Sneha had now lost all hopes of convincing Viraj or his father to cancel the marriage. If anything, Viraj was only getting more emotionally attached to her. She could feel it. And, because of that, his father was on high alert as well. Every time they met, on any occasion or get-together party, Dev would give her a lecture on how to be a good wife and an ideal daughter-in-law. He irritated her the most.

And, then there was Ananya who was literally counting the days till the wedding. She would not miss to tell her about the preparations she was doing for the day.

As far as Viraj was concerned, she couldn't believe the transformation she had seen in him since the moment they first met. He was still the same with others, but with her, he was entirely a different person...a person who was caring, gentle and patient. She wondered why her cheesiness or childish behaviour never irritated him! On the contrary, he would seem to like her weird behaviour and say: I like this new you.

She was now tired of trying different ways of making him dislike her. She now completely relied on her father, as he had assured her long ago that he would find a way out of this mess.

It was Friday evening and as promised, Viraj decided to take her for another date night. Strangely to her, he fulfilled all his promises, except for the one where he took the responsibility of teaching her self-defence skills. She never reminded him about it though.

"How was your day?" Viraj asked as he opened the car's door for her.

She noticed he seemed happier than ever. The way his eyes shone tonight was surreal. She wondered what was the occasion!

"Good. Yours?" She asked in a flow.

He smiled.

"Tiring...But, I was waiting for tonight impatiently." He said and closed the door to come to the driver's side.

"What about tonight?" Sneha asked as he took the driver's seat.

"You will see." He said with a smile and turned around to look at the backseat. She followed his motion and saw a bouquet of flowers resting peacefully. Viraj grabbed it gently and presented it to her.

"A flower for my flower." He spoke the cheesy line that he heard someone say in the flower shop.

Sneha wanted to laugh at the childish line.

"Thank you." She mumbled and kept the flowers on her lap. Today, he had brought lilies whose mild fragrance was soothing to the senses.

It was a moment before Viraj broke the silence while driving.

"How is everyone at your home?" He asked.

The question surprised her.

"Good. Why?"

He smiled again and replied.

"Just curious about my in-laws. How was Priya's Math olympiad?" He asked while taking the next turn.

She was surprised even more, now. She never thought he'd remember it. After all, she had just told him about it two weeks ago during a casual conversation.

"She said it was difficult."

"Let me know what her result was. The prize is that math toolkit, right?"

"Yes."

"Tell her not to worry about it. I'll get her that kit if she doesn't win."

"The purpose of the competition is to learn...not to simply get the prize." She said while looking at him for a moment.

So, he looked at her briefly and chuckled.

"Of course, you know more about ethics than me." He said with a chuckle.

'Why is he smiling so much today?' She thought.

"I was thinking about...things in the morning and I realized that your decision of postponing the wedding was indeed a correct one." Viraj said while moving to the next topic of conversation.

Sneha looked at him in doubt and slightly in hope.

"Why?" She asked when he paused.

"It gave me the time to understand my emotions and feelings better."

'What feelings is he talking about?' She wondered.

"What about you? Have you developed any feelings for me during this time?" He asked bluntly.

And, it took her by surprise.

"Uhh...I...don't know." She replied hesitantly. After all, saying a straight 'no' was a big no. His father will kill her before he would.

Viraj only smiled again.

During the entire journey, while they had a casual conversation about trivial topics, she thought over his question.

What feelings did she have for him anyway? She wondered.

Hatred? No. Hate is an extreme emotion and if she hated anyone, it was his father...not him.

Love? Absolutely not. He had done nothing selfless for her that would make a special place in her heart for him.

Fear? Yes. During their initial moments together, she was dead scared of him. He is a criminal after all. But, as she started spending more time with her, unintentionally, she started to get to know him a little more than yesterday. And, the fear had started to be replaced by something else entirely.

But, she couldn't find a proper term for what exactly she felt for him now.

All she knew was that she didn't want to marry him and that she didn't want to be a part of his life or lifestyle anymore. She wanted the both of them to be strangers...like they were a few months ago.

The moment the car came to a halt, she realized that, just like most of their dates, he had brought her to the beach again. The loud crashing of the waves was easily audible from this distance.

"We'll have to walk till there." He pointed at some distance while he took the key out.

Sneha stepped on the sandy mud and turned around to close the door. Her gaze fell on him as Viraj opened the glove compartment and take the gun out to tuck it in his waistband. Adjusting his blazer, he hid the gun out of sight.

"Come." He said gently and grabbed her soft hands in his to guide the way.

"Why are you carrying the gun here?" She asked. It was already dark and the place looked absolutely uninhabited.

"It's just a habit." He replied and they proceeded to walk towards the beach.

It was now when she heard the light music playing. She followed the sound and then saw the mesmerizing scene of a small hut-shaped shelter, decorated with fairy lights. Walking closer, she saw that they weren't really alone here. A small band of musicians were playing peaceful music close to the hut.

It was a beautiful setup and she knew whose idea was it.

"This is your assistant's work?" She asked to which Viraj immediately laughed.

"How did you know?" He asked.

"All her decorations have fairy lights." She mumbled.

"That's so observant of you." He said.

No matter what, Sneha liked Viraj's assistant. She is a young girl with extremely high professional ethics and values. She had only met her once, a few weeks ago when Viraj had taken her to his business-related party. And, in that one meeting only, she concluded that this girl would go very far in her career.

"And, before you start scolding me again for making her work during the night, let me tell you that she had completed the setup in the evening itself. She is at her home now." He clarified before she assumed the worst.

"I didn't say anything..." She mumbled lowly.

"I know you were going to say that."

She didn't contradict.

As they entered the hut, Sneha looked at the musicians again. They were busy at their work. There was one guitarist, one pianist and one lead singer. And, they were playing some soft songs.

Viraj pulled a chair for her to sit on.

"Thank you." She said and sat carefully.

Viraj took his seat and opened the bottle of wine. Serving it in two glasses, he offered her one.

Sneha took it reluctantly, as always. She had seen his love for wine. And, he always preferred to have wine as part of some celebration or whenever he felt good.

Denying the wine would invite a whole lecture on how it is not an alcoholic drink and that she won't get drunk. So, for her sake, she would just accept it and have only one sip from the entire glass. The quantity was less anyway.

"What is all this for?" Sneha finally asked curiously. She wondered what did he want to celebrate today? What were all these decorations for?

"I want to tell you something." He said and gave her a smile before looking at the musicians.

She followed his gaze in confusion. The three men had now stopped playing their current music only to shift to a new one. And, as the music played, she immediately recognized it. It was her favourite song.

Tose naina...by Arijit Singh.

A slight smile automatically made an appearance on her lips. It was truly a piece of beautiful music, indeed.

She kept her eyes on the singer as he sang the opening lines of the song.

Is lamhe ko rok doon

Ya main khud ko is mein jhonk doon

Kya karun.. kya karun.. kya karun..

Is lamhe main kuchh bhi jaanu na..

She looked at the table as the music played again.

Feeling Viraj's eyes on her, she looked up to see if he wanted to say something. Instead, he just maintained the gaze but didn't say anything. His emotionless face confused her further. She raised her brows to ask what the matter was. But, he just smiled and shook his head negatively, while continuing his stare.

Tose naina jab se mile

Ban gaye silsile...

Tose naina jab se mile

Tose naina jab se mile

Ban gaye silsile

Tose naina jab se mile

It was now that she understood what really was going on.

Viraj was dedicating this song to her.

O sudh-budh khoyi hai khoyi maine

Haan jaan ganwaai, ganwaai Maine

Haan tujhko basaya hai dhadkan mein

Saanware..

Tose naina jab se mile

Tose naina jab se mile

Ban gaye silsile...

Her eyes instantly fell down on realization. This was supposed to feel romantic and all, but instead she felt shy and uneasy.

She didn't love him...neither did he love her. Then what was going on here?

The entire time, she looked at her palms in uneasiness. The sweet and short music fell like it had been playing for centuries. She wanted it to stop so that Viraj would stop staring at her as well.

So, her relief had no limit when she heard the last stanza of the song. Finally, she would tell Viraj to stop staring. Speaking between the song didn't feel right to her.

However, she partially got scared when suddenly, he stood from his chair and started walking towards her.

'What is going on?' She desperately thought. He wasn't acting normal!

"What happened?" She managed to speak.

"I was waiting for today, to tell you something that's not letting me sleep these days. And, it's all your fault." He said and at exactly that moment, the music ended.

There was absolutely no sound in the air, apart from the natural sound of waves and trees.

Sneha's brows furrowed deeply and she tried to stand when Viraj lowered himself slightly and placed his hands on both the armrests of her chair...caging her completely.

"I don't understand..." She began but he interrupted her.

"Shh...Listen to me very carefully." He said and lowered himself further such that his lips were exactly beside her right ear.

Viraj took a deep breath as if preparing himself for the heavy words he was going to speak. He had never thought of saying it to anyone in his life... ever. But, at this moment, he was vulnerable and completely at her mercy!

Kissing the top of her ear gently, he finally transferred the load of his heart onto hers.

"I love you, Sneha."

.

.

.

Sneha could hear her heart beating like drums. To say that she was shocked would be an understatement. She couldn't believe what was going on.

Why was this man confessing his love to her? She knew they didn't love each other. It was only an infatuation that Viraj felt for her.

Was she wrong all this time? She wondered. Or did Viraj assume the incorrect term for his feelings?

Whatever it was, she couldn't let this happen. Viraj wasn't supposed to love her! Period.

Sneha was brought out of her stunned state when Viraj pulled back from her ear and looked straight at her...still bent to her level and caging her on the chair.

"And, as long as we live, you are mine to care for, cherish and love." His heavy voice resonated in her ears.

Sneha continued staring at him with no expression. A lump started forming in her throat. She wanted to cry so bad.

They both stared at each other, for entirely opposite reasons. Finally, he smiled and slowly closed the distance between them.

"You are so beautiful, Sneha!" He mumbled and caught her lips in his.

She didn't know what to do. Her lips shivered as he continued sucking on them lovingly.

Viraj lowered his hands and placed them on her waist. Making her stand, he pulled her into an intimate hug while deepening the kiss.

A minute slowly passed and he still made love to her soft lips.

It was the wetness on his cheek that brought him out of the lust-driven phase.

"Sneha! Why are you crying?" He asked in complete surprise as he looked at her moist eyes and a small trail of tears on her cheek. He immediately wiped her tears away before she could do so.

To his dismay, she only shook her head negatively while looking at his chest.

"Tell me." He asked sternly this time.

She looked in the direction of the musicians unintentionally and found the area completely vacant. So, they must have gone while they were kissing, she concluded.

"Sneha..." Viraj asked again as she remained quiet.

So, she looked at his chest again and took a deep breath...not knowing what to tell him...Truth or another cooked lie.

"I...No one has ever told me this." She said and it wasn't a complete lie.

Viraj visibly relaxed his hold on her. With a smile, he pulled her into a hug again.

"Good. Get used to it now. I'll be confessing my love to you every day." He said and gently played with her long hair.

They remained like that for a moment before Viraj suddenly chuckled.

"You know, I was expecting you to say 'I love you too'." He said and then pulled away to look at her properly.

"I..." She was short of words now. If he'd force her, she was sure to hyperventilate. These were the words that she only wanted to confess to her husband...not to Viraj or any random stranger.

Viraj caressed her cheek with the back of his hand and mumbled.

"Relax. You don't have to say anything now. But, promise me that when you'd love me...you will tell me..." He then cupped her face and made her look at him.

"...Because I will patiently or impatiently wait for that day." He said and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Okay?"

Sneha only nodded.

"Is that a promise?" He asked to play with her.

"Yes." She answered because she knew that day won't come.

Viraj flashed a full smile again and made her sit on the chair again.

"Let's celebrate tonight." He said and walked back to his chair. He placed the metallic box from under the table in front of them and opened the lid to reveal eight small boxes of their supper.

"Do you know why I chose tonight only to confess my feelings?" He asked as he passed her the four boxes.

The fact that he was unintentionally serving her, didn't go unnoticed by her.

Sneha shook her head negatively. How would she know?

"Today was the day when my father confessed his love to my mother...my biological mother. And, it has always been a special day for him...even now when my mother is not here anymore. He spends the entire day in his room in Delhi and I know he is in his room right now too. It is his way of remembering her. So, I wanted to make this day special for us too." He said and passed the fork to her.

Sneha took the fork from his hand while processing his words in her brain.

"And, that reminds me...My father wanted both of our families to have dinner together before the marriage functions begin. When would be the best time for you?" He asked since he knew her semester exams were nearing.

'Never.' She wanted to say.

"Uhh... Why does he want to have dinner together?" She asked.

Viraj lightly chuckled.

"Does he need a reason to spend quality time with his only daughter-in-law's family?" He asked while having the first taste of the cheese pasta.

"I thought there was something..."

"It's just casual dinner. He wanted to meet on 7 June. But, you said your exams are beginning on 2nd June. So, it's either before that or after the last exam. When do you want it to be?" He asked.

"Uhh...after the exams." Was her obvious answer.

Viraj nodded.

"So, 21st June? Will that be fine?" He asked.

"Hmm." She hummed and continued eating.

"We will go dress shopping tomorrow." Viraj said after a short pause.

"Which dress?" Sneha asked.

"The wedding dress."

"Tomorrow? We still have two months left."

"One actually. May is almost over." He corrected her.

"Yes, I mean...Why shop so early?"

"It's not early, Sneha! Choosing the design and then getting it stitched...all this takes time. And, then, there are a lot of things that my family has to get for you as you are the first and only daughter-in-law of our family. We have to follow your traditions also, or your relatives will feel out of place. Although, we have our wedding planner for all those things...but still, I want everything to go perfectly fine.

"We have a wedding planner?" She asked in surprise.

"Obviously. You will meet her tomorrow. I know your exams are nearing and that I must not burden you with this stuff right now. That is why, we will finalize most of the details tomorrow. And I'll take care of the remaining things." He answered.

'Relax, Sneha! The wedding will not happen. Papa will find a way.' She reassured herself.

"Is the food not nice." He asked as she momentarily played with her spoon.

"Huh? No, it is nice."

"Eat properly, then. We have a lot to do tomorrow. I don't want you to get tired." He said.

Sneha nodded and resumed eating.

When the supper was done, Viraj held her hand again and made her walk beside him towards the water.

"It's scary, Viraj." She said as she looked at the wild waves in the dark.

"We won't go too near." He said and true to his words, they stood just behind the spot where the waves disappeared.

He looked at his watch and then pulled her closer by her waist, such that her body fell flat against his chest.

"Look up in the sky." He said to which she followed. She got the intuition of what was going to happen.

And, as she suspected, the first firecracker shot up in the sky while illuminating the entire night sky with all the colours of the spectrum. And, this was just the beginning as numerous firecrackers shot up in the sky to mark the day of his confession to her.

Sneha looked up in awe for full five minutes as the chemicals exploded in the sky. It was indeed beautiful, she couldn't deny it.

"Did you like it?" He asked as the last firecracker sparkled in the sky.

Sneha nodded slowly. What was the point of denying it?

"Great! Let's celebrate today's date, every year, like this. It will be our way of celebration. Hmm?" He asked hopefully.

Sneha looked up at him and...lied again.

"Okay." She unintentionally promised.

Viraj smiled and lowered himself to kiss her again. It was, after all, his favourite thing.

.

.

.

{Hey All!

Happy DUSSEHRA!!!

I hope you like this chapter!