The next morning, Vihaan Malhotra stopped by Shravan's penthouse so that Drishti could collect her study materials before dropping her off at college."Honey, shall I come by in the evening to pick you up?" Vihaan asked, stopping in the university parking lot."Paa, I'm going back to Shravan's penthouse, remember?" Drishti asked, and Vihaan frowned."Do you really have to?" Vihaan asked, and Drishti rolled her eyes."Yes, Paa, I do. We have to make a decision, right? We were going to talk after the trip to the temple. But then things happened and it got dragged," Drishti said."Okay. We will be staying back in Bangalore until you two make a decision. And I don't want you to stay with him before you decide things," Vihaan said."I stayed at his place for three days! Nothing happened to me, Paa.""Okay, I understand. You are a grown girl now. But you are still my little girl. I don't particularly like you staying at his place," Vihaan grumbled."God! This coming from the man who-" Vihaa
Drishti was confused about what to wear on her first date. She tried numerous dresses but still couldn't decide.She dialed Siddhu's number. "What do you want? Weren't you supposed to go on a date? Why are you calling and disturbing me?" came the response as soon as the call was answered.Drishti rolled her eyes. "I'm confused about what to wear. It's my first date, and I want it to be perfect. I need help," Drishti said."You seem to have forgotten that I'm not your girlfriend, Drishti. How am I supposed to know about these things?" Siddhu asked in exasperation."I know that. I want a man's opinion. What would you expect your nonexistent girlfriend to wear on your imaginary first date?" Drishti asked."I would definitely expect her to wear something sexy and revealing," Siddhu said cheekily."Uh, men!" Drishti muttered."You wanted a man's opinion," Siddhu reminded her."Never mind. I will manage. Get lost," Drishti said and hung up.Shravan walked into his bedroom and looked around
By the time Shravan came out of the washroom, Drishti was almost ready.She was wearing a midnight blue sundress that fell around her knees, leaving her long, shapely legs on display."Can you zip me up? It's stuck," Drishti turned around, giving him a perfect view of her open back.Shravan cursed himself, seeing his hands trembling at the thought of touching her."Damn it!""Hurry up," Drishti said impatiently.Shravan moved towards her, held the zipper, and tried to zip it up, but it didn't move.He realized it was stuck in the lace of her bra. Shravan gulped as his eyes focused on the blue lace against her milky skin.His hands moved on their own accord, and he tentatively touched her bare back."Oh sweet heavens!" Shravan mentally groaned as he felt her satiny soft skin.Drishti, who was impatiently waiting for him to zip her up, stiffened when she felt his touch.His calloused hands against her soft skin left her with a curious feeling she had never felt before.She looked up in
Drishti changed into her casual wear and walked out of the bedroom.Shravan was waiting for her in the living room.Drishti was back to her usual self."Order placed?" she asked."Yeah, Italian," he said without looking at her.Drishti rolled her eyes at the awkwardness."Come on. Stop being so awkward. So what if we kissed? It was mind-blowing, wasn't it?" Drishti asked, and then a scary thought gripped her.Didn't he like it? Is that why he is so awkward with her now?Shravan looked at her in disbelief.Why is he even surprised?He should have known she would be back to her usual chirpy self pretty soon."You didn't like it?" Drishti asked, concerned."Of course I did," Shravan said.Drishti sighed in relief."Great. I got worried for a moment," she smiled cheekily."How are you so cool about it?" Shravan asked in disbelief."Why shouldn't I? Ah! If you are going to ask for an annulment, what happened a while ago will turn awkward," Drishti admitted."I am not going to ask for an an
"By the way, where are you taking me for the honeymoon?" Drishti asked excitedly."Honeymoon?" Shravan asked in surprise. He hadn't given it a thought."Of course. All newly married couples go for a honeymoon. But don't worry, we don't have to go right away. I can't take any more leave. If I do, I won't be allowed to sit for exams. So we will go during my semester break," Drishti said."What's your attendance percentage, Drishti?" Shravan asked."Forty percent," Drishti said with a shrug."Forty? Dear God, what were you doing skipping all the classes?" Shravan asked in horror."Oh, we sometimes go for movies or simply for drives.""That is not done, Drishti. You can't skip classes like that. If you don't attend the classes, how are you going to understand anything? How are you going to write the exam?""Even if I do attend the class, I don't really understand half the things they teach. They are so boring that I mostly fall asleep during the class," Drishti said.Shravan took in a dee
Next morning, Shravan woke up with a smile, finding his wife all over him."Wife!! Sounds nice," he thought.Her head was on his shoulder, her hands across his torso, and her legs tangled with his.Her hair was all over her face.Shravan gently moved the hair strands from her face and tucked them behind her ears.The slight movement disturbed her lightly, and she snuggled more into him.He caressed her cheeks with his thumbs and pressed a kiss on her forehead."Good morning, Drishti," he murmured against her skin and lied there with her in his arms for a while.The feel of her soft warmth against his body felt too good to move away.Shravan almost fell asleep again when his phone pinged with the reminder he had set for the shareholders' meeting scheduled for the morning."Damn!! How did he forget something so important?" he cursed softly and got up from the bed without disturbing her.He hurried to the office and found Mithran and Isha were already there.Mithran raised an eyebrow and
"Anjali, meet my wife, Drishti. Drishti, this is our receptionist, Anjali," Shravan made the introductions as he stood up from his chair."Hello, Anjali. I told you I'm his wife, but you didn't believe me," Drishti said."Sorry, ma'am. We weren't aware that Sir got married.""Nobody knows. We eloped and married," Drishti said, and Shravan stared at her in horror."Anjali, you can get on with your work," Shravan dismissed his receptionist and turned to Drishti."Why did you lie?""You are the one who told me to keep the circumstances of the marriage a secret, so people will wonder why nobody knows about our marriage. So I thought the story of elopement would sound nice. I even have a story planned in my mind," Drishti said excitedly."Really? Please do share the story with us too," Mithran asked in amusement."You really want to know? Great!" Drishti took a chair next to Mithran and started narrating a story about how some goons kidnapped her for ransom, and how Shravan came to rescue
Shravan walked behind Drishti, carrying multiple shopping bags as she walked ahead of him, still full of energy. He groaned loudly as he saw her walk into yet another shop. Two hours down, she was still happily running around the mall, buying whatever caught her fancy.Shravan handed over the shopping bags to the guard at the counter and took the tokens in return. He then followed Drishti into the shop."Aren't you done yet, Drishti? You've already done enough shopping to last a year," Shravan said in exasperation."I need some swimsuits and a set of Crocs. We're going to a beach resort, so obviously we'll be swimming," Drishti replied, browsing through the selection of bikinis and swimsuits."What do you think I should get, a bikini or a one-piece?" Drishti asked, and Shravan groaned. The woman had been doing a fashion show in front of him for the past two hours, and he had been walking around in a half-aroused state the entire time."Get whatever you want. I'll wait for you in the f
5 years later.Diya draped her saree and was about to wear the sindoor when a hand caught hers, stopping her. Vihaan took the box of vermilion from her with a charming smile."Do I have to remind you every day that this is my haqq biwi?" Vihaan asked as he took the vermilion between his thumb and forefinger and applied it on her partition."I thought you would be busy downstairs with preparations," Diya said, smiling contentedly."I'm never too busy for you, love," Vihaan said as he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest."Vihaan, what are you doing?? Someone will come. We have lots of work to do," Diya said, trying to wriggle out of his hold."No one will come, and all works are done. The house is all set for Diwali," Vihaan said before bending down and pecking her on her lips.Vihaan caressed her exposed waist with his fingers, earning a light moan from Diya."Vihaan. It's morning.""So?? Do I have to wait till night to love my wife??"Diya wound her arms ar
Drishti walked to the front door, pausing before making her exit, sweeping them both with another grin, her eyes twinkling like stars. "Happy Diwali," she called out. Then off she went down the hallway singing.As Drishti went out of sight, Vihaan's hands slid around Divyaa, turning her around to face him, making her heart flutter wildly. "Thank you. Thank you for being you, for having my child and giving her to me. But above everything else, thank you for waiting for me, Diya.""Oh Vihaan," Relief gushed through her. The love in his voice was unmistakable. "I'm sorry I gave up on you. I...""No..." He placed a finger on her lips, hushing the stream of regret. "I was wrong. You don't have anything to answer for. God knows I've seen enough, been with you enough to appreciate, in some small measure, how it's been for you. I'm sorry I got so screwed up about being left out.""Well, at least I'm not too young for you anymore."He frowned, pained by the reminder."I don't know that you eve
Tears streamed down Drishti's cheeks, but she seemed unaware of them. She was still staring at Vihaan, her desperate plea for him to make things right for her evident in her gaze. Twisting the hem of her nightshirt, her open hair hung around her face, giving her a bedraggled appearance. She looked like a lost little waif, and Divyanshi wanted to gather her child in her arms and hug her insecurities away. However, it was to Vihaan that her daughter looked for what she needed now, and Divya held herself back. It was up to him to answer his daughter, to answer all the questions now.Yet, Vihaan looked as lost as Drishti, struck by the realisation of all she might have overheard - the role her adoptive parents had played in taking her from Divyanshi, in preventing Vihaan from knowing about his fatherhood, ensuring he didn't reunite with her mother, and keeping the knowledge of her real parentage from her. The world they had known had been torn up, and the pieces couldn't be put togethe
"This is the final round, Drishti," Vihaan warned as he set up the game board again."You're just jealous that I've been winning all the games so far," Drishti crowed proudly."Yeah, by cheating," Vihaan said, and Drishti rolled her eyes as if it wasn't a big deal.They had played three rounds of Snake and Ladder and two rounds of Ludo at Drishti's insistence. Drishti had won all the games, using her sneaky tricks to avoid the snakes and win at Ludo.He looked tired. He had been rather quiet, almost distant, all evening, only responding to Drishti's demands.Divya hoped he wasn't too tired to stay up with her after Drishti went to bed. It had been an active day filled with swimming, windsurfing, drawing rangolis, decorating the house, and setting up the pooja room. Besides, he couldn't have had much sleep last night as he had been up early with Drishti this morning. What would she do if he suggested they retire early?"It's Diwali tomorrow, Vihaan Uncle. I'm too excited to go to bed,"
Not knowing was killing him. He knew that he had unsettled Divya with his brooding. Well, she wouldn't have the slightest idea as to what was eating him up, and he couldn't just blurt it out. If she realised what he was thinking, and if he was wrong, she would think he had lost his marbles, imagining himself to be her one great love. He didn't want to confuse her feelings for him. But... he had to know!He paced the living room, impatient to get a little time to himself so that he could make the much-needed phone call. If anyone would know the critical details of what had happened to him that Diwali season thirteen years ago, Omkara and Aditya had the inside track. They'd been with him from the start to the end of the vacation, and they had told him nothing worth mentioning had happened during the trip. Is there any point in asking them again? What is he going to lose anyway?The sculptures set along the corner Divya had set up to do the pooja caught his eyes, and he stopped, struck b
Vihaan engaged Drishti in conversation while Divya had her breakfast.Observing the two of them together, so similar in more ways than they realised, was heartwarming.Is it wise of her to leave the past in the past?It felt wrong for Vihaan not to know he was Drishti's father.She shouldn't keep such a special flesh and blood bond from him, from either of them. They both had a right to know.Telling him was not going to be easy, especially after she had briefly mentioned the adoption last night.Her reasoning for holding back had seemed right at the time.She didn't want to burden him with a truth he'd find disturbing and painful, considering the part his sister had played in taking responsibility from him, the long-played deceit that had denied him his true relationship with his own child.However, the circumstances are different now.Vihaan felt the same about her as he had all those years before, and Sandhya Rathore was out of the picture.Now she wouldn't be putting any sense of
Diyaa!The name echoed persistently in Vihaan's mind, as if it belonged to this moment, an enchanting magic of their union."Divyanshi," he said aloud, trying to dispel the echo, to overpower it."Yes?" she replied."I could never have dreamt of what we've shared," he murmured, lifting himself from her embrace to tenderly brush his lips against hers, a loving tribute to her generosity. "It transcends dreams."He rolled onto his side, bringing her along, and wrapped an arm around her as she lay on his chest, their legs entwined in intimacy.She felt so right, so perfect, as though she had been created exclusively for him. How could she have loved another man? No other woman had ever been like her for him."It's a miracle," she whispered, her warm breath caressing his skin, making it tingle. "A Diwali miracle." Her voice carried a happy smile.Diwali.Diyaaa.The special name stirred an unease, a sense of wrongness he tried to resist, but it persisted. He remembered the grieving look on
Warning: This work is purely fictional. You might find certain things illogical... Read at your own risk 😂Vihaan gazed at the ceiling, unable to sleep at the moment. He relished the feeling that something extraordinary had entered his life. Divyanshi Trilok seemed to offer him everything he had desired in a woman. The problem was, he couldn't be sure how much his dreams of her were influencing him. Was this strong attraction driven by wishes or was it genuinely real? The emotions she stirred in him were so intense and rapid that he had barely restrained himself from pursuing a deeper connection with her tonight. He used the excuse of Drishti's early rising tomorrow to keep his desires in check. He wanted her. He wanted to hold her, embrace every part of her, but he knew he had to be cautious. Drishti was closely involved in this relationship, and he couldn't make hasty moves.The wisest thing to do was to wait. Divya wasn't going anywhere. He needed to make sure that whatever he did
"Two Irish coffees coming up," Vihaan announced as he came out to the verandah.As soon as she saw him, her hard-won sense of peace shattered, and her heart started galloping again. She tried hard to get herself under control.He set the tray of coffee on the small tea table and took a seat next to her. "This is life. Far from the maddening crowd of the city and pressures of business. Sun, sand, and surf. Nothing could beat it for a wonderful holiday," Vihaan said and took a sip of the coffee.Divyanshi smiled. That hadn't changed for him."It must be very stressful being the CEO and leading a multimillion-dollar empire," Divya said, smiling. She was so proud of him, of what he had become with his own hard work."Well, I have my moments. But it's what I am trained for," Vihaan said."Then it was worth going to Harvard," she said.His head snapped around. "How do you know I went to Harvard?"Divya's heart rate increased in panic. The comment had slipped out, and now she had to answer f