As our bodies pressed together, it felt as if I was streaming like a river into his vast green ocean.
I was stuck under him, by him, and for him, through and through.
Shaking my head, I pushed against his incredibly firm chest and said,“Ab nahi honge hum aapse rusht kyuki galti hamari thi, Kunwarsa. Aap to bass hume samman de rahe the, aap to apne jeevan me hume ek mukaam de rahe the, or hum galat samajh bethe, ya fir ye kahe to kadachit hum dare hue the. Hume laga ki kahi aap hume dokha na de, hum bass vo dukh dobara nahi jhelna chahte the,”“I will no longer get angry with you, Kunwar-sa. Because I made a mistake. You were giving me a respectable place in your life. But I misunderstood its meaning, or perhaps I should say, I was afraid. I thought you were betraying me. I didn’t want to go through that pain again.” My voice came out trembling, my fingers pushing him away.
Yet, he didn’t move an inch. Instead, he leaned closer.“Really?” Sweat beads formed at the back of my head when his gaze lowered to my lips, and he said,“You’re so beautiful,”
His words made me gulp; I couldn’t help but press my teeth into my lower lip to stop it from trembling.
“Hume pata tha…aap aayenge aaj isiliye hum poori raatri so nahi paaye, aur aap keh rahe ki hum ache dikh rahein hain,”“I couldn’t sleep the entire night knowing you’d come today, and you’re saying that I look beautiful,” I complained.
Smiling, he inched closer to kiss me. However, I nudged him away, paranoid someone might walk in.
He chuckled softly as I was failing in my attempt to push him. He was being stubborn.
“Jaane dijiye na Kunwar-sa,”“Let me go, Kunwar-sa.” I requested.
His brows thinned, and he asked,“Chali jaana kintu jaate-jaate ye bata kar jao ki hum soyenge kahaan?”“You may go, but before you leave, tell me where I will sleep?”
I inhaled deeply at his words. The blush rose to my cheeks, feeling his weight over me.“Humein kya pata, itna vishaal kaksh hai aapka, kahin bhi so jaaiye,”“How’d I know? You have such a grand chamber; you can sleep anywhere.” I replied clearly, yet my voice came out low and trembling.
He smiled, caressing my cheek gently with his thumb.“Accha chalo jao, nahi karenge hum tumhein tang,”“Okay, you can go; I’ll stop teasing you now,” he said and placed his hand on the side of my waist on the broken bed, and as he pushed himself up, the bed creaked further under his weight. The prominent muscles in his arms and the veins in his hands made me stare in astonishment.
He had a tan.
I shivered with fear when the broken bed creaked again, more with his weight, causing me to sink deeper into it before he stood up.
He smiled and held out his hand to help me stand as well.
As I stretched my arm toward him, his long fingers brushed my palm. It felt rough, rock-solid, as he gripped my hand and pulled me closer to him, on my feet.
My chest crashed into his, and I immediately lowered my gaze, holding the other end of my dupatta to cover my head.
He gently nudged my chin up, forcing me to look into his eyes. I felt my eyelids flutter as he moved closer, his lips threatening to touch mine.
A slow, shocking question from him had me frozen in place, unable to breathe.“Vivaah karogi humse?”“Will you marry me?”
My eyes widened in shock. The words sent a shiver down my spine, and I blinked nervously at the thought of everyone knowing about us, especially Ranaji.
My head shook in disbelief as I immediately pushed him away.
“Aaj Rajkumari ka janmdiwas hai. Aapko wahaan sabke saath hona chaahiye, Kunwar-sa, Sab dhoondh rahe honge,”“It’s the princess’birthday, Kunwar-sa. You should be there with everyone. People might be looking for you.” A tremor ran through my voice as I retreated, a soft chuckle echoing behind me before I ran away from his chamber.
My heart was racing wildly. I felt my mind blurred by a haze. Exhaling heavily, I went to Nandani’s chamber to manage the remaining work.
As I sat with the other attendants to work on theladdoos, Reva asked,“Suman, where did you go? And what happened to your face?”
My hand immediately went to my cheeks, tapping and inquiring.“What happened to my face?”
“It’s red,” she replied in a whisper.
I gulped nervously and walked away from there to Nandani.
“Nandani,” I called, stepping inside her bedroom and finding her feeding Princess Rudraja.
She lifted her gaze and asked with a smile.“Yes, what happened?”
I walked over to her and sat on the edge of the bed. Taking her hand in mine, I placed it over my chest and said,“My heart is beating so fast.”
