Vivaan’s pov:

The words still echoed in my mind.

"I love you , Roohi."

I had never imagined saying those words again. Love, for me, had always been something distant - something I had lost along with my family, something I had buried under the weight of my solitude. But then came Roohi, chipping away at my walls, making her place in my life with a quiet certainty that I could no longer deny.

And now, here we were.

She sat beside me, her fingers still entwined with mine, her eyes reflecting an emotion so deep, so unguarded, that it made my heart ache. How did she do that? How did she make me feel things I had spent years ignoring?

The room was dimly lit, the bedside lamp casting golden hues against the cool night air. It should have been just another evening, just another moment, yet everything had shifted.

"You're quiet," she said softly, tilting her head to look at me. "What’s going on in that artistic mind of yours?"

I exhaled, my thumb absentmindedly brushing against her fingers. "Just… thinking."

"Thinking about what?" she prodded gently, her voice laced with curiosity.

I hesitated, then met her gaze. "About how terrifyingly wonderful this is."

Her lips curled into a small smile. "Terrifyingly wonderful?"

I nodded. "You see… for the longest time, I thought love was something I’d lost forever. And now, suddenly, you’re here, changing everything. It’s overwhelming, Roohi."

She squeezed my hand. "Good overwhelming or bad overwhelming?"

A soft chuckle escaped me. "Good. Very good."

Her eyes softened, and for a moment, we just looked at each other, the silence filled with unspoken emotions.

Then, Roohi shifted slightly, her fingers still in mine but her other hand reaching up to brush a strand of hair from my forehead. "You know," she murmured, "you don’t have to hold back with me."

I swallowed. "I know."

She smiled. "Then don’t."

Something inside me shifted at her words, at the quiet confidence in her voice.

And before I could second-guess myself, I reached out, letting my fingers lightly trace the contours of her face - the soft curve of her cheek, the gentle slope of her jaw. She didn’t move away. If anything, she leaned into my touch, her breath hitching ever so slightly.

I could feel my heart pounding, feel the way the air between us changed - charged, electric, inevitable.

"Vivaan," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

I wasn’t sure who moved first.

One second, there was space between us. The next, there was none.

Her lips brushed against mine - soft, hesitant, warm. It wasn’t urgent or hurried. It was gentle, filled with the nervous excitement of something new yet deeply, undeniably right.

I kissed her back slowly, savoring the moment, the feel of her, the way her fingers curled into my shirt as if anchoring herself to me.

This -this was home.

When we finally pulled away, she let out a small, breathless laugh, her forehead resting against mine. "That was…"

"Yeah," I murmured, unable to stop the small smile tugging at my lips.

She pulled back slightly to look at me. "You’re grinning like a little kid who got his favorite chocolate."

"Am I?"

She nodded, grinning. "A full smile of your's,A rare sight, Mr. Chaturvedi."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "You really do notice everything, don’t you?"

"Of course," she said, still grinning. "Your smiles are precious. I plan to collect every single one of them."

I rolled my eyes playfully, but warmth spread through me at her words.

"Come here," I murmured, pulling her into my arms. She fit perfectly, as if she had always belonged there.

She sighed against my chest. "You know what I was thinking?"

"Hmm?"

She pulled back slightly, just enough to look up at me. "That this was inevitable. You and me."

I brushed my fingers through her hair. "Yeah?"

She nodded. "Yeah. And I’m glad it happened."

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Me too."

And just like that, as we lay there, wrapped in each other’s warmth, I knew - this wasn’t just love.

This was forever.

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