Rohit never imagined that attending a family function would upend his life, but destiny had other plans. Unexpectedly finds himself thrust into marriage with Ritika due to a long-forgotten promise between their late grandmothers. They barely know ea...
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"Just five more minutes, Vi," Rohit mumbled, his voice heavy with sleep, barely managing to lift his hand from under the covers as he lazily flashed five fingers in the air, without opening his eyes.
Rohit's face buried into the pillow, his expression peaceful. The familiar comfort of the moment had lulled him into forgetting about what happened in the last twenty-four hours. The lady, who was standing by the bedside, and trying to wake Rohit awake, the key word here was 'trying,' because no matter how many gentle nudges or soft calls of his name she attempted, Rohit remained in his own world, blissfully asleep.
She couldn't help the gentle smile that made its way subconsciously onto her face. "Old habits die hard," she thought, suppressing a small chuckle. She wasn't the 'Vi' Rohit was calling out for, though. Instead, she was Ritika, the woman who, only yesterday, had been as much of a stranger to Rohit as he was to her.
Yet here they were, tied by the unexpected pact of their grandmothers, a bond neither had anticipated but now had to navigate. Ritika's expression was a mix of amusement and patience as she watched Rohit mumble and groggily try to fend off the morning. Her smile lingered as she stood by the bedside, unsure of how to proceed. Should she wake him up? Let him sleep? Or maybe just let him have his 'five more minutes'?
As she was busy thinking, the warm ray of the morning sun was slowly creeping through the gap in the black pencil pleat curtains, casting a gentle glow across the room. Ritika couldn't help but notice how the light caught the edges of Rohit's face, highlighting the relaxed lines of his features. He stirred a little, still muttering something about his best friend, and her heart softened a bit more. She could hear his soft sighs as he mumbled, and it was hard not to feel a sense of connection, despite the strangeness of their situation.
For a moment, she let herself simply observe him—this man she barely knew but was now bound to. Her heart flip-flops, a dance in her chest, as she notices the sunlight, warm and inviting, highlighting Rohit's dark tousled hair, the way his long eyelashes cast faint shadows on his cheeks, the slight furrow of his brow even in sleep, and the gentle curve of his lips as they parted, murmuring something too faint for her to make out.
She blinked, snapping herself out of the thought. Why was she feeling this way? Rohit was practically a stranger, yet there was something about the peacefulness in his features that made her feel... safe. It was as if, for the first time, she was seeing him without the weight of the world on his shoulders, without the expectations or pressure. Just Rohit—unfiltered, raw, and completely unaware of the impact he was having on her at that very moment.
Ritika's eyes traced the contours of his face, and a warmth spread through her that she couldn't quite explain. Her eyes trailed down from Rohit's dark tousled hair to his relaxed face, then lingered on his chubby cheeks. A sudden, unexplainable urge tugged at her—a playful urge to reach out and pinch those chubby cheeks that looked so invitingly squishy. She found herself imagining how soft they would feel beneath her fingers, the gentle warmth of his skin against hers.
