Chapter 37: The Waiting That Feels Like Hope

Veeresh was happy.

Not the loud, restless kind—but the quiet certainty that settles deep in the chest. He didn’t rush Poornima, didn’t remind her, didn’t push. He only carried one wish now: that when she chose, it would be from peace, not pressure.

Back at the company, work resumed, meetings followed schedules, decisions were taken—but Veeresh was lighter. Focused. Grounded. His team noticed the change, even if they didn’t name it.

Every evening, Rudra, Mannat, and Ramir came over like clockwork.

Some days they cooked, some days they teased him endlessly, some days they just sat together—talking about life, careers, random nonsense. The penthouse no longer felt cold. It echoed with laughter, clattering plates, familiar chaos.

Veeresh enjoyed it—but his eyes always searched for one presence.

Poornima.

He never said it aloud, but he knew. She would accept him. Not because he asked, not because the children wanted it—but because she felt it too.

Love, at this age, wasn’t about impatience.

It was about waiting with confidence.
About choosing gently.
About trusting that what was real would come—without force.

And Veeresh waited.

Not anxiously.

But with hope that felt like home already.