𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

Chapter 29: The Proposal

Roop's Pov

"I believe in you, does that count?"
He said, smiling softly and I felt my eyes blurring with tears.

Never in my life, I thought that I'll ever be as lucky as those girls in books to find a perfect fictional man who is not only obsessed with you, but also head over heels in love with you. And today, here I am. Standing in front of my Shiv Ji with the man I've prayed for my whole life.

I couldn't take my eyes off him, nor could I speak another word. His eyes softened with concern, making his grip on my hand tighten. He gently cupped my cheek with his other hand and raised an eyebrow, pouting a bit. I chuckled, "I thought you were an atheist."

"Don't underestimate me, Precious. I can be the most dedicated Shiv devotee, if that's what you want." He said, his words dripping with a sincerity that captivated my soul.

And I lost there. My willpower to cross him again. No remark came in my mind. All I could think about was the power he had over me. So much power that if he asked me to pour my heart out for him right now, I'd do that in a bit. Without any second thoughts. This dangerous power he wielded over me was only intensifying with each passing day, and yet I found myself craving it.

His lips curved with a small smile, "Now, shall we?"

I nodded and he guided me inside the temple. The Morning Puja and Aarti had just concluded. While everyone was taking the blessings of Pandit ji and holy flame of Diya, we headed to the deity of Shiv Ji together. We took the blessings together. I chuckled at how Aary mimicked me. Everything I did, like joining hands for prayer, bowing down in front of a deity, he did it all, time to time looking at me with a cute, innocent face.

Before turning back to leave, I applied the sacred Ash near the deity on his forehead. Before I could proceed to apply the same on mine, he held my hand and did the same thing I did to him, to me. He applied it on my forehead ever so gently and gave me the cutest smile. I didn't know how I was still standing. I thought I might melt and puddle around his feet because of his cuteness.

He instinctively took my hand in his and his other hand clutched my shoulder to move me aside as soon as he saw a group of aunties heading towards us. We moved to Pandit ji, took his blessings. We came out of the temple, all the time he didn't leave my side, his hand stayed around me, as if protecting me. It was Monday, so a little bit of rush was unavoidable. Yet, the feeling of being here with him and him, being overprotective of me, overwhelmed me.

We reached the event spot in an hour. It was a bit out of the city for a spacious look and a grand event. After all it was Malhotra's event and it's Ceo's engagement. As we entered the hall, we found Rahul and Vedu at the centre of the hall. Rahul took a step back from Vedu as if sensing us. He was so close to her. I could feel the subtle tension in the air. Her skin was flushed, red hue spread all over her cheeks as she glared at him. He passed her a last devilish smirk before leaving the hall.