Morning.
Vikram's eyes fluttered open at 7:00 AM. He glanced down to see Tara still hugging him tightly in her sleep. Gently, almost fearfully, he moved her to the side without waking her.
(Maybe he was afraid Tara would wake up and accuse him again: "You came to my side again, and this time you were hugging me!"
Or maybe… just maybe, he actually cared about her.
Only time would tell.)
Standing in front of the mirror, Vikram adjusted his shirt when he noticed something.
"No yellow rose today?" he murmured.
He frowned slightly.
Meanwhile, Tara stirred awake, glanced around the massive bed and smiled sleepily,
"This new bed is magical! That monster didn't come to my side today!"
Vikram, clearing his throat behind her:
"I can hear you, you know."
Tara turned quickly. "Oh, you're here?"
Vikram, grabbing his coat from the bed and locking eyes with her:
"You don't even know what you do at night."
And with that, he left the room.
Tara blinked. What was that supposed to mean? What do I do at night?!
Then she noticed something — her blanket was not her its Vikram blanket but where was my?
Why was he sleeping without one?
Flashback – Last Night
In her sleep, Tara had kicked off her blanket and felt cold. Without realizing, she rolled over and pulled Vikram's blanket — and Vikram — along with her.
Vikram, half-asleep and shivering, had tried to find his own blanket… only to find himself near her again.
Back to the present.
Tara: "Let it go! Today's Christmas! Suhani's coming, the kids are here, it'll be fun… But this monster, he's gone to the office again!"
She headed downstairs.
"Everything is set up," Dadi told her. "The kids will start coming around 2pmor 3pm. Make sure all the decorations are in place. Suhani is coming, right?"
"Yes, Dadi ji," Tara smiled.
She called Suhani.
"Hey didi," Suhani answered cheerfully.
"Come in the evening. I'll send the driver."
They talked for a bit longer, though what Suhani said next… will be revealed later 😉
Then Tara ended the call and focused on arrangements.
Soon, Dadi reminded her to wear the red anarkali dress she had gifted.
Tara got ready.
The red dress suited her perfectly. With light makeup and minimal jewelry, she looked effortlessly beautiful.
She descended the stairs.
Dadi gasped, "Tara beta… you look so beautiful today. May no evil eye fall on you."
Tara smiled warmly.
The kids began arriving.
Tara was now in full festive mode — handing out food, organizing games, helping decorate the Christmas tree. Her laughter echoed in the backyard, filled with pure joy.
Meanwhile, Vikram arrived home.
He went straight to his room, had his coffee, and opened the balcony door to watch the backyard party.
But… he was only looking for one person.
Finally, Tara emerged from a crowd of kids, laughing.
For a second, Vikram forgot to breathe.
His world just… paused.
Tara caught him staring and gave him a cold glare.
Instead of getting offended, Vikram just… smiled.
A while later, he joined the others in the backyard and sat near Dada and Dadi — still stealing glances at Tara.
Dadi leaned over and whispered to Dada, "Doesn't Tara look stunning today?"
Dada replied, "She glows in that color."
Then Dadi turned to Vikram, "What do you think, Vikram?"
Still distracted by Tara, Vikram answered, "Yes… she looks beautiful."
Tara's mind:
Why is he staring at me like that? Is he planning something? Or… is he actually looking at me with love? No no, this is the monster — he doesn't have emotions.
Later, Dadi asked, "Did you eat something, beta?"
Vikram replied, "Not yet. I'll eat in a bit."
Tara went inside a play tent with some kids to start indoor games.
She was no longer visible .
Vikram left the backyard and went inside to eat. He sat at the dining table, quietly smiling.
Two staff members noticed.
Staff 1: "He's smiling… alone… Is he okay?"
Staff 2: "This is the first time I've ever seen him smile. Should we call a doctor?"
Staff 1: "Something's not right."
Vikram headed to his room, sat down and drifted into a flashback —
Last year's Christmas, Tara offering him cake, laughing with the kids…
And suddenly — the present crashed back.
Tara entered the room.
She was being her usual dramatic self.
"It's so cold but I feel hot. These kids drained all my energy. Let me just rest…"
She didn't notice Vikram was on the bed, sitting silently.
She went to plug in her phone.
As she turned — Vikram was right there.
Tara screamed, "AAAA!"
She almost fell, but Vikram caught her.
"You keep finding excuses to fall into my arms, huh?" he teased.
Tara pulled away. "You came to me. Not the other way around."
"Oh really? Then what about at night?"
Tara gulped. "What about at night?"
"Why are you backing away? Afraid of me?"
"I'm backing away because you're coming closer!" she protested.
Vikram stepped forward again, locking eyes with her.
"You didn't feed me cake," he said softly.
"Eat it yourself! Why should I feed you?" she said nervously.
With a smirk, Vikram softly held her cheeks.
"Fine, I'll taste it another way…"
He leaned in — eyes full of something Tara didn't understand yet —
Her eyes widened, heart pounding.
She shut her eyes.
His lips nearly touched hers when— her phone rang.
Tara's eyes flew open.
She pushed him back, grabbed her phone, and ran out.
Vikram blinked. Then smiled.
He called out, "Tara! Wait!"
And then — the smile disappeared.
Because standing downstairs was Prithvi, casually pulling Tara's cheek like he always did.
Vikram's entire body tensed.
He stormed into his room and slammed the door shut.
Back downstairs...
Turns out Prithvi had come to drop off Suhani. She was standing quietly behind him.
Tara glanced back — almost as if searching for someone.
Was she looking for Vikram?
She didn't know. And wouldn't admit it.