Page 33 of Since You Came Along (Ever Since #1)

L ater, as Raghav bid goodbye to Veronica, Meera asked for a moment alone. Raghav nodded and turned to walk back to the car.

At the gate, he made small talk with the gatekeeper. He remembered how, after Veronica’s death, he had spent countless nights sleeping near her grave.

Raghav felt a deep sense of gratitude for the kindness he had shown him, offering him a blanket on those chilly nights. It was a minor act, but it had meant the world to him.

Meera joined Raghav a few minutes later. The thought of Meera sitting in a car made Raghav anxious, but he knew he had to get over it sometime. The only thing that comforted him was the fact that he was driving.

The drive home was quieter than usual. He could see that her mind was far away, lost in its own web of thoughts.

He wondered whether he should have sprung all of this on her at once.

Maybe it was too much for her to digest, especially after the cold distance he had put between them over the past few days.

Raghav still felt guilty about his behaviour, but it got worse when he’d wandered into the living room in the morning. The open drawing book Meera had been sketching in caught his eye.

Her sketches were always beautiful, but this one hit him with a force he hadn’t expected. It was a charcoal sketch of him. She had been thinking of him too, just as he had been thinking of her. The scribbled snowflake in the bottom corner had inspired him for the tattoo.

When they arrived home, Meera didn’t even glance his way. She walked straight to their room and shut the door behind her. His heart sank with the sting of rejection, even though he knew it was foolish to feel that way.

Raghav had convinced himself that he expected nothing from her, but it seemed his heart hadn’t got the memo. It felt as if the walls were closing in on him, so he stepped out onto the living room balcony.

Yet, as he stood staring at the city below, he didn’t regret a single thing. He loved Meera with everything he had. The only thing gnawing at him was whether he had chosen the wrong moment to say it all.

‘Raghav,’ her voice cut through his thoughts, and he turned to see her standing behind him. ‘Will you come with me?’

He nodded, following her as she led him to their bedroom balcony. He was waiting for her to say something, but she looked at a loss for words. Raghav grew worried and asked, ‘What is it? Is everything okay?’

‘Yes,’ Meera said and pulled him down to sit beside her on the chair. She took a deep breath, looked around the balcony and said, ‘This was the place where I opened up to you the first time.’

The memory of that night washed over him. It felt like a lifetime ago.

‘Because that topic started here, I want it to end here,’ Meera said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a thin, pink-beaded anklet. His brow furrowed in confusion as his eyes followed her gaze, still fixed on the anklet in her hand.

‘Rutvik gave this to me on my last birthday with him. The first and only gift he ever gave me,’ she told him. Raghav tensed at the mention of Rutvik, but he forced himself to stay silent.

Her smile was bitter as she continued, ‘I was so happy that day. I thought things were turning around for us. I thought this gift meant that he was ready to commit. Why else would a man who’d never tried before suddenly give me something so personal?’

Her words hung in the air as she answered her own question. ‘No. It wasn’t his idea. He asked Ahana to buy it for me because he felt guilty for cheating. And then, during the dance, he placed all the blame and responsibility for his actions on her.’

Meera met his gaze and said, ‘You said I smiled at him, and I did. But not because I was still in love with him. I smiled because I felt nothing—no pain, no anger. I understood it hadn’t been my fault. And in that moment, I realised he had never been worthy of my love.’

She reached out and held his hand. ‘Instead, I finally felt free. I walked away because he has no place in my heart anymore, not even for hate.’

Meera took a deep breath and confessed, ‘That’s because you have my heart, Raghav.’

It took him a moment to process her words, but when they sank in, his heart soared with joy. ‘Do you mean it?’

Her eyes sparkled as she nodded. ‘That night, when I turned around and saw you standing there, I knew you were the one. I wanted to tell you right there and then, but I recalled what you had said about not loving anyone ever again. So I buried my feelings. I knew, deep down, that I had fallen for the right man. Being with you has strengthened me, strong enough to realise who I am and what my worth is. With you, I’ve grown into a better version of myself. ’

‘And you are right. Sometimes, just saying a few words isn’t enough. You have to show it too.’

She held up the delicate black-beaded anklet. It seemed so small, so insignificant, yet it carried the weight of years of pain and memories. Her fingers trembled as she cradled it in her palms.

‘This is the symbol of my past, of something I needed to get rid of but couldn’t. But being with you has made me understand something else too. Love makes you brave and gives you the courage to take a step and make your own life better.’

Meera took a deep breath, and in a graceful motion, she snapped the anklet in half. She smiled at him, so full of life that it took his breath away. A strangled laugh escaped his throat as she flung the broken pieces off the balcony.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and said, ‘This is it. I am in love with you and only you, Raghav. Being with you these past months has made me realise just how fulfilling it can be to be with someone who cares for you, who thinks of you, and who has your best interests at heart.’

Raghav pulled her up against him and twirled her in the air.

Her laughter rang out, light and melodic, as she added, ‘I love you and everything about us. I want to go on long drives with you and sing our favourite songs. I want to dance with you and eat your half-burnt brownies. The only thing I ask for is that you never shut me off like before. It was awful…’

Raghav reached out, tilting her chin so their eyes met. ‘I’ll never do that again. Ever. I promise you. I’m sorry, baby.’

A soft smile played on her lips. She traced his jaw with her thumb as she said, ‘I confined myself to my past. I let it cut me so deep that I never let myself believe I could love again. But I know what being accepted feels like since you came along. I know what unconditional love feels like since you came along. And I know how easy it is to love since you came along.’

Emotion surged through Raghav, and tears blurred his vision. He held her close and whispered ‘I love you’ over and over as if the words were a prayer. Meera clung to him, her laughter mixing with her tears.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, his fingers threading through her hair. ‘Now that I have you, I’m not letting you go. It’s just you and me, Meera. For life.’

Then he crashed his lips against hers in a searing kiss that ignited every nerve in her body. Meera clung to him, pulling at his t-shirt desperately, longing to touch him. He explored the delicate curves of her body, leaving a trail of fire wherever his fingers brushed her skin.

As his lips left hers to trace the curve of her neck, her intoxicating scent drove him wild. He found a sensitive spot and sucked on it, making her shiver. Her fingers tangled in his hair as she anchored herself to him. When he nipped at her earlobe, her breathy moan sent a jolt through him.

‘Make me yours, Raghav.’

He leaned back just enough to look into her eyes. Tilting her chin upwards, he caught her lower lip between his teeth, marking her with a possessive promise. ‘You are mine, sweetheart. Forever.’

In one fluid motion, he wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her. Their surroundings blurred as he carried her to their bedroom, every step filled with an urgency that mirrored the pounding of their hearts. Her hands roamed over him with a hunger that matched his own.

Raghav pushed her onto the bed and hovered over her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him close as he began trailing kisses down her neck. She pulled off his t-shirt and grazed her nails on his back. He groaned her name and pulled her hair as he reclaimed her lips in a demanding kiss.

Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, the doorbell chimed. Once, twice, and then incessantly, the sound echoed through the house.

‘Ignore it,’ Raghav mumbled, unwilling to let go. But then came the muffled voices from the other side of the door.

‘Guys, come on! We know you’re home. We spoke to the guard downstairs. Open up!’

The bell resumed its relentless ringing.

‘Raghav!’ Abhay called out, louder this time. ‘We missed Meera! We want to meet her.’

‘And I’m starving!’ Luv added. ‘Mihu, at least open the door in the name of food!’

Meera burst into laughter. Raghav pressed his forehead against hers, chuckling. He exhaled and pulled her up. He pulled on his t-shirt and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips that made her toes curl.

‘Today is the best day of my life,’ Raghav declared. ‘First, because we said we love each other. Second, because I’m going to kill them.’

He stormed out of the room, and Meera giggled when she heard Abhay and Luv groaning in pain.

Moments later, as she stepped into the living room, they pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. Meera smiled, her heart brimming with warmth as she hugged them back. She had finally found her place—a home, a family, and the man she loved.