Marriage battle #2
Her lips brushed the side of his neck.
A soft...
Lingering kiss.
Nothing hurried.
Nothing demanding.
Just quiet reassurance.
She could taste the faint salt left behind by his tears.
He trembled.
Not because of the kiss.
Because no one had ever kissed his scars with this much love.
She rested her forehead against his neck once more.
"We both suffered."
She whispered.
"But we found each other again."
A small smile appeared.
"And that's enough for me."
Her body naturally settled closer against his.
Every inch of her seemed to recognize him.
Like two souls remembering the place they belonged.
Rivan slowly exhaled.
His hand began traveling upward along her back.
Not possessively.
Not impatiently.
Simply...
Feeling.
His palm spread across the curve between her shoulder blades.
Warm.
Alive.
Real.
He could feel the steady rhythm of her heartbeat beneath the fabric.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
His own heart answered instantly.
Matching hers.
He smiled weakly.
"I forgot..."
he whispered.
"...how perfectly you fit in my arms."
She looked up.
"You never forgot."
He blinked.
"You just convinced yourself that you had."
His throat tightened again.
His fingertips slowly brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
He studied her face quietly.
The tiny mole near her cheek.
The tears still clinging to her lashes.
The faint redness around her eyes from crying.
Every tiny detail.
He memorized them all.
As though afraid tomorrow would steal this moment away.
His thumb gently traced her cheek.
"I missed this face."
Another soft stroke.
"I missed hearing you argue."
She rolled her eyes.
"I don't argue."
"You absolutely do."
A tiny laugh escaped both of them simultaneously.
The sound filled the garden like sunlight after a storm.
Behind them...
No one interrupted.
Virendra quietly slipped one arm around Yashodha's shoulders.
His own eyes glistened.
"Look at them..."
he whispered.
"Our son is smiling."
Yashodha nodded without taking her eyes off the couple.
"When was the last time we saw a real smile on his face?"
Virendra couldn't answer.
He didn't remember.
Payal discreetly wiped away her tears.
Aradhya sniffled dramatically before whispering,
"I can't believe I'm crying."
Rudraksh quietly handed her a tissue.
"I'm crying too."
Reyansh stood with folded arms.
His usual teasing smile had softened.
He looked at Rivan for a long moment.
Then quietly murmured,
"You finally came home, idiot."
Zaid stood farther away than everyone else.
His hands remained inside his pockets.
His expression stayed calm.
He watched Devyani smile...
And understood.
Some battles weren't meant to be won.
Some people belonged to each other long before the world realized it.
A faint smile touched his lips.
He turned away quietly, giving them the privacy they deserved.
Back beneath the willow tree...
Rivan slowly leaned away just enough to look at her again.
His eyes remained red.
His lashes were still damp.
But for the first time in years...
There was peace inside them.
A real smile curved across his face.
Small.
Honest.
Beautiful.
His hand rose once more to cup her cheek.
His thumb brushed away another escaping tear.
"I don't deserve this."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"I don't deserve your forgiveness."
He shook his head slowly.
"I don't deserve another chance."
His eyes never left hers.
"But..."
"If you'll allow me..."
"I'll spend every single day proving that loving you was never my mistake."
"My mistake..."
"...was believing I had to love you from a distance."
His breathing steadied.
"I won't promise we'll never fight."
"I won't promise life will always be easy."
"I won't promise I won't make mistakes."
A faint smile appeared again.
"But I can promise this..."
He slowly lowered himself onto one knee.
The entire family gasped.
His injured body protested instantly, pain flashing across his face, but he ignored it completely.
His gaze never left Devyani.
He gently took both her hands into his.
"I'll never leave you to fight alone again."
"I'll never make decisions for you again."
"I'll never punish you for my pain again."
"And..."
His smile turned playful despite the tears.
"This time..."
"When you become my wife again..."
"I'll sign property papers."
Everyone blinked.
Devyani frowned.
"...What?"
He grinned sheepishly.
"Everything I own."
"The houses."
"The companies."
"The cars."
"The accounts."
"The businesses."
"The land."
"The shares."
"They're yours."
She stared at him.
Completely speechless.
He shrugged innocently.
"My lawyers are already preparing everything."
Reyansh slapped a hand over his own face.
"I swear..."
"This man doesn't know romance."
"He proposes with property documents."
The entire family burst into laughter again.
Even Devyani laughed so hard that fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
Rivan smiled, utterly mesmerized by the sound.
Then, looking straight into her eyes, he spoke the words he should have spoken years ago.
"So..."
His fingers gently squeezed hers.
"Miss Devyani Sehgal..."
"Will you come home..."
"...and stay with me for the rest of our lives?"
This time...
Neither of them was running away.
Neither of them was hiding behind fear.
For the first time...
They were choosing each other with open eyes, healed hearts, and the certainty that love wasn't about never breaking
It was about finding the courage to rebuild together.
Devyani smiled through her tears.
Slowly, she leaned into the warmth of his palm, closing her eyes for a brief second as though memorizing the feeling she had been deprived of for two long years.
When she looked back at him, there was no hesitation left.
Only certainty.
"We both made mistakes."
Her voice was calm now.
Steady.
"We both hurt each other."
She gently shook her head.
"I blamed you..."
"...and you blamed yourself."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"But standing here..."
She stepped even closer until there wasn't an inch of space separating them.
"...it feels like coming home."
Rivan's breath caught.
Home.
No word had ever sounded more beautiful.
Devyani slowly rose onto her toes.
His instinct was immediate.
One hand slipped around her waist to support her injured foot without her even asking.
She smiled at the unconscious gesture.
"You still do that."
He frowned softly.
"Do what?"
"You take care of me before even realizing you're doing it."
His ears turned slightly red.
"I don't know how not to."
She laughed quietly.
Then...
She rested her forehead against his.
Their noses almost touched.
Their breaths mingled in the tiny space between them.
Neither spoke.
Neither needed to.
Sometimes silence carried more love than words ever could.
Behind them...
The younger generation had reached their limit.
Payal elbowed Rudraksh.
"Dekha?"
She whispered loudly enough for half the garden to hear.
"Dono phir se apni hi duniya mein chale gaye."
("See? They've disappeared into their own little world again.")
Aradhya folded her arms dramatically.
"Bas."
"Ab shaadi ki date nikaalo."
("Enough. Now someone fix the wedding date.")
Rudraksh nodded seriously.
"Pandit ji ko call karu?"
("Should I call the priest?")
Payal grinned.
"Nahi."
"Pehle inse alag toh karo."
("No. First separate these two.")
Everyone chuckled.
Even Virendra couldn't stop smiling.
Yashodha lowered her eyes shyly, unable to hide the happiness glowing across her face.
Reyansh folded his arms.
"Good."
"Now they can stop torturing the rest of us."
Rivan reluctantly looked away from Devyani for half a second.
"...Can all of you disappear?"
The entire family burst into louder laughter.
Virendra raised both hands innocently.
"Arre bhai..."
"Yeh hamara hi ghar hai."
("Son... this is our own house.")
Rivan sighed dramatically.
"Unfortunately."
Payal gasped.
"He just threw us out of our own house!"
Aradhya nodded.
"Love has completely destroyed him."
Rudraksh added,
"Our ruthless bhai is gone."
"We now have Lover Boy Thakur."
Rivan closed his eyes.
"I hate all of you."
Reyansh smirked.
"No."
"You love us."
"I don't."
"You do."
"I really don't."
"You absolutely do."
Devyani giggled.
The sound instantly stole Rivan's attention back toward her.
His expression softened all over again.
He gently tucked another loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Then another.
Then simply continued looking at her.
As though every passing second revealed something new.
His thumb slowly traced along her cheekbone.
He admired the softness of her skin.
The tiny smile she tried to hide.
The faint blush spreading across her cheeks under his unwavering gaze.
The tiny crease appearing whenever she became shy.
God...
He had forgotten how beautiful she was.
Not because of her face.
Because of the peace she brought him.
His eyes slowly drifted toward her lips.
She noticed immediately.
Her breathing hitched.
For one dangerous second...
Neither of them looked away.
He wanted to kiss her.
More than anything.
Not out of desire alone.
But because he had imagined that kiss almost every night for two years.
His body leaned forward almost unconsciously.
Barely an inch.
Then...
He stopped himself.
Not here.
Not in front of everyone.
Not when this moment deserved to remain exactly what it was.
Pure.
Patient.
He smiled instead.
"I'll wait."
She blinked.
"For what?"
He leaned close enough that only she could hear.
"For the first kiss..."
"...that you don't slap me for."
Her cheeks immediately turned crimson.
She smacked his chest lightly.
"Mr. Thakur."
"What?"
"You deserved that slap."
"I know."
"I still think about it."
"You should."
"It was a very powerful slap."
"It was."
"I saw stars."
"You deserved every single one."
He nodded obediently.
"I probably deserved two."
She folded her arms.
"I was actually planning the second one."