Marriage preparations #4
"The skin-care meeting can wait an hour,Aru," Virendra replied with absolute, non-negotiable fatherly finality. "Zaid is our guest. Show him the lake views, get some fresh air, and make sure he gets back safely. That is an order from your Papa."
Aradhya stood frozen, her brain short-circuiting as she looked back at Zaid.
Zaid slowly pushed off the pillar, sliding his hands into his pockets as he took two slow steps toward her, his deep, magnetic eyes locking straight onto her fuming face.
"Well..." Zaid murmured softly, his low, velvety voice vibrating in the quiet courtyard, "...looks like I am in your hands tonight, Miss Aradhya. Lead the way."
Aradhya stood in the middle of the courtyard, clutching her strawberry scrub jar so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Her precious, non-negotiable, pre-wedding skin-care routine sacrificed! All because Mr. High-and-Mighty Zaid wanted to look at pretty building lights at midnight.
She glared at him as he casually twirled a set of car keys around his forefinger, looking like he had just stepped off the cover of a luxury magazine.
"Fine," Aradhya muttered under her breath, a terrifyingly devious glint suddenly sparking in her dark eyes.
"You want an authentic, unforgettable night tour of Rajasthan, Mr. Zaid? I will give you a tour you'll remember for the rest of your life."
She stomped up to her room, aggressively whipped off her fluffy kitten headband, threw on a dark jacket, and marched back down to the vintage convertible parked in the driveway.
"Get in," she ordered coldly, sliding into the driver's seat.
Zaid raised an eyebrow, thoroughly entertained by her fiery temper, and smoothly slid into the passenger side. "I hope you know where we're going, guide."
"Oh, I know exactly where we're going," she smirked, revving the engine.
To be continue...
Aditya stepped inside.
His footsteps were hurried.
His breathing still uneven from the drive.
The staff, who had been waiting anxiously near the entrance, immediately straightened.
"Sir—"
He lifted a hand.
They fell silent.
"Where is she?"
"In the balcony, sir."
"She... hasn't moved."
Without another word, Aditya walked past them.
The luxurious penthouse stood silent around him.
The grand living room...
The marble floors...
The crystal chandelier...
Everything looked perfect.
Yet none of it felt alive.
Only one destination mattered.
The balcony.
As he approached, a gentle breeze drifted inside, carrying the fragrance of rain-soaked earth. The sheer white curtains danced lazily with the wind, occasionally hiding the view beyond them.
He slowed his steps.
Then...
He stopped.
Completely.
His breath caught somewhere in his chest.
There she was.
Sitting alone on the wide balcony swing.
Facing the endless evening sky.
She wore a simple white frock that reached just below her knees.
The soft fabric swayed gently with the breeze.
Her long hair flowed freely behind her, strands occasionally brushing across her face before the wind carried them away again.
The fading sunlight wrapped around her like a golden halo.
She looked...
Unreal.
Like a painting someone had forgotten to finish.
Beautiful.
Fragile.
Untouchable.
For a brief moment...
Aditya forgot to breathe.
His eyes never left her.
Every time he saw her...
It was the same.
The world became quieter.
Slower.
As if time itself respected her silence.
But then...
His gaze shifted.
And his heart clenched painfully.
A tear.
Then another.
Then another.
They rolled silently down her cheeks.
She wasn't sobbing.
She wasn't making a sound.
She simply sat there...
Watching the endless sky.
As though searching for someone hidden among the clouds.
The tears never stopped.
They flowed quietly.
Endlessly.
Like a river that had forgotten how to dry.
She didn't wipe them away.
Didn't even seem to notice them anymore.
They simply kept falling.
One after another.
The sight shattered something inside him.
He had faced business betrayals.
Political threats.
Corporate wars.
Nothing...
Nothing had ever made his chest ache the way those silent tears did.
He lowered his eyes.
The tray beside her remained untouched.
A bowl of soup had gone cold.
A glass of fresh juice was still full.
The medicines lay exactly where the staff had left them.
Not a single thing had been touched.
She hadn't even tried.
Aditya slowly inhaled.
His fingers curled into fists.
He hated this.
He hated seeing her disappear into herself.
Hated the emptiness in her eyes.
Hated that no matter what he did...
He couldn't erase whatever pain she carried.
For several long moments...
He didn't disturb her.
He simply stood there.
Watching.
Guarding.
Making sure she wasn't alone anymore.
The breeze lifted the edge of her white dress again.
She tilted her face slightly upward.
Looking at the sky with eyes that had cried themselves tired.
Almost as if...
She was waiting.
Waiting for an answer.
Waiting for someone who never came.
Waiting for a miracle.
Aditya quietly walked forward.
His footsteps were deliberately soft.
He didn't want to startle her.
Didn't want to break whatever fragile thoughts she was holding onto.
When he reached the balcony...
He stopped a few feet behind her.
Close enough to protect her.
Far enough to respect her silence.
His gaze lingered on the tear sliding down her cheek.
Another followed.
Then another.
His voice came out barely above a whisper.
"...You've been crying again."
She didn't answer.
She didn't even turn around.
Only the swing moved gently beneath her.
Creak...
Creak...
Creak...
The evening sky reflected in her tear-filled eyes.
Aditya looked at the untouched food once more.
Then back at her.
A quiet pain settled deep inside him.
He wished...
For just one day...
She would smile.
Even if that smile wasn't for him.
Even if it never would be.
Because seeing her cry...
Was becoming the one battle he could never seem to win.
She felt it.
A presence.
Someone standing behind her.
Her shoulders stiffened instantly.
A tiny gasp escaped her lips, and her entire body flinched on instinct.
The movement was small.
Almost invisible.
But Aditya noticed.
He always noticed.
The moment she recoiled...
He immediately took two slow steps back.
Deliberately.
Carefully.
Putting more distance between them.
Not because he wanted to.
But because he knew.
He knew that whenever someone came too close without warning...
She became frightened.
Not of him.
Of the memories that chased her.
And Aditya refused to become another reason for fear.
Even if maintaining that distance felt like someone was slowly carving his heart apart.
He slipped both hands into the pockets of his pants, forcing himself to stay exactly where he was.
Far enough that she could breathe.
Close enough that if she stumbled...
He would reach her before she hit the ground.
A heavy silence settled between them.
Only the evening breeze whispered through the balcony.
She still hadn't turned around.
Her eyes remained fixed on the crimson sky where the sun was slowly disappearing behind the horizon.
Another tear escaped.
It rolled silently down her cheek.
Then another.
Aditya watched them helplessly.
His jaw tightened.
Something fierce stirred inside him.
He hated tears.
Especially hers.
Each drop felt like molten metal dripping directly onto his heart.
His fingers curled into fists inside his pockets.
He wanted to walk over.
Cup her face.
Wipe every single tear away with his own hands.
Tell her she didn't have to carry the weight alone anymore.
But he didn't.
Because comforting someone wasn't about what he wanted.
It was about what she needed.
And right now...
She needed space.
So he stood there.
Silent.
Watching the woman who unknowingly broke his heart every time she cried.
His gaze followed another tear sliding down her pale cheek.
His breathing became slower.
He could feel anger rising within him.
Cold.