Udaariyaan: Entangled Hearts

Chapter 2

Suhaag Raat

Nehmat could hardly believe her ears. Her heart thudded violently in her chest, as if trying to catch up with the weight of the words she had just heard.

It wasn't the first time a man had said "I love you" to her. Before their marriage, Ekam had whispered those words to her often—during private moments filled with innocence and dreams of a shared future. But after their marriage... silence. Those words had faded into memory, lost to time and unspoken wounds.

And now, those very same words were being spoken by someone she had never imagined would utter them—Advait Kapoor.

"What... what did you just say?" she asked shakily, barely able to form the words.

Advait met her gaze with a slight smirk, though his voice trembled with sincerity. "You heard me right, Miss Nehmat Sandhu Virk—no, correction—Mrs. Nehmat Advait Kapoor. The Advait Kapoor, heir to the Kapoor Empire... is madly in love with you."

Nehmat froze.

She was stunned. She had always believed that Advait harbored feelings for her best friend, Mallika. Love had never seemed part of their equation—at least, not from him. Still seated on his lap, she carefully shifted away, creating a few inches of space between them. Her mind was already spiraling, her emotions a tangled mess.

Why am I not angry? she wondered. Why is there... a strange warmth inside me?

She wrapped her arms around herself as if to keep her thoughts from slipping out. I've only ever loved Ekam. I longed to hear those words from him. But now... what is this flutter I feel when Advait says them? What is happening to me?

Before she could untangle the confusion inside her, Advait leaned forward abruptly and pressed his lips to hers.

She stiffened at the unexpected kiss—but for a full minute, she didn't resist. She let him kiss her, his lips gentle, almost uncertain. Then, like lightning striking her core, realization hit. With a sudden jerk, she pushed him back, voice trembling with shock: "Advait!"

He staggered slightly but recovered quickly, undeterred. His eyes—fiery and intense—locked onto hers. In one swift motion, he grabbed her shoulders and drew her close before she could escape. His hand cradled the back of her head as he kissed her again, more fiercely this time, anchoring both their heads in place.

This time, Nehmat fought back. She pushed at his chest with all her strength—after all, she was the daughter of a boxer. She landed two sharp punches on either side of his chest.

But Advait held on, his lips still firm against hers, relentless yet not violent—just desperate, aching. Her punches began to lose strength. And then... something shifted. The fight in her arms faded. Her hands, once filled with resistance, slowly curled around his back, then slid upward to his neck, her fingers brushing through the rough stubble of his hair.

Without meaning to, she melted into the kiss.

Passion surged between them—raw, magnetic, uncontrollable. His lips crushed hers like he was trying to erase the space between them. The bristles of his unshaven face scratched her soft cheeks, leaving behind a delicious sting. She held his head tightly, not wanting him to pull away. Her lips moved over his, featherlight and trembling—like butterfly wings—until he could taste her breath and the faint sweetness of her lipstick.

Advait leaned in to kiss the small mole on her right cheek, just near her ear. Nehmat closed her eyes as he did so, feeling the warmth of his breath, the gentleness in his touch.

This time, she didn't pull away.

She didn't resist when his hands began to roam her body with reverent slowness. She simply let herself feel—his touch, his heat, his truth. There was no longer hesitation, no confusion—just two souls surrendering to the fire that had long been smoldering between them.

As their passion deepened, time slipped into stillness. The only sounds in the room were their ragged breathing and the soft, steady ticking of the clock on the nightstand.

Hours later

The shrill ring of an alarm jolted Nehmat awake.

Still wrapped in the warmth of the night before, she slowly opened her eyes. Her body, bare beneath the bedcover, stirred as she reached to silence the alarm.

And then—panic.

"It's already 8:00 A.M.!"

She gasped, clutching the sheet tighter around herself as the realization hit like a cold splash of water.

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To be continued.