Chapter 16: Mark of Mine

The morning was unusually bright, but inside their cozy home, it was already filled with the usual quiet chaos.

Poornima stepped out of the room wearing something different than usual—jeans and a tucked-in white shirt, her BEL ID card hanging around her neck. She was tying her watch strap when Veeresh walked out of the kitchen, coffee mug in hand, and froze.

His gaze trailed from her neat collar to the curve of her waist, lips parting slightly.

“My heart is getting heavy, Poornima.” His voice was low but teasing.

She rolled her eyes with a chuckle. “It’s a corporate event at BEL. This is the uniform they gave. Don’t start your drama.”

Veeresh didn’t speak. He walked toward her slowly, set his cup down, and gently reached to fix her shirt, tugging it slightly straighter, buttoning the collar softly, his knuckles brushing her skin.

“You look… too good,” he muttered, tucking the shirt again near her waist with care, like it was sacred.

Poornima raised a brow. “Are you dressing me or claiming me?”

Without replying, he dipped his head and placed a soft kiss on her neck, just beneath her collar, then another—a deeper one, leaving a faint mark on the skin just where the shirt ended.

“Now it belongs to me,” he whispered, meeting her eyes.

She blushed, lightly pushed him back. “You marked me? Veeresh!”

He smirked. “Didn’t know my best friend would make me this possessive. But I don’t want any ‘Ravi from HR’ having ideas.”

Poornima laughed. “Possessive bestie… I didn’t know you had this side.”

Veeresh winked. “Many sides, madam. You’ve just unlocked a new level.”

She picked up her bag and turned. “I’ll be late. Don’t burn the house while I’m gone.”

He watched her walk out the door, then murmured to himself with a smile,

“Mine. Always mine.”

And Poornima, seated in the cab, touched the mark softly, a smile unknowingly forming on her lips.