: The Kiss That Spoke

The white light of the hospital corridor buzzed faintly above them. Veeresh stood outside the ICU room, fists clenched, jaw tight.

> “Raghu,” Veeresh said in a deep voice, eyes burning, “Why did they do this?”

Raghu looked down nervously.

> “Sir… revenge. Because you shot Saif’s cousin in that Sadar Bazar encounter last year. They couldn’t touch you… so they found your weakness.”

Veeresh’s eyes went dark, remembering that split-second decision where he fired without blinking.

Then his mind flashed to the first day he saw Poornima — simple, innocent, soft-spoken… giving a chocolate to a wounded child.

> She doesn’t belong in my world.

And yet… she’s become my world.

He turned to Raghu.

> “Does Zain Singh know?” he asked curtly.

> “No, sir. No one informed him yet.”

Veeresh nodded.

> Good. Let it stay that way.

---

She Woke Up

Back inside the ICU, Poornima stirred slowly. Her lashes fluttered open, and her dry lips moved.

“Veeresh…”

He was beside her in a moment, his rough palm wrapping around her cold fingers.

> “Are you okay?” he asked, voice low, hiding his storm.

She looked at him… eyes blinking back tears.

> “Sorry… I’m sorry… I caused—”

Before she could complete the sentence, Veeresh leaned forward…

And kissed her.

Not quick.

Not gentle.

But deep, sensual, and full of emotions he never dared show. A kiss that wasn’t just lips — it was his fear, anger, pain, and that unnamed emotion he was too guarded to admit.

Poornima froze in surprise, her heart pounding in her chest.

Her hand slowly curled against his chest.

He pulled away, looking at her — unreadable.

> “Nothing,” he said simply. “You’re safe now. That’s all that matters.”

---

Back to Rathore Mansion

That night, the silence in the car was heavy.

Veeresh drove with one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on the gear, his thumb twitching — a sign of the storm he always hid well.

Poornima kept glancing at him, still feeling the weight of that kiss on her lips, her skin tingling with awareness.

They entered Rathore Mansion quietly.

She changed into her white kurta, hair wet from the shower, face bare.

He came into the room later, in his black tracks, shirtless — the usual.

He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, staring at the moon through the window.

She lay down, facing the other side.

The bed shifted as Veeresh lay down too.

Then, like every night since marriage, he pulled her closer to him.

But tonight, the way he held her — was different.

Not possessive.

Protective.

As if telling her — You’ll never face anything alone again.

Poornima, her back against his chest, closed her eyes.

> This man… scares me, confuses me, but somehow… I feel safest next to him.

And both slept off — wrapped in a silence deeper than words.

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