Kahan se laaun woh lafz jo tujhe sunai de, Duniya dekhe chaand ko mujhe sirf tu dikhaai de. Hoti rahengi mulakatein tumse, nigaahon se door ho dil se nahi.
Rudra sat in his office, the heavy silence of the room contrasting with the storm raging in his mind. His meeting with the party members had ended hours ago, yet all he could think about was Avni. She had been occupying his thoughts far more than he cared to admit, and the realization that he was falling for her was something he could no longer ignore.
He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair in frustration. How had it come to this? He had convinced himself that love wasn’t something he would ever feel again, not after Sameera's death. Losing her had shattered him in ways he hadn’t even known were possible. He had vowed that he wouldn’t let himself be vulnerable again, that no one would ever get close enough to break him a second time.
And yet… Avni.
The first time he saw her, she had burst into one of his political events as a fake journalist, bold and unafraid to ask him the tough questions. At that moment, he hadn’t wanted to admit it, but there was something about her that had intrigued him. Something about her sharp wit and fierce independence had drawn him in.
Rudra closed his eyes, remembering how their lives had collided again soon after that. Their families had arranged their marriage, and he had gone along with it, pretending it was nothing more than a strategic move. A practical alliance. He had played his part well, acting indifferent, as though he couldn’t care less. But deep down, he knew he was lying to himself.
From the moment he saw her standing in the room on the day their engagement was announced, he felt something shift inside him. He had tried to ignore it, convinced it was just a attraction, nothing more. But over time, the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, and even the way she looked at him, began to unravel the barriers he had built around his heart.
It was impossible to ignore now. He liked her. He liked her more than he wanted to admit. He always had.
He groaned softly, frustrated at himself for allowing these feelings to fester. How could he love someone when he had sworn off love? How could he let Avni in when he had been so determined to keep her out?
But that was the problem. She was already inside. She had gotten under his skin without even trying, and now he didn’t know how to deal with it. It wasn’t just about the physical attraction though there was no denying. She wasn’t intimidated by him like most people were.
But how could he tell her? What would she think if he admitted that he had fallen for her, despite his cold exterior, despite how he had pushed her away from the very beginning? He had been so careful to guard his feelings, to keep her at arm’s length, but now the very idea of confessing what he felt terrified him.
He wasn’t supposed to feel this way. Not again. Not after Sameera.
But Avni wasn’t Sameera. She wasn’t the soft, gentle comfort he had once known she was fire and strength, and he had no idea how to handle that. He had spent so long pretending not to care, hiding behind his responsibilities, his politics, his public image, that he had forgotten what it felt like to truly care for someone.
But the bigger question was, did she even feel the same way?
He had been so distant, so cold. What if she had already given up on the idea that there could be something between them? What if she saw him only as the man she had been forced to marry for the sake of their families, nothing more? Could he really blame her if she felt that way?
He sighed heavily, pushing his chair back and standing up, walking over to the window.
For the first time in a long time, Rudra felt unsure of himself. He had always been in control of his emotions, of his life, of everything around him.
