🖤 Him?🖤

" Tell her I will give the money she want, but....I need Devi."

I said on the phone to one of my man who already talked with her Bua...greedy Bua.

A gentle smile came on my face when her memories replayed in my mind.

---------IN THE MORNING --------

SHIV'S POV

I adjusted my tie for what felt like the hundredth time. Still not right.

I tightened it, loosened it, tightened it again.

What the hell was wrong with me? I've closed deals worth crores without flinching, but today... my hands wouldn't stay still.

I leaned closer to the mirror, running my fingers through my hair. Sharp. Perfect. Not perfect enough.

I wanted to look flawless-not for business, not for society-only for her.

Devi.

Even the sound of her name in my head made my chest tighten.

I checked my watch for the third time in a minute. Still early. Damn it.

I adjusted my tie one last time, my gaze locked on my own reflection. The man staring back at me didn't look like the usual calm, calculated Shiv Singh Rathore. No. His jaw was tighter, his heartbeat faster, his eyes sharper.

My fingers brushed the holy thread in my pocket. That single piece of string felt heavier than gold-it was the thread that had tied her to me the moment I picked it up.

I leaned in closer to the mirror, the corner of my lips lifting slightly.

" You will be mine.. soon," I murmured, my voice low and certain.

"Shiv..."

I straightened immediately at Maa's voice from the doorway. She was watching me with that soft, knowing smile.

"Let's go, beta. Everyone's ready," she said gently.

I gave myself one last look, squared my shoulders, and followed her out.

Every step I took was a step closer to her.

I came downstairs and sat in my car . Maa came with me.

My father, Aarav and dadi sat in another car.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, eyes locked on the road ahead. The G-Wagon's engine purred like a beast ready to hunt, but inside me, something growled louder-impatience.

Every second between me and her felt like a thief.

A thief stealing what was mine.

"Beta, dheere chala... itna kya jaldi hai?" Maa's voice came softly, but I could hear the question underneath.

I kept my eyes on the road.

"Jaldi nahi h, Maa... bas der nahi karni."

She glanced at me, curious. "Der? Rishta lekar ja rahe hain, daka dalne nahi."

A faint smirk tugged at my lips. "Mere liye dono ek hi baat hai." I whispered.. almost growled.

She shook her head, half amused, half worried, but said nothing.

The city blurred past-shops, trees, people-none of it mattered except that small, modest house at the end of this drive.

My fingers brushed the holy thread in my pocket, the one she dropped. My pulse hammered harder at the thought of her tying it, her eyes flicking up at me just for a second... long enough to ruin me.

That look... it had wrecked me.

And now, I was going to return the favor.

When we turned into her lane, my heart didn't pound-it thudded, deep and heavy. I could almost hear it in my ears.

Her house was close now.

and we reached.

We all came out of cars.

" You are mine already....you will just know it today" I whispered to myself while stepping in the house.

The moment I stepped inside, the faint smell of incense and old wooden furniture hit me.

Her so-called family stood in the doorway.

A woman-her Bua-greeted us with a rehearsed smile, the kind that doesn't reach the eyes. Her daughter stood beside her, face painted in false sweetness.

"Namaste, please come in," the Bua said, hands joined.

My mother smiled politely. "Namaste ji"

We were led to the living room. The sofa covers were stiff with starch, a tray of tea already waiting on the center table.

I sat down beside my father, but my eyes... my eyes were scanning every shadow, every corner.

Where is she?

I didn't care about the conversations that had started-about weather, about politics, about families.

My mind was counting every second. My heartbeat picked up with every faint sound from the hallway.

"So, Mrs. Rathore," the Bua started in a falsely sweet tone, "I hope the drive wasn't tiring? This place is not as grand as what you must be used to."

My mother chuckled lightly, brushing it off.

"Arrey, ghar ka sukoon sabse bada hota hai."

And then, my grandmother-leaned forward, voice sharp.

"Haan, lekin hamaare ladke ka level... yeh khandaan chhota padta hai. Ladki acchi hai shakal se, lekin..."

Her words hung in the air like poison.

I felt my jaw tighten.

I wanted to ask her-And who exactly gave you the right to weigh her worth?

My mother's hand lightly pressed my knee under the table, a silent warning to keep my composure.

I forced a calm expression, masking the storm inside me.

And then I heard it.

Chhan... chhan...

The faint jingle of anklets, growing clearer with each step.

The conversations around me blurred into meaningless murmurs. My gaze locked on the hallway... and there she was.

Pink saree draped with perfection, the pallu resting over her head. Her hair fell in soft waves over her hips, catching the light. Eyes lowered, movements unhurried, like she had all the time in the world.

My breath caught. The room, the people, the noise-gone.

She didn't notice me at first, her focus on the tray of tea in her hands. She served my grandmother, then my father, then my mother-her voice polite, careful. I didn't hear the words; I didn't want to.

And then she reached me.

She bent slightly to place the cup on the table, and for the first time, her eyes flicked up to mine.

Shock. Recognition. Him?

I smirked-slow, deliberate-like I'd reached into her thoughts and stolen the word right from her mind.

Her lashes lowered instantly, gaze falling back to the tray. She moved away, but my eyes... they didn't move. Not even once.

It didn't matter how far she went. She was already mine.

She stood there-frozen-lost in her own thoughts.

Her lashes lowered, a faint flush creeping across her cheeks....she was shy.

And God, I fell for it right there.

Her innocence.

Her softness.

The quiet way she seemed to fold into herself under all the eyes in the room.

My gaze stayed locked on her, drinking in every flicker of expression. The small twitch of her fingers against the edge of her saree.

The way she kept her eyes lowered, like even a second of eye contact would give too much away.

I didn't blink. Couldn't. She was mine already-she just didn't know it yet.

It was my mother who finally broke the moment.

"Chliye ji agr bacho ko akele baat karni ho to..." she suggested, her tone casual but her eyes sharp with meaning.

My heart kicked against my ribs, loud and heavy-like I'd just won something priceless. No... not won. Claimed.

--------

The door clicked shut behind us.

For a moment, neither of us moved. She stood by the far corner, fingers nervously twisting the end of her pallu. Her gaze stayed low, lashes fanning against her flushed cheeks.

I took a step forward. Then another. My shoes echoed against the quiet, and she seemed to shrink just a little-not in fear, but in the way a flower folds when the wind brushes past.

"Aap chahe to waqt le sakti hain... koi problem nahi hai," I said, my voice low, careful.

I didn't want to scare her. But I couldn't stop my eyes from tracing every line of her face.

She hesitated. For a second, I thought she wouldn't answer at all. Then... barely above a whisper:

"Ji."

I paused mid-step, my head tilting.

"Yes?"

Her throat worked as she swallowed, her voice trembling but steady enough to kill me softly.

"Ji... karungi main aapse... shaadi."

Something in my chest pulled tight-possessive, raw, relentless.

Her head was still bowed, but I caught the quick flicker of her eyes toward me before she looked away again. That one look was enough to set my blood on fire.

I smirked-not out of arrogance, but because I knew.

I didn't even realize I'd started walking toward her until I saw her eyes lift-just for a second-and meet mine.

And in that second... I died.

Like she had pulled a trigger without knowing, and her eyes were the bullet that tore straight through me.

She froze, but I kept moving, slow and deliberate, each step making her breath hitch.

Until there was nowhere for her to go.

Her back brushed the wall, and she instinctively took a small step sideways-only to stop when I blocked her by my hands on either side of her, caging her between me and the wall.

The air between us tightened, filled with the sound of her uneven breathing and my heart beating far too loud in my chest.

Up close, I could see the way her lashes quivered, the nervous bite of her lower lip.

I didn't touch her. I didn't need to.

My presence was already wrapped around her like a vow.

---

She stood there, eyes lowered, fingers nervously clutching the edge of her dupatta.

The air between us was hot, heavy. I bent just enough for my lips to hover near her ear.

"Soch lijiye..." I murmured, my voice low, almost a dare.

I didn't mean it. She was already mine.

I only wanted to feel the way her breath hitched, the way her gaze darted away shyly like she didn't know she was burning me alive.

She didn't answer-just kept looking to the side, her lashes trembling.

And I... fell harder.

Her breath quickened when I leaned in.

I could see the pulse at her throat, racing just as fast as mine.

Slowly-deliberately-I brushed my lips against her jaw.

Soft. Warm.

A single touch, but enough to mark her mine.

She shivered, and I felt her fingers twitch against her dupatta.

Before I could claim another inch of her, there was a sharp knock on the door.

Bua.

Of course.

I didn't even have to turn to know it. The timing reeked of desperation-like she feared Devi might tell me something... something I already knew.

I straightened, but my gaze stayed locked on Devi's face. She looked startled, almost guilty, like she'd been caught doing something wrong.

But I wasn't guilty.

I was certain.

Her Bua's voice came, too sweet to be real. "Bas... ho gaya? Sab theek hai?"

I smirked, though my jaw was tight.

Yes, Bua. Everything is more than fine.

And soon... you'll learn exactly what hell feels like-for every time you made her suffer.

For now, I stepped back just enough to let Devi breathe, but my eyes told her what my lips didn't:

This was only the beginning.

Her jingling bangles caught my attention.

She quickly fixed her pallu that had slipped from her head, fingers fumbling just enough to betray her nervousness.

The soft chime of her bangles filled the air-each note hitting me like a heartbeat I wanted to claim.

Her movements were tense, hesitant... but to me, they were poetry.

Shyness draped over her like silk, and I couldn't stop the smirk tugging at my lips.

God... She didn't even know.

Didn't know how every flicker of her lashes, every timid gesture, only pulled me deeper into her orbit.

Didn't know how much I loved her innocence.

Didn't know that in my mind, she was already mine.

Hope you are enjoying the story.