Page 49 of When Love Trespassed

Tears welled in her eyes, and she crashed her lips against his in a sudden, overwhelming kiss. There were no words needed. Just her heart answering his in the only way it knew… with every ounce of love she’d kept buried inside her.

Shaurya cupped her face in both hands, deepening their kiss, like a promise being made in silence. As her fingers slipped down to clutch his shirt, he gently took her hand and, without breaking the kiss, slid the ring onto her finger—their love sealed with a quiet promise.

“I love you, Nandini,” he whispered when they finally pulled apart, breathless, their foreheads touching.

“I love you too,” she said softly, her eyes shimmering with love.

Then she glanced down at her hand to admire the ring glittering on her finger. Her eyes widened as the diamond sparkled in the light. She turned back to him, suddenly more serious.

“Oh god,” she muttered. “What am I going to tell Grandpa?”

Shaurya exhaled slowly. “We’re done hiding. I’ll speak to him about us tomorrow. He deserves to know the truth. From us directly. And after that, we’ll ask for his blessing and take this forward.”

Nandini nodded slowly, the emotion still catching in her throat. She wrapped her arms around him, holding on like she never wanted to let go.

He held her just as tightly, then leaned back slightly to look into her eyes. “What about your parents?”

She sighed, her smile turning a bit sad. “They won’t take it well. But Grandpa’s decision carries weight. If anyone can help them see reason… it’s him.”

Shaurya kissed her forehead gently. “Then we start with him.”

She nodded again, this time with more certainty. “Yes. We start with him.”

A beat passed. Then his expression shifted. His eyes darkened slightly, his smile turning more playful, more wicked.

“And now,” he murmured, brushing his thumb along her knuckles, “about your earlier question…”

She raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What question?”

He leaned closer, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. “The one about how romantic I can be... in a room full of roses, music, and no one to interrupt us.”

Nandini’s gaze flicked around the club, but Shaurya had chosen their spot thoughtfully. Their booth was tucked away in a secluded corner, dimly lit, and mostly hidden from view by velvety drapes. The perfect haven of privacy in a very public place.

She smirked. “Hmm. Prove it then.”

He didn’t need to be told twice.

He moved in and closed the distance between them.

Her body instinctively responded to the nearness.

He brushed his arm against her waist, his eyes never leaving hers.

Then, slowly, he reached down and lifted her leg, settling it across his lap beneath the table.

The slit of her gown parted with the movement, revealing the smooth curve of her leg.

His palm caressed her skin, his fingertips slowly tracing the path from her knee upward. She sucked in a sharp breath as his finger reached her inner thigh.

She gripped his shirt lightly. Her body tensed, overwhelmed by the sensation he was igniting in her. Her eyes fluttered shut for a second before opening to meet his dark, smouldering gaze.

“I can’t seem to keep my hands or my lips off you,” he whispered, his voice thick with longing. “And it’s going to be like this for the rest of our lives.”

And then he kissed her.

The kiss was urgent, passionate… a release of the pent-up desire he’d kept bottled up tonight during their stolen glances and their restrained touches.

His lips moved over hers with hungrily, like he’d been waiting all night just to do this, and she responded with equal fire, her hand sliding to the back of his neck to pull him even closer.

They were still tucked in the shadows of the booth, safe from prying eyes, lost in each other. His hand still rested on her leg, holding her close to him as their kiss deepened.

Shaurya’s thumb traced the curve of her jaw, dipping briefly to skim the sensitive spot beneath her ear. Her breath caught in her throat, and he felt it against his neck, warm and shaky.

“You’re trembling,” he murmured, his nose grazing her cheek.

“I’m not used to… all of this,” she whispered, her fingers tightening around his forearm. “You’re kind of… overwhelming.”

He chuckled against her skin. “Good.”

His hand, still resting on her thigh, moved in slow, deliberate strokes—up and down, not rushing, just memorising the texture of her skin beneath his palm.

Nandini shifted even closer, half-curled against him now, her leg draped fully over his lap beneath the table. Her hand slipped beneath his jacket, sliding against his chest, the pads of her fingers tracing the lines of muscle beneath the fabric of his shirt.

He dipped his head to the crook of her neck, his lips brushing lightly over her fluttering pulse.

She gasped again, one hand clutching his collar while the other buried into his hair.

He kissed the sensitive spot again, this time letting his lips linger.

Her head tilted to the side, offering more of her skin to his mouth.

“Shaurya…” she breathed, and just the way she said his name made his control crack a little more.

Her body curled closer, her hips pressing into his side, their warmth locked together in the booth’s secluded cocoon.

Her cheeks were flushed, her breaths quick and shallow as her half-lidded eyes drank him in.

His fingers continued their slow, teasing path beneath the table, tracing small, deliberate circles along her already heated skin.

“Tell me to stop,” he whispered against her shoulder, already knowing she wouldn’t.

She shook her head. “I won’t,” she whispered back.

And they didn’t. Not for a long while.

When they finally pulled apart, just enough to catch their breath, Nandini rested her forehead against his, a soft smile playing on her lips.

“Romantic enough for you?” he asked in a teasing voice.

She bit her lip, grinning. “You’ve just raised the bar dangerously high, Mr. Ahuja.”

He brushed his lips against her cheek again and whispered, “Then I guess I’ll have to keep outdoing myself.”

And in that quiet corner of the world, they continued with what they were already doing. Kissing and loving each other like there was no tomorrow.

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

It was already 10:30 p.m. when Nandini’s phone buzzed. The screen lit up with Varun’s message:

On the way to drop off Priya. She should be home by 11 sharp. Time to wrap up, lovebirds.

Nandini smiled faintly and glanced at Shaurya. “Time to go. Grandpa’s clock is scarily accurate.”

Shaurya chuckled, brushing her hair off her shoulder. “I hope he doesn’t have satellites tracking your location.”

They both laughed as they made their way towards the club’s exit. Nandini slipped her arm through his as the crisp night air spilled in through the open glass doors leading out to the parking lot. As they stepped out, the noise of the club dulled behind them.

Just as they reached the exit, Shaurya suddenly stopped. “Give me a minute,” he said, stepping back.

She looked at him curiously. “Where are you going?”

“To the washroom,” he replied, winking. “Should’ve gone before we left.”

Nandini rolled her eyes but smiled. “Alright. I’ll wait right here.”

He turned, then glanced back. “Don’t wander off, okay? Just stay near the doors. I’ll be quick.”

“Yes, Mr. Protective,” she teased. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Shaurya smirked and headed back inside.

By the time he stepped out of the washroom, drying his hands with a paper towel, his mind was already back on her—on her sexy red dress, her happy smile, and the way she had said yes to forever.

He couldn’t wait to speak to Grandpa tomorrow and make all of this official. With that thought in mind, he walked out, and there she was. Nandini stood by the exit just as she’d promised. But she wasn’t alone.

She was speaking to a woman whose back was to him. Elegant posture, black sequin dress, sleek hair tied in a low bun. Something about this woman… the way she stood, the set of her shoulders, seemed... painfully familiar.

As Nandini talked to her, she smiled warmly, clearly respectful, maybe even a little proud. “I wasn’t expecting to run into you here,” she said.

Shaurya slowed his steps, his instincts already on edge. A strange tension curled in his chest as he got closer. He was just a few feet behind now, his heart starting to pound harder than it should have.

Nandini spotted him approaching and waved him over. “Shaurya! Come here. I want you to meet the Principal Partner at Aura Wellness—Mrs. Choudhary.”

The woman turned.

And Shaurya felt the floor beneath him crumble.

It was Rhea.

Even Rhea’s face drained of colour as she turned to him, but she quickly composed herself, her expression slipping back into calm, practiced poise.

Nandini looked between them, confused. Something felt wrong.

“Wait... you two know each other?” she asked slowly, her eyebrows drawing together.

Shaurya didn’t answer. His throat had gone dry, the words trapped beneath a thousand unsaid memories. But just as he opened his mouth, Rhea beat him to it.

“Of course we do,” she said, offering a tight smile. “I’m his ex-wife, Rhea.”

She paused, her eyes flicking to Nandini. “Now Mrs. Rhea Anirudh Choudhary.”

Nandini’s smile vanished.

Her expression faltered, and she froze.

Her mind was reeling, connecting the dots, flashing back to the pieces of Shaurya’s story he had once shared.

The woman who had broken him. The one he couldn’t bring himself to destroy, no matter how much she hurt him.

The one whose mere name set his nerves on fire.

Now, the same woman stood there, in front of them, smiling politely, cool and composed, proudly carrying the surname of the man she had once chosen over her own husband, betraying and shattering him in the process.

And just like that, the ground beneath Nandini’s feet began to shift.