#1 of the love series. He rose slowly, still holding her hands. She stepped closer. Closer. So close that the boat rocked faintly beneath them. Then, standing on her toes slightly, she reached up and held his shoulders to steady herself. He instinctively moved his hands to her waist so she wouldn't lose balance. The anklets chimed softly and then.. she bent her head forward.. slowly. Her forehead touched his. The red kumkum on her forehead brushed against his skin, leaving a faint, sacred mark just above his brows. He froze. Neither of them moved. Her eyes were closed and his breath stopped.. the contact was simple. Sacred. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper, but steady. "If you are my light," she murmured, her forehead still resting against his, "then let me mark you as mine before the world does." She lowered herself slowly, but didn't move away. Her eyes searched his. "You don't need a ring to bind me," she said softly. "And I don't need a ceremony to know what you mean to me." Her fingers brushed the red mark she had left on him. "This," she smiled faintly, "is my answer. My acceptance." His fingers tightened unconsciously around her waist. "I am yours," she whispered. "And you are mine. Not for a moment. But for every day that comes after." And she slowly moved into his embrace and hugged him, holding him a little tighter than usual, like she never wanted to let go. They stayed there for a while longer, not speaking. Everything you're about to read is true... but I've never confessed to him in real life. The story ends with a plot twist my real life hasn't caught up to yet. This story is written mostly in English (about 98%), with some Telugu (about 2%) along with translations. -------- Happy reading 🩷

Jwala, a freelance digital marketer, reconsiders her view of banks as boring after a chance encounter with a pair of captivating honey-brown eyes seated across the counter. The mundane visit transforms into a series of fuzzy feelings, lingering eye contacts, and unspoken conversations as Jwala finds herself creating excuses to visit the bank more frequently, just hoping to catch another glimpse of him. Will this encounter remain a fleeting moment, or will it lead to something deeper? Because, banks are not as boring as they seem after all.

Aadarsh Sehgal plays many roles in his life. A businessman running the Sehgal & Sons construction company. The son who fulfills all his responsibilities of being the eldest, taking care of his father who is slowly losing out on his memories of him. The elder brother to four siblings. Of all roles, the one of being an elder brother takes the crown. Being the elder one he had always been responsible for his younger siblings. However losing at his mother at seventeen had transformed the young boy into a young responsible man all too soon. Ruhaani Khatri isn't a pessimist but she is a realist. Orphaned at a very young age she had learned very early on that life is not designed to be fair. So she never complained about life not treating her well and accepted whatever life threw at her. Widow and a single mother, Ruhaani wants to give her daughter the best of everything she can. Will Aadarsh and Ruhaani find a permanent place in each other's lives? Heart seems to be off limits.