PREETI'S POV
The moment Ansh walked out of my room, the air finally moved again...
but my heartbeat didn't.
It stayed loud.
Fast.
Completely wild, like it had forgotten how to behave.
I stood in the middle of my room, frozen and confused, my fingers shaking a bit as they touched the exact spot where he had kissed me.
It felt like it was still there.
Still warm.
Still burning.
Still sending tiny shocks through my whole body.
I pressed my palm to my chest and whispered, "Oh God..."
My cheeks got hot all over again.
Every time I remembered the way he leaned in...
the way his breath touched my skin...
the way his voice dropped low when he said:
"Gonna find them all."
My stomach twisted so fast I felt dizzy.
Why did he say that?
I sat down on the bed, trying to breathe like a normal human.
But my body still felt warm.
My skin felt awake, almost too aware.
I closed my eyes.
Instant mistake.
Because the moment I closed them, I saw him again
the way his eyes darkened
the way he moved closer
the way he looked at me
A shiver ran through me.
I buried my face into the pillow.
"I shouldn't think like this," I whispered to myself.
But my heart completely refused to listen.
My mind replayed the moment he caught my wrist when I tried to fix my pallu.
Don't.
That word had been low... rough...
like a warning, a request, and something dangerous mixed together.
My face heated again.
Why was he like this?
And why was I reacting like that?
For the first time in my life, I felt something warm and strange in my chest.
Something soft, slow, confusing.
Something I didn't have a word for.
Later that night
I tried to sleep.
God knows I tried.
But the moment I closed my eyes... there he was again.
That kiss.
That voice.
That look.
At one point, I sat up and whispered to the empty room, "Preeti, bas! Think of something else. Think of studies. Think of Alia. Think of anything!"
Two seconds later, my brain said:
"Remember that kiss?"
I groaned and hid under the blanket.
My heart was completely gone.
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ANSH'S POV
When I left her room, I closed the door slowly... almost scared it would make a noise and break the moment still hanging in the air.
The second the door clicked shut, I leaned back against it and exhaled sharply.
"What was that?" I muttered.
I had kissed her before...
but never like that.
Never with that hunger.
Never with that fire sitting right under my skin.
I ran a hand through my hair and walked to the mirror.
My reflection looked exactly how I felt...
restless
heated
unfinished.
I could still feel her skin on my lips.
Still hear that tiny sound she made when I kissed her mole.
Still see her blush spreading across her cheeks.
I rubbed my forehead.
"I should've controlled myself..." I whispered.
Then, after a second, a smirk tugged at my lips.
"...but I didn't."
And honestly?
I wasn't even sorry.
The moment her pallu slipped off her shoulder...
God.
That soft skin
that tiny mole
the innocent surprise in her eyes...
I closed my eyes and breathed out slowly.
"Perfect," I said to myself. "She's too perfect."
I lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
I wasn't guilty.
I didn't regret it.
I just didn't want to scare her.
I wanted her trust.
Her comfort.
Her heart.
I turned to the side, letting the room go quiet.
But sleep refused to come.
Instead, her face appeared again and again
her shy eyes
her trembling hands
the way she looked at me when I told her I was going to kiss her.
I sighed.
"She felt something tonight," I whispered into the dark.
"I know she did."
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Author's POV
The morning sunlight slipped quietly into Preeti's room, as if it was too shy to disturb her.
But the moment her eyes opened, the memory of last night hit her like a sudden wave.
Her whole face turned bright red.
She immediately hid under her blanket.
Last night...
His kiss...
His voice...
The way he looked at her...
How was she supposed to face him now?
How could she look into his eyes?
How could she even walk near him?
After ten minutes of pure panic, fifteen minutes of sitting on the bed doing absolutely nothing, and five minutes of staring at her own reflection while scolding herself...
She finally dressed in a simple peach salwar kameez and took a deep breath.
Act normal. Just act normal, she told herself.
But the second she opened her door, she froze.
Ansh was walking toward her from the opposite end of the hallway.
He stopped too.
They stared at each other for a moment that felt warm, awkward, sweet, and painfully cute all together.
Preeti instantly dropped her gaze to the floor.
"G-Good morning," she whispered, barely audible.
"Morning, princess," Ansh replied softly too softly, too warmly... warm enough to make her heartbeat stumble.
She stepped left to let him walk by.
He also stepped left.
She switched to the right.
He switched to the right.
Both of them stopped at the same time.
Preeti stuttered, "Oh—I—sorry—"
Ansh bit back a smile.
"You go first."
She nodded quickly, still staring at the floor, and hurried past him.
But the pink on her cheeks?
Impossible to hide.
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Preeti sat at the table like a nervous child, adjusting her dupatta again and again.
Ansh sat in front of her, relaxed... unlike her.
No one spoke.
She kept looking everywhere except at him the plate, the spoon, the tablecloth, even the salt shaker suddenly looked interesting.
But Ansh... kept stealing glances at her.
Finally, he broke the silence.
"You slept well?" he asked gently.
Preeti nodded too quickly.
"Yes."
Silence again.
She reached for her water glass... and almost dropped it.
Ansh leaned slightly forward.
"Relax, Preeti. I won't bite."
Her eyes shot up shocked, wide and his slow smile almost made her soul leave her body.
"You're teasing me..." she whispered shyly.
"You're making it very easy," he replied, his eyes warm with affection and a little mischief.
She hid behind her glass and took the tiniest sip.
Ansh kept watching her with soft, amused eyes.
She kept melting more and more with every second.
After breakfast, she rushed to university before he could tease her again.
--------------------------
The moment Alia saw Preeti, she gasped like a dramatic heroine.
"OH. MY. GOD! Why do you look like you saw a ghost? Or kissed someone? Or both?!"
Preeti choked on air.
"Alia!" she whispered loudly. "Keep your voice down!"
Alia narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"You are glowing...Is it because of my plan? Start talking."
"There is nothing..."
"Preeti," Alia interrupted, "your cheeks are literally tomato red."
Preeti covered her face with her dupatta in embarrassment.
Alia's eyes widened more.
"He kissed you, didn't he?!"
Preeti almost tripped over her own feet.
"A-Alia!"
"Oh my God he DID! Where? Lips? Cheek? Neck? Shoulder? Collar?"
Preeti slapped her hand over Alia's mouth.
"Stop! I will faint!"
Alia pulled her hand away slowly.
"Tell me or I'll keep guessing."
"Aliaaaa!" Preeti cried in embarrassment.
Alia patted her head lovingly.
"My baby is growing up."
Preeti wished the ground would open and swallow her whole.
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While Preeti battled embarrassment at college, Ansh sat in his office checking his phone.
Normal notifications.
Work updates.
Meeting reminders.
Then one message appeared from an unknown number.
A photo.
Of Preeti.
Taken secretly outside her college gate.
Ansh's blood turned cold.
Before he could process it, another message arrived:
"You're getting too comfortable.
Time to remind you she's not safe."
His heartbeat slammed hard in his chest.
Someone was watching her.
Following her.
Keeping track of her every move.
His grip tightened on the phone until his knuckles turned white.
No one touches her.
No one scares her.
Not while he's alive.
"This ends now," he whispered coldly.
He dialed Karan immediately.
"Karan, I need you at the office. Now."
Karan's voice turned serious instantly.
"I'm on my way."
Another message appeared right as Ansh cut the call.
"Round two. Coming soon."
Ansh's jaw clenched so tightly it ached.
They wanted a fight.
They were about to get one.
----------------------
When classes ended, Alia was still teasing her.
"Tell him thank you for making you blush like this!"
"Alia, please—" Preeti groaned.
Alia winked.
"Next time he kisses you, count how long it lasts."
Preeti nearly collapsed.
As they reached the college gate, her phone buzzed.
A message from Ansh.
"Where are you?"
She blinked.
He never messaged like this.
She replied quickly:
"Just leaving college."
What she didn't know was...
Ansh was already at the gate.
Already watching.
Already searching for any danger.
Already ready to protect her even if he had to fight the whole world for it.
And somewhere near them, hidden in the shadows...
someone else was watching too.
Someone who wasn't done yet.
Someone who was about to change everything or may be not...
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