Nandini's POV
Okay, so let me set the scene:
We've been living together for weeks now.
No major disasters.
He even smiled at me twice. (TWICE!!)
We've had breakfast together, watched another boring volcano documentary, and I almost played Twinkle Twinkle without breaking the piano.
So obviously... things were going too well.
Which meant life said:
"Let's shake this up."
It all began with a girl.
A very beautiful girl.
Very smart. Very elegant. Very not me.
Her name? Rhea.
Her crime? Breathing near my husband.
Apparently, she was his "close business associate" (eye roll).
She came to drop off some files. In person. Wearing heels sharper than my cheekbones.
She hugged him.
He didn't flinch.
He even smiled.
SMILED.
Not the "I'm tolerating your presence" smirk he gives me, but a genuine, warm smile.
Who even is this man?!
Later that night
I was sulking on the bed like a wilted plant.
He was reading something on his tablet, calm as ever.
I cleared my throat dramatically. "So... that girl."
"What girl?"
"Oh, I don't know. Just your supermodel business partner who touches your arm like she owns it?"
He blinked, confused. "You mean Rhea?"
"Oh so she has a nickname too. Lovely."
"Nandini," he said slowly, like I was a ticking bomb. "She's been working with me for years. She's just a friend."
"Sure. And I'm just your arranged wife you tolerate."
That made him sit up.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Uh-oh.
Abort sass.
Siddharth's POV
Nandini, normally shy and sweet, was now a full-blown volcano. And I didn't even do anything.8
"She touched your arm," she snapped.
"I didn't notice."
"Oh, of course you didn't. Men never notice. But if I talk to the milkman for two seconds, you stare like you're plotting his funeral."
"That's because the milkman called you 'jaan'."
"He calls everyone jaan!! That's just his thing!"
I exhaled sharply. "You're overreacting."
Wrong. Word.
She stood up like a furious kitten. "Right. Because being married to you means I should just smile quietly while models knock on our door and get free hugs."
"You're jealous."
She crossed her arms. "I'm human."
Nandini's POV
It wasn't just about Rhea.
It was everything. The distance. The silence. The "I'll-tolerate-you-but-not-love-you" energy.
"I know I'm not flashy or confident," I said, suddenly serious. "But I try. I really try. And sometimes I just want to know if it even matters."
He looked at me. Something shifted in his face.
"I didn't know you felt like this."
"Because you never ask."
Silence.
Then, softly—
"You do matter."
My breath hitched.
"You matter more than I let myself admit," he added. "I just don't... show it well."
Later That Night
No apologies were said.
No dramatic hugs.
But he brought me hot water when I went to wash up.
He made sure my blanket was tucked properly.
And before turning off the light, he murmured,
"Goodnight, Nandini."
And somehow, it felt like an apology.
Like a first step.