Chapter 44
Druve had stopped kissing her, but that did little to calm him. His arms remained firmly around her waist, keeping her close, while his forehead rested against hers. Every time he thought his breathing had settled, the warmth of her body against his seemed to undo whatever composure he had managed to regain.
The phone had finally stopped ringing.
Riya glanced towards the bedside table before looking back at him. His eyes were still closed, and he showed no intention of loosening his hold.
"Druve," she murmured.
"Hmm?"
"Let me go."
His eyes opened slowly. "You first."
She looked down at her arms, still looped around his neck, and a reluctant smile tugged at her lips.
"You're the one holding me."
"And you're not exactly trying to escape."
She couldn't argue with that.
The phone began ringing again.
Riya sighed. "Druve, the phone."
"I can hear it."
"Then let me answer."
He looked at her for another moment before reluctantly easing his arms from her waist. Riya was no quicker to withdraw hers. Her fingers lingered at the back of his neck before she finally lowered her hands.
But before she could turn away, Druve leaned forward and pressed a brief kiss to her lips.
She smiled against his mouth and returned it, just as unwilling as he was to let the moment end.
Only then did they move apart.
Riya crossed to the bedside table and picked up her phone.
Aadhira.
She answered the call and brought it to her ear.
"What's up, Dhi?"
"Riya, I... I think Vikram might like me," Aadhira admitted, her voice unusually shy.
Riya's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Oh? What makes you think that, Dhi?"
"Well... we kissed."
"YOU WHAT?!"
Riya's excited shout startled Druve, who was preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
"Riya! What happened?" he called.
"Nothing!" she called back quickly.
"Riya!" Aadhira protested. "It was just an accident!"
"An accident?" Riya repeated, barely containing her excitement. "Dhi, how do you accidentally kiss my brother?"
"Will you let me explain first?"
"Okay, okay. I'm listening."
Aadhira explained how the accidental peck had happened, growing increasingly shy as she reached Vikram's response.
"And then he said... he said..."
"He said what, Dhi?" Riya prompted eagerly.
"He said... if he had kissed me, it would never have been just a peck."
Riya's eyes widened before a delighted grin spread across her face.
"He actually said that?"
"Yes!"
Riya burst out laughing. "And after all that, Dhi, you *thiiiink* Vikram might like you?"
"Riya!"
"What? Practically everyone around you knows Vikram is head over heels for you! You're the only one who hasn't figured it out yet!"
Aadhira went silent.
"Wait... everyone knew?"
"Of course!"
"And you never told me?!"
Riya raised an eyebrow, amusement dancing in her eyes.
"Are you sure I never hinted, Dhi?"
"But... but he didn't say he likes me!" Aadhira protested.
"Well, he should have!" Riya declared. "Honestly, what's wrong with my brother? He can say something like *that* but can't manage three simple words?"
"Riya!"
"What? I'm on your side!"
Aadhira sighed. "And he's been acting a little strange too."
Riya immediately perked up. "Oh? Do tell."
"He's been... a bit too attentive to me."
"Too attentive?" Riya repeated, her smile growing. "Dhi, are you complaining?"
"No! I'm just saying!"
"Good. Because I was about to ask whether I should warn him to stop."
"Don't you dare!"
Riya burst out laughing. "Oh, so he shouldn't stop either?"
"RIYA!"
"What?! You don't want him to stop, but you want him to say he likes you. Dhi, I think we're making excellent progress here!"
"Why did I even call you?"
"Because you kissed my brother, and I'm obviously the first person you wanted to tell!"
"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"
"Yes, yes. A very memorable accident, apparently."
"I'm not talking to you anymore!" Aadhira huffed. "And don't you dare breathe a word to Viki about any of this!"
Riya burst out laughing. "All right, all right! I won't tell him anything!"
"I'm serious, Riya!"
"So am I! Your secret is safe with me."
"Good!"
Riya managed to stay quiet for precisely two seconds.
"Take care, sister-in-law!"
"RIYAAAA!"
Riya dissolved into laughter.
"WHAT?!" she managed between giggles. "I'm just practising!"
"I'm hanging up!"
"Okay, okay! Bye, sister-in—"
The call disconnected.
Riya stared at her phone for a moment before bursting into another fit of laughter.
"Oh, Dhi," she murmured, shaking her head. "You're going to be so much fun to tease."
Still laughing, Riya tossed her phone onto the bed, jumped up and hurried towards the kitchen.
Druve was standing at the stove, busy preparing breakfast, when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around his waist from behind.
"Druve!"
He smiled at the familiar voice, his hand settling over hers. "Hmm?"
Riya pressed her cheek against his back, practically bouncing with excitement.
"Dhi is soon going to be my sister-in-law!"
Druve paused, the spatula still in his hand.
"What?"
Riya giggled. "My brother! He's in love with Dhi!"
Druve turned his head slightly. "And you're telling me this because...?"
"Because I'm happy, obviously!" She tightened her arms around him. "Dhi! My Dhi! Can you imagine? She's going to be my sister-in-law!"
Druve chuckled at her excitement. "Has your brother proposed to her?"
"Not yet!"
"Has he confessed?"
"No!"
"Does she know?"
"Well..." Riya grinned. "She's beginning to suspect."
Druve laughed. "So they've barely figured it out themselves, and you've already arranged their wedding?"
Riya lifted her chin against his back. "Someone has to think ahead!"
"Of course," Druve said solemnly. "And naturally, that someone is my wife."
"Exactly!" Riya giggled, hugging him tighter.
Druve shook his head, smiling as he returned his attention to the stove. "Still, sweetheart, shouldn't your brother confess first?"
Riya immediately raised her head, a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes.
"Well, it's not like everyone confesses their feelings properly, you know."
Druve raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Some people have rather interesting ways of confessing."
"Such as?"
Riya cleared her throat and, in her best imitation of his serious voice, declared, "We're not friends!"
Druve's hand stilled.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he laughed. "Riya!"
"What?" she asked innocently, peeking around his shoulder. "I'm just saying! At least my brother managed to say something about kissing Dhi. Some people simply announced that we weren't friends and expected the poor girl to understand everything!"
Druve turned his head, amusement dancing in his eyes. "And did the poor girl understand?"
Riya pressed her lips together, fighting a smile.
"Eventually. Despite the terrible confession."
"Terrible?"
"Absolutely terrible!" she declared. "Not even a proper 'I love you.' Just 'We're not friends!'"
Druve laughed, shaking his head.
Then he turned off the stove and turned around in her arms. Before Riya could continue teasing him, he slipped his arms around her waist and drew her into a tight embrace.
"I love you."
Riya blinked, her teasing smile faltering in surprise.
Druve smiled down at her, his eyes softening.
"I love you, Sruthi."
For a moment, she simply stared at him.
Seven years ago, he'd struggled to put his feelings into words. He hadn't known how to tell Sruthi that he wanted to be something more than her friend. All he'd known was that friendship wasn't enough, and he'd refused it without the slightest hesitation.
And now he was holding her, saying those three words so easily.
Riya's smile returned, softer this time, as she slipped her arms around his neck.
Druve chuckled, drawing her closer.
She rose onto her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"I love you too."
Druve's smile deepened. He tightened his arms around her and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, his heart warming at the words he could never tire of hearing.
Druve reluctantly loosened his embrace and glanced at the clock. "Sweetheart, we're getting late."
Riya looked up at him in confusion. "Late? Where are we going?"
"To register our marriage."
Riya blinked. "What?"
Druve chuckled at her expression. "We're getting our marriage registered today, sweetheart."
"Today?" she repeated, staring at him. "And you're telling me now?"
"Well, I was going to tell you earlier," Druve replied, amusement flickering in his eyes. "But someone was too busy discussing her brother's love life."
Riya gave him an indignant look. "Druve! You could have told me!"
"I'm telling you now." He smiled, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her face. "Come on, finish your breakfast. We need to get ready and leave."
Riya was still looking at him, trying to process the unexpected announcement, when Druve gently took her hand and led her towards the dining table. He pulled out a chair for her before placing her breakfast in front of her.
"Eat, sweetheart. We don't have much time."
She glanced at the food and then back at him. "You planned everything without telling me?"
Druve smiled as he settled beside her. "I wanted to surprise you."
"By telling me at the last minute?"
He laughed. "Would you rather we postpone it?"
"No!" Riya answered immediately, making him laugh harder.
"Then eat, Mrs. Prathap. We have a marriage to register."
Riya finally finished her breakfast and got up, gathering their plates from the table. She was about to carry them to the sink when Druve gently took them from her hands.
"Leave it, sweetheart. Go and get ready."
Riya looked at him. "I'll just wash these first. It won't take long."
"I'll take care of them," he assured her, turning towards the sink. "You go ahead. We're already running late."
Riya smiled at him before reluctantly letting go of the plates. "All right. But don't take too long yourself."
Druve chuckled. "I won't. Now go."
She gave him one last smile before heading towards their bedroom to get ready.
Once Riya disappeared into the bedroom, Druve turned his attention to the kitchen. He washed the dishes, wiped down the counter and put everything back in its place. By the time he finished, the kitchen was spotless.
He returned to the living room and settled onto the sofa to wait for her.
With nothing left to occupy his hands, his thoughts gradually returned to the investigation.
He could easily have arranged for the registrar to come to their residence and complete the formalities privately. It would have been simpler, and their marriage could have been registered without attracting anyone's attention.
But that was precisely what Druve no longer wanted.
From everything his investigation had revealed so far, Kaal was still watching from the shadows, waiting for Druve to leave Riya. As long as Kaal believed that separation was possible, he had no reason to abandon his patience or change his plans.
Their marriage changed that.
If Kaal learned that Druve and Riya were legally married, he would realise that Druve had no intention of leaving her. Whatever Kaal was waiting for might never happen.
And that knowledge could force him to act.
Druve leaned back against the sofa, his expression turning thoughtful. A man who had remained hidden for so long would not be easy to find. But even the most careful person could make mistakes when his plans were unexpectedly disrupted.
Kaal might change his approach, contact someone he shouldn't, or make a move before he was fully prepared. Druve couldn't predict exactly what he would do, but any sudden action could leave behind a clue.
That was what he intended to watch for.
Druve glanced towards the bedroom where Riya was getting ready.
He had no intention of letting Kaal dictate their lives any longer. Their marriage was something he wanted for himself and Sruthi, regardless of the investigation.
But if making it official also disturbed the man hiding in the darkness, Druve was more than willing to use that opportunity.
As his thoughts turned to Kaal, Druve's mind once again drifted towards something he had heard earlier that morning. Something that had left him increasingly uneasy.
He had believed for seven years that he had forced himself on Sruthi that night. That she had been hurt and angry with him, and that her disappearance had been her way of leaving him.
But something about that explanation no longer felt right.
Riya had never shown any hesitation towards his touch. She welcomed his closeness, responded to his kisses and held him just as eagerly as he held her. There was no resentment in her eyes, no indication that his intimacy reminded her of something painful.
And Riya was Sruthi.
Druve frowned, his thoughts growing increasingly unsettled.
*What if I didn't force her?*
*What if that night was consensual?*
It would explain why Sruthi was so comfortable with his intimacy, why she responded to him without hesitation. Her behaviour was nothing like what he had expected from someone who had left him because he had hurt her.
But if she hadn't been angry with him, then why had she disappeared?
His expression tightened.
*If it was consensual, she had no reason to leave me because of that night.*
And if that was true, the belief he had carried for seven years might have been wrong from the very beginning.
Druve slowly leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
*Could I have been wrong all along?*
For the first time, he found himself seriously questioning not only what had happened between them that night, but everything he had believed about Sruthi's disappearance.
Druve was still immersed in his thoughts when a pair of arms suddenly slipped around his shoulders from behind.
Before he could react, a soft kiss landed on his cheek.
"Druve!"
He blinked, startled out of his thoughts, and turned his head to find Riya smiling mischievously beside his face.
"Sweetheart!" He chuckled, reaching up to catch one of her hands. "You startled me."
"That's because you were thinking too seriously!" she declared, leaning closer. "I called you twice, and you didn't even hear me."
Druve smiled, gently rubbing his thumb over her fingers. "Sorry, sweetheart. I was distracted."
Riya tilted her head, studying his face. "What were you thinking about?"
"Just a few things," he replied, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. Then he turned slightly to look at her properly, his smile widening. "You're ready?"
She nodded brightly. "All ready!"
Druve rose from the sofa, still holding her hand. "Then let's go, Mrs. Prathap. We shouldn't keep the registrar waiting."
I've preserved your chapter and removed only the line about the possibility having crossed Druve's mind before.