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"I’ve been wanting to do this for so long. Today, I really want to drench you and see what exactly bothers you so much about it."

Jhankar quickly scoops water in both hands and throws it at him, hitting his shirt. Vikrant grimaces and begins to unbuttonhis shirt, but Jhankar doesn’t stop—she keeps splashing water at him until he is quite wet. Despite Vikrant's distaste for the water splashing, he refuses to interfere with Jhankar's enjoyment. So he tries to calm his thoughts and lets her enjoy the moment. Jhankar understands that while Vikrant is trying to let go of these things, someday he will genuinely enjoy them, but not every time she forces him. She can clearly see that he is not enjoying it at all, so she immediately stops herself and walks over to him, holding her ears in apology. But Vikrant instantly grabs her hands, shakes his head, and smiles. Jhankar, who knows very well that Vikrant is feeling uncomfortable because his shirt is wet, looks straight into his eyes and begins unbuttoning it, then quickly turns to look ahead. Some men who were with them immediately step forward, holding a fresh shirt for Vikrant. Vikrant looks at Jhankar and begins to smile, and without any delay, he quickly changes into the new shirt.

Vikrant knows that Jhankar is trying to free him from every kind of restraint, but he also knows that some things are difficult, and some things simply take time. As long as they continue to strive together, he has faith that their efforts will eventually yield results. Smiling, he instantly pulls her into a warm hug.

The weather has been beautiful since morning, with rumbling clouds overhead. As she looks up, her smile widens. Vikrant, seeing her smile, also glances toward the sky and softly says,

"Why would you even listen to me? You love Jhankar so much that it's only natural for you to agree to everything she says."

Jhankar bursts into laughter at his mock complaint. She’s been waiting for the rain, and seeing Vikrant look up and complain to God is hilarious to her—especially since she knows he doesn’t even believe in God.

A light drizzle begins. Vikrant runs toward her, grabs her hand, and tries to pull her away. Jhankar, however, holds his hand tightly and tries to stop him. Vikrant knows how much Jhankar loves the rain and that she almost always ends up catching a cold afterward. That’s why he wants to avoid this. But he also knows that she won’t let him pull her away so easily. Jhankar breaks free from his grip, spreads her arms, and twirls with a big smile, welcoming the rain. Vikrant watches her with a soft smile, not caring at all that he’s getting drenched. Jhankar continues to dance in the rain, as if she won't move from there as long as it’s pouring. Vikrant knows her too well—she's not going to leave on her own. But he also knows that he won’t let her stay out for too long. After nearly half an hour of nonstop rain, Vikrant wraps her in his arms and says,

"If you fall sick, we’ll both be in trouble. No matter what happens, I won’t be able to stay away from you. But if you catch a cold, I won’t be able to come near you either. So, we need to go now."

"I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to enjoy the rain right here."

"Jhankar, please."

The moment Vikrant says “please,” she laughs loudly. Vikrant lifts her in his arms and starts walking slowly. Sometimes he spins around with her, enjoying the rain the way she does. Other times, he pauses, tilts his face up, and savors the moment just like her. Jhankar is truly enjoying this side of him. Once they reach the cottage, Vikrant leaves her in the washroom, looks into her eyes lovingly, and says,

"I’ve kept your clothes outside. I’m going to the other room. Take your time and change. I won’t come in unless you call me in."

He leaves immediately, and Jhankar can’t stop smiling as she recalls his words. She can see his love in everything he says and does. She wants to tell him that she loves him too—that she, just like him, doesn’t want to be apart. She’s not just giving this relationship a chance; she’s already sure about it. But she’s taking her time because she wants to express her feelings in a meaningful way. She wants to tell him in a way that feels like a beautiful surprise. A little while later, when Jhankar comes out after her shower in the hall, Vikrant is already sitting there with coffee. His hair still wet, as soon as she sees him, she walks over, starts drying it gently, and asks.

“Did you go somewhere last night? Was it something really important?”

Vikrant nods and, handing her the coffee mug, says:

“Actually, after a 15-day tour, Dad is coming back tomorrow. So there was some important work I needed to finish before that. I thought I should quickly take care of it so that he doesn’t face any issues in the next board meeting. I was managing things from here comfortably, but you know how seriously I take anything related to Dhanraj Industries. That’s why I had to personally go and double-check. I didn’t want to go during the day because I wanted to spend time with you. And once you fell asleep, I knew even if you woke up, you’d fall asleep again quickly because you never compromise on your sleep. So I quietly went out at night.”

Jhankar smiles softly, sips her coffee, and says:

“Uncle is coming tomorrow, so let’s leave from here too. Look, I really want to go see my parents first. I haven’t met them in days, and there are some things I need to talk to them about a lot.”

“Alright, tomorrow we’ll go to your parents’ place first. The board meeting is the day after tomorrow, so Dad will handle that. And the day after that, I’ll come pick you up from your parents’ home. Till then, stay with them and relax. But I’m telling you clearly—if you miss even one of my messages, I’ll break into your house exactly like I did the first time.”

“Yup, I know you’re the Mafia…”

Jhankar pretends to be scared as she says this, and Vikrant bursts out laughing. Jhankar watches his face closely and then says softly,

“You didn’t choose the Mafia life; it was passed down to you. But can’t you leave it behind, Vikrant? I don’t want to live in fear. These things really scare me.”

Vikrant immediately looks at her. Without saying a word, he keeps looking at her face for almost two minutes. Then he reaches his hand out toward her. Jhankar holds her hand and lowers her eyes because, deep down, she really is scared about his mafia connection. Vikrant pulls her gently toward him, wraps his arms around her, and says,

“Until now, I never really cared about this part of my life. I never even thought about it. But ever since our accident because of Chandel, I’ve been thinking about all of this a lot more. Indeed, this life is a legacy. I don’t know whether I want to continue it or not. But for now, all I know is that I can't just walk away from it. I’m in a position where making sudden decisions could affect thousands of people. I can’t speak for the future, but right now, I just want to focus on us—you and me.”

Jhankar understands what he’s saying and simply nods her head while staying in his arms. Vikrant doesn’t let go. He holds her close, cherishing the intimacy of the moment because they bothknow it's precious. A moment they want to treasure for the rest of their lives. They are crafting a lifelong memory together. She gently hugs him and tries to remove all the negativities from her mind.

~~~~~

Vikrant was smiling softly because both Raghunath and Chitrali were genuinely happy to see Jhankar and him together. Vikrant is well aware that the way he brought Jhankar into his life must have made it very difficult for her parents to forgive him. But he also knows that Raghunath and Chitrali are people with simple and generous hearts, and they had forgiven him a long time ago. However, the fact that they are genuinely pleased about his and Jhankar’s relationship both surprises and excites him. Somewhere deep inside, he can clearly see how happy parents can be just by seeing their children happy. He can deeply feel this truth reflected on both their faces. They had welcomed both of them warmly and lovingly. This made Vikrant feel really good, and the four of them quickly decided to go out for dinner that evening.

Jhankar was constantly chatting with her parents, while Vikrant, sitting across the table, had his hand resting on it, simply watching her. Chitrali was struggling to hold back her laughter because the way Vikrant was looking at Jhankar was quite amusing. Jhankar wasn’t staying quiet for even a minute, and Vikrant’s eyes kept blinking as he silently wished she’d pause so he could get a chance to say something too. Jhankar had looked at Vikrant multiple times, and each time, she intentionally gave him a big, wide smile and then continued talking even more animatedly with her father. As soon as Vikrant turned to look at Chitrali, Jhankar started talking to her too—clearly not giving him a single chance to speak to either of them. Chitrali, amused,picked up a spoonful of ice cream and gently put it in Jhankar’s mouth before saying to Vikrant:

“This girl, once she starts talking, just doesn’t stop. You’ll have to come up with new ways to make her quiet; otherwise, she’ll drive you crazy!”

Vikrant smiled lightly, and Jhankar narrowed her eyes, tapping Chitrali’s arm with her finger to get her attention.