61. Corporate War #4
Vedika picked up the dishes and walked into the kitchen while I followed behind silently, watching carefully as she turned on the stove and heated the food.
"You know," she said gently while stirring the veggies, "if you're scared of using the stove, you can use the induction instead."
She pointed toward the induction cooktop nearby.
"It only heats the utensils and food. Not your skin."
I blinked. "Really?"
She nodded. "Yeah. It's much easier to use."
Then she patiently showed me everything.
How to switch it on.
How to increase temperature.
How to turn it off safely.
How to heat food properly without panicking like the kitchen was a bomb.
I listened quietly.
There was an induction at Rathore Mansion too. I had seen it plenty of times.
But I never dared to go near it.
Honestly, I was scared of almost everything inside kitchens.
And bhai never really let me do any of this either. He always handled things himself before I could even try.
Did I ever mention that the Rathores own several restaurants and luxury hotels? Probably not.
And Samarth Rathore?
He is honestly one of the best chefs I have ever seen. Not professionally famous. Not television famous.
Just... naturally gifted.
The kind of person who could make simple food taste like comfort itself.
But the sad part is, he never truly got the chance to follow that dream properly.
Because life happened too early to him.
He lost his parents while they were still alive.
And after that... he got me.
My responsibility.
At that age, it wasn't about dreams anymore. It wasn't about becoming a chef, building restaurants, or following passion.
The only thing on his mind was earning enough so both of us could survive properly.
And that's exactly what he did.
He worked while studying side by side. Slept less. Worried more. Grew up faster than he should've.
Meanwhile I was too young to even understand what he was sacrificing quietly behind my back.
People often praise successful men after seeing their achievements. But very few notice the dreams they buried first just to protect someone they loved.
And that's why I love him so much because I saw his struggle, his love, his dream which he buried because we want to survive.
So I never thought someday I would actually need these small things.
But now... standing there learning quietly at midnight, I understood something.
Sometimes survival wasn't about big achievements.
Sometimes it was simply knowing how to care for someone you love.
After heating the food, Vedika gently took Pihu back into her arms.
"I'm taking her outside for a bit," she said softly. "She gets uncomfortable inside sometimes. Fresh air helps."
I nodded slowly.
Then picking up the plate carefully, I started walking upstairs again.
But my thoughts stayed on Pihu.
That little girl had gone through too much because of her own father.
And honestly, it made something ache inside me. Because children don't become quiet, scared, or emotionally distant on their own. Adults shape that fear inside them.
People love the idea of becoming parents, but very few truly understand what parenting actually means.
A child doesn't only need food, clothes, or expensive toys.
They need safety. Patience. Stability. Softness.
They need parents who know how to protect a child's heart before expecting them to grow strong.
And maybe that's why I always hated irresponsible parenting so much.
Because when adults fail each other, they suffer.
But when parents fail a child... the damage quietly follows that child for the rest of their life.
I reached the room and closed the door behind. Yugant already took a shower and was sitting with his head leaned back against the couch, eyes closed.
I walked back toward him with the plate and sat beside him.
"Eat."
His eyes opened slowly before shifting toward me. We had dinner together.
Not much talking. Just quiet comfort.
And honestly, after such a heavy day, silence didn't feel awkward between us anymore.
Later, we shifted to the bed.
But tonight was different.
Usually, I was the one sleeping over him like some clingy blanket.
Tonight, it was him.
His head rested on my chest while his arms stayed wrapped around my waist tightly.
I continued running my fingers through his soft hair slowly while his eyes remained closed.
And somewhere in the middle of that silence, a strange thought crossed my mind.
Did love actually feel like this when it was real?
I never imagined myself becoming this person.
Someone who worried over tiny creases appearing on another person's forehead.
Someone whose mood depended on another person's smile.
But now whenever I saw him stressed, something inside me tightened painfully.
And whenever he smiled... my heart genuinely felt full in a way I didn't even know was possible before him.
I don't know what Yugant did to me.
Maybe nothing dramatic.
Maybe he simply stayed long enough for my walls to stop existing around him.
But whatever this feeling was...I just wanted it to stay forever.
This closeness.
This warmth.
This feeling of belonging somewhere completely.
Always this close to him.
Always his.