The moment the car doors closed behind them, silence settled inside the luxurious vehicle.
Not an uncomfortable silence.
A dangerous one.
The kind that made Aaradhana aware of every heartbeat.
Every breath.
Every glance.
She sat beside Yuvraj, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
Trying.
Very hard.
Not to look at him.
Unfortunately...
Yuvraj Rathore was making that impossible.
His gaze hadn't left her since they entered the car.
Finally Aaradhana turned toward him.
"Nazar lag jayegi."
Yuvraj raised an eyebrow.
"Kisko?"
Aaradhana's cheeks turned pink.
"Mujhe."
A small smile appeared on his lips.
"Pehle se lagi hui hai."
She blinked.
"Kya?"
His eyes softened.
"Meri."
For a second...
Aaradhana forgot how to breathe.
"Yuvraj Sa..."
"Hmm?"
"Aap pehle aise nahi the."
He looked amused.
"Aise kaise?"
She immediately looked away.
"Aise..."
The smile on his face widened.
"Aise matlab?"
"Bas aise."
Yuvraj actually laughed.
A deep, warm laugh.
The sound surprised her.
Because she had never heard it before.
And suddenly she realized something.
Behind the cold businessman.
Behind the royal image.
Behind the powerful Yuvraj Rathore...
There was a man.
A man who laughed.
A man who worried.
A man who got jealous.
A man who apologized.
A man who cared.
The realization made her chest feel strangely warm.
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Twenty minutes later.
The car finally stopped.
Aaradhana looked outside.
And froze.
The entire place was illuminated with golden fairy lights.
Soft music drifted through the evening air.
Beautiful flowers decorated the pathway.
Everything looked magical.
Her eyes widened.
"Yeh..."
Yuvraj stepped out first.
Then opened her door.
Like a gentleman.
Holding out his hand.
"Welcome."
Aaradhana looked around again.
"You did all this?"
"Haan."
"Kyuu?"
His answer came instantly.
"Because you deserve it."
Her heart stumbled.
Hard.
Nobody had ever done something like this for her.
Nobody.
Not once.
For years she had learned to expect nothing.
And now...
This man was changing every definition she had ever known.
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As they walked together, Aaradhana finally gathered courage.
"Can I ask you something?"
Yuvraj nodded.
"Pucho."
She hesitated.
Then quietly asked—
"Why are you doing all this for me?"
The question made him stop.
Completely.
For several moments he simply looked at her.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Wrong question."
Aaradhana frowned.
"Matlab?"
The intensity returned to his eyes.
"The question should be..."
He stepped closer.
"...why did nobody do it before?"
Her breath caught.
Yuvraj's jaw tightened.
"A girl like you should have been protected."
Silence.
"You should have been loved."
Another silence.
"You should have been respected."
His voice lowered.
"And if the people in your past failed to do that..."
His gaze locked with hers.
"...that's their loss."
Aaradhana's eyes immediately filled with tears.
Not because she was sad.
Because nobody had ever spoken about her this way.
Ever.
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"Aaradhana."
"Hmm?"
"Look at me."
Slowly she did.
Yuvraj gently wiped the tear that escaped.
"No tears today."
His voice softened.
"Today is about happy memories."
She nodded.
Trying to smile.
He smiled back.
"Better."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The dinner went surprisingly well.
At first Aaradhana was nervous.
Then comfortable.
Then laughing.
Actually laughing.
Without fear.
Without hesitation.
Without worrying who might judge her.
At one point—
She laughed so hard at one of Yuvraj's dry jokes that she almost spilled water.
Yuvraj stared.
Completely mesmerized.
Aaradhana noticed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're staring."
"Maybe."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Why?"
His answer came instantly.
"Because I like seeing you happy."
The words hit harder than either of them expected.
Aaradhana looked away first.
Yuvraj looked away second.
Neither ready to acknowledge what was happening between them.
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Later that evening...
They walked through the beautifully lit garden.
The night breeze was cool.
Comfortable.
Their shoulders brushed occasionally.
Neither moved away.
Neither commented.
Finally Aaradhana spoke.
"Can I tell you something?"
"Pucho."
She smiled softly.
"College mein jab sab mujhe dekhte hain..."
"Hmm?"
"I get scared sometimes."
Yuvraj's expression immediately changed.
"Kis baat se?"
"That one day they'll know who I am."
Silence.
Then she added quietly—
"And maybe they'll stop treating me normally."
Yuvraj listened carefully.
For once not interrupting.
Not fixing.
Just listening.
Aaradhana continued.
"I like being normal."
His lips curved slightly.
"You've never been normal."
She frowned.
"Kya matlab?"
"You answer professors before they finish questions."
"Yuvraj Sa."
"You organize notes better than professors."
"Yuvraj Sa."
"You overthink everything."
"YUVRAJ SA."
He laughed.
And suddenly she was laughing too.
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For several moments they simply stood there.
Looking at each other.
Smiling.
The distance between them shrinking.
Slowly.
Naturally.
Dangerously.
Neither of them said the word love.
Neither admitted anything.
But something had changed.
Something important.
Because for the first time...
Aaradhana wasn't seeing Yuvraj as just her husband.
And Yuvraj wasn't seeing Aaradhana as just his responsibility.
Somewhere between apologies.
Jealousy.
Laughter.
And stolen glances...
Their hearts had quietly taken the first step toward each other.
And neither was ready to admit it yet.
But fate already knew.
Love had arrived.
Silently.
Patiently.
And it wasn't planning to leave.
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