With a sigh, I open my mouth and take a bite.
“It’s been a week since I got home, Kavya. And you’ve barely taken a breath. You’re always cooking, sitting through therapy with me, helping with everything.” My eyes immediately flick to her belly, a lump rising in my throat. “You need rest too. More than me.”
Her face softens, and for a second, I dare to hope she might actually listen. But then she shakes her head, that familiar stubborn glint flashing in her eyes. “Don’t start with that again. I’m fine, Nisha. The baby’s fine. And I’m not about to sit in the next room while you go through all this alone. If the roles were reversed, you’d do the same for me. So don’t try to reason it out.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. Her words sting, not because they’re wrong, but because they’re so heartbreakingly right.
“I would,” I agree softly. “But that doesn’t make any of this easier. I hate that I’m the reason you’re worrying.”
“You’re not,” she says firmly, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Taking care of you, it’s more for me than for you. It reminds me that you’re here, that I didn’t lose you. So please, let me be here. Okay?”
I blink rapidly, trying to hold the tears at bay. “I just don’t want to be the reason anything happens to you or the baby.”
“That’s never going to happen,” she says, squeezing my hand. “You are, and always will be, my happiness. That’s never going to change.”
She’s barely just finished saying it when I hear a knock at the door. We both look up to see Reyansh step in, a paper bag in one hand, his tie loosened and hair slightly tousled. It’s obvious he’s just come directly from the office.
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he teases, smiling at us.
Kavya lets out a laugh. “Of course you are. But we’ll allow it.”
“I brought your favourite kulfi,” he says, looking at me. “Thought you could use something sweet after therapy.” He walks over, sets the bag on the side table, then bends to press a kiss to Kavya’s forehead.
I blink, trying to take it all in. This love, this support… it’s overwhelming and beautiful, all at once.
“Thanks,” I say softly, smiling through the emotion rising in my chest. But before I can say anything, I hear footsteps and Sidharth walks in, making my heart stutter in my chest. An involuntary reaction to his presence I wish I could suppress.
At first, I thought the nerves were because he was a detective and he’d eventually uncover the truth about Prakash and me. But with him showing up every day, I’ve come to realise that’s not the only reason.
Maybe it has to do with the fact that I still don’t know why he shows up every day just to check on me. Sure, he’s Reyansh’s friend, but that doesn’t quite explain it. Worse, I don’t even know how to feel about it. Because every time he walks in, my stomach flutters, and not in a calm, reassuring way, but more like a storm I can’t quite put a name on.
Pulling in a deep breath, I try to steady my nerves, reminding myself that he’s only doing this out of obligation. Like always, I’m probably reading too much into everything.
“Hey, how was therapy today?” Sidharth asks, his eyes locking onto mine as he comes to stand beside my bed.
I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, suddenly aware of how fast my pulse is racing. “Uh… it was okay. Hard. But better than yesterday,” I manage to say, feeling oddly nervous.
His lips curve slightly, as if he approves, but he doesn’t say anything else. Instead, he leans against the wall, arms folded, ankles crossed, looking effortlessly at ease. He’s dressed in faded jeans that fit just right and a charcoal-grey T-shirt stretched tightly across his chest. There’s something undeniably handsome about him—tall, six feet, with messy dark hair, dark eyes, a strong jawline dusted with a light stubble, and a small scar just above his right brow that only adds to the quiet intensity of his face.
Reyansh, thankfully, breaks the moment by dragging a chair next to the bed and plopping down.
“Good,” he says, placing his hand gently over mine. “We’re all proud of you, you know.” Then his gaze shifts to Kavya, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. “So when do we set the wedding date?”
Kavya instantly shakes her head. “Reyansh, no,” she says firmly, and immediately the grin slips from Reyansh’s face. “I can’t. Nisha’s just gotten home from the hospital.”
I open my mouth to protest, to tell her she doesn’t need to put her life on hold for me again, but before I can speak, her eyes snap to mine.
“And don’t you dare say you don’t need me,” she warns, her voice stern and gentle all at once.
“Kavya…” I start again, trying to reason with her. “You’ve put your whole life on pause for me.”
“And I don’t regret it,” she cuts in, her tone wavering now. “You almost died, Nisha. How can you expect me to plan my wedding when all I can think about is you? Don’t you get it? Seeing you heal is the only thing that’s keeping me sane right now.”
“Kavya, I understand,” Reyansh says, running a hand through his hair. “But with the baby on the way, we can’t delay it for too long. And… there’s something else.” He hesitates for a fraction of a second before continuing, “I’ve been offered a big project in Dubai. It’s a dream opportunity, but it’s for a year. I’ll have to leave by next month.”
“Great,” Kavya replies immediately. “Then once you’re back from Dubai, we can plan the wedding.”
“No way in hell,” Reyansh shoots back, frustration and concern etched on his face. “I’m not going to Dubai without you.”
