping me?"
He looked at her with complete sincerity.
"Because I like doing them."
The answer came so naturally that she didn't even have a comeback.
He wasn't trying to prove she was weak.
He simply wanted to make her life easier.
From the balcony above...
The entire family watched everything.
Aradhya dramatically clutched Payal's arm.
"I'm scared."
Payal nodded.
"So am I."
Virendra frowned.
"I've never seen him behave like this."
Yashodha smiled faintly while watching the scene below.
"He looks..."
She searched for the right word.
"...happy."
Virendra slowly looked at his wife.
"He looks in love."
"He has always loved her."
Yashodha replied softly.
"The difference is..."
She smiled through moist eyes.
"...this time he isn't hiding it."
As if proving her point...
RIVAN looked around before quietly taking a small chocolate from his pocket.
He extended it toward Devyani.
She blinked.
"What's this?"
"You didn't smile properly today."
She frowned.
"What?"
"So..."
He shrugged.
"I brought chocolate."
"Maybe it'll help."
She stared at the tiny chocolate in his hand.
Then at him.
Then back at the chocolate.
"You carry chocolates now?"
"Hmm."
"Since when?"
He smiled sheepishly.
"Recently."
"...Why?"
"In case my wife gets angry."
Devyani immediately glared at him.
"I'm not your wife."
He nodded obediently.
"I know."
Then he quietly added with the most innocent face possible,
"Future wife."
She picked up the chocolate...
For one glorious second RIVAN thought she had accepted it.
Instead...
She threw it straight at his forehead.
It bounced off and landed on the grass.
"Ouch."
He rubbed his forehead dramatically.
"You assault injured people?"
She walked away without answering.
But no one missed it.
She hadn't thrown the chocolate away.
She had only thrown it at him.
The entire family watched RIVAN bend down, pick up the chocolate, dust it carefully, smile to himself like an idiot, and place it safely back into his pocket.
Aradhya slowly turned toward everyone.
"I've reached a conclusion."
"What?"
Payal asked.
She pointed downstairs.
"My brother..."
"...has become the biggest lover boy on this planet."
Even Virendra couldn't stop himself from laughing.
And somewhere in the garden...
Completely unaware that the whole family was watching him...
RIVAN smiled to himself.
Because for the first time in years...
Loving Devyani openly didn't feel like a weakness.
It felt like coming home.
.
.
.
.
RIVAN was sitting alone in the garden, one leg crossed over the other, a file resting on his lap that he hadn't read for the last fifteen minutes.
His eyes weren't on the documents.
They were following only one person.
Devyani.
She was walking slowly along the stone pathway, headphones around her neck, occasionally stopping to admire the flowers . A gentle breeze played with the loose strands of her hair, and for a brief moment, RIVAN forgot the entire world existed.
Until someone blocked his view.
Zaid.
He stood in front of RIVAN with both hands tucked casually into his pockets, wearing that annoyingly confident smile.
RIVAN didn't even bother looking up completely.
"What?"
Zaid chuckled.
"You know, Mr. Thakur..."
RIVAN finally lifted his eyes.
"I always thought you were one of those cold, arrogant, emotionless businessmen."
He looked RIVAN up and down before making a dramatic face of disgust.
"But this..." He pretended to shiver. "This soft lover-boy version of you?"
He placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
"Eww."
"I think I need therapy after watching it."
RIVAN's expression didn't change.
Not even slightly.
The warmth that usually appeared whenever Devyani was around disappeared instantly.
His face turned unreadable.
His jaw tightened.
The air around him shifted so suddenly that even Zaid noticed it.
The playful atmosphere vanished.
In its place stood the real RIVAN Thakur.
Cold.
Dangerous.
Expressionless.
The kind of man whose silence was more frightening than another person's rage.
Zaid raised both hands dramatically.
"Arre..."
"So my words offended you?"
He laughed lightly.
"Never mind."
His smile widened.
"I was actually here to inform you of something."
RIVAN remained silent.
Zaid tilted his head toward Devyani, who was still walking a few metres away.
"I'm taking my Devu out."
He deliberately emphasized my Devu.
"You just sit here..."
"...and enjoy the weather."
For the first time, RIVAN stood up.
Slowly.
Calmly.
His chair scraped lightly against the grass.
He walked until only a step separated them.
His height alone cast a shadow over Zaid.
When he spoke, his voice was almost a whisper.
Yet every word carried enough weight to make the air feel heavier.
"Don't come in my way, Mr. Malik."
His dark eyes locked onto Zaid's.
"I can bury you."
There wasn't any shouting.
No dramatic expression.
No unnecessary threats.
Just a simple statement.
As if he were merely informing him about tomorrow's weather.
Zaid held his gaze without backing away.
Then he smiled.
A fearless smile.
"Mr. Thakur..."
He leaned in slightly.
"Murda banne se mujhe darr nahi."
He smiled wider before translating it himself.
"I'm not afraid of becoming a dead man."
The words hung between them like a challenge.
Neither man blinked.
Neither looked away.
For a few long seconds, the garden became unbearably silent.
It felt as though two storms had collided without making a sound.
Finally...
Zaid stepped aside.
Not because he was intimidated.
Simply because he had already said what he wanted to say.
He walked past RIVAN as though nothing had happened.
Straight toward Devyani.
RIVAN didn't stop him.
He simply watched.
Every muscle in his body rigid.
Every instinct screaming at him to drag her away.
But he remained where he was.
Because forcing her was the one mistake he refused to repeat.
A few moments later, Zaid reached Devyani.
He bent slightly toward her and said something too softly for RIVAN to hear.
Devyani listened for a second.
Then her face brightened.
A genuine smile spread across her lips.
"Really?"
Zaid nodded.
She laughed softly.
"Yes."
"Let's go."
That one word...