Gauri's cheeks burned as she tried to wriggle free from Vihaan's hold. "Let me go," she whispered, her voice trembling with both nervousness and something she couldn't name.
But Vihaan only tightened his grip, pulling her closer. Their balance tipped, and in an instant they tumbled onto the bed. Gauri landed softly against the mattress, her breath hitching as Vihaan hovered above her, his hands braced on either side.
The world went still. Their eyes locked—hers wide and startled, his intense and unreadable.
Slowly, Vihaan's face inched closer, his breath brushing against her lips. Gauri's lashes fluttered shut, her heart hammering wildly, as though time itself held its breath for them.
But before their lips could meet—
Knock, knock!
"Gauri bhabhi!" Raani's voice rang from outside the door.
Gauri's eyes flew open, panic flooding her face. She scrambled up from the bed, straightening her dupatta in a rush.Beside her, Vihaan froze, his arousal—bold and unyielding, tenting the thin fabric of his pajama trousers in a blatant outline—throbbing with insistent neglect. With a curse muffled under his breath, he snatched a pillow from the headboard, clutching it over his lap like a makeshift barricade, the feathers inside shifting awkwardly against the rigid evidence of his desire. His face, moments ago a canvas of fierce possession, now crumpled into flustered crimson, his chest still bare and heaving.
"Uh… Gauri—open the door," he stammered, his voice unusually uneven.
Gauri shot him a look, her face crimson. She opened the door just enough to see Raani standing there with a bundle of clothes.
"Bhabhi, will you help me choose an outfit for tomorrow? I can't decide," Raani pouted.
Gauri let out a shaky laugh, nodding quickly. "Of course, Raani. Let's go."
As she followed her sister-in-law down the hall, Vihaan collapsed back against the bed, burying his face into the pillow he still clutched. His ears burned as he muttered to himself, half in frustration, half in disbelief.
"What is happening to me…"
Vihaan fell back on the bed, his chest rising and falling as though he had just fought a war. His mind was a storm, replaying the moment Gauri's lips had been inches from his, her warmth pressed against him, her breath trembling with the same unspoken pull that burned inside him.
He shut his eyes, covering his face with his hand, but the images only grew sharper—the way her lashes had fluttered shut, the way her body had melted against his before Raani's voice broke them apart. He gritted his teeth, tossing the pillow aside, but there was no escaping it.
"What are you doing to me, Gauri…" he whispered to the empty room, his voice rough.
His reflection in the mirror caught his eye. He saw not the unshakable ACP, not the feared Sarvansh, but a man completely undone. A man who, for the first time in his life, wasn't in control of himself.
Vihaan dragged a hand through his hair, pacing for a moment, then collapsed back onto the bed again. He couldn't deny it anymore—the jealousy, the possessiveness, the way his heart hammered at just the thought of her.
This feeling was dangerous. Overwhelming. Addictive.
And yet… he smiled faintly, staring up at the ceiling, as a thought slipped from his lips in a hushed confession meant only for the night.
"This feeling… it's amazing."
His mind drifted again to Gauri's shy smile, her soft touch, her eyes that had once seen him only as duty—but now, now they saw him as something more. Something he desperately wanted to be.
Vihaan pressed his hand against his chest, right where her bangle had touched him before, where her words had pulled him back from the abyss. For the first time, he admitted it to himself.
"I'm falling for her."
Vihaan sat up in bed, running both hands through his hair. No matter how hard he tried to push her face from his thoughts, she was everywhere.
When he looked at the mirror, he didn't see himself—he saw Gauri, standing there with that soft smile that always disarmed him. He turned toward the chair, and there she was again, laughing at him with her playful teasing. Even when he blinked, she appeared by the window, her dupatta swaying in the breeze, her eyes shimmering like they had when she closed them under his touch.
He laughed, a little helpless, shaking his head. "What the hell is happening to me…"
But the smile wouldn't leave his lips. He could feel it, the truth clawing its way out of him, no longer something he could ignore.
His heart thundered in his chest as he whispered it, testing the words on his tongue for the first time.
"I love you, Gauri."
The sound of it startled him at first, but then he laughed softly to himself, the admission bringing a strange lightness to his chest. He fell back against the bed, still smiling like a fool.
"I love you, Gauri," he repeated, louder this time, almost enjoying the way it echoed in the empty room. And though she wasn't there to hear it, her laughter filled the space around him anyway—because, in his heart, she already was everywhere.