Janaat Viraj Singh POV

 “Did you cry?” He asked in a rough voice, the same one that he spoke to me when I met him in his office. Sharp voice. 

Then his face snapped at Bua with questing eyes, “Nothing, she just gets a little emotional.” Bua said. 

“Go to your room, you both must be tired,” she paused, smiled, and said, “aur agar pizza pach jaye toh dono cook ko kh kr kuch bnva lena.” 

Viraj starts rubbing the back of his neck and looking down, not meeting her eyes. I looked at both of them, trying to understand the situation.

Is there something I’m not aware of?

Then bua left both of us, then he held out his hand. “Let’s go upstairs,” his voice was so soft then, earlier, when he asked if I cried. 

I hummed, and with slow motion, I reached out, and my hand landed in his. His hand was big and warm, mine was sweaty because I was still nervous. 

It feels like a weird kind of sensation when our hands meet. My heart was jumping inside me. He didn’t just grab my hand. He actually… curled his fingers around mine. Gently. But firmly. 

It was such a weird sensation just by holding his hand. It’s new, but it felt too familiar, like we did that many times in the past. 

In one hand, I was holding that neatly folded red dupatta, and the other was in my palm. 

With measured steps, we both moved. He stopped near the stairs and opened the lift. LIFT?

Life at home, rich people things janu. 

Entering the lift, he pressed the fourth floor button. “So let’s talk about your new home. On the ground floor, an old man lives. Vaani and Bua's room is on the first floor, Bhai-bhabhi’s room is on the third floor, and the fourth floor is on the fourth floor. If you want to talk to anyone, you can go to their rooms, and if you want to talk to me, then I’m always here.”

A tiny smile escaped from my lips after hearing the words, “I’m always here.” 

“Second floor?” I asked, but he didn’t tell me about that. “That's for work, library, and office. You can find any book there, it’s huge.” 

“Noo, naa.” I immediately uttered. I don’t like books. Who reads nowadays? 

I looked to see his face, and he was already looking at me with a gentle smile. “I know you are not a fan of books, that’s why I skipped the second floor.” 

OOO

“About dinner, if you are hungry, then I’ll tell you to cook. Actually, in our family, we all eat breakfast together. At least one meal together, it’s kind of a habit we all used to have. So we all ate breakfast together, and after that all had our different choices and timing to eat. It helps us to maintain some family time without interfering with our personal space. We all have different eating habits, so with that, everyone fulfilled them. Also, there is a timing issue; sometimes Bhai gets late because he is a neurosurgeon, and because of meetings, I don’t reach home on time. So the moral of the story is Breakfast we will do together, then the rest of the day you are free to eat according to your timetable,” he said all in one go.

My mind reels. No wonder it’s good because I never lived in a joint family, and it’s kind of awkward to have all the meals together. But I like them all, they don’t make me feel strange. It feels like I’m a part of them.

Then, finally, the lift opened with a ding sound.

I stepped off the elevator on the fourth floor, doors sighing open like a relieved friend. The moment the door slid apart, I saw it: a nameplate that looked like a duet, with mine and his “JANNAT VIRAJ SINGH” blinking back to my face. 

I didn’t expect that. Am I that special to him?

But I am here just for four days, not for a lifetime. 

Wait, did he plan this? But when? And why? 

“Daal mein kuch-kaala.” 

(floor’s name plate)

“The same board is on the third floor where bhai-bhabhi lives,” he said, breaking all my delusional thoughts. Why am I a delusional girl? Are you all also this delusional?

“But how do you know that I’m going to say yes to marriage? I can deny that too, then what will happen with this name plate?” I asked. 

His hand grip tightened around my hand slightly, just slightly. “You can not,” he answered with the confidence that made me a little scared. 

“Why?” I asked again. 

“Because your heart recognizes me long before you do.” 

Hein? Ye kya baat hua? Koi sense hai es baat ka? 

“Wait for me,” he said, leaving my hand and me. Honestly, honestly, I didn’t like my hand alone; I liked it when he was holding me. 

I looked here and there, standing in the same spot, and suddenly one realisation hit me. 

I met him near 11 am, and then the next day, before 11, we were married. I was married.

Married! To him!

It’s insane but true. It took just 24 hours, and I became a miss to Mrs. 

Then I heard his footsteps, and as if my mouth had a mind of its own, blurt out, “We married in 24 times… no, I mean we married in 24 hours after meeting for the first time.”

My brain was clearly short-circuiting, desperately trying to find some kind of logic in the situation. 

He looked at me with those soft eyes, and my stomach slipped. And then his lips curved into this slow, teasing smirk. 

“You know my parents married three days after meeting each other.”I blurted out again, like I was trying to justify my brain's new invention. 

"Every daughter should surpass their parents' record." He replied with a smirk that was still there, playing on his lips.

And then, without thinking, without filtering, without even considering the consequences, I whispered, "I think I’m born to break their record." I didn't mean for him to hear, but he heard that, and his smirk widened, turning into a full-blown smile.

He smiled. It wasn't just any smile, but a warm and wide smile where your eyes get narrowed and your cheeks puffed out. 

It was the first time I saw his smile. I couldn't help it! It was the kind of smile that made you want to see it again, and again, and again.  

But wait a minute, why am I talking this much to him? Why am I feeling this comfortable with him?  I'd barely known him a day! 

I was still a little dazed, still replaying that smile in my head, when he did something totally unexpected. He actually bent down. Onto his knees. Right there, in front of me. 

It was my first day in this house, practically the first hour, and here he was, kneeling. My brain short-circuited, heart jumped in my mouth. 

Is he going to propose to me? We barely knew each other! 

“Let me help you with the heels, they are not looking comfortable.” He looked up, his eyes meeting mine, and I swear my heart skipped a beat.  

My breath caught in my throat. My pulse did a crazy dance. How was this even happening? I'd married him, in less than 24 hours, after knowing him, it was practically our third meeting. And now, here he was, treating me like I was some long-lost love. 

It just didn't make any sense. 

Something was missing. Some crucial piece of information, but what? 

Firstly, I skip all the steps and get married in one movement, then he is on his knee for me. 

"May I?" he asked, his eyes still locked on mine. It was like he was asking permission to breathe the same air as me. 

I just nodded. Like a fool. I was so completely and utterly shocked that I couldn't even find my voice. I didn't know what to do, how to react. My mind was a jumbled mess. 

I clench my fist over the dupatta. 

He reached for my ankles, his touch gentle, careful. Like he was handling something precious, something fragile, but was struggling to open my heels, then looked up to meet my eyes, “ribben, pull that.” I said. These were my new pair of heels that I got at a 50% discount. 

Then his fingers brushed against my skin. A shiver ran down my spine. He pulled the ribbons in one motion. He slipped the heels off my feet, then he cupped my feet. 

His hand touches my skin directly. His hands are warm and veiny. And here my stupid heart started racing; it felt like it would fall from my body. Next was my stomach; something was happening there, too. 

Am I hungry? But I don’t feel hungry.

Is something there in my stomach? Silly girl, you haven’t even kissed yet.

Then he slid the one slipper and removed the heels from my other foot. 

I’m slightly taken aback by his gesture, but I composed myself. I look upward immediately just to hold my blush. I don’t want him to catch me blushing. 

Something is wrong. Did he do black magic on me?

(heels she is wearing)

Wait. Wait. Things don’t end here.

I noticed that they are the same ones that I am currently wearing at home, and I didn’t pack them. They look fresh like new pairs. 

Heart: Did he buy for me? 

Head: There are already three women in the house. Maybe they belong to someone else.

Heart: They are looking new.

Head: Spare pair, heard anything like that

Heart: Seems you are right

Again, my head wins against my heart. 

Then he carefully made me wear the other slipper, same, cupping my feet in his palm. 

(rabbit slippers)

He tilts his head, and I feel the world tilt with him. The space between us tightens. He breathes like a quiet storm, steady and unhurried. When I finally meet his eyes, there’s a quietness there. As he was at ease after decades. 

Realizing I was staring, I quickly averted my gaze; thanks to the height difference, he couldn’t see my face as I was still looking down, too afraid to be caught. 

Should I run?

But in which direction? It’s a new place. How can I run?

He gestured towards a room, and without a second thought, I slipped inside before he could say another word. I shut the door on his face. 

My back pressed against the cool wood of the door. My hand instinctively rose, resting just above my racing heart. Seriously, what was that? 

The room felt suddenly warm, or it's just me who is feeling hot. 

 I took a few deep breaths, trying to regain some semblance of composure. In, out. In, out. In, out.  

In, out. In, out.  

Why did I get this flustered? 

With that, he earned one more tick on my requirement in my man list. The funny thing was, he didn’t even try to.  

My heart skipped a beat. I never expected to feel this way, especially not so quickly. I mean, we just married, and my heart is already gone for him. 

This was not supposed to happen. I’m here just for a few days.

But his smirk made my stomach do a little flip-flop, and his smile stole my breath. I  took another deep breath, finally feeling a bit calmer. 

.

.

.

Veer Heer Singh POV:

After the shower, I called Heer inside the room because now it’s our private time. My Heer is too innocent to understand this. 

After struggling with a lot of patience, only at night can I be at peace, where my Heriye is gonna ask a lot of questions. 

Currently, she was lying on her stomach and watching her favorite show, Shinchain. Yes!! Now I know they are not just a cartoon, It's name is Shinchain, and he is five years old. His father's name is Hiroshi, his mother's name is Misae, and his baby sister's name is Himawari.

It’s not the end here, he has a friend group– name Kasukable Defence group. That includes Kazama, Masao, Sakurada, Suotome, and Suzuki. 

And not to forget, his pet name is Shiro. One day, my Herye also wanted to change our Bebo name to Shiro. 

Then I had to give her logic that that is a dog and a boy. And our Bebo is a cat and a girl. 

I didn’t respond, didn’t move, just savoring the moment of her giggles. 

I looked at her, I felt a sense of gratitude towards god who gave me my precious wife. I sat silently beside her and adoring her while she was watching that Shinchain with a serious expression. 

I was adoring her, suddenly she got up with the help of her elbows and pecked on my lips, something inside him paused, then sparked. 

My breath hitched, a startled heat blooming in my chest, spreading like a slow sunrise under my skin. I choke on air and start coughing badly. Her eyes went wide, and she also started panicking. 

“Aap… aap khas rahe hai, kyuki mne apko kiss kiya, boliye naa doctor Veer.” Panic was shown in my Heriye voice.

(you… You are coughing because I kissed you, said something, doctor Veer.)

After realising what she said, she hid her face with both palms, her cheeks turned red. And here I’m trying to compose myself; this was new. We only kissed on the forehead and cheeks. 

Her small actions have so much effect on me, and she innocently does all this. I composed myself for more questions. Then, parting her finger, she saw me, “Kya humne kiss sahi se nhi kiya?” 

(Did I not kiss rightly?)

My hands found her shoulders, gentle at first, unsure, what should I say to my Heriye? I see the blush came in a rush, a heat on her cheeks. Her smile, part surprised, part knowing, felt like permission, like the moment I’d been waiting for without realizing it.

“Nhi, asa toh nhi hai, par aap hume ye bataiye aaj aapne hume yaha…” touching my lips “par kiss kyu kiya, aaj se phle toh aapne kabhi nhi kiya?”

(No, it’s not like that, but tell me first why you kissed me on the lips; before that, you never kissed me here.)

“Wo humne dekha, jab shadi hoti hai toh dulha and dulhan kiss krte hai. Par hum dono ne toh nhi kiya tha. Pandit ji ne kaha hi nhi hume kiss karne ko, vo shayad bhul gye honge. Aaj humne Shinchain ke parent ki wedding dekhi, mein dekha ki shadi ke turant bad kiss krte hai.”

(I see it, the Bride and groom kiss after the wedding, but we did not kiss. The priest didn’t tell us to do that; maybe he forgot about that. Today I watched the wedding of Shinchain's parents, the bride and groom kissed just after the wedding.)

I smiled; she is unaware of what she did. I looked at her to see that she was blinking rapidly. So, without thinking, I give a peck on her lips. Making her pause in place. “But we did now, is it fine with you, Heriye?”

Her cheeks turned red; they always turned red when she got embarrassed. My cute tomato. 

I pulled her in my lap and kissed her cheek. Before this moment, we only shared cheek and forehead kisses. She is too innocent to understand the husband-wife relationship. But with her questions, I’m sure we will reach that point soon.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek, “hum aapko welcome hug or kiss dena bhul gye thy.” 

(I forgot about your welcome hug and kiss)

“Hmm, Koi baat nhi, aaj aap hume lip peck dene mein busy thi…You can give me now.” Hearing my words, she jumped out of my lap. 

(hmm, don’t worry, today you were busy giving me peck.)

“Abhi toh diya hai,” she said, narrowing her eyes. 

“Agar ek aur de degi toh meri sari thakan uthar jayegi naa.” 

She narrowed her eyes, “Nhi do kiss ki baat hui thi, yaad hai naa.” 

Now I regreat coating that number. 

“Chodiye isse, ye bataiye apko janaat kase lagi? Hume bahut achi lagi, apko pta hai hum dono best friend bhi bn gye.” Heer said.

(Leave this, tell me what you feel about Janaat? I like her, and we both became best friends.)

I start caressing her cheeks with my thumb, “Jo humari Heriye ko pasand wo humari bhi pasand.”

(What my Heriye likes, I also liked that)

With that, I again pecked on her lips. Her lips parted slightly in surprise, but she didn’t say anything. “Kya ab aap hume lips par hi kiss karte rahege?”

(Now, will you continue kissing me on my lips?)

“Hmm, shuru toh aapne hi kiya hai. Ab hum roj apke lips par hi kiss karge.” saying that, I again place my lips on hers. Just touching her lips with mine.

(Hmm, you started it. From now on, I’ll kiss your lips daily.)

She hid her lips with her palm, “par baat do kis ki hui thi, toh cheating mat kijiye.” 

“Jaisa aap kahe,” I said, and she giggled. 

“Tell me, what does my Heriye want to eat? Should I make something with my hands?” I asked, looking at her.

“Kheer,” she said. She knows she will not get parantha at night, so she said kheer. My Heriye is smart.

“Okay, freshen up. I’ll bring kheer for my Heriye,” saying that, I made my way toward the fourth floor. I knocked on Janaat’s room. “Can I come in?”

“Yes,” I entered. 

“Dr. Veer, you here? Do you have any work from me?” I asked. 

“No, Janaat, I’m here to talk to you.” I stand near her. She is small; her height is smaller than Heer's.

“Don’t take any stress about adjusting here, you can live freely like you used to live. If you have any problem, then without hesitation, come to me,” I said while touching the top of my head. 

Removing my hand from her head, “Also, one more thing, VJ is a smart man. He knows his responsibility. But if he hurts you in any way, you will come directly to me. I’m not just VJ’s elder brother, now yours too. Don’t ever hesitate to share any problem with me. Now you are ahead of VJ, you have more right than him on me.” 

Her eyes welled up, “You know I always wanted a big brother, but all I had was Chiku,” And with that, a tear slipped from her eyes.” She is such a baby and sensitive, also.

“Pagli, don’t cry.” Again, my hand rested on her head, and I started caressing her with my other hand, wiping her tears.

She looked up with her teary eyes, “Can I call you Veer-ji?”

(Veer-ji in Punjabi culture means Brother.)

NOTE: Veer-ji word refer as a brother in Punjabi culture. 

“So will you call me, Dr Veer, like my heriye calls?” I tease her, making her smile with those wet cheeks. 

She started laughing, “Dr. Veer will also work.” 

I pulled her ear a little, “only Veer-Ji would be accepted.”

“Aahh, aahh, Okay, okay, only Veer-ji,” I leave her ear. “If you need anything, then I’m just one floor down. Good night.” I said, patting her head one more time.

Entering the lift, I pressed the first floor. “It’s time to fulfill my wife's hungry stomach with kheer.” 

To be continued…

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⬩➤ Did you also feel some butterflies while reading this chapter? 

⬩➤ Up next ~ Janaat is going to make some rules to avoid Viraj. 

⬩➤ For spoiler and extra stuff, you can follow me on Instagram. ID is ~ autthorsahiba_