Page 120 of Strictly Solo

Ruhaan stood at the window of his bedroom, the faint hum of the bustling household fading into the background. He overheard Suman’s voice on the other end speaking to Naina.

“I’ll put Neil and Pinky to sleep. Don’t worry, take your time talking to Ruhaan.”

Naina’s soft “Thank you, Suman,” reached his ears before she spoke directly to him.

“I was dying to hear your voice since morning,” Ruhaan confessed.

He could picture her biting her lip, a habit of hers that he adored. “You know how busy I was. Today’s Haldi ritual was truly exhausting.”

“Yeah, just like our mehndi and sangeet,” he replied, moving from the window to sit on the edge of his bed.

Her soft and melodic laugh echoed in his ear. “Oh, don’t remind me! Your cousins didn’t let us sit and relax. I have never danced like that in my life… continuously for hours.”

Ruhaan chuckled, leaning back against the pillows. “Nor have I seenmymom dance like that. She was unstoppable. But I’ll admit, Neil and Pinky’s little performance stole the show.”

“Of course, it did,” Naina quipped, her voice brimming with pride. “It wasmychoreography.”

“Ah, so that’s why they were so brilliant. You have quite the talent, Miss Bhalla. But tell me, was Malti Aunty tripping over her own feet and blaming the DJ part of your choreography too?”

Naina burst into laughter, her joy infectious. “I had nothing to do with that!” she exclaimed between giggles.

They both dissolved into laughter.

“So the point is… I have decided. Once the wedding is done tomorrow, I’m going to sleep all night long. Peacefully.”

Ruhaan cleared his throat. “Really? That’s your plan? On our suhaagraat?”

Naina struggled to suppress a laugh. “Of course,” she replied, feigning innocence. “Forget about me. Think about yourself. You’ll be so drained after all this, with no energy left for… anything else.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about my energy, Naina. I can stay up all night.”

Naina felt her cheeks flush.

“You’re impossible, Ruhaan.”

“And you love it,” he shot back without hesitation.

“Do I?” she teased.

“You do.”

There was a pause, the silence thick with unspoken emotions. Naina finally broke it. “Ruhaan… are you nervous? About tomorrow?”

He sat up.

“A little,” he admitted. “Not about marrying you, that’s the one thing I’m most sure of. But about everything else… Neil, the cute little adjustments, making sure you’re both happy here, with me… with us.”

“You’ve already made us happy, Ruhaan,” she said softly. “You’ve shown me what it feels like to truly have someone by my side. You’ve given Neil something I thought he’d never have—a father’s love. You don’t have to worry about anything. We’ll figure it out together.”

He closed his eyes, her words filling him with a sense of peace. “You always know what to say to calm me down,” he murmured. “How do you do that?”

“Magic,” she replied playfully, lightening the mood.

“Then you must be a magician, because you’ve bewitched me completely.”

Naina chuckled. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Singh.”

“Really?” His tone turned huskier, and she could almost picture the playful smirk curling his lips. “Well then, let’s test that theory tomorrow.”