Loved With Measures is a collection of passionate, heart-stopping one-shot romances that explore love in all its complexities-across age gaps, forbidden desires, dangerous liaisons, and unexpected encounters. From the sun-drenched beaches of the Mal...
The city of Mumbai was drenched in rain, the monsoon wrapping the streets in a silky curtain of silver drops. The rhythmic patter on the rooftops blended with the distant hum of traffic and the occasional call of a street vendor, creating a symphony that felt both chaotic and intimate. The scent of wet earth and jasmine hung in the humid air, and the clouds above mirrored the heaviness in Aanya Kapoor's chest.
At twenty-two, Aanya was in her final year at university, juggling assignments, part-time teaching, and the ever-present pressure of her family's expectations. The monsoon wasn't the only storm approaching her life—her parents had arranged her marriage to a man she had never met: Aarav Malhotra, a successful forty-four-year-old CEO whose empire spanned Mumbai's financial district.
Aarav was known for his precision, his steely gaze, and the kind of charisma that commanded attention without effort. To the world, he was untouchable, a man of power and authority. To Aanya, he was a stranger whose very name carried weight—both alluring and intimidating.
Their first meeting was set in her parents' sprawling terrace garden, rain casting a hazy veil around them. Aarav arrived in a sleek, dark suit, the corners of his lips just hinting at a smile. He looked at her—bright-eyed, nervous, a little unsure—and something softened in his gaze.
"Miss Kapoor," he greeted, his voice calm, deep, and deliberate. "I hope the monsoon hasn't made this first meeting unpleasant."
Aanya shook her head, letting a strand of hair fall from her braid as she replied, "No, sir. The rain... makes everything feel different. Calmer, I think."
He nodded, as if weighing her words carefully. "Calm can be deceptive. But sometimes, it's in those quiet moments that we see the most clearly."
She wasn't sure if she understood him, but she felt the weight of his presence, the tension between their worlds. She was a student, learning about life and independence; he was a man of experience, of decisions made and empires built. And yet, in that moment, standing on the terrace as raindrops clung to the leaves around them, there was a fragile connection forming—one that defied age, expectation, and the storm outside.
The arranged marriage was a compromise between tradition and practicality, but beneath the formalities, an unspoken curiosity lingered. Aanya found herself studying his expressions, the way his eyes softened when he noticed her hesitation, the subtle warmth behind his controlled demeanor. Aarav, in turn, found her spirit intriguing—her intelligence, her quick wit, and the spark of youthful defiance she carried even in the face of obligation.
As the monsoon raged on, it became their shared secret: a backdrop of rain-soaked streets, whispered conversations over tea, and glances that lingered a little too long. It was a slow courtship in the shadow of societal expectations, an unraveling of walls neither had expected to lower.
And yet, the storm had only just begun.
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