chapter 12

Vikrant watched both the ladies trying to get comfortable with each other while conversing. Akansha initiates the conversation most of the time, beginning with Pari's hobbies and what she likes to do the most.He looked at Pari, stuffing food into his mouth. She looks comfortable and less nervous now. The way her lips curved into a smile when Akansha complimented her beauty.Akansha chuckled at her adorable reaction, " my son always liked precious things and you, my daughter, are very precious."She patted her cheek and Pari looked down shyly, not used to such compliments. She put a spoonful of food into her mouth and kept her focus on Akansha who continued talking to her to ease the atmosphere between them, which erupted due to her family.Vikrant rolled his tongue against his lower lip and stared at her lips for more than 5 seconds which she licked just now to clean the little flood.Fuck. Control, Vikrant.He scolded himself and looked down at his plate. The conversation with his mother rang in his mind when she asked if he loved Pari or not?Honestly, he doesn't know.Maybe, he does.Oh, he surely does.He tried hiding his smile by putting food into his mouth." You know, Vikrant had a huge crush on his English teacher."He snapped his eyes at his mother." Maa!"Akansha ignored him and continued sharing the embarrassing moment of his life. Okay, he had a crush on his English teacher in 10th standard because she was very beautiful and nice- anyways. She doesn't have to share his stupid past with Pari. It is needed to share-He looked at Pari as he found her laughing at his silly childhood memories.Okay, if she'll respond like this then Akansha can tell her.Her laugh was quiet, almost hesitant at first, but then it grew. It lit up her face, reaching her eyes, making them crinkle at the corners in a way he'd never seen before.Vikrant blinked, his cheeks burned- something that hadn't happened in years." Maa, stop.."He mumbled but again, Akansha paid no attention to him. He sighed softly and ate his food hurriedly before leaving them alone.Pari and Akansha moved to the living room after having food. They sat on the couch and continued talking." Do not worry about my family, hmm? My mother-in-law? She will take care of everything."Pari sighed softly, " isn't she also angry?"Akansha smiled, " she is. But she loves Vikrant alot. Her anger will not stay longer."" Oh.."Pari uttered and silence erupted between them which Akansha broke by asking." How did you end up in a brothel?"She expected this question from so long. Her eyes glistened with painful memories as she looked down to her lap." Long story. My family sold..me."Her voice came out small and barely audible." Parents?"Pari shook her head in denial, " my chacha and chachi. They hated me. My parents died when I was young."The silence that followed was heavy, but not uncomfortable. It was the kind that spoke louder than words, an acknowledgment of pain without prying too deep.Pari kept her gaze fixed on her lap, her fingers nervously twisting the loose end of her saree. She had expected the question, but answering it... that was another battle altogether."Your chacha and chachi..." Akansha repeated softly, her voice laced with disbelief. "They sold you?"Pari swallowed hard, her throat burning. "They never wanted me," she whispered. "After my parents died... I was just a burden to them. Something they could trade for money."Her voice cracked, and for a second, she thought she'd break down right there but she didn't. She wouldn't.Not again.Akansha's grip on Pari's hand tightened."You were never a burden," she said softly but with conviction. "Not to this world, not to yourself... and definitely not to my son."Pari blinked rapidly, her vision blurring for a moment.Akansha continued, her thumb absentmindedly rubbing soothing circles on the back of Pari's hand. "I know it's not easy, Pari... but you are not defined by what happened to you." She paused before adding, "And you're not alone anymore."Pari's heart thudded at her painful words.Not alone?When was the last time someone said that to her?Her lips quivered, but she pressed them together tightly, refusing to cry. She'd done enough of that for a lifetime." I.."She exhaled heavily and looked at the table before her." I still feel strange with him. Being treated like..like he cares for me."Akansha smiled and tucked the strands of her hair behind the ear- a motherly gesture that seemed comforting to her." You'll get used to this, dear. Vikrant will take good care of you. He's your family now."Family?.The word echoed in her mind, feeling foreign, almost distant. The word that once meant warmth, love, and security had long since become a cruel memory.Her chacha and chachi used to call themselves her family too... right before they sold her like she was nothing more than a transaction." Trust me."Pari looked at Akansha.She wanted to believe those words, wanted to feel like this new life wasn't borrowed time.But the scars of her past still clung to her like chains.And yet... as she looked into Akansha's kind eyes, hope flickered within her.Her heart still didn't know how to embrace the word family, but for the first time in years, it didn't feel as impossible as before.And maybe... just maybe... that was enough for now.A smile formed on her lips as she leaned closer to her and hugged her. Akansha wrapped her arms around her in a motherly manner and palmed the back of her head.She hid her face against her embrace and let tears make a way down to her eyes.Is she taking the right path?She is afraid of dreams. They always shatter, at least in her case.In the past, almost 2 years, she even forgot about her identity and her dreams. She did not know if her existence mattered to people she used to call her family. She had no shoulders to lean on.But, now it doesn't seem impossible.Maybe, her dreams are coming true...Pari frowned as she stopped outside her bedroom. It is locked. But why? She roamed her eyes to Vikrant's room and lifted her foot to walk there. Her anklets created sound as she walked. She knocked on the door." Come in," he ordered.He's awake.She opened the door and stepped inside and found him working with a laptop on the pillow which rested on his lap. While typing on the keypad, he asked." Yes, Pari?"Her heart did that annoying flutter again. Everytime he utters her name, she really feels ticklish." Uhm, my room is locked."That made him pause. His fingers hovered over the keys for a brief second before he leaned back slightly, lifting the cigarette to his lips. She hadn't noticed it before, but now, the way the smoke curled into the air caught her attention.She blinked, not receiving an answer from him." Who locked it?"" Me," he replied and he crushed the cigarette into the ashtray with a slow, deliberate motion, like he was ending a conversation without words.Her lips parted, confusion flickering in her eyes. "You?"He didn't blink. "Yes."He shrugged his shoulders and closed the laptop before getting down from the bed with it." Aren't we supposed to share a bedroom like a normal husband and wife?"Oh..She locked her hands behind her back and stared at him with wide eyes. She has no problem sharing a room with him. She has spent enough nights back at the brothel with him, but now he behaves differently.Don't know what has happened to him but he always tries different ways to leave her breathless and tingling with sensations by his touches. He put the laptop at its usual place and walked toward her." But.. didn't you say we can sleep in separate rooms?"She asked nervously." Yes I did," he uttered and-Thud. Click.Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of the door closing and locking behind her. She stumbled back until her back hit the closed door because he was standing very close to her." Now I am telling you to sleep here with me. You are my wife."As soon as he completed his sentence, his hand gripped her wrist." But-"stared into her eyes confusedly." Uhm," she looked away and tried finding excuses but failed terribly." Pari, bahane kal soch lena. Abhi bahut raat ho gayi."( Pari, make excuses tomorrow. It's too late now.)She widened her eyes as he started pulling her to the bed." M..my clothes? I cannot sleep in the saree?"He sighed and left her wrist. She took a breath of relief and watched him curiously as he walked toward the cupboard.And she saw it.Her clothes. Neatly folded. Sitting right there next to his shirts and jackets.Her breath caught in her throat. " My clothes?"He grabbed a simple cotton kurti and a pair of loose pants and turned to her, " yes."" But how?"She asked and he walked closer to her." I asked the maids to put them here while you were talking to maa."Did she spend a long time with her mother-in-law? Probably.She took clothes from him, " why?"" Because you will stay here from now on."Her breath hitched. Stay here. With him. Every night. Every morning. One night was something she could handle. How was she supposed to calm herself when his presence alone made her feel... strange? Unsteady. He made her feel too much, too aware of his every move, too conscious of the way his gaze lingered a second longer than it should." I can sleep somewhere else," she hugged her clothes close to her chest.His jaw ticked slightly as he parted his mouth to speak, " there's nowhere else."He took one step forward at her, " will you change your clothes and should I help you-"" I am going!"He raised his eyebrows as she snapped at him. She bit her tongue and forced herself to look away, her gaze dropping to the floor as a thousand thoughts warred in her mind.How was she going to survive this?Every day. Every night.With him.These thoughts ran in her mind repeatedly as she walked to the bathroom to change her clothes. He chuckled slightly and removed his shirt, leaving himself in a black vest before climbing up on the bed.He lay down on it and put the duvet over himself. In 15 minutes, he heard a click sound which indicated that she had changed her clothes.He moved his gaze to her as she came out of the bathroom and awkwardly made her way to the bed, only after switching off the lights. His gaze followed her every movement.She sat on the bed and put her legs on it. He waited for her to lay down hurriedly but she was taking a lot of time. Probably due to nervousness.." I won't eat you. Relax."His lips curved into a sly smirk while uttering the above words. She glanced at him then nodded at herself and lay down on the bed, covering herself till her chest.Why can't my heart calm down for a second? It's all his fault.She said mentally.She felt him moving so she tried turning her back to him to avoid him but he grabbed her elbow." Don't."His voice was low. A warning. He faced her completely." Like I said, I won't eat you. At least not now."Her breath hitched.Her cheeks flamed.What does he mean? Is he... is he an animal?Silence." No, I am not," he replied smoothly, like he could hear the question in her head.Her eyes widened, her neck snapping toward him again. "How do you know I called you an animal?"He clicked his tongue, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. "So you did."Realization hit her like a storm.He tricked her.She looked up to the ceiling and decided not to think much but it was nearly impossible. He moved closer to her, folded his arm under his head." Bad manners. You should not call your husband an animal."" And you should not invade someone's thoughts," she replied." Ahn?"His voice echoed in the silent room." Hamare baare me sochogi aur hume na pata ho? Ye kaise theory hai."( You are thinking about me and I should not know? What type of theory is this?)" My theory of privacy," she said, not knowing from where she got this courage to talk like this to Vikrant Agnihotri about him she feels butterflies every time she recalls that he's her husband. Maybe it was the lingering tension in the air, or maybe the fact that she was still trying to process the reality that Vikrant Agnihotri, the man who made her stomach twist with nerves and butterflies all at once, was now her husband.Her husband.The word alone made her toes curl under the blanket." Privacy, hmm?"He uttered.And suddenly, his toe touched the side of her foot. Her breath hitched, her fingers curling into the duvet, gripping it like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.It wasn't a mistake. She knew it wasn't.Slowly, too slowly she shifted her gaze to his face, and there it was.That smirk.Lazy. Amused. Dangerous."Deliberate," she whispered, more to herself than to him.Vikrant's smirk deepened, his dark eyes gleaming in the dimness. "What was?"She swallowed hard. "You know what."He tilted his head, inching just a fraction closer. "Do I?"And then his toe moved again.A slow, torturous graze up the side of her foot, trailing all the way to her ankle." Vikrant, please," she whispered.His name, soft and pleading, slipped from her lips and echoed in his mind like a dangerous melody.And then, before she could process what she had just said, before she could gather the courage to turn her back to him, she did the unthinkable. She moved closer.Instead of retreating, she ended up facing him, her face burying itself against his chest, her shaky breath warming the thin fabric of his vest.His heart thudded against her cheek. Loud. Steady.And then,His leg shifted.In one smooth motion, he draped it over hers, caging her effortlessly.She stiffened at the contact, her fingers curling fisting against his chest. She shouldn't have hugged him. Now, he has closed all the doors for her to open and run away. His arm draped around her waist and he pulled her to himself in a jerk, causing her stomach to hit his and closing the little distance between them." Say it more often," he said while placing his chin on the top of her head." What?"She murmured." My name," he replied.Blush crept up to her cheeks and she finally realised that it was the first time she called him by his name in front of him. The silence between them was a strange thing. What once felt like a burning heat had now settled into something softer, something dangerously comforting.His chin rested on the top of her head, his warm breath tickling her hair.A blush crept up her cheeks, warm and uncontrollable. She was thankful for the darkness because there was no way she could hide it if he saw her face right now.She broke it by her question." Aap chorrenge hume?"( Will you leave me?)His arm tightened around her waist. " Nahi. Jaisi ho vaise leti raho."( No.)He closed his eyes to sleep but due to some strange reason, Pari had a lot of questions to ask." I do not think we can sleep like this."" Are you uncomfortable?"She gulped and replied in a low murmur, " no."" Then what's the problem? Close your eyes and sleep."She gave a small nod, obediently shutting her eyes.But sleep?It felt impossible when his warmth surrounded her, when his scent lingered in the air, wrapping around her like an invisible force.She inhaled, slow and deep, her lashes fluttering against her cheeks." Uhm, I forgot to set the alarm," she said. It was nothing but a major excuse to keep talking in this stupidly romantic situation. She never set an alarm. She didn't need to." You never did, Pari," he heaved a sigh.She chewed her lower lip, flustered, her mind scrambling for something- anything to say.Vikrant's arm shifted ever so slightly, his thumb brushing a soft stroke over the fabric of her kurti at her waist. The touch was casual... yet not." Will you-"" Zip your mouth and sleep, Pari before I make you," he cut her off.Her lips parted in surprise. She blinked a few times, heart thudding in her chest, but the question still lingered in her mind- would he sing her a lullaby?The thought was ridiculous. Absolutely absurd. He was a powerful man, not someone who'd hum soft tunes in the dark."Stop thinking nonsense, Pari. I'm not singing you a lullaby," he muttered, a hint of exasperation in his voice." I wasn't thinking that," she defended herself, the lie was so weak even she didn't believe it.A soft chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Sure."The silence that followed was anything but calm, her heart raced, his presence overwhelming her senses."Now sleep, Pari," he said again, his voice quieter this time. "Or I'll have to find a way to shut you up myself."She didn't dare ask what that meant.Instead, she clutched the duvet tighter and whispered, "Goodnight."Vikrant smirked. "Good girl."She mentally groaned and closed her eyes.⋆༺✷༻⋆Read more Chapters in scrollstack as early access