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Arvi's pov:

The room felt quiet without him.

I pulled the blanket around me, still warm from where he’d slept beside me. His scent lingered on the pillow soft, musky, calming. I closed my eyes for a second, letting it wrap around me like him.

My body still remembered every touch from last night. Every kiss. Every whispered word.

It hadn’t just been physical. It had been… everything.

I’d given all of me to Rayaan. Willingly. Lovingly. Without fear.

And in return, he gave me something I hadn’t even known I was starving for his heart.

Slowly, I reached for my phone on the nightstand.

The screen lit up.

My wallpaper him. In that crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled up, eyes focused on something far away. I saved that photo from his social handles secretly.

I smiled softly and pressed a kiss to the screen.

“I love you,” I whispered, like he could hear it through the pixels.

I hugged the pillow tighter, cheeks warm, heart full.

I was his.

And he was mine.

Just as I hugged the pillow tighter, the door swung open with its usual dramatic flair.

“Arvi!” Aleesha burst in, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

I blinked at her sleepily. “Aleesha? What happened?”

“Get ready,” she said, already heading to my wardrobe like she owned it. “Please, please don’t ask questions. Just trust me.”

I sat up straighter, heart thudding. “Where are we going?”

“To meet someone,” she said, holding up a kurta like she was on a mission. “And I really need you with me.”

I frowned. “Aleesha, you’re being way too—”

“Please,” she interrupted, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed, her voice softening. “I need you. I can’t do this alone.”

That stilled me.

Ten minutes later, I was dressed and seated beside her in the car, still confused. She fidgeted the whole way, chewing her lower lip and tapping her nails against her phone.

We reached café

The café was cozy, with hanging lights and the smell of roasted coffee beans in the air. Aleesha was fidgeting beside me, practically vibrating with nerves or excitement I couldn’t tell which.

“Okay,” she said, adjusting her dupatta. “We’re here.”

I stepped inside and followed her gaze toward the table near the back.

And then I stopped dead in my tracks.

Riaan.

He was already standing, that infuriatingly familiar grin spreading across his face.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered.

“Arvi Bhabhi!” Riaan greeted like this was the most natural thing in the world. “Long time.”

Aleesha turned to me, eyes hopeful. “Surprise?”

I stared at her like she’d grown two heads. “You’re dating Riaan?!”

She winced. “Please don’t yell…”

I took a step back, trying to process. Riaan the walking disaster, Rayaan’s best friend.

“You didn’t think this was something I should know?” I hissed.

“I wanted you to meet him and then tell you,” she said quickly. “Because if you found out randomly, you'd freak.”

“Well, I’m freaking,” I snapped, still in disbelief.

“Arvi bhabhi,” Riaan spoke up, his tone unusually serious. “We didn’t plan to fall for each other. It just... happened.”

I crossed my arms. “Does he know?”

They both exchanged a look.

Silence.

Then Aleesha said quietly, “No.”

“No?” I gaped. “Are you both insane?! He’s going to kill both of you. You're his baby cousin, and you’re his best friend.”

“That’s exactly why we need you,” Riaan said, stepping closer. “You’re the only one who can help us break this news without causing a war.”

“Absolutely not,” I said, backing away. “I am not getting in the middle of this. I like being married. I like not being murdered in my sleep.”

“Please, Arvi,” Aleesha begged, gripping my hand. “You know him. You know how to talk to him when no one else can. If you tell him, he'll at least listen.”

I bit my lip. She looked so hopeful. Riaan, for once, wasn’t joking he looked terrified.

“You two...” I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair. “This is such a bad idea.”

“But you’ll help?” Aleesha whispered.

I closed my eyes. God, what am I getting myself into?

After a long pause, I opened them and nodded. “Fine. But if he throws something, I’m blaming you.”

Riaan exhaled in relief. “You’re the best, Bhabhi. I always said that.”

I shot him a glare. “Don’t push your luck, Riaan.”

As we stepped out of the car and walked up the steps of the Oberoi Mansion, my head was still spinning.

Aleesha clutched my hand tightly, her earlier excitement replaced by visible nerves.

“Arvi,” she whispered urgently before we entered, “please. Don’t tell anyone else. Not Badi maa, not Vivaan, not even Arekha &  Mumma. Just… just Rayaan bhai.”

“Okay Aleesha Relax.”

She kissed my cheek and dashed to her room, whispering, “Tell him tonight, okay? Just him. No one else. Please, Arvi.”

I nodded.

I turned to head up the stairs, rehearsing lines in my head. “Rayaan, I need to tell you something.” No. Too serious. “So, funny story your best friend and cousin…” Ugh. Worse.

But just as my foot touched the third step, his voice stopped me cold.

“Where were you?”

I froze.

Rayaan.

I turned slowly to find him leaning casually against the staircase railing, his sleeves rolled up, hair slightly tousled like he’d run his hands through it in frustration. His eyes were sharp too sharp. Observant.

“Oh,” I said quickly, faking a casual smile. “You’re home early.”

“You didn’t answer me,” he said, arms now folded. “Where were you?”

Crap. Think, Arvi, think.

“I—uh—I was just out with Aleesha,” I said, praying he wouldn’t press further. “But why are you home so early? You usually work till seven.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, then sighed. “Dad called. Said it was important. So I wrapped up and came.”

I nodded,  calmly even as my heart hammered in my chest. “Is everything okay?”

“Not sure yet,” he said, glancing toward the direction of the main hall. “He wanted to speak to all of us after dinner.”

“I’ll go freshen up,” I said, already turning.

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you avoiding me?”

“Me? Never,” I tossed back over my shoulder and hurried upstairs before he could catch the guilt on my face.

I pushed open the door to our room and stepped inside, my mind whirling with everything that had happened

I closed the door behind me and leaned against it for a second, letting out a slow breath.

But before I could take even two steps, the door opened again.

Rayaan.

He stepped in, eyes locked onto mine. Calm, steady, unreadable but I could feel the storm brewing behind them.

“What’s going on, Arvi?”

I blinked. “W..What?”

“You’re jumpy. You didn’t answer me properly downstairs, and now you’re acting like I’m interrogating you.” His voice wasn’t angry, just firm. Focused. “So I’ll ask again where were you?”

I swallowed. “With Aleesha…”

“Doing what?” he pressed, stepping closer.

I backed up slightly, bumping into the edge of the bed. My heart pounded in my ears. “Rayaan, I was going to tell you just not like this…”

His eyes darkened. “Tell me what?”

I paused.

This was it.

The moment I’d hoped to delay until dinner was over, until he was relaxed until anything other than this.

But he wouldn’t stop. He knew me too well. And I was never good at lying to him.

So I took a breath, clasped my hands together, and said it.

“Aleesha is… she’s dating someone.”

He blinked, processing. “Okay. And?”

“It’s…” I hesitated. “It’s Riaan.”

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Rayaan just stared at me, expression unreadable.

Then he laughed once. A humorless, sharp laugh. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

He didn’t speak for a moment. Just turned away, jaw tight, eyes hard.

“She’s a kid,” he muttered. “And he is a bastard. He’s supposed to be my  second brother my best friend.”

“She loves him, Rayaan,” I said quietly. “And he loves her too.”

He turned back to me sharply. “And you knew? You were covering for them?”

“No!” I said quickly. “I only found out today. They begged me not to tell anyone else. Just you.”

He exhaled, “I can’t believe this. Riaan of all people he didn’t even have the guts to tell me himself?”

“Maybe because he was scared of this reaction,” I whispered.

Rayaan stood up from the bed suddenly, the tension in his shoulders sharp, his expression hard.

“No,” he said flatly. “This is not happening. It’s not possible.”

“Rayaan—”

“She’s a kid, Arvi!” he snapped. “She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

I stepped toward him, voice calm but firm. “She’s 22. I’m 22. We’re the same age.”

He stared at me, unblinking.

“If I’m old enough to be married,” I continued, my voice lowering, “then so is she. And maybe, in a year, I might even become a mother.”

That was it.

Something shifted in his face.

His jaw tightened. His eyes darkened.

And then his voice exploded.

“DONT TALK ABOUT KIDS!”

I flinched.

His words were sharp. Cold. Final.

The room fell into stunned silence.

He turned away from me, breathing hard, fists clenched at his sides.

But the damage was done.

I stood frozen, my chest aching like someone had cracked it open. His words echoed like a slap.

Don’t talk about kids.

“Ok,” I said softly, a bitter smile tugging at my lips.

He didn’t turn.

And that hurt more than the yelling.

My voice trembled, but I kept it steady. “I didn’t bring up motherhood to scare you, Rayaan. I said it because it’s real. Because this is real. You married me. I’m your wife. I deserve to know what you want… or don’t.”

Still, silence.

I took a shaky breath. “I’ll give you time. For everything. For Aleesha. For this. For us. But don’t shut me out like that again.”

And with that, I turned and walked outside the room, closing the door gently behind me leaving him alone with his storm.