The air was still.
Reha sat up suddenly, her breath catching in her throat as if something had slipped away too quickly. She looked around her saree was still wrapped around her, bangles still clinking softly against her wrists, the room quiet… untouched.
But something felt wrong. Empty. Incomplete.
Her hand instinctively went to her neck.
There was nothing there. There`s no chain, no mangalsutra.
She froze.
It hit her like a sharp blade.
It was a dream—all of it.
Ved never came home. He never stood behind her, never brushed her hair aside, never fastened the chain around her neck like it meant something.
That breathless moment… his voice behind her saying "Because it is..."His fingers against her skin…His arms around her waist…
None of it happened.
Her throat tightened as the ache settled in.
She hadn't realized just how much she wanted that moment. Not just the romance, not just the softness. But the certainty. That someone would claim her, protect her, see her not as a burden, but as his own.
She blinked back the sting in her eyes.
Why would he?
Ved was danger wrapped in silence. Shadows were stitched into his soul. She was nothing more than a woman under his protection… for now. Just a girl he was keeping safe from the world. Nothing more.
Then why did it feel like so much more in that dream?
Why did his absence burn like a betrayal?
She stood slowly, her body heavy with a sadness she couldn't name. The red saree felt too loud now, too bold. The bangles too noisy for a heart this quiet.
And just as she tried to pull herself together, a knock echoed through the house.
She straightened, heart jerking to life.
Was it him?
She rushed to the door, opened it, only to come face to face with Shikha.
Reha's heart sank.
She was holding a container, pretending to smile.
"Deepika made dinner. Thought you might not have cooked yet."
Of course, she hadn't. Ved had the keys, the money, everything. And he hadn't come back.
And Shikha… Shikha had come only to check if he was here.
Reha forced a smile. "Thank you."
"Is Ved home?" Shikha asked casually, scanning the room like a cat sniffing for cream.
Reha's voice turned cold." No. He's not."
"Oh… that's too bad."
No, Reha thought. "That's too lucky."
She took the container and shut the door a heartbeat later. Then leaned back against it and let herself breathe.
Still no Ved.Still no call.Still no chain.
And the worst part?
She was starting to wish the dream had never ended.
Time slipped by like sand through trembling fingers.
Reha hadn't eaten.
She couldn't.
Not with the weight in her chest growing heavier with every hour that passed.9 turned to 11. Then 12. Now 1 a.m.
And still, no sign of Ved.
The man who once stood like a wall between her and the world... had vanished without a word. No call. No message. No explanation.
She sat on the edge of the couch, arms wrapped around her knees, eyes glued to the door.
And then… it rang.
The bell.
Her heart leapt to her throat.
She knew it was him.
She didn't wait. She didn't breathe. She just ran.
She swung the door open—
And there he was.
Ved stood in the soft yellow light of the corridor, tired, shadows under his eyes, hair slightly messed, shirt creased from hours out in the dark.
He didn't even get the chance to speak.
Because the next second, Reha threw herself into his arms.
Her body crashed into his chest, her arms wrapping around him tightly, like she'd finally found air after drowning.
"Ved… where were you?" Her voice cracked, trembling against his collarbone."I was so scared. You said I'd be safe with you… But what about you? Who keeps you safe?"
Ved stood there—frozen.
The chill of her words ran straight down his spine.
He hadn't expected this. Not from her.Not this raw panic.Not this need.
And he didn't know what to do with the ache that suddenly bloomed in his chest.
He slowly brought his arms around her—tentative at first, then tighter.
"I'm sorry," he whispered."I didn't mean to stay away this long."
He stepped inside with her still in his arms, and only once the door closed behind them did she pull back. Barely.
That's when he really saw her.
The red saree still clung to her body like a second skin. Her hair, now dry, cascaded down her back. Her kohl was slightly smudged, her lips parted—not in seduction, but in sheer relief.
And God, she was beautiful.
Not just in the way she looked… but in the way she waited for him. In the way she cared.
He stared at her.
Silent. Heavy. Intense.
Reha noticed. Her cheeks flushed, but she didn't look away.
"You didn't even take your phone. I had no way of reaching you…"She looked down."I thought something happened to you."
Ved stepped closer, his voice low."Do you always worry this much for people who keep you in locked houses?"
She looked up, eyes shining with tired honesty.
"Only for the ones who make me feel like home."
Ved didn't know what to say to that.
Because in that moment, he realized…This wasn't just about protection anymore.This was something else.Something far more dangerous.
She was no longer just under his care.
She was under his skin.