OH OVERWHELMING LOVE!

✨CHAPTER 41✨

"I WANT TO WRITE POEMS ON YOUR SKIN WITH MY LIPS............"

The night outside was alive with the shimmer of Udaipur. The distant palaces stood illuminated, their golden reflections rippling across Lake Pichola. A hush had settled over the city, interrupted only by the occasional ring of a temple bell or the quiet echo of laughter from the streets below.

But inside their suite, behind the floor-to-ceiling glass window, everything felt far away as though the world outside was something to be observed, not lived in.

Shubhita stood before the window, the city’s golden lights stretching infinitely before her. Her fingers trailed against the cool glass, her gaze distant. The day had been long, walking through the grand corridors of the City Palace, weaving through the chaotic yet colorful bazaars, sitting by the lake while Leher and Ojas filled the air with their never-ending laughter.

But since they had returned to the suite, she had been strangely quiet.

Vatsal had noticed.

At first, he had let her be, allowing her the space she seemed to need. But even as he sat back against the plush armchair, flipping through his phone, his attention had remained on her - the way she stood so still, lost in thought, the glow from the city lights casting soft shadows against her skin.

And then, almost unconsciously, he got up.

Not with any particular intention.

Not even with a thought.

Just drawn toward her, toward the quiet, toward the undeniable pull that had existed between them all day, just beneath the surface.

His movements were slow, unhurried.

The glass was cool beneath Shubhita’s fingertips, grounding her, giving her something to hold on to. The day had been long, roaming the courtyards of the City Palace, losing themselves in the winding markets, enduring Ojas and Leher’s relentless teasing. But now, in the solitude of the night, none of it mattered.

And then there was him. Nothing else mattered to her but him.

She had been aware of Vatsal all day, in ways she hadn’t been before. The way his hand had lingered a second too long against the small of her back when guiding her through a crowded street. The way his eyes had found hers across dinner, quiet yet unreadable. The way his presence had woven itself into the air she breathed.

And now...

Now he was standing just behind her, close enough that she could feel the warmth of him, even though he hadn’t touched her.

Not yet.

She didn’t hear him at first.

Didn’t even realize he had moved, not until she felt his presence settle behind her, a quiet weight, a familiar warmth that had become far too familiar.

But she didn’t turn.

Didn’t move.

Just kept looking ahead, her breath slowing slightly.

The space between them wasn’t much but it was everything.

"Shubhita, you’re okay?," he asked, his voice softer than usual, carrying something else beneath it.

She didn’t respond immediately.

Not because she didn’t have words but because she had too many. She just let out a small breath, watching the lanterns floating across the lake. "Yeah, just tired."

It wasn’t a lie.

But it wasn’t the truth, either.

Vatsal hummed, a quiet sound of acknowledgment, but not agreement.