—VEDANT—
I woke up, naked and entangled with Sohini in her bed—her parents' bed.
The morning light spilled in faintly through the half-drawn curtains, casting a warm glow on her bare shoulder, the red of her saree still draped loosely around her waist.
This wasn't how I ever intended things to turn out. Not again.
Ever since Sanjana and I parted ways, I promised myself I'd never fall into something I couldn't control. Never let my heart be placed into someone else's hands again—especially someone so young, so full of life and dreams.
But with Sohini—resisting her was like holding back the tide with bare hands. She pulled me in, every time. Her boldness, her laughter, the way she looked at me like I mattered—it was intoxicating. And dangerous.
I turned on my side, watching her sleep. Her hair had fallen onto her face, wild and soft. Gently, I brushed the strands back, tucking them behind her ear. She stirred slightly, sighing. I leaned in and kissed her lips, feather-light at first, then again—this time letting myself linger.
I was falling. Hard. And I wasn't sure I could stop.
She stirred again. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, lazily. She blinked, still half-asleep, then smiled when she saw me.
"Good morning," I murmured, cupping her cheek.
"Mmm—what time is it?" she asked, yawning adorably.
I checked my phone. "Five fifteen."
She groaned and turned over. "Ugh. So early. I'm going back to sleep. Good night."
I chuckled, brushing her shoulder with my lips. "Alright. I should go. I'll see you later, okay?"
She reached out, hugging my arm. "Don't go yet." She pouted, and damn it—my heart flipped.
I smiled, leaning down to kiss her one more time, long and deep, until her breathing hitched and her fingers curled against my chest.
"I'll be back soon," I whispered. Then I slipped into my jeans and T-shirt, careful not to wake her again. I quietly stepped out into the morning air, hoping to make it to my house unnoticed.
But fate wasn't on my side.
There she was—my mother—standing in the lawn, watering her petunias. As if she'd been waiting. As if she knew.
She didn't even look at me when she spoke. "So, you're back?"
"Yeah," I replied, forcing a casual laugh, rubbing the back of my neck like a schoolboy caught sneaking in after curfew.
She set the watering can down and finally turned to face me. Her eyes were calm, but too knowing.
"You seem—happier lately," she said, and for a moment, I felt exposed.
I looked away. "Isn't that a good thing?"
"It is," she replied, her tone unreadable. "It's good to see you moving on from your ex-wife. Honestly, I'm glad."There was a pause. Her gaze shifted across the street—to the house next door.
"But do you realize," she said quietly, "that she's nineteen, Vedant? And you're in your thirties."
The words hit harder than I expected."Mom—" I exhaled, feeling cornered. "What are you trying to say?"
She didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to. Her words were calm and sharp.
"I'm your mother. I know you. You don't sleep with just anyone—you never have. You feel something for Sohini. I can see it. But she's just a girl. Naive. Inexperienced. And for her—you might just be a fantasy."
I clenched my jaw. She wasn't wrong. That was what made it worse.
What was I to Sohini? A passing desire? Her first heartbreak? Was this just a phase for her—and something permanent for me?
"Mom," I said after a pause, my voice low. "Sohini is a nice girl. She's kind. She's not—just a phase."
"I believe you," she said, reaching out to gently pat my back. "But I also know how this could end. I'm not saying she's at fault. I'm saying she's young. And you—you've already been through enough. Don't step into something that will tear you apart again."
I nodded, the weight of her words settling in my chest.
"Just be careful, beta," she added softly. "Think with your heart, yes—but don't forget to use your head. This won't just affect you. It will affect her future too."
I didn't say anything else. I couldn't. I walked back inside my house, every step heavier than the last.
Because the truth was—I had already started falling for her.
Back in my room, I lay on my bed, my mother's words echoing in the silence. What did I want from Sohini? From this relationship?
"I want to be with her. Forever," I whispered into the dark.It wasn't just lust or a fling. My feelings were deeper. And maybe, just maybe, she felt the same.
Later that night, we were at Sohini's place, having dinner together. She'd made parathas—soft, warm, buttery. Like comfort in edible form.
"You seem lost. What's on your mind?" she asked, tilting her head as she served me more.
I hesitated. "Sohini—am I not too old for you?"
She chuckled lightly, unfazed. "Age is just a number. Besides, I like daddies. You treat me like a princess."
I reached across the table and held her hand. She is a princess.
"But what if you find someone better?" I asked, trying not to sound jealous. "Someone younger."
Her eyes met mine. "What if you find someone better? Someone more—mature?"
"Not happening. I won't fall for anyone else," I said without thinking.
Her lips curved. "So you're into me?"
I smirked. "Why do you think I'm here?"
She got up and walked toward me, stopping inches from my face.
"Because you wanted to sleep with me?" Her breath teased my lips.
My jaw clenched. I grabbed her waist and pulled her into my lap, holding her close. "You're so wrong about me, Sohini."
She squirmed, trying to pull away, but I held her tighter.
"You're stuck with me," I whispered near her ear. "I won't let you go."
She leaned in even closer. "Alright then—I'm yours, daddy."
Her lips trailed over my jaw, my neck, my lips—soft and teasing. My hand tangled in her hair as I kissed her deeply. She smiled, breathless.
"Sohini—what is this?" I asked. "What are we?"
"Boyfriend-girlfriend," she said casually, like it meant nothing.
"And?" I needed more. Needed certainty.
"What else?" she shrugged.
"Sohini, I'm not in that phase where I want to explore or fool around. I want something serious. I need commitment."
She paused, staring at me. I couldn't read her expression. My heart raced.
"You want to marry me?" she asked, sounding more surprised than offended.
"No," I shook my head, then quickly corrected myself. "I mean—yes. Someday. When you're older. When you've finished college."
She smiled softly. "Alright then, Mr. Vedant Khanna. I promise—I'll either marry you or never marry at all."
She held out her pinky. I stared at it for a second—childish, yes. But also heartbreakingly sincere.
I wrapped my finger around hers. A promise. Pure. Innocent. Dangerous.
After dinner, she lay curled on my chest, the softness of her breath syncing with mine. We were tangled up in her bed, her room dimly lit with fairy lights. She handed me a book—Haunting Adeline.
"You'll love it," she said, eyes gleaming with mischief.
I flipped through a few pages, reading aloud. My brow furrowed almost immediately. "What the hell is this?"
She giggled, wicked and innocent all at once. "It's just fiction. Good fiction."
I arched a brow. "It's pure filth. Dramatic filth. My brain cells are begging for mercy."
She snatched it back with a playful pout. "You're no fun."
I grinned, dragging her closer until our foreheads touched. "I've got a better idea."
She bit her lip. "Oh? Do tell, Daddy."
I smirked, letting the title roll off my tongue. "We cuddle. And sleep."
She groaned, pushing me back with an eye roll. "Really?"
"Yup," I teased, deadpan.
Her tone dropped, voice breathy. "Can't we just—do what we did last night?"
Her fingers curled around my collar, tugging me toward her. Her lips brushed my jaw—light, teasing.
Before I could respond, she kissed me—slow at first, sweet and coaxing, then deeper, hungrier. She climbed into my lap like she belonged there.
Her shirt was gone in one smooth pull, revealing skin that glowed in the soft light. My hands slid up the curve of her waist, feeling the heat of her body rise beneath my touch.
"Soh—" I tried to speak, to slow us down, but she kissed me again—rougher this time, her fingers tugging at my hair, dragging a groan from the back of my throat.
She pulled away just long enough to unclasp her bra, letting it fall to the floor with a careless flick.
"You're already hard," she whispered, her hand slipping beneath the waistband of my track pants, fingers curling around my cock.
I growled, a deep sound rumbling from my chest, and flipped her beneath me with practiced ease. "Desperate much?"
She smirked up at me, hair fanned across the pillow. "Only for you."
I pulled off my shirt and her sight on me—flushed, eyes half-lidded, legs already parting for me.
I peeled her shorts down slow, my knuckles brushing her thighs, the heat of her skin making it hard to think. Her panties followed, soaked through.
"Fuck," I breathed, kissing a path up her inner thigh. "You're dripping wet."
Her hips twitched at the sound of my voice, fingers curling into the sheets as I fingered her—slow, deliberate strokes between her legs until she was squirming, begging, nails digging into my shoulders.
When I couldn't take it anymore, I shoved my pants down, my body burning as I positioned myself at her entrance. Her eyes locked onto mine—dark, dilated, desperate.
I slid into her wetness slowly, feeling every inch stretch around me, her breath catching as she arched into the contact.
"Ved—" she gasped, voice broken, blissed out.
"Shh," I murmured, our foreheads pressed together. "Just feel me."
We moved together—slow, deep, every thrust a kind of worship. Her nails raked down my back, her thighs locking around my waist as she met me stroke for stroke.
"Soh- Sohini." Her name was a prayer on my lips, her body a vice around me.
The pace quickened—needy, frenzied, all control gone. I kissed her like I needed her to breathe, her mouth melting against mine as we spiraled higher. She came beneath me with a cry of my name, trembling, clenching around me, dragging me over the edge right after.
We collapsed, tangled and breathless, sweat-slicked.
The silence after was golden. The air thick with sex and something softer. Her breath rose and fell against my chest, her fingers lazily tracing patterns on my skin. The room was dim, warm, heavy with the scent of her.
Peace. Until—
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I jolted awake, heart pounding. Fumbling for my phone—4:03 AM.
Another knock. Louder. Furious.
"Shit." I scrambled out of bed, barely functioning. I wasn't even in my place. My limbs were heavy, my brain fogged from sleep and sex.
I rubbed my eyes and opened the door—Time stopped.
Standing at the gate—were her parents and brother.
Her mother gasped, like she'd just walked in on a murder scene. "Vedant?"
Her father didn't speak—but his expression said everything. He looked at me like I'd just committed a federal crime.
And me?
I stood there. In my goddamn underwear. Hair wild. Chest bare. Guilt obvious.
"Oh—uh—" My voice cracked. "Morning?"
Sohini's mom slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes darting behind me. Her dad looked like he was about to commit manslaughter.
"I—it's not what it looks like," I blurted.
Which, obviously, meant it was exactly what it looked like. Her father stepped forward.
I took a step back.