Page 36 of Born in Sin (Phoenix #3)

The flame of the candle danced in the evening breeze, a slender flicker of light struggling to stay alive.

It cast a golden halo across her face, gilding her cheekbones, catching in the waves of her hair, turning her into something otherworldly—somewhere between a dream and a prayer.

She cupped her palm around the candle, sheltering it like it was sacred, her brows pulled together in fierce concentration.

As if willing the tiny flame to obey. As if she could force the world to go her way through sheer stubbornness.

He watched from the shadows, hidden but hopelessly exposed.

She hadn’t seen him yet—hadn’t looked up.

And so he gave himself permission for just a moment.

A moment to drink her in, unchecked. The soft flutter of her dress in the wind.

The way her mouth twitched in irritation at the candle’s resistance.

The determined way she held herself, even when alone.

God, she was beautiful.

But it wasn’t just her face or the firelight painting her in bronze—it was what she was made of.

She was laughter in dark places. She was warmth in a world that had been cold for far too long.

She was kindness where he expected indifference.

She was... everything. And loving her was the most terrifying truth he’d ever known.

Because if he lost her—if life took her from him in one of its cruel turns—he feared he would unravel. Not just break. Disappear.

Then her eyes lifted and found him in the corner.

And just like that, the world snapped into colour.

A smile broke over her face like sunrise—radiant, instinctive, real. The kind of smile people spent lifetimes chasing. The kind that made you believe in home. She always smiled like that when she saw him. Always. As if he was a gift, not a burden.

“Happy birthday to you,” she sang, her voice hushed and playful, like a secret passed in the dark. She stepped forward, holding the cupcake aloft like an offering, but her foot caught on a root half-hidden in the grass. She stumbled with a startled gasp, and the flame flickered dangerously.

He was already moving.

Virat lunged forward, catching her wrist just in time, his other hand rising instinctively to cradle the back of her head. His fingers tangled in the soft strands of her hair, grounding them both. The cupcake wobbled but didn’t fall. Neither did she.

Their faces were inches apart, the candle flickering between them like it knew it wasn’t the brightest flame here.

He leaned in, forehead resting against hers, eyes closed.

And he breathed.

Breathed her in like she was the only air worth taking into his lungs. His chest rose and fell with the rhythm of her nearness, and for the first time in days he felt the weight ease. His soul, always strung tight with fear and pain, sighed in quiet surrender.

She was here. With him.

And for a heartbeat, that was enough.

“Virat,” she whispered urgently. “Blow out the candle before it melts into the cupcake.”

He laughed, pursing his lips and blowing it out, not letting go of her for the second it took to do even that. He opened his mouth and accepted the bite she fed him and then fed her a little bit.

“I wanted you to have more,” she protested.

“I plan to,” he said, stealing a chocolatey kiss from her and making her giggle while she tried to protect what was left of the cupcake. “I love you, Celi,” he murmured, basking in the sound of her happiness.

“I love you too, Vir.” She snuggled in closer, holding on to him tight. “I love you to the moon and back.”

He held her close shutting his eyes and basking in the guilty pleasure for as long as possible.

“Happy birthday,” she whispered again, nuzzling his chest and sighing. “You’re an old man now. All of eighteen. I bet the grey hairs will start showing up any day now.”

“If they do, it will be because of Ishaan,” he grumbled, burying his face in her hair.

A low whistle split the night air and they sprang apart, looking around for the source.

Varun’s smirking face was the first thing he saw.

Varun had an arm slung around Dhrithi’s shoulders, the rest of his group straggling along in his wake.

Virat stepped forward, shoving Celina behind him, hoping to keep her off their radar.

But Celina had never stayed where anyone put her and stepped out from behind him, to stand beside him.

“Hi guys,” she said, smiling brightly to mask her discomfort. “Guess we all decided to break curfew tonight.”

“I guess we did,” Varun grinned, his unusually bright eyes on Celina’s face. Virat fought the urge to shove her behind him again, knowing it would only bring her more into Varun’s predatory line of sight. “Is this a special occasion?”

“It’s Virat’s birthday,” Celina replied cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to the tense vibes in the air.

“Happy birthday,” Dhrithi murmured, her voice dull and toneless.

Virat glanced at her, the thank you hovering on his lips, unvoiced. She’d broken Amay’s heart and walked away with the biggest dick on campus. Virat didn’t understand it. He wasn’t sure he ever would.

Varun followed his gaze to Dhrithi’s face and turned his head, tipping her chin up and kissing her forcefully.

Celina glanced away, visibly uncomfortable. Virat saw her glance at Majid who’d been watching her without a word. Celina tilted her head in question at him and Majid shrugged, wordless communication that the rest of the group missed. Everyone but Virat.

Once Varun was done with the statement he was making to all of them, he released a red-faced Dhrithi and turned towards Virat, wiping his lips with the back of his arm.

“Happy birthday Jha.”

Virat didn’t bother with a reply.

“I have stuff coming in tomorrow,” Varun added. “Maybe I could give you a little gift from that.”

“Adulterated weed isn’t high on my wishlist,” Virat answered.

Varun froze, his eyes narrowing. “None of my stuff is adulterated.”

“You think?” Virat asked, an eyebrow quirking. “I guess we’ll know once you’ve smoked up.”

Varun stepped closer. “Don’t even think about spreading that rumour around campus, Jha.”

“I don’t need to spread rumours, Gokhale. Your stuff will speak for itself.”

Varun shoved him in the chest. Virat didn’t budge an inch, holding his ground. His growth spurt a few months back meant he now looked down on the shithead, literally and figuratively.

“I know what you did to Mohan Sir,” Varun murmured. “Don’t make me tell your little girlfriend about it.”

Virat smiled, a slow, chilling, feral baring of teeth. “You want to play my game, Gokhale? The one that I set in motion on this campus? Let’s do it. The shit I have on you and your friends will bury you for eternity.”

Varun blinked, unused to being challenged.

“I have shit on you and your friends too.” He glanced over his shoulder at Dhrithi who was standing a little distance away with the others.

“I have your friend’s girl too. Maybe one of us should take your girl too.

” He grinned. “I’m sure Majid wouldn’t mind. ”

A chill coasted through Virat’s body, frost sliding through him. Behind him, Celina moved to talk to Dhrithi and Majid.

“Watch yourself Gokhale.”

“I’m watching.” Varun’s eyes glittered as he met Virat’s. “Everyone will be watching by the time I’m done with you losers.”

Virat stepped closer. “That paper shuffling scam you have lined up for the exams? If you want Vara Sir in that room to allow you to pull it off, you’ll make sure you and your groupies don’t mess with me.

If you do though, I’ll have him following Mohan’s footsteps out of this campus so fast your head will spin. ”

“You have nothing on him.”

“I have your entire conversation with him on record.” Virat smiled, though his eyes stayed cold.

Varun’s jaw clenched. “What do you want for it?”

“Stay the fuck away from Celina. She knows nothing and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”

“You’ll regret this.”

“When it comes to her, I regret nothing.” Virat stared over Varun’s head at Majid, holding the other boy’s burning gaze. “For her, I’ll burn the world down and bury all of you in its ashes.”

Celina joined him, her hand slipping into his, cold fingers wrapping around his. “Is everything okay?” she asked, her worried gaze going from Virat to Varun.

“Perfectly.” Varun smiled, not looking away from Virat. “We’ll leave you guys to cootchie coo some more.”

He stepped around them, his shoulder bumping Celina’s hard. The remaining cupcake went flying from her hand and landed in the dirt near their feet.

“Happy birthday Jha,” he sneered, as he stepped on it, smearing it into the mud as he walked away. His friends followed closely.

Virat watched them go, his arm around Celina who was looking at the smashed cupcake sadly.

“I should have held on to it tighter,” she said.

“Hold anything too tight and you lose it anyway, one way or the other.”

Even as the words left his lips, he knew this wasn’t the end of anything. There was a storm coming and he needed to be ready for it.

“Celi, I need you to promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“If you’re with me when you run into those guys again, I need you to leave immediately.”

“No.”

“Celi-“ Frustrated helplessness lined his throat making it hard to get the words out. “You don’t understand.”

“I don’t need to,” she said, her voice low and lined with steel. “I will not leave you for anything.”

Virat closed his eyes, his breath ragged. “Celi, please.”

“Ask me for anything, Vir, and I’ll give it to you. But don’t ask me to leave you. I will never leave you.”