ADHVAIT’S POV

The next few weeks passed in a blur after the day we confessed our love to each other. Then life happened, and both of us had to get back to work.

Even though we didn’t get as much time together, we always made sure to steal little moments-commuting to the office side by side, sharing lunch whenever possible. No matter what, our dinner was always reserved for family, and our nights ended with quiet conversations, soft laughter, and falling asleep in each other’s arms, smiling in contentment.

I didn’t try to kiss her after that day. Not because I didn’t want to-in fact, it’s all I’ve wanted-but because I don’t want her first kiss to be casual or rushed. I want it to be special for her, and that moment certainly wasn’t when we were too tired to talk or rushing off to meetings.

Today, we were celebrating the 25th anniversary of our company, and I was patiently waiting for my wife to come out.

“Hanji beta ji, kya lagta hai, aaj aa jaenge ye log?” Chachu said, placing a hand on my shoulder. He too was waiting for his lady-love to come out.

(So my child, do you think they'll come out today?)

“Aisa kya karti hai chachu ye log, do ghante tak?” I asked, my eyes fixed on the staircase, hoping they’d step down any moment.

(What do they even do there for two hours?)

“Abhi toh shuruat hai beta ji, abhi toh puri zindagi aapko aise hi kaatni hai. Aur rahi baat kya karti hai ki, mai bhi ab tak nahi samajh paya,” he said, smirking. I sighed and nodded.

(This is just the starting my child, you've to do this your whole life. And about what they do there, I also haven't figured it out.)

“Aagyi,” he said, straightening. I immediately turned, and when I tell you I tripped, I’m not lying—I would have lost my balance if not for Chachu catching me.

(There they are.)

“Abbe saale, teri hi biwi hai na? Aise kyun girta pad raha hai,” he hissed, steadying me. Thankfully, they didn’t notice my near fall-probably because my wife had decided it would be absolutely wonderful to wear a damn net saree and look breathtakingly gorgeous.

(Idiot, she's your wife right? Why are you falling off here and there.)

“Kya baat hai biwi sahiba, aap toh humein maar hi daalogi,” Chachu teased as they approached us, earning a playful smack from Chachi. My eyes met hers, and I winked at her secretly, making her look down with a shy smile.

(Damn wife, you will kill me with your looks.)

“Bacho ke saamne kuch bhi bol dete ho,” Chachi muttered, blushing furiously.

(Stop saying anything in front of the kids.)

“Arre darling, ek hi toh biwi hai meri, usse bhi khulle mein pyaar na karu?” he said mischievously, making her bury her face in his arms, and the rest of us burst into laughter.

(Aye darling, I only have one wife, how can you stop me from loving her openly.)

“Where are the girls?” Chachu asked once he composed himself.

“They need five more minutes,” Chachi replied. “Do one thing, Adi and Sunu-both of you leave. We’ll come later with Eshu and Pari.”

I nodded and reached for her hand. She slipped hers into mine with a shy glance, and together we walked toward my car.

“Aapko pata hai aapki ye saaree mere dil par kya kar rahi hai?” I whispered, leaning close as we reached the car.

(Do you know what your saaree is doing to my heart?)

“Kya kar rahi hai?” she asked softly, her smile tugging at her lips as I held the door open and helped her settle inside.

(What is it doing?)

As she sat, I pulled the seatbelt across her, clicking it gently into place, and murmured against her ear, “Hai jo iraade bata du toh tumko, sharma hi jaogi tum, dhadkane jo suna du toh tumko, ghabra hi jaogi tum.”

(If I were to tell you my intentions, you would only blush; if I were to let you hear my heartbeats, you would only grow restless)

“Shut up,” she whispered, blushing furiously as she gave me a light push. I chuckled, jogged to my side, started the engine, and drove us toward our destination, my heart already racing faster than the car.

Reaching the venue, we clicked a few pictures for the paparazzi before heading in to socialise. Devesh and Nishi had skipped the event since their baby was still too small and they didn’t want to leave him alone.

“So, you won your lady love?” Mr. Das said as he walked towards us with his wife.

“Definitely,” I replied, pulling my wife closer with my hand resting on her waist. She chuckled softly.

“Good work, young man,” he said with a laugh, patting my shoulder. I nodded, chuckling along.

“Excuse us, please,” I said as I spotted Avinash and Di entering. Excusing ourselves, we walked towards them.

“Bhabhi!” Jaan squealed, hugging Priyu Di.

“Kya haal hai saale?” Avinash said, giving me a side hug.

(How are you, idiot?)

“Badiya, tu bata, saale,” I replied, pulling away. He chuckled, nodded, and then went to hug my wife.

I'm good, what about you, Idiot.)

Giving Di a side hug, I muttered, “Aapke pati kutte hai.”

(Your husband is a dog.)

She chuckled softly and said, “Sudhar ja.”

(Grow up.)

Later, we had some appetizers and then moved towards the stage-it was time for Chachu’s speech.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I sincerely welcome you to our company’s 25th anniversary. I still remember the day my brother and I started this company. Bina mere bhai ke, mai yaha aapke saamne nahi hota, kyuki mai toh sirf side character hu. The main credit goes to him. He worked day and night to build this company from nothing. Today, when he’s not here to witness this, it feels heavy. But bhai, I hope you’re here with us in spirit. After you left, I carried your legacy forward, but now the time has come to hand it over to its true heir.”

(Without my brother, I wouldn't be giving this speech in front of you, because I'm just the side character in this story.)

We exchanged confused looks. What was Chachu doing?

“Adhvait beta, can I have you on stage?” he asked, looking at me. I nodded and walked up, exchanging a glance with Jaan.

“Ladies and gentlemen, on this auspicious occasion, I present to you the Director and CEO of our company,” he announced. My eyes widened.

“Chachu, I can’t-” I whispered.

“I know you can. I believe in you, your father believes in you. And I’ll always be here to guide you,” he said, pulling me into a soft hug.

My eyes found Jaan’s in the crowd-her gaze brimming with pride. She smiled at me, her reassurance steadying my nerves.

“Okay,” I muttered, pulling away from Chachu.

“Good choice, son,” he said, smiling as he patted my head.

“Now, since we all know Adhvait got married a few months ago, let me take this moment to introduce our daughter-in-law to all of you.” Chachu said, nodding at Jaan.

I quickly walked down to help her up the stage. Hand in hand, we ignored the audience’s playful hoots and climbed up together.

“This is Sunaina Vashisht Mehra, our beautiful daughter, a qualified lawyer by profession, and the purest soul inside and out,” Chachu said, side hugging Jaan. I couldn’t stop smiling proudly at my wife.

“Thank you for such a warm introduction, Chachu. Thank you for blessing us with your presence on this special occasion. I hope you’re all having a great time,” she said as Chachu handed her the mic. The audience cheered loudly when she finished.

“Thank you, bachha. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s have the time of our lives!” Chachu announced. She glanced at me, and I nodded, helping her step down from the stage.

After the speech, couples began gathering on the dance floor to dance with their partners.

“May I have this dance, Mrs. Mehra?” I whispered, leaning close and offering my hand.

“You may,” she replied with a sweet smile.

I led her to the center of the stage and held her close, swaying gently to the music.

“I was so nervous when Chachu called me on stage,” she admitted, leaning close so only I could hear.

“You did well, Jaan,” I chuckled softly.

“Maybe because your presence calmed my nerves,” she said. I could feel my ears and neck heating up. Was I… blushing?

“Are you blushing?” she teased, her eyes wide with amusement.

“No,” I said quickly, clearing my throat. She laughed, shaking her head knowingly.

After about five minutes, we stepped off the stage to bid farewell to our guests as the party began winding down.

We decided to send everyone home first while we stayed behind to finish the last-minute tasks. Nearly two hours later, we were finally walking back to our room, hand in hand. The house was quiet-everyone must have already gone to bed.

Opening the door for her, I stepped aside, following her in.

“Jaan,” I called softly. She turned to me with a hint of confusion.

“Come here,” I said, extending my hand. She took it, walking towards me.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close, leaning back against the wall.

“I love you,” I murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

“I love you more, Ved,” she replied with a tender smile.

“You know… there’s something I’ve been wanting to do,” I whispered, my hands caressing her waist.

“What?” she breathed, her cheeks turning crimson.

“I’ve been waiting for the right moment to make our first kiss special. But I keep failing miserably,” I admitted, looking into her eyes.

“Ved, every moment with you is special. I don’t need extravagance-just your presence is enough to make even the simplest moment extraordinary. I cherish our togetherness more than anything,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around my neck and rising on her toes.

“How did I get so lucky?” I murmured, tightening my arms around her petite frame.

She chuckled softly and whispered, “Kiss me, Ved.”

My eyes widened, and I felt the heat rush up my neck. “Wha-”

“You heard me,” she smiled.

“Are you sure, Jaan?” I asked, turning her gently, caging her against the wall.

“I am,” she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed as her arms wrapped around my neck.

“There’s no turning back from this,” I whispered, leaning closer. She nodded, and I leaned in, my heart racing uncontrollably.

And just when our lips were about to meet-

My phone rang. Chachu.

She chuckled softly as I sighed and picked it up.

“Adi beta, I’m sorry for disturbing you so late, but there’s an issue with the hotel project. Can you come to my office now?” Chachu’s voice was apologetic.

“It’s okay, Chachu. I’ll be there in five,” I said, clearing my throat before hanging up.

“This time, I’m going to kiss you when I return. Wait for me,” I whispered, brushing a kiss against her cheek before stepping back.

She nodded, taking a deep breath, while I gulped down some water and left for Chachu’s office.

“Adi beta, come in,” Chachu said as I knocked.

“Sorry to disturb you, but this needed immediate attention,” he added apologetically.

“No problem, Chachu,” I said, settling down on the sofa beside him.

“Here, look at these papers Mr. Das sent,” he said, handing them over. I tried to focus, but my mind kept wandering back to that almost-kiss and the words I had whispered before leaving.

“Kaha dhyan hai tera? Pair hilana band kar,” Chachu muttered, smacking my knee lightly.

(Where are you lost? Stop moving your legs.)

I nodded, focusing on the papers, sighing as I realized he was right-the clauses were a bit off.

“I’ll talk to Mr. Das about this, Chachu. You should get some rest,” I said, setting the papers down-almost knocking over a glass of water dangerously close to the original contract.

“Pagal ho gaya hai tu?” Chachu scolded, quickly picking up the papers.

(Have you gone made?)

“Adi ? Do one thing just go and sleep, we will sort this tomorrow,” he sighed, putting the glass aside. I nodded and made my way back to our room, my heart racing in anticipation.

Knocking softly, I entered and looked around. She wasn’t there. Frowning, I checked the balcony-and there she was, leaning against the railing with her eyes closed.

SUNAINA'S POV

“This time, I’m going to kiss you when I return. Wait for me,” he whispered, leaning closer and pressing a soft kiss to my cheek before stepping back.

My heart raced at his words. I only managed a nod, not trusting my voice to say anything.

As he left, I let out a deep breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding.

His words kept replaying in my mind, each repetition making my heart beat faster with nervous anticipation.

I tried to calm myself, sitting on the bed and taking a few deep breaths, but it didn’t help. Not one bit.

Gulping down a glass of water to ease the dryness in my throat, I began pacing the room, breathing in and out as if that would slow the storm inside me.

The anticipation and nervousness were driving me mad. I was going to have my first kiss. Yet the boldness I’d shown earlier-when I had asked him to kiss me-had completely abandoned me now that the moment was actually approaching.

Taking another deep breath, I stepped out onto the balcony for some fresh air. The evening was beautiful; the soft breeze embraced me, gently calming my racing thoughts. My eyes fluttered shut as I leaned against the railing, letting the air soothe me.

I don’t know how long I stood there, lost in thought, until I felt the softest, feather-like kiss on my forehead.

A smile instantly tugged at my lips. Slowly opening my eyes, I whispered, “Hi.”

There he was-my husband-standing with his hands on either side of me, holding the railing, caging me in gently.

“Hi,” he whispered back, his gaze tender and steady as it sank into mine.

We didn’t speak after that. We didn’t need to. We just savored the silence, smiling softly at each other.

His hand rose to caress my cheek, while I steadied myself by holding onto his torso.

At that very moment, everything felt right-the breeze, the stillness, even the nervousness.

Closing my eyes, I surrendered to him completely, certain that he would cherish every part of me. His breath fanned against my lips as he leaned closer, sending my heartbeat into a frantic rhythm.

Then it happened. I don’t know if it was me leaning in, or him, but our lips met-hesitant at first, like a brush of silk -so soft yet electrifying, it made my knees almost lose it's balance if not for my husband caging me.

And then, everything else disappeared.

His lips moulded perfectly against mine, like they had been created for this one purpose-for me. The kiss was soft, yet so electric it sent shivers racing down my spine. The world faded away until there was nothing but the two of us, surrendering to that fragile, beautiful moment.

We pulled apart after a few seconds. It was brief, but it was perfect. Slowly opening my eyes, I found his gaze-tender, emotional, overflowing with love. He pressed another gentle kiss to my forehead and rested his against mine, both of us breathing heavily.

“You are all I need, in every lifetime,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. His eyes held so much love, mirroring mine.

“I love you, Ved. So much that I want nothing more than you by my side,” I whispered back.

Before I could say more, he leaned in again-this time kissing me deeply, passionately.

Each kiss he stole that night poured out every ounce of love he held for me, leaving me breathless, cherished, and completely his.