|| SS: 40 Lakhs Later || Part 11A Pg 53 - Page 6

Part 3

"Do I mean anything to you?"

It took her a moment to take in his question. He was asking her that? Did her state of disbelief when he was pronounced dead explain nothing to him? Did her constant annoying check-ups on him when she's not there say nothing?

She's not going to spell it out for him. He'll have to understand. But what if he...

She chose the safer route.

"You mean to me," she looked into his eyes with the same audacity he had when posing the question, "...what I mean to you."

If only she knew what she had just said.

He felt a special indescribable feeling, and there was no more denying.

He knew it. But perhaps Mr. Rishab Kundra was scared of doing something for the first time in anyone's existence. Coming clean with others is hard but being true to yourself, it's almost impossible.

But the moment he realized she wasn't going to be there anymore, he knew.

They say you don't realize what you had till it's gone. He was stuck somewhere in the middle.

But he knew, and the god she believed in so much knew that if he didn't do it this moment, he'd never have the chance to at the least admit it to himself.

He was... in love. He was in love. He was in love with her. It was pitiful that this indescribable emotion that brought one such joy had to be accepted by him under such circumstances.

"You mean to me, what I mean you."

Her words echoed throughout his mind.

There was no possible way she could ever reciprocate these feelings.

She was a goddess sent from above; he was just a monster who'd been lent a heart by her.

It wasn't shocking though that he fell so deeply for her. It was she who gave his heart a new lease of life, it was a heart that was indeed lent by her, it was her heart and so it would only make sense that it fell for her.

"Rishab?" She questioned his mummed tone.

He looked up to see that innocent look in her eyes. How was he to tell her that in these few unspoken moments he made the largest and probably the most important discovery of his being? It was bound to happen but the moment, the place, it was all so unexpected by him.

Talk about random.

But he was asking for much more than what he deserved.

She might not say it but she missed her freedom badly, she might have grown to acquaint with him well but it was all due to the stupid contract forcing her to be there with him. Her lord knew he wanted her, terribly, but not like this. She deserved to lead a normal life, with a person who could give her that normal happy long-walks-on-the-beach life.

He didn't want her to be here because she had to. He knew she always meant the best for him but she could never actually want, with her own free will, to stay enslaved in this building into which she, for a few heavenly moments turned into a home.

Memories were all he had, and they were not enough to live by. He didn't know how he'd do it. He'd eventually die without her.

But if all he had to do was die for her happiness, her one smile, so be it.

He felt her soft hands on his face.

"You were crying." It came out more as a statement than rather a question.

Was he now? He thought he'd lost that ability years ago on that horrid day. But then again, everything about her made him human again.

For a moment nothing seemed to exist. It was just them. It was when they fell the first few drops of rain, did they realize their proximity.

"We should get going." She finally let go and headed towards the elevator.

He noticed the awkwardness of the situation. Bloody hell he turned a perfectly good night into the most awkward crap she'd ever been through! Damn him!

"Er... Biwi."

"Yes," she asked in a hurry. It was kind of cute how she was covering her head with her palm, as if that was going to stop the rain from kissing every known part of her beautiful being. He envied the rain, each bloody rain drop was luckier than he'd ever be, than he'd ever allow himself to be.

"I hope you liked this, I'm sorry about my little outburst. For all you know my beloved step dad might have slipped something into my juice today on sets. Really," he took her hand into his and brought it to his lips, "I'm sorry." He apologized as his rugged yet tender lips made contact with her skin sending literal shocks down to her spine.

"It's... ok..." She managed out. She was flustered, but how could she be not?

Was that a blush he saw creep onto her face? He could almost make a cocky statement about it but he didn't want to, she looked beautiful just the way she was.

No. She couldn't, shouldn't, wasn't allowed to find anything out about his discovery today. He was still RK, the friendly jerk, if that even made sense.

It was decided what he was to do ensure he never came across such a moment of weakness again, but till then each moment is going to be hell staying away from her. Everything about her was inviting, her scent, her structure, her soul, everything.

"RK! Are you deaf! Do you want to come down with pneumonia? You idiot! Why the hell are you as still as a statue! Come with me inside right this instant!" She screamed only for him to realize that she'd been tugging on this suit for the past five minutes trying to bring him inside, only to have him stand idle as a rock.

Her concern was definitely something he'd miss the most about her. It was genuine. It was as if he actually made a difference to another being. To her.

***

Shweta <3

Edit:

A/N: I almost forgot, Happy Diwali to those who celebrate it! Have a good one!