Chapter 55 – A Sweet Secret

The next morning, the staff room was buzzing with chatter. Plates of sweets sat on the table—rows of coconut barfi, laddoos, and kaju katli glistening under the morning light. The professors were delighted, their voices rising in playful teasing.

“Ah, now this is a proper treat!” Professor Banerjee exclaimed, taking another piece of barfi. “First Professor Raj, now Professor Poornima—both giving sweets one after another! Who knows, maybe next week, wedding invitations!”

The room burst into laughter.

Poornima lowered her gaze, hiding the blush that warmed her cheeks. She sat gracefully, arranging her dupatta as though nothing touched her—but her heart beat wildly because she knew the truth behind the joke.

Veeresh sat right beside her, calm as ever, his presence commanding but unreadable to the rest. His arm rested easily around her waist, casual enough to go unnoticed, firm enough that she felt every ounce of his silent possession.

At first, she had stiffened at such gestures. But now… it had become natural. Her body leaned subtly into his, as though it belonged there.

Professor Banerjee launched into another story from his college days, his voice booming, his gestures dramatic. The room laughed, and Poornima couldn’t help it—she laughed too, her eyes bright, her dimples showing.

Veeresh glanced at her, watching her more than listening to the joke. The grip on her waist tightened just a little, hidden from all eyes. To the world, he was stoic, collected. But in that private gesture, he was a man completely consumed by his wife.

Poornima noticed. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, her smile softening—not at Banerjee’s joke, but at Veeresh’s quiet claim.

Their colleagues continued chatting, blissfully unaware that the two sitting so comfortably side by side, sharing sweets with everyone, were not just colleagues but husband and wife.

For Veeresh and Poornima, the sweetness on their tongues wasn’t from the barfi, but from the secret they carried—a secret that bound them tighter than any words could.