"Bani! Bani!" I jerked from my seat, feeling someone shaking me. I opened my eyes and turned to see Shreya looking at me worriedly.

I stared at her as she brought her hand to my face. "Why are you crying?" She asked and I frowned touching my face only to realise that my cheeks were wet.

"No, I just zoned out." Smiling at her, I wiped my tears.

"Don't worry, Bani. Veer bro will be back soon." She assured and I nodded at her. "Get down. We have reached home."

We walked into the mansion and Sam quickly came towards us once she saw us there. "Sweetie, how's Mother Grace and the other children there? Did you enjoy there?"

"Yeah." I gave her a small smile and climbed the stairs to go to my room.

It had been 2 weeks since I saw him. He went to USA upon an emergency call and I've started missing him terribly. I was back to sleepless nights due to my loneliness as all of a sudden the devil also went missing. I tried to call her many times but she didn't come to see me.

Two important people of my life are not with me now. My Ansh and Devil. I'm missing you both a lot.

Sighing at my situation, I opened the door of my room and entered in but the next moment I shrieked loudly when I was lifted off the floor and taken into a tight hug from the back.

"I missed you so much, baby girl!" I breathed a sigh of relief, hearing the voice which I was dying to hear since 2 weeks. He put me down and turned me to face him. I stared at his face as he looked different with his fully grown beard.

I closed my eyes when I felt his lips on my forehead, eyes, nose and cheeks. He literally kissed me all over my face except my lips. "Sweetheart, aren't you happy seeing me after a long time? Why are you staring at me like that?" He asked, holding my shoulders and I turned away from him.

"Who are you?" I asked, glaring at him and he gaped at me in shock.

"B-Bani?" He gulped and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't touch me. I don't remember you." I huffed exasperatedly, pushing his hands away from me.

"Hey sweetheart, what happened to you?"

"You happened! Why are you back now? Do you still remember that you have a wife alive here? You said you would be back within a week but now you are back after 2 weeks. You told me you will talk to me everyday but you called me just thrice in that whole 2 weeks!" I grumbled annoyedly but he smiled at me like an idiot.

"Oh, it seems like my baby girl was missing me here." He said in a teasing tone, making me scowl at him.

"I hate you, Ansh. I really do!" I groaned, turning to leave but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back to him.

"Hate is a very strong word, sweetheart. And I know you don't hate me."

"Veeran--"

"Shhh... I'm here now so give me a hug, baby girl." He said, extending his arms and I didn't waste a single second from wrapping my arms around him.

"I missed you, Ansh." He hummed, holding me closer to him and nuzzled my neck.

"I missed this sandal scent of yours so much." He mumbled and tightened his grip around me, making me close my eyes.

"Your sandal scent is pulling me towards you, Jaanu."

My eyes flew open when I heard him and I instantly pushed him away. "What did you just call me?" I narrowed my eyes at him and he stared at me as if he was confused.

"I didn't call you. I didn't even say anything, sweetheart."

"No! I heard you calling me Jaanu." I accused him and his eyes went wide.

"What? No! Why would I call you that? I didn't say anything, I swear." He said, pulling me towards him.

Then why did I heard him calling me Jaanu? I'm sure it was his voice.

"Hmm okay. You go and freshen up first." Saying this, I left him and the room. I needed to clear my mind first. I've been daydreaming too much recently.

Going back to the room after an hour, I saw him standing in the balcony while talking on the phone. He turned sensing my presence there and gave me a soft smile that melted my heart. He cut the call and walked towards me.

"Hey baby girl, feeling better now?" He asked, smiling at me and I nodded at him with the same smile. "Just chill, okay. Don't get confused much." He caressed my cheeks and I kissed his palm making his eyes go wider. He chuckled and walked into the washroom.

After some time, hearing a whistle, I turned towards the closet door and my eyes popped out of my socket. He was standing there showing off his sexy abs and toned upper body with only a towel hanging around his lower waist.

"Oye, come here." He called me and I shook my head no.

"Wear something first, Ansh." I said, closing my eyes with my palm and turning away.

"No, you come here first."

"Veeranshu, why--"

"Sweetheart, I asked you to come here." He demanded and I peeked at him through the gap between my fingers. He was still standing there half naked and crossed his arms against his toned chest.

I slowly made baby steps towards him and he gave me a teasing look to which I realised that I was staring at his body shamelessly. "W-what?" I asked once I reached him and he grabbed my hand, pulling me towards my wardrobe.

"What's my shirt doing in your wardrobe?" I heard him asking but my focus was on the proximity we were having as he stood too closer to me until I could only breathe the fragrance of his shower gel.

How would it be when we shower together using his shower gel?

Chi chi.. Bani, what are you even thinking? You're becoming a very bad girl already.
My inner voice scolded me and I shook my head to clear my dirty thought.

I tried to blink my eyes and look away but my eyes were sincerely focusing on his abs and I gulped, suddenly feeling the atmosphere around me getting hot.

My fingers were itching to touch his bare body and I clenched my fists to control myself. Soon I unclenched my fists and brought my hands to touch his bare chest but he stopped me by holding my hands.

"What are you trying to do, sweetheart?" He asked with his signature smirk and within a fraction of a second, he pinned me against the wall. I looked so small compared to his gigantic figure. Water droplets from his hair falling over his face, he leaned closer to my face until I could inhale his minty breath.

Damn! The most fascinating lips I have ever seen. When can I get the privilege to taste those lips?

"Where are you lost again, baby girl? My eyes are up here. Look into my eyes when I'm speaking to you." I heard him saying but I couldn't move my eyes off his lips. I felt him tracing his fingers on my arms but still I gave my full attention towards his lips only. He leaned more, brushing his lips over mine and I closed my eyes with anticipation.

10 seconds over...
20 seconds...
25.. Why am I not feeling the kiss? Did I lose my sense of touch?

Being frustrated, I opened my eyes only to realise that all my dreams of tasting those delicious lips have been shattered into pieces because he was not there.

He left me again.

That's it. Either he is making me mad or I'm going mad because of my daydreaming habit.

Huffing exasperatedly, I turned around but my breath hitched in my throat to see him standing closer to me. Our noses were touching again and he slowly brought his hands to cup my face. He gazed into my eyes intensely and gave me a smile that I wanted to see before I take my last breath on this earth.

"I won't disappoint you this time, baby girl." Before I could comprehend his words, my eyes bulge out and my body froze like a statue as he claimed my lips. I felt like my heart stopped beating and my eyes closing themselves without my permission. He just placed his lips on mine without moving them for a few seconds and slowly started nibbling on my lower lip.

She froze on her spot when I crashed my lips with hers and slowly she closed her eyes, giving me a hint to go ahead. I took her lower lip between my lips and nibbled on them gently.

Finally! I'm feeling the taste of her lips after 6 years.

I didn't expect the first kiss after our marriage to be in this way. I wanted to kiss her once I reveal our past to her and also once she starts loving me again but I couldn't control it seeing the disappointment in her eyes every time I back off from kissing her. All the self-control strategies that I've learned over the past 6 years came crashing down when I slightly brushed my lips against hers just now.

Feeling the lack of response from her, I finally broke the kiss in fear as she stopped making movements in her place. She was taking slow breaths and that's what calmed me down. "Sweetheart?" I called her and she opened her eyes. "Are you alright?" I asked worriedly but she was staring at me in a daze.

"Baby? Oye?" I shook her, holding her shoulders and she gave me a slight nod. "I'm sorry for kissing you without your permission but get used to it from now onwards." I winked at her and there was a slight red hue on her cheeks.

Oh, my baby girl is blushing.

Giving a peck on her lips again, I walked around her to take my clothes as I was standing half naked in front of her since quite a long time. Taking my clothes, I turned to see her still standing rooted to her spot.

"Bani?" I turned her to face me and there was few tear drops on her cheeks. "Are you crying? Hey, I'm sorry if I crossed my li--" Before I could complete, I felt shaken up with her unexpected question. She gave me the second shock for the day.

"Ansh, did we kiss before?" She asked me and I looked away, not knowing what to answer her. "Why do I felt like we got kissed before?"

Tell her the truth, Veer.
Something inside me insisted but I did the opposite.

"Even I feel the same. Maybe we have kissed before in our dreams." I chuckled jokingly and it looked like she was convinced with my answer.

She lowered her head and bit her lower lip with a contented smile playing on her lips. I kissed on her beetroot like cheek, making her gasp and walked away to get dressed up.

***

The next day, I drove to Arjun's place to meet him and Sid there. I went to the basement to see them standing there around a person whose back was facing me. As I walked closer, I realised it was a girl tied to a chair. My jaw tightened when I noticed the person because of whom, mine and Bani's life turned upside down.

Jaanvi Rajput.

"Veer baby! Oh love, you are back to me!" The bitch squealed excitedly, making me clench my fists. I was about to take another step towards her but stumbled at my spot as a punch landed across my face.

"Siddharth!" I heard Arjun shouting at him and I turned to see a furious Sid glaring at me with his bloodshot eyes.

"You scoundrel! I'm gonna kill you today!" Saying this, he punched me again before I could even react for the first punch he gave.

"What the hell, Siddharth? Have you lost it?" I shouted at him when he grabbed my collars.

"Shut the fuck up! Don't you dare raise your voice at me!" He roared and I pushed him away with a force.

He tried to punch me again but I grabbed his arm and twisted it behind him before Arjun and his men came to separate us. "What the hell are you both doing now? Sid, you better stop it. You are behaving just the way that bitch had manipulated you." Arjun greeted his teeth, glaring at Jaanvi and I turned to see her smirking at us.

"No one manipulated me. I'm reacting for what this fucker did to our sister! That day she went to see him but because of this bastard's carelessness, we lost the chance of saving them!" Sid shouted back and I frowned at him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked him.

"Veer, not here. Let's go." Arjun said, dragging me out of the door.

"Baby, come back soon. I can't wait to see you again, love." I clenched my fists hearing that bitch's mocking tone.

"I will give her a tight slap first." I turned to go to her but Arjun stopped me.

"Not now. You need to see something before that." He said and once we reached another room in the basement, Arjun stopped his men from following us and only we three entered into the room. "Sid, play that to him." Arjun said but Sid threw a phone towards me while glaring at me.

"Veer, play the video and watch it." Arjun said calmly but I could see him clenching his fists with utmost rage.

Frowning at them, I clicked on the video and I felt a wave of fear rushed through me when it started playing. It showed my jaanu, my Bani entering into my room back at US, 6 years ago. Tears formed my eyes as I saw her kneeling down beside my bed and shaking me vigorously to wake me up but I was laying there completely intoxicated with no idea of what was happening around me. I clearly remembered I was dead drunk that night.

Shit! She came to meet me that day. I wouldn't have lost the precious people of my life if I had been sober that day.

"Veeranshu, open your eyes. I'm your Jaanu here. Please wake up and listen to me once. I swear I didn't cheat on you, Ansh. I lied to save you. Papa was searching for my boyfriend and that's the reason why I lied to him about you. Please listen to me, Ansh. They are going to send me away to India tomorrow and I won't be able to come back to you after this. I don't feel good, Ansh. I feel like something bad is going to happen to us. Please wake up, Ansh. Take me away with you. I want to live with you please! Get up, Ansh!!!" Bani cried, shaking me furiously but I didn't make any movement there. I was totally unaware of what happened that night.

Tears rolled down my eyes when I saw that she cupped my face and kissed on my forehead. "Ansh, please wake up. You can't see me anymore if you don't wake up now. I feel like papa is planning to kill us. Please save us, Ansh. Get up and take me away from here. I love you so much, Ansh. Please don't do this to us. Veeranshu!!!" I felt a lump in my throat as I watched how she begged me that night. I clenched my fists being extremely angry with my own fucking-stupid-self.

"Please open your eyes once and look at me, Veeranshu. See here, I came to meet you after 4 months but you are sleeping there without caring about me. Wake up and save us, Ansh. Please!" She cried profusely, holding my hands and I closed my eyes as I wasn't able to continue watching it anymore.

My eyes flew open when suddenly I heard that bitch's voice in the video. I saw her grabbing Bani's hair and pulling her up.

What the hell was she doing in my room that night? I thought she left after I got intoxicated.

Bani shrieked loudly in pain but even that was not enough to wake my intoxicated self that night. She grabbed my hand tightly as Jaanvi started pulling her out of my room. "Veeranshu, wake up! Please listen to me once. We need you!" That was the last thing heard in that video, making a terror seize me.

Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I turned to see Arjun staring at me. "S-She came to meet me t-that night but I--" I managed to form the words but Arjun beat me to it.

"You were under the influence of drugs that night, Veer. It's not your fault. That Jaanvi mixed high dose drug in your drinks that night as she knew Bani would come there to meet you so she used that opportunity to make you lose your senses. We just found out this when we snatched her phone just now. Not only that. There are many other videos where she was abusing and hitting Bani along with her mom when she was under house arrest for 4 months." Arjun explained with his broken voice.

Hearing him, I lost my balance and fell on my knees. If I hadn't became intoxicated that night, I'd have saved them from falling into that Vikram Rajput and Jaanvi's wicked trap.

Fuck! It was all because of me. She has been suffering with so much of loss in her life from the past 6 years just because of my recklessness and immature behaviour during those days. I should've been sober and listened to her that night.

Hey sweethearts ♥️ How was their first kiss and also a glimpse of their past?

I rewrote this chapter for the third time as I wasn't satisfied with what I wrote previously 😅 I hope I didn't disappoint you guys in this chapter 🙈