Happy reading guyss :)

Vihaan's POV:

“You both look horrible, go and freshen up. Sakshi, give Vihaan beta a yellow kurta, I have kept it in your room,” her mom suggested with a smile.

She nodded, motioning for me to follow her. We made our way to her room, and she pointed toward the bathroom. She handed me the kurta, her silent gestures speaking more than words.

Weird girl.

"Are you just going to sit there like that?" I asked, noticing she hadn't moved. I had already changed, and she hadn't said a word, just silently gesturing again.

"No, I was waiting for you to change first," she replied, heading towards the bathroom, still avoiding eye contact.

While she freshened up, I glanced around her room. It was organized, full of books, and had an undeniable aesthetic charm. My eyes landed on a wall-"Wall of Memories." It was filled with family, cousins, childhood photos, and, of course, her girl gang. I was about to look away when a small picture caught my attention. It was a photo from our college fest, a moment hidden among the others.

She was wearing a beautiful saree, and I had my arm casually draped over her shoulder, claiming her without even a word. Her smile was the sweetest, a dimple on her left cheek that made her look even more beautiful.

A wave of sweet memories hit me, the good times when everything felt right, and she was by my side. I snapped out of my thoughts as the bathroom door creaked open.

I turned just as she stepped out. The way she looked at me, her confused expression... It took me right back to those moments when I couldn't stop admiring her. I stepped closer, cupping her face with one hand, her face was so delicate that it fit perfectly in my palm.

“What are you...”, she began to complain, but I stopped her with a soft “Shhh...”

I gently wiped the leftover haldi from the corners of her face and the sides of her hair, my touch light but purposeful.

“You look beautiful in yellow,” I said softly. "But red will suit you more... after the wedding." I winked at her.

Her lips parted in surprise, unable to find a comeback. Her cheeks, already flushed, turned an even deeper shade of red as her eyes flickered everywhere but at me.

“And that dimple... it's still the cutest thing about you,” I added, pointing to the picture on the wall.

Her eyes widened, and she looked like she had just discovered something new about me. “How did you find that?” she asked, clearly shocked.

I shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, you know... I'm a genius.”

She rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, I placed a finger on her lips, sending another wave of shock through her.

Her breath hitched, and I couldn't help but smile at the sight of her flustered cheeks.

"You don't need to explain why you have your husband's picture on your memory wall," I said, teasing her.

Her eyes softened, blinking slowly as if all the pieces of her untold questions had just fallen into place. She finally understood.

“Sakshi...” Ritika di's voice broke the tension. She ran toward the door, then stopped and turned back to look at me, giving me the sweetest smile in the world. And that dimple?

It was the cherry on top.

Sakshi's POV:

I came to my room and grabbed a kurta for him, pointing toward the bathroom without even looking at him. Words? No thanks, I didn't trust my voice around him anymore. Especially not after what just happened downstairs.

I sat down on the edge of my bed, still in my haldi-stained outfit, my hands trembling slightly. I wasn't sure if it was from the cold or... whatever this tension was between us.

“Are you going to stay like that?” he asked, his voice as casual as if he didn't just turn me into a yellow ghost five minutes ago.

“I was waiting for you to change first,” I mumbled, still not meeting his eyes. I quickly escaped to the bathroom.

When I came out, towel-drying my face, I saw him standing near my wall... that wall. My Wall of Memories. Oh no.

I saw his eyes stuck on that one photo. The smallest one, tucked behind a string of fairy lights and almost hidden between pictures of birthdays and college trips. Our picture. From college fest. He was looking at it like it was the answer to every question he never asked.

I froze. I didn't know whether to clear my throat or run back into the bathroom. Before I could decide, he walked up to me.

He took a slow step closer, gently cupped my face in his hand, and my heart might have just paused for a second. His palm was warm, his fingers slightly rough with dried haldi, and yet... his touch was incredibly gentle.

“What are you-” I began, but he hushed me. Literally. With a “Shhhh...”

He brushed off the dried haldi from the corners of my face, his fingers lingering near my temple and then by my hairline. I forgot how to breathe.

“You look beautiful in yellow," he murmured, eyes scanning my face. "But red will suit you more... after the wedding.”

And then, he winked.

Excuse me? Did someone turn up the heater? Because my cheeks were on fire.

I tried to say something, but nothing came out. My brain had officially stopped functioning. He pointed toward the picture, still holding my gaze.

“And your dimple... still the cutest... just like that photo.”

I gasped. “How did you even notice that picture?! It's barely visible!”

He shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Well, you know I'm a genius.”

I rolled my eyes, trying to act unfazed, but before I could come up with a snarky reply, he put a finger on my lips.

A literal finger. On. My. Lips.

I froze, wide-eyed.

“You don't need to explain,” he said in a low voice, “why you kept your husband's photo on your wall of memories.”

I don't know what happened in that moment, but everything inside me... softened. My walls, my anger, my confusion. All of it melted into that quiet, fragile second.

“Sakshi!”, Ritika Di's voice snapped the moment in half.

I turned, about to leave, then looked back at him. He was still standing there, like nothing had happened, like everything had. And I...

I smiled. The kind of smile that came from somewhere deeper than I thought existed.

And yes, the dimple showed up.

~~~•••~~~

Hope you liked this chapter, but the incoming ones are more interesting and the chemistry is chemistrying between them.

Stat tuned and follow me on Instagram @siyaawriitess for more updates and spoilers.

Byeee:)