"I...I am sorry...I thought..." She didn't know what to say.

"I understand that everything is new to you. But, it is new to me too. That is why, we must spend time and converse to get to know each other better. We will be spending our lives together, after all!" He stated as if teaching a toddler.

Sneha looked at him in surprise at first. Was he preaching here?

"Uhh... Okay. The...the food is very nice." She nodded and then looked back to her plate, not knowing what to say further. It was so awkward for her. She had never thought of getting to know him, ever!

Viraj sighed when she resumed being quiet again.

'Give her some time, Viraj. She is new to all this. She doesn't know about your expectations.' He remembered Gaurav's advice. But, it was so damn difficult. He wanted her to talk to him. He wanted to answer her questions. He wanted to hear her voice, But, all he got was painful silence and a 'scared' face from her side.

Sneha soon laid the spoon on the plate gently to declare that she was full.

"Done?" He asked while glancing at her clean plate.

"Yes." She said softly and then wiped her lips with the tissue.

Viraj nodded and then wiped his lips as well.

"Come." He said and they both stood up to exit the room.

However, she became confused when she noticed him walking upstairs instead of going downstairs to the exit door.

"Uhh...Where are we going?" She finally decided to ask.

Viraj turned around to look at her.

"Let's take a small break before we leave. I am too tired to drive now." He explained and then forwarded his hand so that she'd take it.

Sneha placed her hand over his hesitantly. It was already getting late, she knew. And the more delay they do, the later her father would be released.

Viraj took her to the next floor where the door guards opened the double doors for them.

Sneha had to focus more as she noticed the interior was dark. As he pulled her inside, she realized where they were.

It was a cinema hall! And not a typical cinema hall, but a highly advanced one with beds for the audience.

"How long will we be here?" She asked as he guided her towards their designated seat/bed.

Viraj pressed her hand gently to reassure her.

"An hour or so. Don't worry. I'll drop you at your home safely." He assured her.

Viraj took off his shoes and sat on the bed. Seeing him, she copied him as well and sat on the other corner of the bed.

"Come here." He said gently as he noticed her maintaining the huge distance.

Very awkwardly, she pushed herself towards him.

"Closer." He mumbled.

Gulping any snarky reply from coming out of her mouth, she pushed herself towards him again. There was only an inch gap between them. So, he closed that distance too and wrapped his arm over her shoulder.

Sneha stiffened at the close proximity. It was her first time being so touchy with a man...and that too a man like Viraj. She felt awkward and uneasy.

"It's a short film." He said and then pressed a button near the table. Soon a young girl brought two glasses of red wine for them as Sneha looked at the widescreen featuring a movie she had never seen.

Viraj held the two glasses carefully and dismissed the server.

"But...I don't drink..." Sneha tried to object.

"Wine is not really alcohol, Sneha. Let's celebrate our day?" He stated to which she reluctantly held it.

She looked at him once again in the dim light. She had never had alcohol or wine in her life ever. What would her father say if she came back home in a drunken state! As if sensing her doubt and fear, he elaborated.

"You won't get drunk, don't worry." He said and then ushered her to drink.

With pursed lips, she allowed the red forbidden liquid into her mouth.

'Make him happy.' Dev's words resonated in her ears.

"Not so fast!" Viraj chuckled and held her hand as she tried to gulp the better liquid all at once.

In that haste, some of the wine fell on her chin, making her gasp.

Viraj quickly pulled some tissues from the side table and tapped on her chin to help her clean the mess.

"These beverages are to be consumed slowly, Sneha." He taught her like a child.

"I am sorry." She mumbled and tried to take the tissues from his hand so as to clean herself. However, he didn't give them to her.

"There. Now drink slowly." He said and threw the tissues into the bin.

A light ping sounded from her phone and she quickly unlocked it. It was a message from her sister. Imagining the worst, she quickly dialled Priya's number.

"One second." She politely asked for Viraj's permission to go a little far for privacy.

Reluctantly, he allowed her.

So, Sneha went to the farthest corner of the hall to talk to Priya in privacy.

"Didi." Priya's voice came from the other side of the line.

"Is everything alright?" Sneha immediately asked.

"Yes. Papa came back home, just now. He is asking where you are, right now. His phone is dead." Priya informed.

Sneha sighed in relief. She looked at the clock on her phone. It was already 10:30 pm. It was actually quite late.

"I will be back in an hour or so. Is he alright?" She asked while referring to her father.

"Yes. He is fine. But, where are you? It is so late!" Priya asked in concern.

Sneha looked around the cinema hall in distaste.

"I don't know. We are in a cinema hall right now. But I don't know the name of it." She answered honestly.

"You are safe, right?"

"Yes. Don't worry about me. Just...take care of papa. Give him something warm to drink, okay?" Sneha almost ordered.

"Okay..." Priya mumbled and they cancelled the call reluctantly.

"Is everything fine?" Viraj asked when she approached the bed again. She realized that he had lowered the bed into the sleeping position.

"Uhh...Yes." She answered and then sat on the bed again.

Viraj nodded and stretched his arm so that she would lay her head on his arm as she lay beside him. It almost reminded him of his wet dream.

Sneha didn't comply immediately. It was highly inappropriate, after all!

"Come." He finally worded his intention.

Now that her father was safe and sound at home, she wondered if she could defy him and tell him the truth. But, then she decided against it. She couldn't trust Viraj.

"What happened? Feeling shy?" He asked with a chuckle. And, this confused her even more. He was talking to her as if he had known her his entire life! His gentle and polite behaviour towards her was something she just couldn't digest easily. In a way, she had accepted him to be a rude man...capable of only insulting others. Then, who was this person? She wondered.

Viraj sighed as she still didn't take any initiative to lay down beside him.

"Sneha, should I repeat myself?" He asked in a straight tone making her look at him in partial fear.

"N.no." She mumbled and slowly lowered herself to lie down beside him while laying her head on his arm. It was such an intimate position that she couldn't help but feel herself getting red.

"We are going to be married in a month, Sneha. So, there is no need to shy away from me." He stated and held her shoulder gently from under her head. Their bodies touched completely from the side as they lay on the bed. She couldn't be more embarrassed about it.

"Why...do you want to get married so soon?" She asked hesitantly while looking at the screen absentmindedly.

Viraj looked at her face by turning his head sideways.

"Why not?" He asked.

She could feel his eyes on hers.

"I mean...the wedding preparation and everything require time." She said hoping he would postpone the day himself. It would give her more time to convince him about the disaster their marriage would be.

Viraj boldly held her other hand that was laying over her stomach.

"You don't need to worry about anything. I will take care of it." He assured her while looking at her, hoping she would at least look at him. And, she did.

Sneha turned her head to her left to look at him. He had spoken those words so softly that it would have melted her right here if she didn't know his real personality.

'Why is he being this gentle, today? Why this facade?' She wondered as they stared at each other in the dull light.

Viraj raised his brows slightly when she kept on searching for lies in his eyes. Seeing his expression, she quickly lowered her gaze and then looked at the screen.

Seeing her focus on the screen, he too started paying attention to whatever was playing on the screen. However, he still didn't leave the hand he was holding.

By the time the movie ended, it was already 11:30 pm. Viraj knew they were late, as per the commonly accepted norm. But, he didn't want to care about the timing. He wanted to spend more time with her, if possible. Even if they shared almost no words, he felt at peace. Just the thought of her near him, made him feel ecstatic.

"Let's go?" He said as he removed his hand from under her head slowly. Her deep sigh caught his attention and he looked at her in concern.

A chuckle left his lips as he realized that she had slept!

"Sneha?" He called for her slowly to confirm his suspicion. And, he was correct.

The events of the entire day, the wine and the dim lighting of the hall had lulled her to sleep. She couldn't fight the physical exhaustion and didn't even realize when her eyes closed and sleep took over.

Curiously, Viraj pushed himself up and laid beside her sideways to get a better look at her. He traced her face precisely while trying to memorize her features from this close-up.

To him, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid his eyes on. Sure she was no supermodel or had any striking looks. She was nowhere near Nupur in terms of beauty. He knew it. But, there was something in her that attracted him beyond measure. Without doing anything, she made his arousal make an appearance. Even in the sleeping state, she made him imagine erotic thoughts.

It reminded him of one of his erotic dreams.

"You are so beautiful, Sneha!" He mumbled and brushed his fingers over her hair softly. She didn't respond though.

A strange emotion ran through his heart, making him feel both protective and possessive of her.

"So beautiful!" He whispered and lowered himself to kiss her closed eyes.

Sensing a touch, Sneha moved a little and sighed in the cold environment.

"Hmm..." She hummed.

Her soft voice made him go crazy for her. He wanted to kiss her again. And, so he did. She was his woman, after all.

He proceeded to kiss the corner of her eyes, followed by her cheek and then to the corner of her lips.

Before he could kiss her lips, Sneha opened her eyes slowly.

Her startle made him raise his brows. He wondered if she'd deny him. And, he knew that if she did, he would accept her decision. After all, they had a lifetime to share intimacy. And since she was almost five years younger than him, he would give her the time to get accustomed to these emotions.

Sneha was shocked and surprised to see him looming over her with practically no gap between them. She opened her mouth in protest but then immediately stopped herself. Dev's warnings were clear in her memory.

Sneha stared at him with wide eyes, hoping for him to back off. When he didn't she lowered her eyes and her eyes fell on his lips which were slightly parted. His warm breath fanned her face softly.

"Viraj..." Sneha mumbled to let him know that she didn't want it.

But, he misunderstood her act.

It was just like his dream. She had whispered his name under him in that dream too. And unlike in the dream, he wasn't engaged to Nupur. Instead, he was engaged to her. There was no guilt to stop him now.

With a smile, he lowered himself further and lightly captured her upper lip with his own. The simple touch brought a rush of blood to his nether region, making him ache for more.

Sneha's fist tightened on the bedsheet as he explored her mouth. She wanted to push him but dared not to.

Taking her silence for approval, he deepened the kiss and sucked fervently on her small lips. It was a new experience for him too. It was an activity in which he wasn't experienced either. But, he could always learn for her...with her.

He was in the seventh sky as he captured her lips in an open-mouth kiss and then took the lower lip again. There was only one problem.

She wasn't kissing him back.

In the heat of the moment, he almost came on top of her. For a moment, he pulled himself up slightly to look at her. She had her eyes closed and mouth slightly apart. To him, she looked like an angel right now...someone who is luckily only his. At this moment, he didn't know whether she was lucky to have him or he was the fortunate one to have her in his life.

Viraj gently kissed the tip of her nose.

"Kiss me back." He asked to which she opened her eyes a little.

Sneha wanted to cry. How was she supposed to kiss him back!

Viraj lowered himself again and was about to entwine their lips again when his phone rang on full volume...startling them both.

"F*** it." He cursed lowly and detached himself from her. Taking a seating position, he grabbed his phone from the side table. Sneha instantly sat as well. Her head lowered in embarrassment. However, her eyes unintentionally gazed at his phone's screen where a certain person's number was flashing brightly.

It was Nupur.