Ishq Hua | 18+

Shreya

The sunlight had crept into my room quietly, like it was afraid to disturb me. It warmed the curtains and danced across the floor, but inside me, everything felt... cold.

I sat cross-legged on my bed, file open, laptop humming quietly beside me. I hadn't turned a page in the last two hours. My pen was in my hand, but I wasn't writing-I wasn't even reading. My mind wandered, refusing to stay present. It had settled in the-last night.

Still staring at Manvi's face.

Still feeling the shiver of betrayal that had wrapped around the entire Patel clan.

A knock on the door was soft-almost cautious.

Before I could respond, the door creaked open, and Reyansh stepped in, sleeves rolled to his elbows, eyes scanning the room like he already knew I hadn't moved much since morning.

"Hey," he said gently.

I looked up and offered a faint smile.

"Working?" he asked, walking towards me slowly.

"Trying," I replied with a sigh, "but I can't concentrate on anything."

He didn't say anything, just sat down on the bed beside me, took me in his arms, and brushed his fingers gently over my back.

I glanced at him. And like a dam breaking, the words spilled out.

"It's just-she was family. We shared so many beautiful moments together. I can't understand why. I used to feed her, even when she was dieting and hiding it from Bua. We spent all these years with each other, I never thought she would do anything like this. And she-she-how could she?"

"Shreya," he said softly.

But I didn't stop.

"And what if there's more? What if Mahir is planning something bigger? What if-what if someone else is involved too? We trusted her, Reyansh. Dadi, Dadu... they're devastated. I hate that this is affecting everyone. I hate that-"

He cupped my face suddenly, making me pause.

"Shreya," he whispered-firm but warm. "Stop."

I blinked at him.

Then he leaned in before I could start again and pressed his lips to mine. It wasn't gentle. It was grounding. A firm, full kiss that stole my breath and silenced the tornado in my mind. And for one long second, there was no betrayal. No thoughts. No wounds. Just the taste of peace.

When he pulled back, my eyes fluttered open-stunned, glassy.

"Oh," I breathed.

His eyes searched mine. "Still spiraling?"

I didn't answer with words.

I leaned forward and kissed him again-this time not to silence anything, but to speak everything. My kiss was softer, deeper, full of longing and love and that silent ache only he could calm. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer. His hands settled on my waist, then slid up to my back as he responded with the same hunger.

The kiss melted into another... then another. We barely noticed when we shifted positions, when the file slipped off the bed, when the laptop softly closed shut.

He laid me back gently on the mattress, never breaking the kiss, his body hovering just above mine. My fingers curled into the collar of his shirt, pulling him down until our foreheads touched again.

"I missed you. Sorry I didn't replied to your messages and left yesterday without talking you," I whispered breathlessly.

His eyes darkened, his thumb brushing along my cheekbone. "Then don't leave me like that again."

I kissed the corner of his lips, then his jaw-slowly, intimately.

"I won't."

His hand moved to the small of my back, anchoring me to him as our mouths met again, slower this time, savoring. His lips traced the curve of my lower lip, coaxing mine open. I arched a little beneath him, responding with soft gasps and tugging him even closer.

Then, his lips traveled down.

Wet kisses brushed along my neck-lingering, open-mouthed, reverent. He kissed a path toward my collarbone, the warmth of his breath grazing my skin. I trembled slightly as he sucked gently at a sensitive spot, marking me with a soft hickey just above the dip of my shoulder. My breath hitched.

"Reyansh..." I whispered, half a sigh, half a plea.

He kissed that same spot again, softer this time, then returned to my lips.

We didn't rush. It wasn't desperation-it was comfort, reconnection, emotion made tangible through touch and warmth. I ran my fingers through his hair, and he kissed me like I was the only thing keeping him steady.

We broke apart only when our breaths were too scattered to continue. Our foreheads rested together, hearts thudding wildly in rhythm.

I let out a small laugh, flushed and glowing.

"I think I really needed that."

"I know," he said again, equally breathless.

He brushed his thumb off my cheek, pressing a kiss to my temple before slowly getting up. "Now I really should go. Papa and I have that board call in twenty minutes."

As he turned to leave, I reached out and grabbed his wrist.

He turned back with a questioning brow. "Hmm?"

I looked at him, hesitant-like I wasn't sure how to phrase it. But then I said it anyway.

"Can we... get married early?"

His eyes widened for a beat.

"Shreya..." he said, trying to gauge if I was serious or just emotional.

I was standing, facing him directly. "I mean it. Not because I'm desperate or anything."

His brow arched with amusement. "Not desperate? You just kissed me breathless, proposed preponing our wedding-and you're not desperate?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Fine. I am desperate. But not for a wedding."

He stepped forward, grinning. "For what then?"

"For peace, which only you can give me," I whispered. "For stability... for us. And maybe, just maybe, for waking up next to you every morning instead of dreaming about it."

He stared at me, overwhelmed for a second. Then suddenly, he pulled me into a hug, burying his face in my neck.

"We'll talk to our elders. Just wait a few more days until this gets resolved," he murmured. "We'll make it happen."

I smiled against his chest.

"Desperate much?" he whispered into my ear, grinning.

I smacked his arm and giggled.

And just like that-I was okay again.

Together.

We walked down, hand in hand. The storm wasn't over.

But we had each other.

And that... was enough.

---

End