I LOVE YOU KITTEN #5
"Still..." he continued, his voice softer now, "I wanted to do it too. I wanted you to have this moment. I wanted to be the one who asked you, even if you'd already given me your answer."
Before he could say another word, Devyani closed the distance between them.
She wrapped her arms tightly around him.
The force of the hug made him stumble back half a step before he instinctively embraced her, holding her as though she were the most precious thing in the world.
"It's so beautiful," she whispered against his chest, her voice trembling with emotion.
A warm smile spread across his face as he rested his chin lightly on her hair.
"Do you like it?" he asked quietly, almost shyly.
She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes.
Her cheeks were wet with tears, but she was smiling brighter than ever.
"Like it?" she laughed softly through her tears. "I loved it."
Those three words made every sleepless night, every secret preparation, and every anxious moment worth it.
His smile widened, relief washing over his face.
Then Devyani looked around the magnificent penthouse once more, still unable to believe what she was seeing.
"But..." she said, her brows knitting together in wonder, "who did all this?"
Rivan blinked.
"Me."
She stared at him.
He gave a small shrug, as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
"It's all done by me."
She looked around the enormous hall again, disbelief written across her face.
"The flowers... the lights... the petals... everything?"
He nodded.
"Everything."
"You... hired an event planner?"
He smiled and shook his head.
"No."
"A decorating team?"
"No."
"Then who helped you?"
He laughed softly.
"No one."
He gently took both her hands in his.
"I didn't take any help, kitten."
His eyes wandered around the room, taking in every carefully arranged flower and every glowing light.
"I decorated this entire place myself."
He smiled, almost sheepishly.
"It took me days... and a lot of trial and error." He chuckled. "I probably rearranged those roses a hundred times before I was happy with them."
Devyani looked around the breathtaking hall once more.
Suddenly, it became even more beautiful.
Because now she wasn't just seeing flowers and lights.
She was seeing hours of his patience.
His effort.
His love.
Every single rose had been placed by his hands.
Every light had been hung for her.
Every petal had been scattered with one thought in his heart
Devyani.
Rivan looked at her for a long moment.
The tears glistening in her eyes...
The smile she couldn't seem to stop...
The way she kept looking around the room as though she still couldn't believe any of it was real.
He smiled softly.
Then, without saying a word, he took a slow step back.
Devyani frowned in confusion.
"Pati ji...?"
He reached into the pocket of his coat.
When he pulled out a small black velvet box, her breath hitched.
Her heart stopped.
"No..." she whispered, already shaking her head, unable to believe there was more.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
He opened the box.
Nestled inside, resting on black velvet, was a breathtaking diamond ring. The brilliant stone caught the glow of the fairy lights, scattering tiny stars across the room.
Before she could even process it...
He lowered himself onto one knee.
The world around them seemed to disappear.
The countless flowers...
The glowing lights...
The city stretching beyond the glass walls...
Everything faded into the background.
All she could see was him.
The man she loved.
The man who had quietly become her home.
Rivan looked up at her, his eyes filled with a vulnerability she had never seen before.
For someone who had always appeared fearless...
Tonight, he looked nervous.
His fingers tightened ever so slightly around the ring box.
He let out a small, shaky breath before speaking.
"Devyani..."
Even saying her name sounded different.
Gentler.
Filled with emotion.
"I've built companies..."
"I've made impossible decisions..."
"I've faced rooms full of people without feeling nervous..."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
"But standing in front of you like this..."
He looked down for a second before meeting her eyes again.
"...this is the most terrified I've ever been."
A tear escaped her.
He smiled.
"You walked into my life without asking for permission..."
"And somehow..."
"You became my peace."
"My safest place."
"My favorite person."
"You make every ordinary day feel extraordinary."
"You make silence feel comforting."
"You make this huge world feel... like home."
His voice became softer.
"I never believed someone could change me."
"But you did."
"You taught me what waiting for someone feels like..."
"What missing someone feels like..."
"What happiness really feels like."
He swallowed hard.
"I don't know what tomorrow looks like."
"I don't know where life will take us."
"But I know one thing with absolute certainty."
"I want every tomorrow... to have you in it."
He lifted the ring slightly.
His gaze never left hers.
"So..."
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Will you marry me..."
"...again?"
The last word made her laugh through her tears.
She covered her mouth, nodding before he had even finished.
"Yes..."
Her voice cracked.
She laughed again, tears streaming freely now.
"Yes!"
Another step toward him.
"Yes!"
She was crying so hard she could barely breathe.
"Yes... a thousand times yes!"
She dropped to her knees in front of him before he could even stand.
Her hands cupped his face.
"I'll marry you every lifetime if you ask me."
"I'll keep saying yes."
"Again..."
"And again..."
"And again."
A broken laugh escaped her as tears rolled down both cheeks.
"I've never been more sure of anything."
Rivan smiled, his own eyes glistening now.
With trembling fingers, he slipped the ring onto her finger.