Page 45 of Lawfully Yours

A few hours later, fatigued from the early morning flight and the emotional whirlwind of the day, Arundhati tugged lightly at her uncle’s sleeve as he stood laughing with two senior partners by the open bar.

“I’m heading home, uncle. You stay. Enjoy the night. I’m completely wiped out.”

Raj looked at her, concern flickering briefly in his eyes. “You sure you’ll be fine?”

She nodded. Just as she was stepping away, Raj stopped her.

“Kushal will drop you.”

“No, no—I can just call a cab.”

But Kushal appeared beside her with a glass of something dark in one hand, his sleeves rolled up casually now, exposing strong forearms and a ridiculously expensive watch. He was already one step ahead, like he had been waiting all this time for this one moment.

“My car’s already outside. I’ll drop you.”

Arundhati stiffened slightly. “That’s not necessary. I can manage—”

“I didn’t ask,” he interrupted. “Let’s go.”

Raj beamed with satisfaction, oblivious to the thick tension building between the two.

“Perfect. Take care of her, Kushal.”

With no real way to argue without turning it into a scene, Arundhati gave her uncle a quick peck on the cheek and muttered a tight “goodnight” before following Kushal toward the exit.

The soft Delhi night greeted them as they stepped out into the driveway. His sleek black BMW sat waiting, humming low, headlights glowing like twin eyes in the darkness.

They walked in silence. Not the comfortable kind. The charged kind.

The second she slid into the passenger seat and closed the door, she felt his musky scent seeping into her lungs, making it annoyingly hard to focus.

He started the car. The purr of the engine was the only sound for the first few minutes. She glanced at him once or twice.

Halfway through the ride, when the silence had settled like fog between them, she spoke.

“So,” she asked, breaking the quiet. “Did Raj uncle… ever talk about me to you?”

Kushal’s eyes didn’t waver from the road, but his mouth curved. “Yes,” he said simply. “He did.”

She looked away from him, unsure of whether to say what she wanted to. But he beat her to it.

“He proposed the idea of our alliance last week,” he added coolly as though discussing a legal contract.

Arundhati’s pulse jumped.

“Oh…” she said, trying to sound casual. “And… what did you tell him?”

This time, he glanced at her. A long, loaded glance that made her wish she hadn’t asked. Then he looked back at the road and said softly, “I said yes.”

She blinked. “You said—what? But… we hadn’t even met—how could you—”

“I trust Raj Sir with my life,” he said. “And if he thinks I’m good enough for his niece, I take that as an honour.”

Arundhati’s stomach flipped for reasons she didn’t fully understand. But before she could respond, he added with a teasing edge, “Besides, he showed me your picture. I figured… even if you hated me, at least the view would be nice.”

She rolled her eyes. “How noble of you. But what if I break this delusion of yours and refuse the alliance?”

At that exact moment, he braked. Hard enough for her heart to leap. They had just arrived at her uncle’s bungalow.