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I cup his face in my hands, my thumbs stroking his cheekbones. His eyes soften, and for a moment, he looks like he might argue with me. But I don’t let him.

“But you—” I begin.

“I have you and Veer,” he says, interrupting me and kissing my nose.

I shake my head gently, my fingers threading through his hair, determined to make him understand.

“Exactly. You have us, and we’re not going anywhere. We want to see you find your own calling. I want you to step into what you’ve committed to—this Party President role, this desire to bring a real change to this democracy by being part of it. I don’t want you to delay this any further. All your life, you’ve only lived for others—for their love, their growth, their dreams. Now, it’s time you live for yours.”

His eyes gleam with love and gratitude as I continue stroking his face.

“I’m with you, always. I no longer fear where this will take us—whether you’ll find time for me or if these new responsibilities will push our relationship into the background. I don’t doubt any of this, Vishnu. Do you know why?” I take his wrist and place it over my heart. “Because what we have isn’t bound by time or togetherness. This heart has beaten for you even when you were away all these months. That’s the biggest proof that no matter how hectic our life gets or how difficult it becomes to juggle work and everything else, my heart will always belong to you. We will make time for us, no matter where we are or how we do it. Because I have and I will always love you, Vishnu.”

The next moment, his lips claim mine. It’s not a gentle kiss; it’s raw, deep, and full of emotions we’ve both been holding back. His hands slide to my waist, pulling me closer, while mine thread through his hair, gripping tightly as our kiss grows more urgent. He lifts me slightly, my feet barely touching the floor, as his lips trail a path to my jaw and down my neck. A soft moan escapes me, and I feel his smirk against my skin.

The room is dimly lit, with the soft, muted glow from Veer’s nightlight spilling into the nursery. I lean back against the small work desk, my breathing uneven, my lips swollen from Vishnu’s kisses. He’s standing before me, shirtless, his toned chest rising and falling as he tries to rein himself in. But the fire in his eyes tells me he’s just as far gone as I am.

“Make love to me,” I whisper in our passion-filled haze. Vishnu pulls back, concern in his eyes.

“I know you’re exhausted, and your back is also hurting,” he says, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “It’s been a long day, and I don’t want you to push yourself.”

I smile softly, pulling him by his waistband until his body is pressed against mine. My fingers slide up to the back of his neck as I kiss him again, hungrily, desperately, pouring every ounce of my love into the kiss. I’m not letting him escape that easily tonight.

“We took our pheras today... and isn’t this a Walia ritual, just like you said last time? I don’t want to break tradition, you see,” I say mischievously.

He pulls back just enough to see my teasing smile, his own lips twitching into a smirk.

“You’re impossible,” he whispers, shaking his head, though the heat in his gaze says otherwise.

“Then stop wasting time,” I challenge, my voice sultry.

That’s all it takes. In one swift move, he pushes me against the wall, his hands already working on my clothes while I hold onto him, desperately waiting for his mouth on my skin again. His hands trail down my sides, tugging at the delicate fabric of my sleepwear until it’s off me and on the floor. My knees feel weak as his breath fans over my neck, his teeth grazing my skin as he nibbles my shoulder blade and speaks again in his husky voice.

“You’ll have to be quiet then... we don’t want to wake Veer.”

I nod, barely able to contain the anticipation bubbling inside me. He steps away briefly, and I watch as he pulls out a spare blanket stowed into the little closet in this room. The moment he spreads it on the floor and turns back to me, his eyes darken with desire. In two long strides, he’s back at my side, his hands sliding around my waist as he pulls me into another searing kiss.

Our mouths fuse, and this time, there’s no hesitation, no restraint. He lifts me effortlessly, and we sink onto the bedding together, limbs tangled, hearts racing. My fingers fumble with the waistband of his shorts as his hands roam over my body, peeling away the last layer of fabric until there’s nothing between us.

His mouth is everywhere—my collarbone, my chest, my stomach—each kiss igniting a fire within me. I arch into his touch, biting my lip to suppress the moans threatening to escape. He trails his lips lower, his hands gripping my hips firmly as if anchoring me to him.

“Vishnu…” I whisper, my voice breaking with need as I struggle to suppress my moans, knowing our son is just a wall away.

“Quiet,” he warns me again before burying his face between my legs. Everything else zones out of my head except the feeling of his mouth on the most intimate part of my body. Somewhere between my moans, I hear him murmur against my skin,‘You taste f*cking lethal, Sim…’

And I am gone. His tongue moves with relentless hunger, never pausing, each stroke sending waves of desire through me. I clutch the pillow underneath my head to contain all these sensations that he is arousing in my body, and within no time, my body shakes with an intense, urgent need, and I come apart.

But then, suddenly, he pulls away, leaving me gasping.

“Where are you going now?” I ask, breathless with need.

He smirks mischievously as if enjoying my current state.

“As much as I want to claim you raw like every time before,” he begins, “if you want me to focus on my career, and if we’re going to build this new life together... we have to take precautions from now on.”

I blink, and then realisation dawns. He is right.

“Okay,” I whisper, recalling the last time we’d got intimate recently. The thought of precautions hadn’t even crossed our minds then. It was only the next morning, when reality sank in, that I remembered—and quickly took a morning-after pill.