Are you happy?" Vyom asked softly.
I looked at him with tears in my eyes and nodded again and again.
"Very much," I whispered. "I'm so glad the school project got accepted."
"You worked hard, Nandini. It had to be," he said.
I hugged him without thinking. Overwhelmed, because one of my greatest wishes was finally coming true. For a second, I forgot myself.
"Nandini?" His voice was startled, but then his arms came around me, warm and steady. "You did well."
I sobbed—half with joy, half with relief. But the moment sank in, and I quickly broke the hug. "I-I'm sorry," I stammered, looking down.
He tilted my chin gently, his thumb brushing away a tear. "Stop crying, Nandini."
Startled by the tenderness, I blinked and then smiled weakly. "Okay," I said with a nod.
"Let's go back. It's already past nine. The meeting lasted longer than we thought."
"Yeah," I agreed.
The drive back was calm. The roads were quieter now, painted with the glow of streetlights. I leaned back in my seat, humming softly to a song. He tapped the steering wheel in rhythm, stealing glances at me.
Then, suddenly, my eyes widened. "Wait—stop!"
He hit the brakes, alarmed. "What?!"
"There!" I pointed ahead,"A fair!"
A small roadside fair stretched out near a field—bright stalls with colorful lights, laughter echoing from the merry-go-round, the smell of delicious food and cotton candy drifting in the air.
"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered.
I turned to him, eyes gleaming. "Please. Please, please, please. We're going."
He groaned, dragging a hand over his face. "Nandini, it's almost going to be midnight."
"And? What's more fun than sneaking into a midnight fair?" I grinned mischievously.
He gave me that long, suffering look—the one I knew meant he was already giving in.
"Fine," he said at last, parking the car to the side.
I clapped my hands together like a child. "you are the cutest!"
"That's an insult" he muttered.
"Shutup" I said.
As soon as we stepped out, the fair wrapped us in its chaos—kids running around with balloons, vendors calling out, the Ferris wheel glittering against the night sky. My saree swayed as I hurried ahead, dragging him by the hand.
"Slow down,Rose" he muttered, but didn't let go.
I shot him a triumphant smile. "You're going to thank me later,mr oldie."
"I'm just 31" he said.
"That's what oldie means" I said while laughing.
The fair was buzzing with life, a blur of colors and sounds. The smell of aloo tikki, jalebis, and roasted corn floated through the air. Children darted between stalls, their laughter rising above the music playing from a nearby carousel.
I looked around in delight, my eyes shining brighter than the fairy lights strung overhead. "Oh my God, look at this place! It's like a whole other world."
He shoved his hands into his pockets, watching me with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "You're behaving like you've never seen a fair before."
"Not this kind," I said, tugging at his arm. "Come on!"
Before he could argue, I dragged him to the first stall—ring toss.
I picked up a ring and squinted at the bottles lined up. "Easy."
The ring flew and missed completely.
He snorted. "Wow. What a skill."
"Shut up," I muttered, grabbing another. I missed again.
By the third attempt, he was openly laughing. "Remind me never to depend on you for survival games."
I glared at him. "Oh, really? Let's see you do better, Mr. Overconfident."
He stepped forward, tossed a ring casually and landed it perfectly on the doll's neck.
I stared at him, jaw dropping. "You cheated."
He smirked. "Winning is not cheating sweetheart."
The vendor handed him a beautiful doll. He held it up to me with mock seriousness. "For you. A reminder of your tragic defeat."
I grabbed it, pouting. "You're grumpy."
We wandered further, sharing roasted corn dripping with butter, me laughing at silly magic tricks, and even getting matching temporary tattoos—his of a wolf, mine a beautiful rose.
I did forced him for the tattoos but it doens't counts.
Finally, we reached the Ferris wheel. It loomed tall, its lights blinking like stars against the dark sky.
I turned to him, eyes sparkling. "We're going."
He groaned. "No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes!"
Before he could argue further, I had already bought the tickets and was dragging him toward the ride. He muttered something under his breath, but didn't pull away.
---
As the Ferris wheel rose higher, the fair shrank beneath us—tiny stalls, tiny people, tiny chaos. Above, the sky stretched vast and endless, dotted with stars.
I pressed my face against the bars, grinning. "This is so beautiful."
He didn't reply at first. When I glanced at him, he was watching me instead of the view, his expression unreadable.
"What?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
He shook his head, looking away. "Nothing, you are so chaotic."
I leaned back, hugging the doll to my chest. "You're boring enough for both of us."
He smirked faintly, but his gaze lingered on me longer than it should have.
The wheel stopped at the very top, leaving us suspended in the night sky. The fair sparkled below like scattered jewels.For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence wasn't heavy—it was fragile, like if one of us breathed too loud, it might break.
Suspended high above the fair, I leaned back with a dramatic sigh. "If this thing breaks, just know I'll haunt you forever."
He chuckled. "Haunt me?."
I smacked his arm lightly, making our seat sway. "Don't laugh, I'm serious"
His eyes widened. "Nandini! Sit still. You'll get us killed."
I laughed harder, clutching the rabbit to my chest. "Omg our beloved collector is scared".
He gave me a flat look but then shook his head, a reluctant smile tugging at his lips.
The ride slowed again, rocking gently at the top. Beneath us, the fair glowed like a sea of lanterns. Above, the stars scattered endlessly. For once, I fell quiet, watching the world with wide eyes.
He glanced sideways at me. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Very," I whispered, still looking down.
When I finally turned, he wasn't looking at the fair. He was looking at me.
I blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
"Nothing." His smirk returned a second too late. "Just making sure you don't try to jump out."
Yes," he said, deadpan.
I hit his arm lightly, laughing. "Collector cracking jokes, now that's history in the making."
---
When the ride ended, I was still grinning. "Worth it," I teased.
He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Childish."
I narrowed my eyes. "Trying to act tough, huh? I know you loved it."
He didn't deny it this time. Just shrugged. "Let's go back now."
"Not yet." I tugged his sleeve toward the food stalls. "We're trying some food."
"I follow a diet."
"Vyom," I warned. "One plate of tikki chaat won't kill you."
He sighed like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Fine."
I almost skipped in victory.
We sat on a wooden bench near a stall, sharing the hot tikki chaat off one paper plate. I took the first bite and closed my eyes with a happy groan. "This is heaven."
He watched me, bemused, then reluctantly tried a bite. His brows furrowed, like he hated admitting it, but he took another.
"See? Told you," I said with a triumphant grin.
"Still unhealthy," he muttered.
"You're hopeless," I said, laughing as I fed him another spoonful before he could object.
For a while, neither of us spoke—just the fair's laughter and music filling the air. And in that simple, ordinary moment, everything felt a little less complicated.
We finished the chaat, and I was still licking the masala off my fingers when he handed me a tissue, shaking his head.
"You're such a mess," he said, voice dry.
"Messy, but adorable," I corrected, grinning.
He rolled his eyes, but the faintest smile tugged at his lips.
The fair around us had started to quiet a little. Some stalls were shutting, the music softer now. I hugged the doll to my chest, swinging my feet as we sat on the bench. For a while, we just watched families drift past—kids with balloons, couples laughing, old men bargaining over roasted peanuts.
"Wanna get married?" I asked him. My eyes fixed on the families passing by.
"I'm not sure if I deserve one, Rose" he answered while avoiding to look at me.
"You do, trust me" I assured him. Maybe I am not good at consoling or making understand. But what I said was truly from my heart.
It felt… peaceful. Too peaceful. My heart started to race with something I didn't want to name.
We walked back to the car, my saree brushing against the dust of the fairground, the doll swinging in my hand. He unlocked the car door, but before I got in, I glanced back at the fair one more time—the lights, the laughter, the fleeting magic of it all.
I smiled. "Tonight was… good."
He gave me a look, softer than his usual smirk. "Yeah. It was."