Silver-Topaz

Anjali barely had time to smile before Khushi hugged her tightly. “We missed you so much.” Anjali laughed softly, caressing her hair. “Khushi… I went from here only yesterday.” “Haan toh ek din bhi bahut hota hai,” Khushi replied dramatically, making everyone chuckle. Nani walked forward with teary eyes and performed a small nazar utarna ritual for Anjali. “Shaadi ke baad aur bhi sundar lag rahi hai meri bacchi.” Manorama instantly added, “Hello hi bye bye, sasural ka glow hai!” Anjali blushed.  The house quickly filled with noise again. NK started his exaggerated stories about the wedding chaos. “Nanav was looking so grumpy during pheras as if someone forced him to marry,” NK announced loudly. “NK!” Arnav warned. “But then he kept staring at Khushi ji every two minutes,” NK added mischievously. Khushi nearly dropped the tray she was holding while everyone burst into laughter. Anjali’s eyes instinctively shifted toward Arnav and Khushi. And she noticed it immediately. The comfort b...

The atmosphere shifts the second the heavy oak door clicks shut, sealing the rest of the world—the noise, the family, the shadows of their past—on the other side. In the sudden silence of the hotel suite, the air feels thick, almost pressurized. Arnav doesn't wait. He pins Khushi against the door, his hands framing her face with a desperation that borders on hunger. For months, they had moved around each other like celestial bodies—constantly pulling, constantly resisting. Now, the gravity has finally won. "Arnav ji..." she gasps, her breath hitching as his forehead rests against hers. Her hands are lost in the fabric of his shirt, bunching the expensive silk as if she’s afraid he might vanish if she lets go. "No more talking, Khushi," he rasps, his voice a low, jagged growl. "No more running. Just us." He kisses her then—not the tentative, questioning kisses of their early days, but something deep, demanding, and certain. It tastes of relief and a lon...