Page 9 of When Love Trespassed

And most importantly, today not a single leaf had fallen into his pool. But just then, as if the universe had heard her thoughts and decided to mess with her, a gust of wind swept through Serene Meadows, rustling the mango tree’s thick branches.

Nandini’s eyes widened in horror.

Oh no.

She sat up straighter, her heart pounding as she watched the tree sway. Her stomach tightened as the leaves rustled ominously.

No. No. No. Please, please, just this once, behave!

She watched in growing dread as the wind toyed with the branches, teasing, nudging and threatening.

She could practically see the inevitable happening before it did.

To her absolute horror, one single leaf detached from its branch, twirling downward, spinning in the air in slow motion—heading straight for Shaurya’s pool.

NO!

Without thinking, she lunged forward, arms outstretched, her fingers desperate to catch the traitorous leaf before it could land into enemy territory. Her fingers almost grazed the edge of it. But then, the world tilted. Uh-oh.

Her balance faltered. A gasp tore from her lips as she lost her footing, and before she knew it, she was hanging precariously from the edge of her balcony, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the railing for dear life.

“HELP!” she shrieked, kicking her legs helplessly. “Somebody help.”

Her heart slammed against her ribs, panic clawing at her chest as she kicked her legs in the air, struggling for support that didn’t exist.

Meanwhile, in Villa 11…

Shaurya was sprawled out on his sun-kissed patio, a little away from the pool, dressed casually in a half-sleeved black T-shirt and grey joggers, glancing through his emails.

For once, the morning had been uneventful. No Raichands causing trouble. And then, he heard it.

A scream.

Not just any scream… her scream.

His heart dropped as his head snapped up toward Villa 10, his sharp gaze scanning for the source of the chaos.

And then he saw her.

Dangling from the damn balcony railing like some reckless stuntwoman.

“What the f—”

Laptop forgotten, Shaurya was on his feet in an instant. Without a second thought, he sprinted toward the tree-lined border of their properties.

“NANDINI!” he cursed under his breath, positioning himself directly below her.

Her head whipped towards him, her eyes wide with fear and something else—relief, maybe.

The height between the railing and the ground wasn’t too bad—maybe 10 to 15 feet—but it was high enough to seriously hurt herself if she landed the wrong way.

“Nandini, jump!” he ordered, standing right beneath her.

Nandini’s panic turned into instant outrage.

“What? NO!” she shrieked, still gripping the railing tightly.

Shaurya clenched his jaw. Was she seriously arguing right now?

“Nandini, for God’s sake, just let go! I’ll catch you.”

“Not happening!” she shot back, scowling at him from above. “I won’t take your help.”

Seriously?

“Then what’s your grand plan? Hang there until gravity takes over?” he snapped. “Or call your 75-year-old grandfather to pull you up, which I am sure he would do all alone, without any outside help,” he mocked.

She groaned, swinging slightly.

“I wish Daadu was home. He’s gone to the community hall for the New Year’s event prep! If he was here, he would’ve helped me!”

Shaurya’s patience was wearing dangerously thin.

“Great. Then you have two choices—either jump now or keep hanging there until your grandfather returns.”

And then, just to prove his point he turned to leave.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” she screeched. “You can’t just leave me hanging here!”

“Well, you don’t seem too eager for my help, so…” He smirked knowingly, his arms crossed over his chest.

Her teeth clenched.

“I swear, I have NEVER met a man as infuriating as you!” she ranted.

Shaurya sighed dramatically. “And I have never met a woman more stubborn than you. Bratty kid!”

“You called me a bratty kid again?”

The moment he called her a kid again, her anger spiked, and before she could stop herself, she shifted in frustration and immediately regretted it. Her grip faltered. She yelped as her fingers slipped and she lost her hold. And in the next instant, she fell.

Shaurya moved on pure instinct. One second, she was flailing in the air, and the next, she was in his arms. But the force of the fall was such that it sent them both crashing onto the ground.

With a startled grunt, he toppled backward and hit the earth, his back colliding with the grass and Nandini.

She landed right on top of him, her body pressing completely against his.

For a moment, everything was still. The world around them blurred. Shaurya’s breath was knocked out of his lungs, not from the fall, but from her.

Nandini’s face was mere inches from his, her hair cascading freely, loose tendrils falling against his forehead. His eyes traced the flush of her cheeks and the way her lips parted, the irritation in her expression somehow making her look utterly bewitching.

And when his hands snaked around her waist to hold her securely, Nandini’s breath hitched.

She had planned to yell at him, but why was he looking at her like that?

Like he was actually seeing her for the first time.

Like she was… something more than just an annoying neighbour.

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

It was only then that she processed the fact that she had landed right on top of Shaurya Ahuja—the man she argued with more than she breathed.

Shaurya, on the other hand, was experiencing something far worse. A woman— this woman —was sprawled over him, her body pressed against his in ways that were making his brain malfunction. The scent of her shampoo mixed with the fresh grass beneath them was clouding his senses.

He really needed to get up. But for some reason, neither of them did.

A few strands of her damp hair had fallen over her forehead, and one of them tickled his face as she shifted slightly.

The sensation made his pulse quicken and he fought the ridiculous urge to close his eyes and inhale deeper.

Instead, he reached up and gently tucked the errant strand behind her ear.

Nandini was still fuming.

“You called me a kid, AGAIN!” she accused.

“If you behave like a stubborn child, what else would I call you if not that?”

“Aren’t you behaving like a bratty kid too? Fighting over silly issues like mango leaves in your pool?”

Another strand came loose, landing right on his face. Annoyingly persistent. Shaurya exhaled sharply before tucking it back behind her ear.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “See? You have a problem with everything! Not just the leaves and fruits in your pool, but now with my hair too? What next? You want me to trim my hair as well, Mr. Ahuja?”

Shaurya rolled his eyes, his patience wearing thin. The exchange between them was now becoming repetitive. Despite that, neither of them made a move to get up.

“I am not that insensible to ask a living, breathing woman to trim her hair over such petty inconvenience,” he bit out.

She smirked. “Yet you have no problem demanding that a living, breathing tree be trimmed? Didn’t they teach you in school that trees are living things too?”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Nandini—”

But before he could retort, a deliberate throat-clearing interrupted them.

Both of them froze.

Nandini’s gaze snapped up to find a man standing a few feet away, arms crossed, looking far too amused for her liking. He wore designer sunglasses, his casual yet sophisticated elegance reeking of old money and effortless charm.

And he was grinning.

“Ahh, don’t mind me,” the man said, tilting his head like he had just stumbled upon the greatest spectacle of his life. “By all means, carry on. I’ve never seen my dear friend Shaurya so… relaxed. And dare I say, comfortable.”

Shaurya closed his eyes briefly and exhaled sharply.

“Varun,” he gritted out, already regretting every decision that had led to this moment.

Nandini, mortified, scrambled off Shaurya, brushing the dust off her salwar suit as heat flooded her cheeks. Shaurya followed suit, standing up and sending Varun a glare sharp enough to cut steel.

“Shut up, Varun. I was just saving her from a fall,” Shaurya said, straightening his T-shirt.

Varun smirked, crossing his arms. “Ah yes, saving her from a fall… but actually falling for her. I mean, with her?”

Shaurya rolled his eyes so hard they nearly disappeared into another dimension.

Varun turned to Nandini and greeted her with genuine warmth, a sharp contrast to the teasing tone he had with Shaurya.

“Hello. I’m Varun.” He smiled in a friendly way. “And you must be the Grandpa’s granddaughter that everyone is talking about.”

Nandini arched an eyebrow. “Everyone?”

“Small community. Especially when pretty new neighbours arrive and start tree wars,” Varun said mischievously.

She opened her mouth to retort, but was rudely cut off by Shaurya.

“Inside, Varun,” Shaurya said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

As Varun turned toward the villa, Shaurya glanced back at Nandini. “Try not to do stunts like hanging off balconies again.”

“I have no such plans either,” she scowled, pointing a finger at him. Then she added, “And whatever happened today was because of you!”

Shaurya blinked. “Me?”

“Yes, you!” she huffed. “I was trying to catch a leaf before it fell in your precious pool due to the wind. All because of your legal warning the other day!”

Varun hid his chuckle behind his hand, but Shaurya’s amusement was impossible to contain.

He rubbed his temples, sighing dramatically. “So let me get this straight. You risked your life. For a leaf? To save my pool?”

“Yes!” she snapped, as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

Shaurya let out a mock-serious groan, shaking his head. “I don’t know whether to be impressed or furious.”

Her jaw dropped.

Varun burst into laughter, while Shaurya marched back into his villa, shaking his head in disbelief.

Nandini glared after him, crossing her arms. “Insufferable man.”

Varun chuckled, throwing her a wink. “I think he likes you.”

And before she could throw something at him, Varun waved her goodbye and followed Shaurya inside the villa.

Nandini stood there, arms still folded, her heart hammering in her chest.

Did his friend just tell her that Mr. Grumpy ‘Shaurya Ahuja’ liked her?

What the hell!

That can’t be true. Not even remotely.