Page 91 of Protect my Heart
Her eyes go wide, her lips parting. “Kinder Joy?”
I grin and nod. She gasps like I just handed her a rare diamond and practically jumps on me. I stumble back, catching her with one arm around her waist and the other keeping the bag from falling.
“I brought a few, and you’re reacting like I brought you the moon,” I mumble into her hair, laughing.
She leans her head on my shoulder, whispering, “This is better than the moon.”
Later, after she’s eaten and I’ve rubbed her back and dealt with her mood swings and grumbles over her cramps, we lie down on her bed. The lights are off except for the dim one in the corner. She’s curled into me, head resting on my chest, her breathing slowing down. Her fingers twitch once against my shirt and then are still completely.
She’s asleep.
I stay like that for a while. Just… holding her. Her warmth, her weight against me, the tiny sounds she makes when she dreams. I press a kiss to her hair and gently untangle myself.
One last look before I leave.
The soft rise and fall of her chest. The messy bun she never bothers to fix. The faint chocolate stain on the corner of her mouth. My whole world, wrapped in one tiny, sleepy girl.
But I have to go.
Because if Aunty catches me here, she’ll skin me alive. And then Maa will finish the job.
I blow her a silent kiss and tiptoe out, pausing at the window. She sighs in her sleep. And my heart squeezes.
Because even in sleep, she still makes me want to stay.
CHAPTER 53
ANIKA
The house smells of turmeric, sandalwood, and roses. It’s warm in that nostalgic way—like the mix of rituals, laughter, and too many bodies in one space. The courtyard is covered in marigolds, and yellow drapes flutter in the breeze. Women are gathered near the haldi thaal, and some kids are running around smearing each other’s faces with turmeric like it’s Holi. Kids running in a wedding is so typical. I shake my head.
I wipe a smudge off my cheek and sigh. There’s already haldi on the hem of my yellow kurti, which wasn’t supposed to happen for another half hour, but Shivani bhabhi decided to ‘start the fun early,’ and now here I am—half yellow and trying to find a clean corner to stand in.
Maa catches my eye and smiles gently from across the courtyard, busy talking to some of the other aunties. She looks happy. Truly happy. Finally, and even though my stomach flips with nerves every now and then, I feel this warmth in my chest—this quiet certainty that maybe… maybe this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
“Looking for me?” A deep voice murmurs behind me, and I almost jump.
I turn, and there he is. Aarav. In a cream kurta, sleeves rolled to his elbows, haldi already streaked across his jaw from someone’s overexcited palm. His hair’s slightly ruffled, like he ran his hand through it too many times, and there's this boyish smugness in his eyes that makes it hard to roll mine.
I fold my arms. “Why would I be looking for you?”
He steps closer, eyes warm and teasing. “Because I’m irresistible and about to become your husband. Again.”
I try to glare. I really do. But my cheeks betray me with a blush. “You already are.”
He tilts his head. “Exactly. So you should be looking for me.”
I shake my head and look away, trying to hide the smile creeping up my face. His presence always does that to me—pulls me out of my head and plants me right into the moment. He doesn’t touch me—too many people around—but his gaze lingers, just enough to make me feel like I’m the only one standing here in this crowd of dozens. I can hear his cousins laughing in the background; someone calls for Aarav, but he doesn’t move.
My phone buzzes in my hand.
Unknown number.
I hesitate for a second before picking up. “Hello?” Silence. “Hello?” I repeat, a bit sharper. Nothing. Just faint static, maybe wind. I frown and hang up. Weird. My chest tightens a little, but I shake it off. Probably a wrong number.
When I glance up, Aarav is watching me, a slight crease between his brows. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I say quickly. “Just… a prank call or something.”
