Page 154 of Lawfully Yours

Night

The keycard beeped, and the door slid open. Arundhati dragged her bag inside, glancing around the silent penthouse. Was he even home? She left her bag by the living room and made her way to the bedroom, only to hear the shower running. So hewashere.

For a moment, she considered setting up her things in their room. She longed to. But his words from the morning echoed in her head. It was his clear instructions that if she stayed, it would be in the guest room. If she insisted on the bedroom, he’d move out himself. And she couldn’t bear the thought of him giving up his bed. She knew how he struggled to sleep anywhere else. How onlyhisbed brought him peace.

So she swallowed her urge, turned around, and carried her bag into the guest room. The space felt alien, awkward. Yet… a small relief flickered inside her chest. At least they were under the same roof again.

Determined to bridge that silence, she made up her mind to cook dinner. After freshening up, she walked into the kitchen only to stop dead in her tracks.

Kushal stood at the counter, dressed in a simple grey tee and loose night pants, hair still damp from the shower, drops of water tracing his temples. He looked devastatingly effortless, sleeves tugged high as he chopped vegetables with precise strokes. A pot of pasta was already bubbling on the stove.

God, why did he always look so good?

He noticed her, but without a word, he turned back to the chopping board.

“I can help,” she offered, stepping closer.

No response.

She reached out, her hand brushing his to still the knife. “Let me chop.”

He pulled away sharply and kept going.

She frowned. “Fine. Don’t let me chop. But I’m still going to help. Because this time, Kushal… we’re not just co-existing. It’s more than that—”

Her words cut off with a sharp cry as her fingers brushed the rim of the boiling pasta pot. The searing pain shot through her hand.

“Aru!” His knife clattered to the counter as he grabbed her wrist. “What thehellwere you thinking, touching that hot pot?”

Without waiting, he dragged her to the sink, turned the tap on, and thrust her burnt fingers beneath the stream of cold water. The sting eased, but the ache in her heart deepened. She stared at him, drinking in the man who had always been this protective and attentive towards her. And how much of this had they lost in ten wasted months apart?

After a long beat, he shut off the water and looked her squarely in the eye. “Go sit outside. I’ll cook. I’ll serve.”

“But—” she began.

“No,” he cut her off, commandingly. “Either you sit, or we don’t eat together at all. Your choice.”

Her lips parted in protest, but she stopped, knowing he was serious. Annoyed, she huffed, shooting him a glare, but relented and walked out.

She sank onto the couch, chin resting on her hand, eyes locked onherman in the kitchen. Watching him cook, sleeves rolled, hair still wet, moving with such practiced ease. Uff!

What a sight it was!

Chapter 29

Kushal’s Penthouse – Night

Kushal set the pasta on the table, not sparing her a glance as he began eating. Arundhati, whose fingers were still faintly stinging from earlier, leaned back in her chair and sighed dramatically.

“I can’t hold the fork properly,” she murmured in mock helplessness. “You’ll have to feed me. Or else I’ll starve.”

He stilled for a moment, knowing exactly what she was doing. But instead of arguing, he picked up a forkful of pasta and held it out.

She leaned forward and took it, savouring both the bite and the way his hand hovered close.

“Mmm.” Her lips curled into the faintest smile. “You really do cook well.”

Still, no reply. He calmly went back to eating, scooping pasta into his mouth from the very same fork he’d just fed her with.