He chuckles, kissing my forehead before pulling out his phone and placing the order. Once it’s done, he sets the phone down on the side table and turns to face me, his eyes a little more serious now.
“I hate to bring it up again, not when you’re already hurting, but sweetheart, I really didn’t like you going to Suman’s place. Especially not without telling me.”
I swallow hard, guilt tightening in my chest. “I know. I just…. I just thought maybe I’d find something. That message on my wall had my brain on overdrive. And I couldn’t just sit still, knowing there might be a piece left for me to find.”
He reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I get it. But if anything had happened to you…” His voice trails off. “Nisha, I can’t protect you if I don’t know where you are. That’s what scares me.”
My eyes sting, and I blink rapidly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shut you out. I just… I didn’t want to take the chance of you stopping me. In that moment, all I could think about was what if I found something? What if it was the one thing that could finally put an end to all of this?”
“And you didn’t find anything,” he states as a matter of fact, his gaze steady.
“Nothing,” I admit defeatedly.
His expression softens, and he squeezes my hand in reassurance. “You’ll get your answers, Nisha. I promise.”
“I hope so,” I murmur, leaning my head against his shoulder.
He presses a kiss to my forehead, and we sit like that, the silence between us full of everything we don’t need to say, untilthe doorbell rings. I lift my head, and he smiles at me as he gets to his feet.
“Burger’s here. I’ll get it,” he says, walking towards the door.
I sit there, watching his back as he walks away, and a quiet truth settles over me. He’s not just here for me… he’s all in, completely. And that realisation seeps into my heart like a comforting warmth I didn’t know I’d been missing.
Chapter 22
Sidharth
Apprehension claws at me as I replay the conversation I had with Viraj just minutes ago. Manav, the one person we thought could lead us to Prakash, was found dead in his house. The investigation team suspects a drug overdose, but Viraj and I both know better. We know exactly who did this. Fucking Prakash.
But I didn’t tell Nisha about it. It’s something she doesn’t need to know. Damn, if it were up to me, I’d lock her away somewhere safe, far from all this madness, until those bastards are taken down. But I know Nisha’s just starting to get her life back after the coma. She deserves normalcy. And I’ll damn well make sure she gets it, even if I have to burn the whole world down to give her that. Damn, I’d trade my peace, my sleep, even my fucking life, just to keep that smile on her face.
That’s why the moment I hung up on Viraj, I shoved the rage down and composed myself before heading out to pick up Nisha. I told her I had a surprise for her. And when I saw her whole face light up with pure joy, it nearly brought me to my knees. That smile... it’s why I lose my mind every day, trying to keep her safe. Every fucking second, I stay alert, just so she canlaugh freely, without any worry. And if that’s the price I have to pay, I’ll pay it a thousand times over.
Even now, as I lead her towards the skating rink I booked just for us, my eyes sweep over the empty space out of habit, a faint thread of anxiety still tugging at me. I know the chances of that bastard showing up here are slim to none, but even the slightest risk to Nisha’s safety is enough to unravel me. Still, I won’t let my fear win. I won’t let it chain her down.
Stopping at the edge of the rink, I let go of Nisha’s hand and watch her eyes widen and wander across the space, glowing with sheer joy. In that moment, I knew bringing her here was the best damn decision I’ve made. My mind drifts back to our conversation, where she told me about her childhood dream of how she’d always wanted to learn skating but never got the chance. Ever since then, I knew this was something I had to do for her.
Her eyes land on the brand-new pair of skates by the rink, the ones I picked just for her, down to the exact size. They’re classic four-wheel quad skates in soft pastel pink, trimmed with white accents. I even made sure they’re smooth and sturdy.
She turns to face me, her breath catching. “You really did this for me?”
I nod, trying to steady myself, because seeing her this happy messes with my head in the best fucking way.
“You told me once you always wanted to learn but never got the chance. Figured it was time we did something about that.”
“Sidharth…” Her eyes glisten as she throws her arms around me and pulls me into a tight hug.
“Hey, don’t cry,” I mutter, running my hand over her head. “If you cry, I’ll start thinking I screwed something up.”
She lets out a soft, teary laugh as she pulls back. “No, you didn’t screw up. You made it perfect.” Her voice drops to a whisper. “Thank you.”
Just as I’m about to tell her she doesn’t have to thank me, she rises on her tiptoes and slides her hand around the back of my neck. I freeze, my heart tripping over itself. Then she leans in and presses her lips to mine. Her mouth is soft, warm, and so impossibly gentle that it sends my heart into a wild, stumbling rhythm.
“This means a lot to me,” she whispers against my lips before pulling back.
I swallow hard, forcing down the rush of heat that one simple kiss stirred deep within me. Every instinct begs me to pull her back in, to feel those lips again, but I clench my jaw and shut it all down. Because this moment isn’t about what I want. It’s about her.
“You don’t have to thank me,” I manage to say, my voice husky. “Just seeing you happy is enough for me.”
