Mumbai:THE CITY of DREAMS.

Part 3

guys Yaar comment toh kia karo .

anyways i am still gonna stick with my daily updates

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Arjun's Pov:

As he drove home after their first meeting, Arjun found himself smiling. Naina was different—complex, intelligent, with layers that he hadn't even begun to peel back. There was so much more to her than what met the eye, and he was determined to discover all of it.

He didn't know if love would come right away, but he knew he wanted to take the time to get to know her, to understand her past and the insecurities she seemed to carry.

There was something about her that pulled him in, something that told him this wouldn't be just another marriage of convenience. This could be the start of something real, something profound.

And for the first time, he felt genuinely excited about the future they could build together.

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Naina's pov:

When Naina first heard about the marriage proposal, she didn't know what to feel. The idea of getting married had always been something distant, abstract—especially for someone like her. She had spent so much of her life blending into the background, feeling like an outsider in her own family, that the thought of someone choosing her, really seeing her, felt foreign.

Her family had painted Arjun Malhotra as a perfect match: successful, charming, and handsome, a businessman from a reputable family. But those words hardly meant anything to her. After all, she had spent her entire life trying to meet the standards set by others—her family, society—and somehow, she always fell short.

What could someone like Arjun possibly want with her?

On the day of their first meeting, Naina had tried to steel herself, expecting it to be awkward, maybe even uncomfortable. She was used to hiding behind her accomplishments, presenting herself as the capable data scientist who worked at ISRO, the girl who had fought her way through years of self-doubt and endless comparisons. But that day, as she sat in the restaurant waiting for Arjun to arrive, she felt none of that confidence. Instead, there was a knot of anxiety twisting in her stomach.

Would he find her too boring? Too plain? Would he notice how awkward she was in social settings, how she never quite fit into the mold that people expected of her?

But then he walked in.

Arjun was nothing like she had imagined. Instead of the stiff, formal man she had pictured in her mind, he was relaxed, casual, his smile easy and warm. He didn't seem to carry the weight of expectations the way she did, and that threw her off balance. In her experience, men like him were confident in a way that was almost intimidating, but Arjun had an air of playfulness that made it difficult to stay anxious for long.

When he greeted her, Naina's nerves were in full swing. She had barely managed to get out a proper "hi" before he sat down. She could feel his eyes on her, not in the way people usually looked at her—judging or measuring—but like he was genuinely interested in getting to know her. That was unnerving.

They began talking, and to her surprise, it wasn't the uncomfortable small talk she had expected. Arjun wasn't trying to impress her with grand statements or polished conversation. Instead, he asked her questions that made her feel seen—about her work, her dreams, even her thoughts on life in Mumbai. He listened, really listened, and that, more than anything, caught her off guard.

By the time lunch was over, Naina felt... different. It wasn't that she had fallen head over heels in love or anything like that, but for the first time, she felt like she had been seen for who she was, not who she was supposed to be. Arjun had this way of making her laugh, teasing her just enough to put her at ease, but never crossing a line. He seemed to sense her insecurities without calling them out, and that in itself was disarming.

When she returned home after that first meeting, her mind was buzzing. She hadn't expected to feel this way. She thought she would walk away feeling indifferent, relieved that it was over. Instead, she found herself replaying their conversation in her head, smiling at the way Arjun had made her feel—normal, even a little special.

But despite the unexpected connection, Naina kept her guard up. They met a few more times after that, always in neutral places—never at each other's homes, never in overly intimate settings. Their meetings were always public, whether it was for wedding shopping or family gatherings. Yet, each time they met, Naina felt that same pull, that sense of ease that was slowly replacing her initial anxiety.

Arjun's presence was calming, and over time, Naina found herself looking forward to their interactions. He didn't overwhelm her with overt affection or declarations of love; in fact, they never discussed anything too deep or personal before the wedding. Their conversations remained light, always skirting around the deeper feelings brewing beneath the surface.

It was as if they were both waiting—waiting for the right time, waiting for the comfort of marriage to allow them to let down their walls.

As the wedding drew nearer, Naina's emotions became a whirlwind of confusion and anticipation. She knew Arjun was a good man. She could tell by the way he treated her, by the way he respected her space and never pushed for more than she was willing to give. He was charming, yes, but it was the quiet moments that stuck with her—the way he would glance at her when he thought she wasn't looking, or the subtle compliments he slipped into their conversations when she least expected them.

Still, she couldn't shake the fear that had been her constant companion for as long as she could remember. Could someone like Arjun truly want her? She wasn't the kind of woman men like him usually married. She didn't have the effortless beauty or the outgoing personality that seemed to come so naturally to others. She was quiet, reserved, more comfortable with numbers and algorithms than with socializing or flirting.

But Arjun... he made her feel different. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel like she had to be someone else. Around him, she felt like she could just be Naina—the girl who had worked hard to build her career, the girl who had spent years struggling with insecurities but was finally starting to believe she was enough.

In the days before the wedding, Naina found herself thinking about Arjun more than she expected. There was something comforting about the way he had treated her in their meetings, the way he had respected her boundaries while still making her laugh and feel at ease. She knew they hadn't confessed anything deep to each other yet, but there was something there—something unspoken, simmering just beneath the surface.

She didn't know if it was love, not yet, but it was something. And that scared her just as much as it excited her.

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guys vote and comments toh karo ,

paisa thodi manga hai yaar.....

anyways,

till the next part,

your captain harmosa,

A