Page 94 of Lawfully Yours

“It’s just one more night, Aru,” he added. “We leave tomorrow. You don’t need to make it bigger than it is. Unless, of course, you’re afraid this is something you won’t be able to walk away from.”

She knew he was baiting her, deliberately pushing buttons.

“Tell me the truth,” he said, inching closer. “When we sleep like that… is it just me who feels it? Or does your body tell you, too? That it wants more…something real, something deeper than just... warmth?”

Heat crept up her neck, but she forced a scoff and took a step back, slipping behind the safer wall of denial. “No. I don’t get any such signs. My body is perfectly under control.”

Kushal didn’t believe a word of it. Not with how tightly her arms stayed crossed.

“And since your body clearly isn’t under your control, that’s all the more reason we shouldn’t share a bed again. Definitely not tonight.”

She spun on her heel, ready to leave, but his voice caught her mid-step.

“Get ready,” he said casually. “I’m taking you out after breakfast.”

“I told you, I don’t want to make plans with you. I can handle this trip on my own.”

He rolled his eyes, unimpressed by her forever protest. “It’s not a date, Aru. It’s a temple. An ancient one. You’ll like it. And I’m pretty sure refusing to visit a place like that is bad luck.”

She stared at him for a beat, unsure whether to argue or not. In the end, she just sighed, gave him a slow, thoughtful nod, and walked back to her room without another word.

The moment she was gone, he smiled and turned toward the wardrobe, already reaching for his outfit for the day—his favourite black shirt.

******************

A while later

Arundhati stepped out of the resort lobby while talking to the receptionist, when Kushal saw her and was awestruck. He hadn’t expected her to wear a saree. The golden-beige saree was plain but radiant, with just enough shimmer to catch the morning light. It clung and flowed at all the right places.

He leaned casually against the rental car he’d arranged for their drive to the ancient Shiva temple, but the moment he saw her, for a second, he forgot to breathe.

She was still talking, nodding along as the receptionist reminded her about the evening’s event for honeymooning couples. He didn’t hear the words. He just watched his wife, who was unaware that she captured his heart with every single look of hers.

When she finally walked up to the car, her eyes met his. She saw his appreciative look, lingering longer than it needed to. Naturally, she expected something. A word. A compliment. Even a teasing line, anything to acknowledge the effect she clearly had on him.

But he said nothing.

He merely opened the car door for her and stepped back, as though she were wearing nothing special. As though he hadn’t just been staring.

Her pride took a hit.

She got in without a word, even though part of her wanted to askwhy. Why the silence now, when yesterday he had no trouble voicing every thought about her nightie or that poolside moment when his flirting had barely disguised the hunger in his eyes? But now… he was back to being that version of Kushal, the one she had known in Delhi. Cool and distant.

Urgh,she thought, crossing her legs and looking out the window.

The silence stretched between them like a third presence in the car. The drive wound through the pine-scented air of Dalhousie, the roads snaking around misty cliffs and stretches of forest. The view outside was breathtaking, but her thoughts wouldn’t let her enjoy it. She kept stealing glances at him from the corner of her eye, watching the way he handled the car over the curves of the mountain roads.

He'd worn a black shirt with the top two buttons undone, revealing a generous stretch of chest and just enough skin to distract her further. Sunglasses on. Sleeves rolled up, exposinghis forearms, his thick fingers steady on the steering wheel, the other hand resting casually on his thigh. God help her.

That’s when Kushal finally broke the silence.

“You okay?” he asked without looking at her.

She cleared her throat quickly. “Yes. Why?”

“You’ve been clearing your throat a lot,” he said, glancing at her over his sunglasses, just the barest hint of a smirk forming. “Not sure if that’s a habit or a cry for help.”

She gave him a sharp look. “I’m fine.”