🔸Playlist for the chapter🔸

The first thing I did after entering the bungalow was to see Mr. Dushyant. He had fallen into depression with the thought of his son living in custody. I pushed a vaccination to calm his nerves before leaving, letting him sleep peacefully for the next few hours.

I sat pondering in my room when Karan moved out of the loo properly showered and wearing only his trousers. He was without a shirt and the scent of him after a shower was so intoxicating that I felt my breath running senselessly. The moment his arms crawled along my skin, grabbing me by my belly from behind, a hot silence prevailed in our room.

I broke the silence when he planted a soft kiss against my temple. "What's the matter, Karan?"

"I don't need to have a proper reason to hug you, do I?" He complained and I pinched his skin on the arm, making him flinch. "Preeta, stop it. You are being an idiot. I am here to give you a surprise."

"Surprise?" My mouth spread into a warm smile and I turned to face him. He placed his hands on my hips while I held his neck before repeating again. "What sort of, Karan?"

Before he could answer, my eyes traversed to the direction of his neck and there was really something in the corner of it.

A love bite!

I blushed in the next moment.

"Karan this!" I poked at the point of the mark. "Mr. Karthik saw this!"

"What's wrong there?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"Just check your neck in the mirror." I suggested furrowing my eyebrows.

He stared at his own image and rolled on the floor laughing. He kept erupting with giggles until his stomach ached and he paused with little struggle. "This is ridiculous. Sir saw this and even told you!"

"Now this is not something to laugh at, Karan. It's very embarrassing," I muttered, my cheeks already blushing when he pulled me closer to his bare chest.

"You are so innocent, sweetheart. These things are very common and you can often see those love bites on newly married couples every passing day." He laughed and tickled me under my chin.

"Love bite?" I questioned him, my mouth gaping wide at his unique remarks.

"No hate bite!" He teased, bringing his lips nearer and biting my lower lip all of a sudden. "I hate you."

He laughed again while my heart began racing faster. I was totally confused with all his gestures of whether he really possessed feelings for me or was simply playing with my emotions. He used to tease me and simply liked to kiss me in the way he needed me beside him.

Could coziness bridge the gap between 'need' and 'love'?

My inner conscience was trembling already at the thought of his love. I was denying to open my mouth because I wanted him to own up himself. I was poor in judging people's feelings, especially the ones which involved love.

He saw my engraved face and pressed his lips against mine, crushing them incredibly. He was kissing me so vigorously as if he would take all my breaths away to leave the impressions of only his fragrance on my fragile ones. I couldn't help but recline to his impending irresistible attacks any time.

He was drawing the shape of my jaw line with his fingers as they tickled me. His bare body was stuck against mine, arousing the suppressed ardour I had preserved for him.

He shuffled my hair before unfastening them to let them fall freely on my back while he showered deep kisses on my bare shoulders. I moaned and he fondled with the depression of my cleavage, assisted by the sharp and incessant digs of my nails on his naked back.

He kept nuzzling me until the alarm rang. The nerves on his fair skin were already visible through it, glimmering with a glare of utmost passion and he took little time to delve back to the original.

"I just forgot that I was to give you a surprise." He muttered softly and pecked my lips again.

"What is it, Karan? Just drop the suspense and tell me." I was turning impatient.

He slipped down his T-shirt on his bare body and said again, "Shower properly and be ready in the evening. I'll be fetching you somewhere so I'll meet you later."

Before I could ask him anything more, he left the room in a hurry. All throughout the day, I kept myself busy with files that Anand had given me. I had even visited Mr. Dushyant for twice during the day. His condition was unstable and I was trying my best for improving his health conditions.

_______

The evening took time to arrive that day, taking a huge toll on my nerves. I went for the shower and let the lukewarm liquid cast a layer of nourishment on my naked body. With every water droplet falling on me, I kept wondering what his surprise would be like, how I would share my words of love with him and everything else.

We were entangled in an unexpressed romantic relationship where one did not know the feeling of the other. Though it seemed we both knew everything about each other, yet our hearts were far apart. Of course, we were already aware of each other's pain but that was all we knew.

I stepped out of the shower, my body wrapped only in a bath towel. I began scuttling through the wardrobe like a mad girl in love who was struggling hard to decide an evening wear for herself. I had many clothes but all of them seemed to be unfit at the moment. I needed to look beautiful for him and his untold surprise for me.

I didn't even realise when Karan came into the room and almost choked me against his throbbing bosom. His hands began working in circular motion on my bare shoulders, down to the mellow skin of my exposed forearms.

He was plastering hot and tantalizing kisses all over, trailing every exposed corner of my towel wrapped body with his tongue. I moaned seductively under my breath with every moist touch of his, dripping my core all wet.

He never failed to amaze me every time he kissed me. Biting the side of my earlobe, he whispered, "I didn't know you were so hot."

"Is that so?" My mind whispered while my lips remained intact, void of words.

He twirled my left arm so that I could face him and he kissed my forehead. His actions were breathtaking and the devouring kisses that he always poured on my lips were mouth watering. His pair of lips journeyed down on to my pink smooth lips and we interlocked them again.

The world around us suddenly stopped rotating on it's axis. My hands encircled his neck, making a circular motion on his skin. We often lost our calm and composure to the terrible passion we possessed for each other. His tousled hair was already into my tight grip when he managed to leave sensitive bites all around my delicate skin.

"We will return to it later, Preeta. I don't want to lose control over myself before disclosing my surprise to you." He broke away from me and held a neatly wrapped package before me. "Wear this and meet me in the garden, sweetheart."

I unfastened the glistening gift wrapper as soon as he left the room. My head was already spinning from what has taken place just a few moments ago, the romantic and sensual savoury with him. I at once wanted to see the first gift he had given me.

There was a beautiful sky blue Cinderella dress lying inside the beautiful package, sparkling white pearls embroidered on the cloth material. The sight of the gorgeous gown was taking my breath away and I felt the urge to wear it as quickly as possible.

Five minutes later, I was in front of the full length mirror and the dress was giving me a lustrous look with all it's shimmering beads. It was a silk gown with a layer of thickened fabric on the topmost layer. It was simple yet elegant and there was no requirement for wearing any accessory.

According to my austerity, a plain look was enough for a gorgeous look, yet I put on a bracelet and stud earrings for the special occasion. Hurriedly moving out of the room, I rushed past the hallway, dying to meet my charming prince in the matter of seconds!

________

The enormous Luthra garden looked more beautiful than ever with all the luxurious decoration of halogen lights and flowery artefacts around it. Amidst the tinsels of brocade curtains, there was an embellished table laid out for two and a silver candle stand adorning it's centre. But in all these things, my eyes were only searching for that one person, for my charming prince Karan.

He was standing right there behind one of the furnished curtains, stretching his arms out to me. I almost fleeted on my toes with my prepossessing dress fluttering freely in the air, falling right into his embrace. His blue Armani suit smelled of musky scent, filling my nostrils with pleasure. The moment he almost swept me off my feet, my cheerful state of ecstasy knew no bounds!

I had never felt so special in my life until I met him. He made me feel as if I was important, different and meant only for him. Destiny had tied us but it was only love which could bind us together. Together we could conquer the whole world.

I was drifting swiftly along with the wind as he hovered me around in his mighty arms. The surroundings seemed very unfamiliar and fantastical like a faraway dream place. It was as if I had reached the fairy wonderland where I had wished to go long ago as a child.

He had captivated me into his powerful charms and I was already under his casting spell. He put me down on the grassy floor below and kissed my knuckles, bowing like a gentleman in front of me. I was speechless because I had no foretelling of anything before, blankly unaware of his beautiful surprise.

"My guardian angel, welcome to the wonderland." He stated in his attractive manly voice and uncovered the decorated table right before us.

"Karan!" I found my mouth gaping wide, my palms covering my open lips.

Many delicious and mouthwatering readymade variants of dishes were laid before us. I could not believe my ears when he announced again. "Special dishes cooked specially by me for a special person."

"These are for me!" I licked my lips in excitement.

Being a doctor, I had always maintained a balanced diet rich in proteins and vitamins without the sprinkles of enough spices and chillies. The items placed before me were making me greedy and hungry, both at the same time.

He helped me to walk to the table like a gentleman and listed the names of the cuisines one after another. "You have chilled cucumber avocado soup, crispy veggie burgers topped with sweet potato fries and classic mimosa in your service, madam!"

My mouth was already watering before he could serve them to me. He forwarded the plate towards my side of the table while he took to the chair opposite to mine. This was my first dinner date in life where he had astounded me with his super surprises. The candles burning on the rim of the fence and the lanterns hanging outdoors added more to the ambience of the beautiful scenario. The redolent fragrance of the flower beds mesmerized my senses when I lifted the first morsel in my hand.

"Is this really cooked by you?" I spoke while thrusting the food into my mouth. He nodded in affirmation and I exclaimed in the next second. "Delicious!"

I swallowed my food hurriedly until I was left with the mimosa, filled to the brim of the glass. I wanted to gulp it as soon as possible but I chose to slow down for him. He was busy staring at me all this time instead of paying attention to his own dinner.

"Was this your surprise?" I asked him and he smiled delightfully, finishing with his leftover food in five minutes.

We both grabbed our respective drinks and clanked our glasses together. I was confused with his quiet behaviour, yet I only tried to keep my attention intact. I couldn't spoil our date by imposing unnecessary questions on him.

We emptied our glasses and he turned on the music, taking my palm into his. We shook our legs in a waltz to the slow music of the song (YouTube video), his one hand resting on my hip and the other clutching my left palm. He was trying to be extra careful with my wounded right hand and touched it as less as possible. His caring nature was the one I adored the most.

My fleecy gown fluttered as we whirled round and round, fleeting our feet freely on the neatly trimmed grasses. We glided swiftly with our palms held in front and fingers intertwined in shackles. Hovering over the grassland, we were honing our craft of unexpressed feelings rather than the art of the dance.

We halted our movements when he held my waist in his firm grip, his chocolatey eyes gazing intently into my beautiful ones. "The night is only dedicated to my guardian angel. You did things which nobody has ever done for me. You held me in your arms when others pushed me away. You accepted to share room with a stranger but my illness compelled you to share the bed with me. You comforted me by giving me the most precious thing any girl possesses, your gesture of compassion. You allowed me to deeply feel you from so close to you, kiss you and hold you in my arms. You didn't even hate me after knowing the truth of my birth. You did everything to remove my fears and illness forever."

I was pleasantly speechless but I didn't know how to react in such a dreamy situation. I was inexperienced and was shaking my legs in nervousness. He cupped my chin gently, his eyes lighting up as he whispered huskily, "I want to ask you for something, a little request... May I? I mean will you allow me?"

"When have I denied you for anything?" My reply was too quick for him to decipher.

His soothing voice was already freaking my rapidly accelerating pulses inside out. I could not even guess what he was going to ask or request me in the next moment. I only knew that I loved him with all my heart and was expecting against hope for him to love me back.

My love was selfless and I only wished that he might have developed true feelings for me. The night was seemingly turning heavier and colder with his silence after I had allowed him to say what he wanted to. I wondered if his quietness was the silence before the storm, waiting to either restore or destroy me!

_________

🥀
आसमां को जमीं, ये जरूरी नही जा मिले
इश्क सच्चा वही, जिसको मिलती नही मंज़िलें...।।
🥀
_________

To be continued...