The evening was unusually lazy.
No meetings.
No danger.
No drama.
Just Aarav and Meher lying on the huge couch together—
doing absolutely nothing productive.
Meher sat curled beside him—
scrolling through reels on her phone quietly.
While Aarav lazily rested against the cushions beside her—
one arm around her waist automatically.
Half his attention on his own phone.
Half on her.
Mostly on her.
Every few seconds—
he glanced sideways at her expressions.
The way she smiled at random videos.
The way she frowned at emotional ones.
Cute.
Everything she did looked cute to him lately.
Then suddenly—
Meher's scrolling stopped.
A reel started playing loudly.
Some dramatic romantic edit.
The girl in the video suddenly grabbed the boy's face and kissed him confidently.
Meher's eyes widened instantly.
And before she could scroll away—
Aarav noticed.
Very quickly noticed.
"Oh?"
Meher froze.
Slowly turned her phone away.
Too late.
Aarav was already looking.
And the moment he understood the reel—
his eyebrows lifted slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Meher instantly became red.
"Don't look."
Aarav calmly took her phone from her hands.
"Aarav!"
He replayed the reel.
Once.
Then looked at her.
Then at the reel again.
Then back at her.
Meher covered her face immediately.
"You're so embarrassing!"
A tiny smirk appeared on Aarav's lips.
"So…"
"No."
He blinked once.
"I didn't even ask yet."
"You were about to."
"…fair."
Meher grabbed the phone back quickly and tried ignoring him.
But now Aarav had become interested.
Very interested.
He slowly shifted closer.
"Meher."
"No."
"Just listen first."
"No."
Aarav actually laughed softly.
"You deny before hearing anything?"
"Yes."
"Cruel."
Meher refused to look at him.
Because she already knew where this conversation was going.
And Aarav—
being Aarav—
became stubborn immediately.
"Just one kiss."
"No."
"A small one."
"No."
"Tiny."
"No."
"Meher."
"Aarav."
He sighed dramatically.
"You reject me too much."
"You survive every time."
"That hurts my feelings."
"You don't have feelings."
Aarav looked genuinely offended.
"Wow."
Meher tried not to smile.
Failed miserably.
And the second Aarav saw her smiling—
he moved closer again.
"See? You're softening."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
At this point—
she had denied him at least fifty times already.
But Aarav clearly had no intention of stopping.
He rested his head lazily against her shoulder now.
"Please."
"No."
"Please."
"No."
"Please."
"No!"
"Please."
"AARAV."
His quiet laughter vibrated against her shoulder.
And somehow—
that made her blush harder.
Then suddenly—
he looked up at her with the most unfair expression possible.
Soft eyes.
Messy hair.
Sleepy face.
Completely shameless.
"Just one."
Meher stared at him in disbelief.
"You're using emotional manipulation."
"Yes."
"At least you admit it!"
Aarav smiled proudly.
"Honesty."
Meher shook her head helplessly and stood up immediately.
"No. Conversation over."
But before she could escape—
Aarav gently caught her wrist and pulled her back onto the couch beside him.
Not forcefully.
Just enough to stop her dramatic escape.
"Aarav!"
"One kiss."
"No."
"One."
"No."
"One."
"No."
By now—
she had probably denied him two hundred times.
Maybe more.
And Aarav somehow looked more determined after every rejection.
Then finally—
Meher crossed her arms stubbornly.
"Why are you so obsessed?"
Aarav looked at her quietly for a second.
Then softly answered,
"Because you blush like this after every tiny thing."
Silence.
Meher instantly hid her face again.
And Aarav completely lost it laughing softly.
Cute.
Dangerously cute.
After a long moment—
Meher peeked at him through her fingers.
Still embarrassed.
Still red.
And Aarav—
still staring at her like she was his favorite thing in the world.
Then quietly—
he leaned closer near her ear and whispered teasingly,
"You know I'm not giving up, right?"
Meher's heartbeat betrayed her instantly.
But stubbornly—
she still whispered back,
"…still no."
And somehow—
that only made Aarav enjoy the chase more.Aarav had officially become unbearable.
Completely unbearable.
And it was entirely Meher's fault.
Because after denying him a kiss approximately two thousand times—
she expected him to give up.
Instead—
the man somehow became more dramatic.
Much more dramatic.
Meher sat peacefully on the bed—
trying to read something on her phone.
Trying.
Because Aarav had entered what she now called:
"attention deprived mode."
Which was extremely dangerous.
"A tragedy has happened," Aarav announced suddenly from beside her.
Meher didn't even look up.
"What now?"
"My girlfriend doesn't love me."
Meher blinked slowly.
Then looked at him in disbelief.
"You're insane."
"No affection."
He started counting dramatically on his fingers.
"No kisses."
Meher rolled her eyes.
"No hugs in the last…" he checked an imaginary watch, "…seven minutes."
"Aarav."
"No appreciation."
"You're literally lying beside me."
"Emotionally I'm suffering."
Meher tried not to laugh.
Failed instantly.
Aarav noticed immediately.
"There. Mocking me too."
"You deserve it!"
He sighed heavily and fell backward onto the bed dramatically.
"Heartbroken."
Meher stared at the ceiling for a second—
questioning every life decision that brought her here.
Then quietly muttered,
"You're not a mafia boss."
A pause.
"You're a spoiled child."
Aarav immediately turned toward her.
"Your spoiled child."
Meher instantly threw a pillow at his face.
"AARAV!"
He laughed softly while catching it.
Then suddenly—
he moved closer again.
Very close.
Resting his head directly in her lap without permission.
Meher froze.
"Aarav?"
"I'm protesting."
"This is protesting?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Until I receive affection, I refuse to move."
Meher stared at him in disbelief.
The man looked completely serious too.
Absolutely shameless.
"You're impossible."
Aarav looked up at her lazily from her lap.
"And yet you're obsessed with me."
"I'm not obsessed."
"Hm."
That smug little "hm" irritated her immediately.
So she purposely ignored him and returned to scrolling her phone.
But Aarav clearly wasn't done.
After a few seconds—
he sighed loudly.
Then louder.
Then dramatically placed the back of his hand on his forehead.
"I'm fading away."
Meher burst into laughter again.
"You need help."
"I need love."
"You're getting on my nerves."
"That's still attention."
Unbelievable.
Actually unbelievable.
Then suddenly—
Aarav grabbed her hand gently.
And placed it on his hair.
Meher blinked.
"What are you doing?"
"Pet me."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then Meher nearly fell off the bed laughing.
"AARAV!"
Even Aarav started laughing now seeing her reaction.
But he still kept her hand there stubbornly.
"Please."
"No."
"Please."
"No."
"Just head pats."
"You're acting like a puppy!"
Aarav looked thoughtful for a second.
"Woof."
Meher completely lost control laughing.
Actually hiding her face because of how ridiculous he was being.
And seeing her laugh like that—
full and carefree—
made Aarav's expression soften immediately.
Because honestly—
he would embarrass himself a thousand times if it meant hearing that sound.
After calming down slightly—
Meher finally sighed dramatically.
"Fine."
Victory flashed in Aarav's eyes instantly.
Then softly—
she started running her fingers through his hair.
Slowly.
Gentle scratches near his scalp.
And Aarav literally melted.
His eyes closed immediately.
Peaceful.
Comfortable.
A tiny satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
Meher stared down at him in disbelief.
"You were this easy to manage?"
Without opening his eyes—
Aarav quietly answered,
"Only for you."
And somehow—
that soft sentence affected her more than all his teasing combined.
A few quiet moments passed.
Then Aarav lazily murmured,
"You know…"
"Hm?"
"If you kissed me once, I'd probably become less dramatic."
Meher immediately removed her hand from his hair.
"No."
Aarav opened one eye slowly.
"…worth trying."
And Meher realized one terrifying thing.
This man was never going to stop teasing her.
Ever.The room had grown quieter again.
Only soft rain outside.
Only their breathing inside.
Aarav still rested comfortably in Meher's lap—
looking entirely too pleased with himself.
Mostly because she had finally started playing with his hair.
And now he looked like he had achieved life's greatest victory.
Meher looked down at him helplessly.
"You're impossible."
"Hm."
"There's that annoying hm again."
A tiny smile appeared on his lips.
"Still here."
Meher rolled her eyes softly.
But her fingers never stopped moving through his hair.
And honestly—
Aarav looked too relaxed like this.
Too soft.
Nothing like the terrifying man everyone feared.
Right now—
he just looked like someone who wanted affection and peace.
Someone who trusted her completely.
Then suddenly—
Aarav opened one eye lazily.
"You know…"
Meher sighed dramatically.
"What now?"
"I still think one kiss would fix my suffering."
"There is no suffering."
"There is. Deep emotional pain."
Meher laughed softly.
"You're so dramatic."
"For you."
That answer came too quickly.
Too honestly.
And it made her heart skip again.
Aarav noticed her expression instantly.
Of course he did.
Then softly—
he sat up slowly from her lap.
Now sitting very close in front of her.
Close enough that her breathing became uneven again.
"Aarav…"
"Hm?"
"You're staring again."
"Because you're pretty."
Meher looked away immediately.
Blushing hard again.
And seeing that—
something softened deeply in Aarav's eyes.
No teasing now.
Just warmth.
He slowly reached up—
tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear gently.
"Why are you so shy with me?" he whispered.
Because despite everything they survived together—
this still made her nervous.
Him.
His closeness.
The way he looked at her like she mattered too much.
Meher tried speaking.
Failed.
Aarav smiled softly at her struggle.
Then leaned closer slowly.
Not forcing.
Not rushing.
Giving her every chance to move away.
But Meher didn't.
Her heartbeat became louder instead.
And before she could overthink again—
before nervousness could stop her—
she suddenly grabbed his shirt lightly—
pulled him closer—
and kissed him.
Right on his lips.
Soft.
Quick.
But real.
Aarav froze completely.
Actually froze.
As if his brain stopped working for a second.
Meher instantly realized what she had done.
And immediately tried pulling back in panic.
But Aarav's hand moved to her waist instantly.
Holding her there gently.
His eyes locked onto hers—
completely stunned.
Silence filled the room.
Meher's face turned bright red.
"I—"
"You kissed me."
His voice came out quieter than usual.
Almost disbelieving.
Meher covered her face instantly.
"Don't say it like that!"
But Aarav was still staring at her.
Like the world had genuinely stopped.
Then slowly—
a smile appeared on his face.
Not teasing.
Not smug.
Just soft.
Happy.
Dangerously happy.
"You kissed me first," he whispered again.
"AARAV."
He actually laughed softly now—
forehead resting against hers.
And Meher could literally feel how happy he was.
It made her heart melt completely.
Then quietly—
very softly—
Aarav murmured,
"Can I kiss you back now?"
Meher's entire brain stopped functioning again.
Because somehow—
after everything—
he still asked.
Still cared.
Still treated her gently.
Meher looked at him shyly for a long moment.
Then finally—
very slowly—
she nodded.
And Aarav smiled like she had just given him the entire world.The moment Meher nodded—
Aarav's entire expression softened.
Completely.
Like every teasing word…
every stubborn complaint…
every dramatic demand from earlier—
had led to this one quiet moment.
His hand remained gently at her waist.
Not tight.
Not possessive.
Just there.
Warm.
Careful.
As if he still couldn't believe she kissed him first.
Meher's heartbeat was so loud now—
she was sure he could hear it.
Especially with how close he was.
Aarav looked at her for a long second.
Almost studying her.
Giving her one last chance to pull away.
But Meher stayed.
Shy.
Nervous.
Yet still looking back at him.
And that alone weakened him completely.
Slowly—
Aarav lifted one hand toward her face.
His fingers brushing softly near her cheek.
Gentle enough to make her breath catch.
Then finally—
he leaned in.
Slowly.
Unhurried.
Like he wanted her to feel every second.
And when his lips touched hers—
it was nothing like the chaos they survived.
Nothing rough.
Nothing rushed.
Just soft.
Careful.
Warm.
A kiss filled with all the things he struggled to say aloud.
Relief.
Love.
Fear of losing her.
Peace from finding her again.
Meher's fingers instinctively tightened against his shirt.
And Aarav immediately softened even more feeling that tiny reaction.
As if her nervousness itself was precious to him.
The kiss stayed slow.
Tender.
Almost unfairly gentle for someone the world feared.
And somehow—
that gentleness affected Meher more than anything else.
Because Aarav always held her like she was something fragile—
something important.
Even now.
Especially now.
When he finally pulled back—
barely—
their foreheads rested together again.
Both breathing unevenly.
Silent.
Meher couldn't even look at him properly anymore.
Too shy.
Way too shy.
Aarav noticed instantly.
And a tiny smile appeared on his lips.
"There's the blushing again."
Meher immediately hid her face against his chest.
"Aarav stop talking."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
But instead of teasing further—
his arms wrapped around her fully.
Holding her close against him.
Comfortably.
Protectively.
Then softly—
near her hair—
he whispered,
"That was worth all two thousand rejections."
Meher lightly hit his chest immediately.
"You counted?!"
"Yes."
"Aarav!"
He laughed softly again—
the happiest she had heard him in days.
Then after a moment—
his laughter faded into something quieter.
Something more honest.
He tilted her chin gently upward again.
And this time—
there was no teasing in his eyes.
Only softness.
Only her.
"You have no idea," he whispered, "how careful I want to be with you."
That sentence hit her heart painfully softly.
Because Aarav—
dangerous Aarav—
kissed her like he was terrified of hurting her.
Meher's eyes softened instantly.
And before he could hide behind teasing again—
she leaned closer herself this time.
Resting her forehead against his.
Comfortable now.
Trusting.
Aarav visibly relaxed again the second she moved closer willingly.
Like even after the kiss—
he still needed reassurance she was truly here.
Still his peace.
Outside—
rain continued falling softly.
Inside—
Aarav held her quietly in his arms.
And for once—
the storm inside him felt completely still.