Amara'a POV:
He asked me, "Do you really think you know him?"
"Yes, I do," I answered, carefully framing my sentence.
He chuckled softly, like a critic amused by an amateur. "Know him? Oh, sweetie… You barely scratch the surface. He's a workaholic, insufferably precise, socially awkward… He'll make your life exhausting before you even realize it. People tire of him quickly. You think you're different?"
I swallowed, trying not to flare up. "He cares about me, that's all that matters."
He smirked, leaning slightly closer, inspecting me like a judge evaluating a performance. "Care? That's adorable. Most people can't keep up. He's demanding, reserved, unyielding… sometimes brutally honest. Are you ready to be the punching bag for all that intensity?"
I clenched my jaw, my patience thinning. "I don't want easy. I want him. All of him."
His eyes narrowed, voice turning sharper, as if pointing out every flaw like a scathing review. "Bold, but naïve. You'll realize soon enough—you can't fix him, you can't soften him, and you certainly won't keep him from shutting you out when he wants to. Most… lose hope before they even try. You're stepping into a storm thinking it's a breeze."
For a split second, I genuinely wondered if I had stumbled into a critic rather than a father. The arrogance, the precise dissection of every flaw—it was maddening.
I straightened, voice steady, eyes hard. "I don't care about all that. If you can't give him the love and care he deserves, don't try to scare away someone who does."
His Father blinked, clearly caught off guard by my defiance, then let a faint, almost amused smirk linger. "Well… that's refreshingly brave. Let's see how long it lasts."
In the flash, he disappeared in the crowd. I was still in a bad mood after the conversation, but then I saw Vihaan coming towards me, holding two really funny pairs of goggles, and I couldn't help but laugh. He might be socially inward, yes, he doesn't let people in easily, but it was the consequence of what his father did to him, and I hate him for that. He destroyed him almost. The man I know who was coming towards me always treated me with care, knew each of my discomfort even before I reacted, and was waiting for me patiently just to let me achieve my goals. Yes, he is a workaholic, but he knows how to prioritise me over everything, even over himself. The man in front of me just got a little break from months of a hectic schedule, yet he chose the chaos to meet me instead of a peaceful weekend.
"Look, I got these goggles," he said while putting one on me and another on himself.
I laughed, adjusting the goggles over my eyes. "You look ridiculous," I teased, nudging him lightly.
"Ridiculous? I'll take that as a compliment coming from you," he said, grinning beneath the silly mask.
Looking at his face, no one, literally no one, can ever sense how much pain and loneliness he bore at such a young age. What about him? Why did God send me so late in his life? He still took responsibility for his younger brother. Talking about me, I lost my parents, but I still have a family who loves me to their heart. He is such a cute, adorable, little cranky boyfriend of mine.
I leaned against the door after locking it, watching him toss his keys onto the console like he belonged here. Maybe he did."Comfortable much?" I teased.
"You have this way of making every place feel like home," he said, voice low and rough.
I tried to laugh it off, but the sound died in my throat. "You're just saying that."
Vihaan's gaze followed me as I stepped back toward the wall, his eyes darkening like storm clouds catching the last light. It wasn't just a look—it was a slow, deliberate study, as if every inch of me held a secret he was determined to memorize.
I felt the weight of it, the way his attention slid over me like a touch. My pulse jumped.
"Do you have any idea," he said, voice low and warm, "how hard it is not to stare when you walk past me like that?"
"You're staring right now," I whispered.
"Exactly," he murmured, moving closer until the air between us hummed."Every time you breathe, Ama, the whole room disappears," he said while looking at me, then at my lips.
His thumb traced the line of my jaw, slow enough to make me shiver. I couldn't look away; his eyes held me there.
"You look like you're about to eat me alive," I teased, though my voice shook.
A faint smile curved his mouth, but the heat in his gaze only deepened."Maybe I am," he said, almost against my lips. "Tell me to stop."
Instead, I slid a hand to his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat. He exhaled a quiet breath, lowered his forehead to mine, and then his mouth brushed mine—soft at first, testing, like a question.
The world blurred. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss just enough to steal the rest of my breath, his fingers threading gently into my hair. Every slow second sent a flutter through me, like a thousand tiny wings beating against my ribs.
When he finally pulled back, our noses still touched."God, you undo me," he whispered, his eyes never leaving mine.
"You keep kissing me like that and I'm going to forget every decent thought I've ever had," he said while tracing a thumb along my lips, voice low but teasing.
My heart thudded so loudly I was sure he could hear it. I buried my face against his chest, voice trembling just a little."I… I can't think straight when you look at me like that," I whispered, the words escaping before I could catch them.
Vihaan let out a warm, low laugh that vibrated through me. "Good," he teased, brushing a thumb along my jaw. "That makes two of us."
My cheeks burned hotter. I gave his chest a light smack, half-laughing, half-mortified."Vihaan, you're impossible."
He caught my hand gently and pressed a slow kiss to my knuckles, eyes gleaming." And you," he murmured, "are completely worth losing my mind over."
He pulled me into a tight hug, and for a moment, I wanted to forget everything, just him being with me.
The room seemed to exhale with us, the low city glow spilling across the floor like a private spotlight. I rested my forehead against Vihaan's chest, our breaths mixing in the hush.
He traced lazy circles against my palm, as if memorizing every line of her skin."I could stay like this all night," he said, his voice a quiet promise rather than a suggestion.
I tilted my face just enough to meet his eyes, the warmth there making my chest ache."Then stay," I whispered, my smile small but certain. "Just… stay."
Outside, traffic hummed and lights flickered, but in that moment, there was no world beyond the slow rhythm of our hearts. It wasn't dramatic or loud—just a steady, soul-deep certainty that we had found something worth holding on to.