"I can see my life partner in you."

Sakshi gasped at his words. This was not what she had expected from him to say. Goosebumps risen on her skin as he further said, "Do you realize, what I am trying to say?"

She frowned, now not being able to digest his direct approach. It was fine with what was going in between the families. But this direct conversation with her professor, that even about the marriage thing was spoiling her moon that she had collected for the meet with Shrey.

"I realize," she replied. "But do you?"

Kabir smiled while intertwining his hands on the table. "Then, what is the problem?"

Sakshi bit her tongue. Did he want her to repeat of what she had said on the terrace? Did he not recall that he was much elder than her? She sighed.

"Mr. Nair, I understand-"

"Please call me Kabir."

Sakshi showed him her palm, while clenching her jaws. "Enough, Mr. Nair." Her heartbeats fastened just as hurt reflected in his eyes.

She breathed. "Look, I know what my Aunt had been planning. But you are much ahead of her. Of next generation. You can understand my reason. I am too young to get into these things."

"So, there's no problem in me?"

Sakshi stared at him while shaking her head. She was tired of repeating her words. Already, her aunt, Aditi, people were getting irritated by her and now, she didn't want to make it bad with her professor too.

"First of all," she thought deeply. "Tell me, why you didn't come on the date? If you would have been there, I might have changed my mind."

He chuckled, while scratching his temple. "I told you. Didn't I?" Sakshi crossed her arms and sat straight while he sighed.

"I just got my job here in the University. At the same time, my family shows me your photo because from years, they had their eyes on you, thinking that you could be tagged with any of the boys in our family. Now, I am the one because I got age, and job, and looks. . ."

Sakshi's lips parted while he continued, "Mihir's mom told me about this date you arranged." He cleared his throat before smiling sheepishly.

"I really was not ready to meet you."

Sakshi flared her nostrils, "You are a teacher. You have to teach so many girls. Why would you be so shy? Didn't you attend college yourself? Or were you a nun?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Hey! I had this one insecurity too. I was uncertain if it could be a girl I won't like and then, it would be awkward if she is a student in the same University. What if someone had seen us?"

Sakshi gulped, now agreeing with Aditi who had guessed the same thing. She was now understanding his situation but how could she just accept her professor as her groom.

"But I still deny that I have never been with girls. I have always been a scholar kind of a guy, getting my dream job and settling. Mihir found you someone of my choice. And I agree with that now," he said and pursed his lips, earning a blank stare from her.

"If I am that bad, or old for you, I understand. But think for once," he told her. "I am mature than these college kids you are friends with. I can take care of you and your dreams, Sakshi."

Her heart fluttered at his words, and eyes glistened as she felt bad for him. "I am so young-"

"I know. We won't marry until you are ready. You can get to know me here while studying. I won't ever force you. Your brother had already made sure of that when I had met him last time," he chuckled.

She lowered her eyes, not believing her ears. "What if I say I am not ready to date anyone?" She asked lowly.

His eyebrows raised, "I am not telling you to do so. I just want you to give me some time of your days, so we can know each other. If you don't like me, I will step back like the man I am."

She looked up at him. "But why me?"

Kabir stared at her with a small smile on his face. "I told you, my family made me see you. And your Tai ji is very well involved in it. But I don't blame them anymore because making it work ahead is on us and it can only happen if you give me a chance, Sakshi."

Rolling her eyes, she sighed. Shaking her head in utter stress, she groaned. She was thinking about telling him how her heart was stolen already. And giving him a response that he wanted, won't be fair to him. It would spoil his experience in first love and what she had suffered herself, she didn't want it to happen to anyone else.

"You don't have to stress over it. You can perfectly pay attention to your studies. I just want nothing but some time from your week. So we can know each other. You are bold and honest, you can bluntly tell what you would feel later about me. But giving a chance is not at all wrong," he reasoned.

Sakshi gulped, now staring at him in tiredness. "Mr. Nair, please. I am not ready for even seeing a guy. That even my own professor. I don't want you to suffer a disaster as a first love by involving with me. I am an ambitious person behind the face you find so innocent. I can break hearts if I would have to get what I want."

Kabir's jaw ticked as he digested her last words. He wouldn't deny how it was such a turn on for him. The girl had merely talked and yet he was already having wild dreams.

"Isn't it much satisfying for you that I don't have any other guy in my life?" She asked innocently. "As a teacher, you must understand that I am not ready."

"But-"

"No." Sakshi breathed hard and stared at him. "Enough. I won't reason with you anymore. I am tired of it. Because of you, my holidays were spoiled. My own homes felt like a cage."

She joined her hands in front of her and jerked her forehead. "Please, leave me alone. I am requesting you. And if you are not one of those men to step back by a heartfelt request," she stepped closer to him, looking into his eyes.

"Just remind yourself that my surname is Rathore," she said in a calm tone.

Kabir raised his eyebrows and got a glimpse of her lips. He looked up in her dark eyes, blinking in amazement. "Well, you are still my student and need to show me respect."

Sakshi chuckled and silenced.

"You are still the guy who ditched me on a date, played with me by being invisible, kept your greedy eye on me, stalked me to my home and took your chance." She smiled humorlessly.

"You are still the guy who wants to block my path in achieving my dreams, creating a knot in me and my Aunt's relationship, and making educating lectures a torture for me." She nodded briefly while stepping back. "You need to show respect to my opinions too."

Kabir stared at her stepping back slowly. She picked her bag from the table and walked to the door. Turning her head, she again gave him the warning look and walked out of his office but not before reminding him.

"Rathore."

______

Aarush burst out laughing hard, and patted Sakshi's knee. "What the fu.ck! Is this a movie playing on that you guys are putting dialogues and all?"

Sakshi chuckled while wiping her eyes. "I think so. My life has actually became a movie. Everyone is acting. Drama is happening."

"But who is the hero?" Aarush wiggled his eyebrows at her while smiling goofily. Sakshi rolled her eyes while biting her lip. "C'mon, give me a name. If not the professor, then is it your Malhotra guy?"

Sakshi widened her eyes and touched her forehead. "Fu.ck!"

She hurriedly pulled out the phone from her pocket and unlocked it. Groaning she whimpered while looking at the question mark Shrey had sent her when she hadn't replied him.

"Because of that professor, I have forgotten about Shrey." She muttered through gritted teeth while Aarush frowned.

She had forgotten her coffee that she had ordered and instead was typing hurriedly. But chewing her lip, she frowned. What if Shrey had already judged that she was ignoring him? Last time, he had immediately called her. Would messaging him alter her self-respect? Would it look over to him?

"Well, you are really one of those girls. You are wasting time over a message?" Aarush muttered while trying to get up from his chair and peeking into her phone.

Sakshi hid the screen immediately and explained, "Shrey and I had been planning to meet."

Aarush widened his eyes. The healthy air around him turned heavy as he suddenly realized. "Meeting him? You mean your ex-lover?"

Sakshi gulped while sighing hard. "Yes. But as people who just want to know if other one is happy. He wants to know what I did in these four years, how much I have changed. And I just want to," she looked at him hesitantly, "be near him."

Aarush observed her eyes holding the innocence, the seriousness and he couldn't help but remind her, "He is a rapist."

Sakshi closed her eyes. "He has been wrongly blamed. And today, he'll tell me the story."

Aarush shook his head. "Do not be one of those girls who let others breaking their hearts again and again. You are my friend. The one who pours out impressive dialogues on her perverted professor's face. Not who is now dreaming to be close to her ex-lover."

"C'mon," he gave her a pleading look. "You haven't replied him. Just tell him, you are being busy. He'll understand and won't bother you. As a friend, I won't let you be with him for even a second. He might be getting investigated or spied on everytime. You might be just trapped for no reason. . ."

Sakshi got up from the table while flaring her nostrils. "Aarush, enough. You are over thinking. This is just a one-time meet. We haven't seen each other from years and he has a lot to tell me. Don't you think I'll get blessings if he would feel fine after pouring his heart out to me?"

Aarush got up and immediately asked, "Truly a one-time?"

Sakshi swallowed and turned around to stare at him. She looked in his chocolate eyes and sighed. "I don't know. But you just don't see people that easily when you had thrown them out of your life years ago. It's destiny. I believe I got so desperate to help him in overcoming this suicidal tendency, for a reason. He listened to me and he is alive. He wants to thank me for it, peacefully."

She held his hand. "Only for that thing, we are meeting. Nothing else. I have moved on."

Aarush rolled his eyes. "Moved on my ass! I can see you blushing just by talking about him."

Sakshi slapped his chest and chuckled out, blushing more. "I am just overwhelmed to meet him. At least I would be taking a break from this marriage thing that has been happening. I know I will find peace."

Aarush bit his lip and pursed them while nodding. "Okay. Just one time. And ask more about his case. You need to be aware if he is truly innocent," he said reluctantly.

An excited laughter escaped her mouth as she hugged him immediately, jumping on him. "Thank you. Thank you. You are so understanding. You are my soulmate, Aarush. I wished you have been gay."

He swallowed his inner cheek when she pulled away, watching her laughing at his face. This was a joke she would always put on occasions.

"So, I could share my sexual fantasies with you too. We could even have a crush on the same guy?" She giggled watching him controlling his smile.

"You're an idiot," muttered Aarush while sucking in a breath, his face paling.

Sakshi clicked her tongue. "I am a dreamer. Not an idiot."

Aarush sighed. "But that girl glaring at us surely is."

She followed his gaze and turned her head only to gasp at seeing a teary-eyed Aditi standing there. Sakshi removed her hands from Aarush's shoulders slowly and frowned as she saw her stomping her foot and walking away from there.

"Aditi," she called out but Aarush stopped her.

"Leave it."

"You know, what she is trying to get from you," whispered Sakshi while glancing at him. "Why don't you guys talk it out?"

Aarush shook his head. "She is being dramatic. There's so much important things other than this. All she wants is to get into my pants."

Sakshi opened her mouth while staring at him. "She likes you. Genuinely."

"We have that professor and this Malhotra thing already. Before anything, we three are friends, Sakshi." He told her. "Instead of giving opinions and listening us out, she is being stupid."

"Our thing could have been handled later," he completed.

Sakshi raised her eyebrows, nodding in relief that there was actually a thing of theirs. Maybe, she too could just focus on Shrey, leaving all of the marriage thing away.

But she promised herself that after meeting Shrey, she would surely talk to Aditi about it as a great friend that she was.

______

So, I thought to give a double update, remembering how we used to do it during Win Her Heart.

The book is close to reach #1million soon. Smiles at how the time is passing beautifully by writing something that I wanted to read and which is being loved by you guys too.

Thank you.

There will be fun chapters coming up as Sakshi be finally meeting with Shrey.

Moving on is necessary, from a relationship that never happened and can break you terribly.

But Sakshi is playing with fire by going back to meet Shrey. Even as a one-time thing, but it might unlock all the feelings that she have kept locked all these years by improving herself. Then there is an opportunity that God is giving her by providing a man like Kabir. Now what of a man he is like, you'll be educated throughout the chapters.

I want you all to enjoy these tale of hearts and their lies. Please keep supporting.

Will be updating soon. 💖