The Heart's Unexpected Twist

•||CHAPTER 16||•

As Sahil stepped out of Shruti's house, the warmth of her embrace still lingered on his skin like a soft caress, the scent of her hair embedded in his senses. He couldn't stop thinking about how perfect the evening had been-how every moment had unfolded like a carefully orchestrated symphony, crescendoing in their confessions of love. The cool night air whispered through the trees, the wind carrying with it the memories of the night, and he found himself lost in thought, replaying every stolen glance, every shared smile.

The streets were empty, save for the occasional flicker of streetlights, casting long shadows that stretched toward the horizon. As he walked back home, his phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him from his reverie. It was a message from Shruti.

"So, how was your first date?" she asked with a playful tone. He could almost hear her soft, excited voice in the words, and could see the glint in her eyes.

Sahil smiled, his fingers moving swiftly across the screen. "It was perfect... and you know what? It was the first time in my life I gave someone such a long hug and a forehead kiss. You made me feel something I've never felt before. The moment you held my hands, my anxiety just melted away. I'm so glad you took that first step... I wanted you to be comfortable with me."

He paused, feeling the weight of his emotions swell in his chest. "I desperately wish you lived near my house. I want to see you every day. I've even kept that juice bottle as a sign of our first date."

Shruti's reply came quickly, and he could almost sense the blush in her words. "You know, I made you a handmade rose as a gift, but because of the rain, I forgot to bring it when you came home. I was so flustered I couldn't find it at the time." Her message was followed by a sheepish emoji, and Sahil chuckled, feeling the warmth of her honesty.

He texted back, the words tumbling out with a sense of wonder, "I'm one lucky man. Today, I met my future mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, visited my in-laws' home, hugged you, and gave you a forehead kiss. It feels surreal, like I'm in a dream. People strive their whole lives to experience moments like this, but tonight... it was like I was in heaven. Why did time have to move so fast? Why couldn't it just pause, even for a moment?"

Shruti's reply came slowly, the words heavy with emotion. "It felt fictional, like something out of a story. I've never been on a date like that before... and that hug you gave me-it was my first. The way you held me, it was everything I didn't know I needed."

There was a pause before the next message appeared on his screen. "Sahil... you're my first and last. Date anyone else tries to touch me... I'm yours now. Only yours." Her words were bold, a declaration of ownership wrapped in love, and Sahil felt a surge of possessiveness course through him, like dark fire burning in his veins.

He stopped in his tracks, staring at the screen, his mind swirling with emotions he hadn't known were buried so deep within him. His fingers hovered over the keys before he typed, the words dripping with intensity. "And you're mine, Shruti. No one else will ever touch you. If any man so much as lays a finger on you... I'll make sure they regret it. You're only mine now, for eternity. No one will take you from me."

The words felt like a promise, a silent oath written into the night sky, etched into the stars themselves.

Shruti's response came with an equal measure of possessiveness, her love entwined with an undercurrent of darkness. "What about you, Sahil? You're mine too, aren't you? Dare any girl come close to you, dare they even try to touch you... they'll have to face me. I won't let anyone else have you. If they do, they won't live to tell the tale."

Sahil's pulse quickened, his heart pounding in his chest as he read her words. It was as if the night had shifted, the air thick with the weight of their unspoken desires, their need to claim one another in ways they hadn't yet fully understood. The darkness of their love simmered beneath the surface, like the calm before a storm.

He typed slowly, his words deliberate. "You don't need to worry, Shruti. No one else could ever make me feel the way you do. You're everything I've ever wanted. I'm yours... completely. And if anyone tries to come between us, they'll face my wrath. I won't let anyone take you from me."

The wind howled through the trees, a low, eerie sound that seemed to echo their unspoken fears and desires. It felt as though nature itself was listening, as though the stars and the moon were witnesses to the intensity of their love. The night wrapped around them, shrouding them in a cloak of secrecy, and in that moment, Sahil knew that what they had was something powerful, something that could never be undone.

They were bound now, not just by love, but by the darkness that lingered between them-the possessiveness, the need to protect one another at all costs. It was a love that could consume them both, and yet they welcomed it, knowing that whatever lay ahead, they would face it together.

As Sahil's house came into view, he looked up at the sky, the stars twinkling faintly above. The night felt alive, as though it had witnessed the birth of something new, something untouchable. He could feel it in the air, in the rustling of the leaves, in the silence of the world around him.

And as he stepped into his house, closing the door behind him, he couldn't shake the feeling that their story was only just beginning-that the path ahead was full of secrets yet to be uncovered, desires yet to be fulfilled, and a love that would test the very limits of their souls.

The night stretched on, quiet and still, but somewhere in the distance, the wind whispered their names, carrying with it the weight of the promise they had made to one another. A promise bound by love, and perhaps, something darker.