1.

The Pratap Haveli glowed softly under the moonlight.

Golden fairy lights hung along the balconies, their warm glow dancing over the walls, while marigold garlands framed the doorways and pillars. The celebrations had finally begun to fade, leaving behind a quiet stillness in the night.

Upstairs, inside one of the rooms, Naina sat on the bed.

Her red bridal veil had fallen over her head and shoulders, covering most of her face. Her knees were drawn slightly towards her chest as she sat timidly, waiting for her husband to enter the room.

Her fingers nervously played with the edge of her dupatta while her toes curled and uncurled against the bedsheet.

The silence made every small sound feel louder.

Then

A soft knock.

Before she could gather her thoughts, the door slowly opened.

Veer Pratap stepped inside.

For a moment, he simply stood there, his eyes falling on the shy figure sitting on the bed.

A small smile appeared on his face before he quietly walked closer and sat down on the bed, leaving a respectful distance between them.

Looking at her covered face, he spoke gently.

“Aap apna ghoonghat utaar sakti hain… agar aap utarna chahti hain toh.”

Naina immediately shook her head, clutching the edge of her veil a little tighter.

Veer nodded slightly.

“Theek hai.”

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Veer said softly,

“Hamari zindagi mein aapka swaagat hai, Naina.”

The room fell silent again when no response came from her side.

After a moment, Veer cleared his throat lightly.

“Shayad… humein ab so jana chahiye.”

Naina’s toes curled tightly at his words, her heart suddenly racing as she misunderstood what he meant.

Veer noticed the small movement and a faint smile appeared on his face.

“I mean… so jaate hain. Aap thak gayi hongi.”

Realizing what he meant, Naina slowly nodded and shifted a little to the side of the bed.

Carefully, she lay down.

Veer lay down on the other side as well, keeping a respectful distance between them.

After a moment he spoke again,

“Lights off kar dein, Naina?”

Naina only hummed softly in response.

Veer reached over and switched off the lights.

The room fell into darkness, with only a faint strip of moonlight slipping through the window.

For a few moments, the room remained completely quiet.

Then Veer spoke again, his voice calm in the darkness.

“Darne ki zarurat nahi hai.”Naina remained still.

Veer continued softly,“Yeh ghar ab aapka bhi hai.”After a small pause he added,“Aur main… aapko jaldi karne ke liye kabhi majboor nahi karunga.”

For the first time that night, Naina’s tightly curled toes slowly relaxed beneath the bedsheet.

.

.

.

.

The next morning, soft golden rays of sunlight slipped through the curtains and fell gently over Veer’s face.

The distant chirping of birds filled the quiet morning air.

Veer squinted his eyes slightly before slowly opening them. For a moment he simply stared at the ceiling, adjusting to the brightness of the morning.

Then he sat up on the bed.

His eyes instinctively moved to the other side of the bed.

It was empty.

The bedsheet was neatly arranged, almost as if no one had slept there at all.

Veer let out a small breath before getting up and heading to the washroom to freshen up.

A few minutes later he stepped out, dressed in a simple white kurta. Running a hand through his hair, he walked downstairs into the living area of the haveli.

His father was already sitting there, reading the morning newspaper.

Veer walked up to him and bent down to touch his feet.

“Good morning, Papa.”

His father looked up and nodded.

“Good morning, Veer.”

Veer then walked to his mother and bent down to touch her feet as well.

“Good morning, Maa.”

She smiled softly.

“Good morning.”

Veer sat down on the sofa beside them but his eyes kept wandering around the room as if he was searching for something.

His mother noticed.

A small knowing smile appeared on her face.

“Veer beta,” she said casually, “mujhe ek glass paani la doge?”

“Ji, Maa,” Veer replied and stood up.

He walked toward the kitchen.

As he stepped inside, his eyes immediately fell on Naina.

She stood near the stove, gently stirring something in a pot.

She was wearing a deep red Banarasi saree, the same bridal chooda still adorning her wrists and the mangalsutra resting around her neck. Her pallu was tied lightly around her waist as she focused on her work.

For a moment, Veer simply stood there watching her.

Perhaps sensing someone’s gaze, Naina turned slightly.

Her eyes met his.

Veer instantly straightened a little, clearly caught staring.

“Maa… ko paani chahiye tha,” he said awkwardly.

Naina gave a small nod.

“Hm.”

She picked up a steel glass, filled it with water, and began walking toward the door to take it outside.

But before she could leave, Veer spoke.“Mujhe de do. Main de dunga.”

Naina stopped and turned to look at him.“Aap kyun denge?” she asked softly.

Veer shrugged slightly.“Main kyun nahi de sakta bhala?”

Naina replied simply,“Main ghar ki bahu hoon. Mujhe hi dena chahiye.”

Veer looked at her for a moment before responding calmly,“Main ghar ka beta hoon. Toh main de dunga.”

Before she could say anything further, he gently took the glass from her hands.

Then he turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Naina stood there for a moment, quietly watching him leave before turning back to the stove.

Outside, Veer walked back into the living room and handed the glass to his mother.

After a while, Pratibha, Veer’s mother, entered the kitchen with a gentle smile.

“Beta, khana ban gaya,” she said warmly.

“Ji, Mummy ji,” Naina replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Chalo phir, serve kar dete hain,” Pratibha said, and Naina nodded.

Together, they began arranging the dishes carefully on the dining table.

Once everything was set, Pratibha called out, “Prakash, Veer, aa jao, khana lag gaya hai.”

Veer and his father entered the dining room and sat down. Naina took her place beside Veer, feeling a little shy.

Everyone started serving themselves. The aroma of freshly made aloo ke paranthe filled the room.

“Bahut achhi khushboo hai, bache,” Pratibha remarked.

“Haan, sach mein,” Prakash agreed with a smile.

Naina smiled softly in response and served herself a portion as well. But she didn’t take a bite immediately. Instead, her eyes flickered to Veer’s plate, waiting for him to take the first bite.

Veer, on the other hand, was quietly waiting for her to start first. Their eyes met across the table, holding each other’s gaze for a brief moment.

He gave her a subtle motion with his eyes toward her plate, silently telling her to eat.

Flustered, Naina tore a piece of her parantha and took a small bite.

Veer’s lips curved into a gentle smile as he mirrored her action, tearing a bite of his own parantha.

Thank you for reading!!!!!