𝐔𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞: 𝐀 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲

Chapter 19

N I K S H A N T

I glanced at my watch and saw that it was 6 pm, so I quickly left the room.

I can't keep her hungry for too long.

I headed towards the terrace, and once I reached there, I waited for her to come so she could perform the Karwa Chauth and break her fast, and finally eat something.

I gaze at the sky, which was completely dark, and I could say that I was waiting for the moon to rise so we could break the fast.

I heard the sound of anklets jingling from behind, and I knew who it was.

I turned back, and my gaze stopped on her.

It felt like a part of me that had gone cold and numb finally thawed. Like my heart, which had been beating in my chest like a dead thing, suddenly came back to life. Like—as if I was alive again, seeing her in this red saree that perfectly enhances her beauty. Her slow steps, the way she lowers her gaze whenever she catches me staring at her—it does something to me every fucking day.

She finally stood in front of me and looked up; my gaze lingered on her as if I were seeing her for the first time, with so many emotions passing across my face, my mind, my heart.

“You look like a bride, like my cherry, like my wife,” I said absentmindedly, my voice hoarse. Her face flushed at my words.

She looked down, feeling shy at what I said, and I realized what I had just said.

Damn, did I just say the nickname I gave her in my mind?

I could feel warmth spreading across my neck and ears—I had totally embarrassed myself in front of her.

To avoid the embarrassment, I looked up at the sky to see if the moon had risen, and I think luck was on my side, as the moon appeared just in time to save me from my awkwardness.

I cleared my throat and said, “Look, Aaravi, the moon has appeared,” and she looked up to see that it had indeed come out.

She pulled the pallu of her saree over her head, lifted the sieve to the moon, and then slowly brought the sieve to my face.

As she finished with the sieve ritual, I quickly took the water jug and brought it to her lips, and she drank the water, breaking her fast-and mine too.

She bent down to touch my feet, but I held her shoulder. She looked up and I  shaking my head.

She doesn't need to touch my feet just because I'm her husband; I think it's ridiculous. Why should a wife have to touch her husband's feet every Karwa Chauth?

Anklet.

Yes, an anklet. I had to give her a gift for Karwa Chauth, so why not give her the anklet I bought for her at a street store a few days ago but hadn’t been able to give her? Now it’s finally easier for me to give her that anklet.

So, I just dropped on my knees, took her foot, and rested it on my thigh, and a gasp escaped her lips.

"Nikshant ji, what are you doing?" she tried to pull her leg back.

"Don't move," I said sternly, taking the anklet  from my pocket. I slipped it onto her ankle, and what I did next was unexpected-I kissed her foot, my lips brushing against it and lingering there for a few seconds.

I don't know why I kissed her feet; it's just that my heart told me to do it, so I did.

I lifted my head and looked at her face. Her gaze was fixed on the floor, and I couldn’t see her face because of her pallu. I was desperately wanting to see her face. I can say with certainty that she’s a blushing mess now, and I won’t lie—I love the effect I have on her.