Chapter 31
Nisha
Bringing my knees to my chest, I wrap my arms around them and rest my chin on top, my gaze drifting across the room to where Sidharth and Sunita Aunty are seated.
Aunty’s back is propped against the headboard, irritation written all over her face as Sidharth offers another spoonful of soup.
He says something that makes her huff, scrunch her nose, and grumble under her breath before finally opening her mouth to take the bite.
A soft smile tugs at my lips. Sidharth, in his own quiet way, has carved a place not just in my heart, but in Sunita Aunty’s too. And somehow, it doesn’t even surprise me. He has this rare, maddening gift of making people love him, effortlessly and completely.
I keep watching them, and with every beat of my heart, I know that this woman who’s become my family, and this man who’s become my home, are the two people my heart will never let go of. Now, I can’t wait to tell Kavya about Sidharth.
I can already imagine her eyes going wide with that bright, teasing joy she always gets whenever she discovers a secret about me. She’ll squeal, throw her arms around me in one of those bone-crushing hugs, and then pretend to scold me for not telling her sooner about him.
And that’s exactly why I don’t want to do it over a phone call. I want that moment with her, the whole thing. I don’t want to miss even a second of her reaction.
My gaze returns to Sidharth, who’s now chuckling softly as Aunty pretends to gag at the soup. Maybe someday soon, I’ll get the chance to tell Kavya about him. About us.
“Where are you lost?”
I blink, straightening at the sound of Sunita Aunty’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
“Nowhere, Aunty.” I smile at her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
She pats the empty side of the bed beside her. “Then come sit here, na. Don’t make this old lady suffer alone with your boyfriend. I need you to take my side.”
I roll my eyes but can’t hide the grin tugging at my lips. “You’re not old, Aunty. And I’m not taking your side. You need to finish that soup.”
“What? Two against one? Not fair,” she sighs dramatically.
“You are such a drama queen,” I say, laughing.
“That I’m,” she agrees with a proud little nod.
Still smiling, I shake my head, get up, and pad over to her side before settling beside her on the bed.
“That’s my girl,” Aunty says, patting my cheek before turning to Sidharth. “So, when do you plan to marry my little girl?”
My breath catches, and I blink, my cheeks heating instantly. “Aunty, we are not discussing this.”
“Why not?” she counters.
I groan and risk a glance at Sidharth, expecting him to look flustered or amused, but he’s neither. Instead, he stares at me with that deep intensity that makes my heartbeat stumble.
Before I can even gather my thoughts to respond, he speaks.
“If it were up to me, I’d marry her right now, Aunty.”
My eyes widen in surprise. He wouldn’t actually mean that, would he? As if reading my thoughts, he holds my gaze and replies.
“I would.”
My heart thuds at his words so loudly that I swear Aunty can hear it. But I don’t react. I can’t bring myself to agree with him. It’s not that I don’t want it. I do… with every breath and every silent prayer. But the timing, the chaos around us… it just doesn’t feel like the right time.
“I…” I shake my head, forcing myself to break eye contact with him and look at Aunty instead. “Aunty, can we just keep this on hold for now?”
She raises a perfectly arched, knowing brow. “Hold?”
I nod. “Until I tell Kavya, there’s no marriage. She has to know first, before we go around fixing dates or planning anything.”
Aunty gives a long, tired sigh. “We can call and tell her. She’ll be happy for you.”
“Not now, Aunty,” I cut in gently but firmly. “You know how she is. The second she hears about me and Sidharth, she’ll drop everything and come running here. And with everything going on…” my voice falters, then steadies, “I don’t want her anywhere near this mess.”
Her eyes soften with reluctant understanding. She glances at Sidharth, who gives a small nod of agreement.
“You’re right,” she finally says, looking back at me, then turns again to Sidharth. “Any progress on the case?”
He shakes his head, his jaw tightening. “Not yet, Aunty. But soon, I’ll have them behind bars.”
“I trust you,” she says, nodding at him, then looks between the two of us.
“Anyway, coming back to what we were discussing… I know we can’t fix a wedding date yet, but I still need to know what the plan is between you two.
Are we talking about something like a live-in setup?
” She raises her brows meaningfully. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those orthodox types.
But I’m the one who has to answer the nosy neighbors, so just give me something to work with. ”
“Aunty…” I half-shout, mortified, as my face heats up. Sidharth, of course, doesn’t help. He’s grinning now, clearly enjoying every second of this. I shoot him a glare, the kind that says this is not funny, but he just leans back, that infuriating smirk widening.
“I’m serious,” Aunty says, undeterred. She crosses her arms as she leans back into the pillows, like she’s settling in for a proper interrogation. “You both may think you’re sneaky, but I’ve watched enough serials to know where this is heading.”
“Aunty, there is no live-in. Sidharth will go to his house, and I will stay here. End of story,” I grit out.
Sidharth raises a brow, pretending to look hurt. “That sounded almost like a punishment.”
My stomach flips at his words, my face growing warm. But I square my shoulders and lift my chin, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me flustered.
“Will you stop entertaining Aunty already?” I say, narrowing my eyes at him. “Because if you don’t, I swear, I’ll lock the door the next time you try to come over.”
He lifts his hands in mock surrender. “Noted. But just so you know, locked doors don’t scare me. I’m a detective for a reason.”
Aunty chuckles, her eyes twinkling. “That’s why I love this boy so much,” she says fondly.
But then her voice turns serious. “Nisha,” she says, her gaze steady on me.
“You know I’ve seen many relationships fall apart and have lived long enough to know love isn’t always enough.
It takes loyalty, patience, and a lot of sacrifice.
” She glances at Sidharth, her eyes filled with warmth.
“And this boy… he’s committed to you in every way that matters.
” Her hand finds mine, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“I know you need time until things settle, beta. But just make sure you don’t ever let go of him.
Men like him are rare and don’t come around often. ”
My throat tightens with emotion as I risk a glance at Sidharth, who just sits there quietly, watching me with eyes that convey he loves me more deeply, more fiercely than I can ever imagine.
Unable to hold his intense gaze, I lower my eyes, my breath coming out in shallow bursts as a tear slips silently down my cheek.
Aunty reaches out and brushes the tear from the corner of my eye. “Happy tears are good for health.”
I look up at her and smile, still unable to find my voice. My heart feels too full, my throat too tight with emotions I can’t quite put into words.
She tilts her head towards me, her lips curving into a teasing grin. “How about you tell me how he proposed? Was it romantic? On one knee? With flowers and all?”
I almost choke on my breath. Aunty is definitely in a mood to embarrass me, and she’s showing no signs of stopping.
“I have to hear this. You haven’t told me a single thing. I want all the details,” she insists, her eyes dancing with amusement.
Groaning, I bury my hot face in my hands. How do I even begin to explain that there were no candles, no roses, no violins in the background? Just him and me, and a moment so intense, it meant more to me than any orchestrated fairytale ever could.
I’m still scrambling to make up some fake proposal story when Sidharth’s voice cuts in.
“I can tell you, Aunty.”
My head snaps up so fast it’s a miracle I don’t sprain my neck. My eyes widen in horror as I glare at him, a silent don’t you dare written all over my face. But the man just smiles, ignoring my warning with that cocky smile.
“You see, Aunty…” he begins in that storytelling voice of his, like it’s his favourite story to tell.
“There were no flowers or knees involved,” I cut in quickly. “You know how boring he is. All detective-type, and no fun.”
Sidharth raises a single brow, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Boring?” he repeats.
I nod quickly. “Very.”
Aunty’s eyes bounce between us like she’s watching the most entertaining tennis match of her life.
“That’s terrible. A proposal without flowers or going down on one knee? Where’s the romance in that?” she exclaims, pretending to be scandalised.
“I agree, Aunty,” I say with a grin of my own. Now I’m the one enjoying the show.
She waves a hand dramatically. “Sidharth, I want a proposal right now. In front of me. I’ll be the judge of whether it’s good enough for my girl.”
“That’s a good idea, Aunty,” I say with a nod, then throw a challenging look at Sidharth.
“Challenge accepted,” he replies, a spark lighting his eyes.
I gulp hard, my heart stumbling over itself. Gosh, I should’ve known better than to challenge this man.
I watch as Sidharth rises to his feet and rounds the bed to my side, his eyes never leaving mine. The intensity in his gaze ignites every nerve in my body, and I can’t even form the words bubbling up in my throat. Words to tell him I was only joking, that he doesn’t need to do anything reckless.
And then, before I even realize what’s happening, he’s on one knee.
“You know I never believed in fate,” he begins, softly. “As a detective, I’ve always believed in logic, in things that made sense. But then you walked into my life, and suddenly, every theory I had, every rule I lived by, just fell apart.”
My eyes glisten as he continues. “You drive me insane. You argue with me, challenge me, and roll your eyes at almost everything I say. But you also make me believe that when you love someone, it doesn’t happen with logic or planning.
It happens here…” he presses a hand against his chest “… with your heart.”
I blink rapidly, the world narrowing to just him as he reaches into his pocket.
“And the truth is, I want you beside me for the rest of my life.”
Before I can even gasp, he pulls out a small red velvet box and flips it open, revealing a simple, elegant, and stunning diamond solitaire ring.
“Will you marry me, Nisha? Not today, not tomorrow, but when you feel it’s right.”
For a moment, I go completely still, staring at him, my heart thudding so loudly I can feel it echoing in my throat. Even Aunty is silent. From the corner of my eye, I see her hand fly to her mouth, her eyes wide and glistening as happy tears slip down her cheeks.
Sidharth’s lips curve into that familiar, crooked grin. “Don’t keep me waiting, sweetheart.”
“Yes,” I whisper, my voice trembling before it breaks into a watery laugh. “Yes. Of course, yes.”
His smile deepens as he gently takes my hand and slides the ring onto my finger with a reverence that makes my chest ache.
“I can’t believe you actually had a ring,” I murmur, blinking down at the delicate sparkle now sitting perfectly on my finger.
“I’ve had it for days,” he says, his thumb brushing over mine. “I was just waiting for the right moment.”
Aunty lets out a sound that’s somewhere between a sob and a laugh, quickly dabbing at her cheeks.
“That was perfect,” she declares, clapping her hands. “Proposal approved.”
We all burst into laughter, mine muffled as I throw my arms around Sidharth and drop down next to him. His arms wrap around me just as tightly, and I press my forehead to his, tears falling freely now.
Sidharth has made me believe that fairytales don’t need a perfect princess. Sometimes, it’s the broken things that turn out to be the most beautiful, especially when love is involved. And maybe that’s why, right now, I feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.