Aditi walked in a daze, Darsh’s words humming in her ears like sweet temple bells chiming in a soft breeze. A sublime serenity filled her heart to the brim, she didn't remember the last time she felt so utterly blissful, cherished, and content.

Perhaps it was when she laid in her Ma's lap listening to her dulcet tunes. Or perhaps it was when she played in the cave pool with her Dad. Or it could be in her dreams when she relived those moments to her heart's content.

Tonight, though, it felt like she had a new memory to cherish, with this man, who had just confessed his love for her. His words sounded as sweet a melody of her Ma's music, as true as her father's heartfelt laughter.

Walking with him in a sweet trance she kept gazing at his proud figure. In her mind, her parents beamed proudly and patted her back.

"Here we are!" Darsh's voice broke her trance. She looked around, suddenly aware of her surroundings.

They were in the guest room. It was empty except for a large table in the center. On the table, sat a model of a three-storied building - a large, white, sprawling structure surrounded by lush greenery.

Aditi went closer, her eyes widening in surprise. It was beautiful.

"This is...your hospital," she said after a while, her face falling into a chasm. Her lips quivered, the edges of her eyes turned moist. It was her broken dream, her broken promise to her mother. It caused a dent in her fulfillment, she realized she had no reason to be that happy.

"It's nice. People will love it." She forced a smile and stepped back. Turning around she was about to leave when he held her arm.

"You are missing something. Look closer."

Draping an arm around her back, he pointed her to a side, to one of the side buildings that looked like a self-contained unit. It had its own separate entrance. There was a little park outside with a small play area and benches to sit. A couple of tiny ambulances were parked near an entrance marked as 'Accidents and Emergencies'.

Aditi squinted through her tears, then frowned. "Wait! That looks like..."

"Your hospital. It's a charitable wing adjoining the main building. It can act as a separate unit by itself. I got this done by the same architect you'd spoken to earlier. He knew what you wanted, plus I have added some of my own bits."

A hard lump threatened to choke her throat as she stared. She noticed a few more details - A little statue in the park with a happy couple with a small girl. A plaque on the entrance with 'Meera Sharma Hospital' engraved on it.

"I know it's not much," he said looking at her. "You wanted it to be a separate hospital and wanted to do it yourself. But as Dadaji has ruled it out, I thought I'd give it a go."

Something shifted inside her, her heart swelling with emotion like a cloud about to burst. Swaying in a daze she looked at him - the man she'd taken forever to trust, the man she'd been so unfair to. The man who'd stood by her through thick and thin, the man she was too blind to see was... the love of her life.

He was a blessing in disguise that she had taken too long to realize. Her tears rolled as she lurched at him, clinging to him for dear life. It was time she amended her mistake. It was time she let go of her past. This man was worth it, this man and no other.

*****

Darsh sat on the sofa with Aditi sniffling in his arms. It was the second time today that he was consoling her. The second time today that he had made her cry before applying the magical balm of his sympathy.

Humphing to himself he leaned back and pulled her closer to his chest. It was necessary to purge her of her pain. It was all necessary to win her trust, or how else was he supposed to heal her?

"Aditi... are you okay?" he brushed her hair off her hot face to have a good look. It was red, wet with tears, yet she looked inexplicably calm, determined.

"I love you Darsh," she mouthed the words with calm conviction.

Darsh stilled. There was a time once when he'd yearned to hear those words, although from a different girl. She was not as beautiful, nor as rich, but she was his first love, his only love. Now they sounded hollow, meaningless. They fell on his stone heart like drops of rainwater before sliding down into the mud.

But this was good going - day 16 of his visit, and he was already here. The bastard in him rejoiced that he was closer to his destination than ever before. The honest man in him rejoiced that the girl wronged by his brother had finally found the courage to move on. And the primordial male inside him shivered in excitement - her confession was a step closer to her total submission. It meant she was healing. It meant she was ready for the next step, or at least she would soon be, with a little help.

"Good for you." He feigned a disinterested reply.

Aditi stiffened. It took her a while to process his response. Then she sat up glaring at him in disbelief.

"What did you say?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I said, it's good for you that you love me. It's quite convenient. Generally, it is considered beneficial for young women to be in love with their husbands. It just makes their life easier, won't you agree?"

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She looked lost for words as her face flamed in agitation. Her fists clenched, he wondered if the cat was about to pounce on him.

"You know how arrogant you are, Mr. Khanna? Not just arrogant, but irritating, obnoxious, insufferable!! " She paused looking for more suitable adjectives. He smirked.

"You know there are men who'd give their right arm to hear those words from me, right?" She continued flaring up. "You should consider yourself lucky that I chose you, you should count your blessings, thank your lucky stars!"

"Really Aditi! Now, who's being arrogant here?" He cocked a mocking eyebrow. "And you are doing me no favor. I deserve it after all that I did for you."

"Oh, be quiet!" She waved him away. "You know I could have had anyone, right? I could have pointed my finger at a random man and he would be at my feet. Vivaan waited his whole life, there were boys in my college, club patrons, young men in Dadaji's circle... "

Her next words were drowned in a squeal of surprise as he pulled her closer and shut her up. His lips claimed hers with such ferocity she forgot to breathe. Moments passed as he took his fill. This time he was rough, claiming, demanding. She had no choice but to cling on to him and wait for this tempest to pass.

Her head swirled, she was in the middle of a whirlwind that lashed her senseless yet supported her in its swirls. Currents of electricity jolted her core, it felt like she was being swept off her feet and hurled into a hurricane.

"Darsh..." she somehow managed to breathe out when he gave her a respite.

He tilted his head back, his dark eyes boring into her.

"Don't ever say those words again. You will never look at another man, do you understand? You are mine, you will stay mine. No one can change that, not even you!"

She looked at him askance, her breath uneven, her cheeks flaming red. He was just wondering if it was blush or anger when he felt a stab of pain in his chest.

"Well then, you need to behave!" Aditi ground her teeth digging her nails in his chest. "When someone says 'I love you', you are supposed to say it back and not be rude to them! You should be grateful, you should be thankful... " With every incensed word, she tried to wriggle away out of his grip but he didn't budge an inch.

"It's too little, too late."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

He tilted his head looking at her coldly. "I mean your confession is a bit too late, Princess. It's old news, I already know it just as I know everything else about you."

"Then why not just say it?" She looked at him in confusion. "You said so much before, you gave such a long speech!"

He shrugged. "Because I don't want to. I waited for you to say it, I ran after you, I begged you, beseeched you, still you didn't budge. My sincerest efforts were nothing to you. You always doubted, always tried to get rid of me. And now that you love me, you suddenly expect me to reciprocate? How fair is that?"

Her face fell as if the wind was knocked out of her. Darsh smirked.

"Look, I'm sorry. I know I should have trusted you earlier, but.." She looked up biting her lip. Her fingers curled to grab at his shirt. "But I do love you...truly! Maybe I always have but didn't know. And then I didn't have the courage." She swallowed as her eyes filled again. Unbeknownst to him, his eye turned tender.

"And I am grateful," she blinked through her tears. "I am grateful for whatever you did for me and I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time."

Darsh watched mesmerized. Such innocence, such vulnerability. Such honesty of feelings, and tenderness! It was priceless, he'd cherish it forever. But for now, he had an agenda. He had a goal to achieve, he couldn't let it out of his sight.

"Please...forgive me?"

He humphed and jerked his head to the kitchen. "Let's eat. I'm getting hungry."

*****

They ate in silence. Aditi kept sniffling, her expression altering between regret, doubt, and annoyance. She kept stealing glances at him but he focused on his food. He was quite hungry, and the pasta was delicious.

A clatter of cutlery made him look up. She was done.

"I want to go home."

He frowned. "You haven't finished even half of it. Eat."

"I don't want it. I don't like cheddar."

"Since when?"

"Since now!" She snapped and got up to wear her shoes. "Drop me home now. It's getting late."

"Stop being a kid Aditi. Eat your food. We have plenty of time."

"No. I don't want to spend my evening with a grumpy grouch!"

"I am not grumpy; you are being childish!"

"I am not, you are! You are holding a grudge, you won't even say three simple words to your fiancée, how childish is that?"

He went closer and stared at her, his arms gently encircling her waist. Her body stiffened as if she was stealing against him.

"Is it important?"

Her lips quivered as her eyes darted to his, then she looked away.

"Yes."

"How much?"

She gave him an exasperated look, her eyes threatening to pool again.

"It is important for me! And if you are too full of yourself to say it..."

He sighed and tightened his grip. "You have to earn those words as I did, Princess. Make it up to me and I'll think about it."

She frowned. "Meaning?"

He stared at her, his light fingers tracing her jawline. She shivered.

"How about a dessert? I can think about it if I like it."

He could hear her thudding heart even through her thick jumpers. She looked pale, her breath quickened, beads of sweat appeared on her face.

Yet her lips looked parched as if in need of succor. The solemn determination on her face was back soon enough.

Smiling to himself, he bent down and nuzzled against her sweet face, then raised himself to rest his brow on hers.

"Do you trust me?"

She closed her eyes and swallowed, then shook her head in a tiny nod.

"Yes."

He smiled. "Thank you, Princess. Now let me take care of you."

***** *****