He calmed down a little. “Okay, good.” After a moment, he asked, “What did you mean about all that? About how it’s clear how I feel?”
Guilt stun me as I remembered the cold things I’d said to him in the heat of the moment. “I was frustrated because I couldn’t get a clear answer out of you.”
“An answer towhatquestion?” he asked firmly.
It was a simple statement but it stunned me. Raja was right - I didn’t evenaskhim the question that burned on my tongue for so long. It was right on the verge of coming out out before the poachers attacked us.
Now, the whole truth had to be revealed.
“Earlier this evening, before the poachers came, and I showed you the whole magic display, I was going to ask you something,” I said softly. “But then obviously, all that happened and… it never managed to come out.”
His eyes flashed. “Then ask me now.”
This was it. Now or never. I couldn’t be a coward any longer. For this to work out between us, there had to be no more secrets. And I was sick of running away from the truth.
I held my breath and took the dive.
Meeting his gaze, I said, “I… I love you, Raja. I’m tired of us being in afakerelationship. I want this to be real. The marriage, the relationship, everything.”
For what felt like an eternity, Raja didn’t speak. He stared at me with those intense golden eyes. Finally, in a raspy voice, he asked, “Really?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation.
My fingers twitched, electric with anticipation. Then Raja reached out and wrapped his arms around my neck, then pressed our foreheads together. With a sigh, he said, “Thanks for finally being honest with me. It’s about fucking time.”
“You’re right. I probably should’ve mentioned it sooner, huh?”
“Damn straight.” He sighed. “I love you, too. You know that, right?”
My heart jumped with joy. “It’s good to hear it.”
“But all this mushy romantic stuff is new to me,” Raja admitted. “It’s a bit scary, to be honest. Who would have thought being in love is scary? On top of the baby, too…”
I found Raja’s hand and held it. “Everything that happens, we’ll face together. We’re not alone, Raja. We have each other.”
His eyes shone wet with tears. “I know you’re right. But I’m still nervous… And my parents still don’t know about the baby.”
I smiled reassuringly at him. “We’ll tell them about that as soon as we return, if that’s what you want.”
Raja rubbed his arm. “Yeah. I don’t want to keep any more secrets. It turns out it’s a lot harder than I thought it would be.”
“No more secrets?” I raised my brows. “So, the whole fake marriage…?”
Raja’s expression hardened with determination. “I want to tell my parents it wasn’t real.”
Shock ran through me. I grasped his hands harder. “Raja, are you sure? Wasn’t that the whole point of this?”
“I know,” he said quietly. “But I’m tired of hiding behind lies. I was scared before. Really scared. I didn’t know what would happen to me.” His eyes flashed as he met my gaze. “But I know that you’re here, and that you love me.” A trembling breath left his lips. “You’re serious about this… Right?”
“Absolutely,” I confirmed.
He nodded. “Then I have the strength I need to deal with this.”
“Only if you’re one-hundred percent sure,” I said. “If you have any doubts at all, you don’t have to go through with it.”
“I know, I know,” he muttered. “Geez, you’re always so serious about everything…”
A rustle by the doorway made us look up. Sotu stood there with a gentle expression and asked, “I sense a calm energy coming from the two of you. Has everything been settled?”
