✨ Author's Note – Mine Yes! ✨
Hey lovely readers! 💖
Things are changing. Walls are cracking. And unspoken truths are starting to surface.
This chapter marks a turning point—Ravi is feeling something he never expected, and Ria is starting to question everything she thought she knew. Their story is just getting started, but the tension? It's already off the charts. 🔥
"But her man will."
A slip of the tongue? Or something deeper?
Let's just say, this is only the beginning. 👀💫
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Thank you for all the love and support! Let's keep unraveling this story together. Your comments and reactions mean the world to me. 💕
With love and excitement,
Penola.S ✨💫
(^///^)💮💕📑
The hum of the engine filled the car, a steady rhythm against the quiet storm brewing inside her. Ria sat motionless, staring out of the windshield, but her mind wasn't here—it was still back at the party, replaying everything like a cruel, endless loop. Karan's taunts. The stares. The way her voice had wavered, almost breaking, before that single moment.
Before him.
She turned slightly, watching Ravi's profile from the corner of her eye. His grip on the wheel was firm, knuckles slightly tensed, his expression unreadable. There was something restrained about him, something held back, like he was forcing himself to stay silent. But silence wasn't absence—no, this silence between them was thick, charged with something unsaid.
"Stop the car."
Her voice cut through the stillness, a quiet demand laced with an edge of something she couldn't name.
Ravi didn't react immediately. His fingers flexed over the wheel, his breath slow and measured. But after a moment, he pulled over, the tires crunching softly against the pavement as the car came to a smooth halt.
Without looking at her, he reached into the compartment between them. A water bottle first—handed to her without a word. Then a neatly folded handkerchief, placed gently in her lap.
She stared at it, caught off guard.
And then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he pulled out a chocolate bar.
Her favorite.
Ria blinked, a breath catching in her throat.
He still wasn't looking at her, his focus pinned forward, his posture still, composed. But she wasn't fooled.
"How…" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "How do you always know?"
No answer.
Her fingers curled around the chocolate, unwrapping it slowly, shakily. The tension in her chest tightened, twisted, and for a brief second, she hated the way he always knew exactly what she needed before she even realized it herself.
It wasn't fair.
It wasn't fair that he could be so distant yet feel closer than anyone else ever had.
She took a small bite, the familiar taste grounding her, then exhaled.
"Are you going to answer me now?"
Ravi's fingers tapped against the steering wheel once. Twice.
Then stillness.
"You left the party," she continued, her voice quieter but no less steady. "You weren't there. But then suddenly, you came back." She turned fully to face him. "Why?"
The weight of her question settled between them.
A long beat passed before Ravi finally inhaled deeply, exhaling through his nose, his gaze unwavering on the road ahead.
"I had a feeling."
Ria frowned. "A feeling?"
His jaw tensed. "That you might need me."
Her breath stilled.
Something uncurled inside her chest, warm and unfamiliar, spreading beneath her ribs like wildfire. Her fingers tightened around the half-eaten chocolate in her lap, but she barely noticed.
He had come back.
Because of her.
Because somewhere, deep down, he had known.
She swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing down on her in ways she wasn't ready to acknowledge.
She wasn't alone.
Not when Ravi was near.
And somehow, that realization was the scariest part of all.
.______..______.✒️.______..______.✒️.______..______.✒️.______..______.
The air inside the car felt thick, weighted with the tension of unspoken words. Ria gripped the edge of her dress, gathering the fabric in her fingers as she worked up the courage to ask the question swirling in her mind.
Her voice, though hesitant, finally broke the silence.
"And you said… your man will."
Ravi's hands stilled on the steering wheel, his knuckles tightening for the briefest second before he let out a slow breath.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked, her voice softer now, almost unsure. There was something vulnerable in the way she asked, something that made Ravi shift slightly in his seat.
He noticed the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, the way she bit her lower lip as if bracing for an answer she wasn't sure she wanted to hear.
For a moment, he didn't speak. The only sound between them was the distant hum of passing cars and the faint rustling of leaves outside.
Then, finally, he sighed.
"I was just helping you," he said, his voice calm but distant. "That's all."
But the pause that followed was too long, too deliberate.
Ria picked up on it immediately.
"That's all…?" she repeated, tilting her head slightly. She didn't know why, but the words felt incomplete, unfinished—like there was something else he wasn't saying.
Ravi's fingers flexed slightly against the wheel before he pulled one hand away to run it through his hair. He exhaled slowly, shaking his head as if trying to clear his thoughts.
"Forget it, Ria." His tone was firm, like a door closing between them. "If you're done, I'll take you home. I have a meeting after this."
He reached for the gear shift, but just before he could drive, he muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for her to hear.
"Yeah… control your damn mouth, Ravi."
Ria's gaze snapped toward him.
He hadn't meant for her to hear that.
And yet, she had.
The words settled in her mind, stirring something she couldn't quite grasp. Her fingers tightened around the water bottle in her lap as she struggled to understand what he meant.
She took a shaky breath.
"If I ask you something… will you do it for me?"
Her voice was quieter now, carrying an unspoken plea.
Ravi's jaw twitched. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye but didn't turn his head completely.
"Depends on what you're asking."
She hesitated. "Just… something simple."
He let out a small, humorless chuckle. "Ria, nothing about you is simple."
She frowned at that.
But before she could press further, Ravi finally gave in with a sigh.
"Whenever you need someone…" He turned to look at her fully now, his dark eyes meeting hers in the dim glow of the streetlights. His voice was steady, but there was something raw beneath it. "I'll be there for you."
Her breath hitched.
She wasn't sure why those words hit differently. Maybe it was the way he said them—without hesitation, without expectation. Just a simple promise.
Or maybe… it was because she believed him.
The car ride back was quieter than before, but not because they had nothing to say.
It was because, for the first time…
They didn't need words to understand what was left unsaid.
💕.______..______..______.💖.______..______..______..______.💕
Ravi's grip on the steering wheel remained firm, his eyes locked on the road ahead. The silence between them felt different now—charged, yet fragile. It wasn't like before, when he could pretend that nothing had changed.
Because something had changed.
Ria kept stealing glances at him, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her dress. She wasn't sure why she kept looking at him, but she couldn't stop. It was like she was trying to decipher something in his face, something she didn't quite understand yet.
Why did he act this way only when they were alone?
Why was he so different outside the house—away from her family?
Her thoughts tangled with each other, and she shook her head slightly. We're not friends. That's what she always told herself. And she was right.
They couldn't be friends.
But then… what were they?
Little did she know, the man sitting beside her was having his own war inside his head.
Ravi clenched his jaw, his mind replaying the last few minutes—the way she looked at him, the way she hesitated before asking him to do something for her. He had been reckless tonight. His words had slipped, his emotions nearly spilling over.
He had just gotten caught.
And now, he knew—she would never accept him as a friend.
So how could she ever accept him as something more?
His heart was betraying him, pushing him toward something he knew was impossible. Control yourself, Ravi. But no matter how much he told himself that, the ache in his chest refused to listen.
The car rolled to a stop in front of the mansion.
"We're here," Ravi said, his voice even, controlled. "Go inside. I'm getting late."
Ria hesitated, her hand on the door handle. She stepped out but didn't move immediately toward the house. Instead, she stood there for a moment, her back still to him.
Then, she turned slightly.
Her voice was soft, almost hesitant.
"Thank you… Ravi."
Ravi's fingers twitched.
His name.
She had never called him by his name before. Not like this.
His eyes widened slightly, surprise flashing across his face. He watched as she turned back around and walked toward the house, her figure illuminated by the warm glow of the mansion lights.
But just before she stepped inside, she paused again.
And for the second time, she whispered, "Thank you."
This time, she didn't look back.
Ravi exhaled, leaning his head back against the seat. A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at his lips.
You don't realize it yet, do you, Ria?
Even if she didn't understand her own actions, she had left him with something—something uncertain, something unspoken. But it was enough to stir a quiet sense of pride within him.
"I have feelings for you…" he muttered under his breath. "But I can't confess."
His thoughts were interrupted by the sharp knock on his window.
"Ravi!"
His head snapped up. Outside the car, Rudra was staring at him, arms crossed.
"Come back to earth, man. We have a meeting."
Ravi blinked, his expression returning to its usual unreadable calm. With one last glance at the mansion, he started the car.
As he drove away, he could still hear her voice in his head.
Thank you, Ravi.
It was just his name.
But why did it feel like something more?
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An Unspoken Truth
The low hum of the car engine filled the silence as Ravi drove toward the Singhaniya Corp headquarters. His grip on the steering wheel was firm, his posture straight, but his mind was elsewhere.
Ria's voice still echoed in his ears.
"Thank you, Ravi."
For the first time, she had called him by his name.
It shouldn't have mattered. It was just a name. But coming from her—coming from Ria—it felt like something more. A crack in the distance she had carefully placed between them.
Ravi wasn't the type to overthink things. He was a man of logic, control, and discipline. But right now, all of that was failing him. His fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel as he replayed the events of the night.
Karan. The alcohol. The forced proposal.
And the moment Ravi had stepped in.
"But her man will."
Why did he say that?
He had spoken without thinking, driven purely by instinct. Seeing Ria—vulnerable, struggling to hold herself together—had broken something inside him. His self-control had wavered, and before he knew it, the words had left his mouth.
And now, there was no taking them back.
"You're awfully quiet," Rudra's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Ravi glanced at him briefly before focusing back on the road. "Just thinking."
"About Ria?" Rudra's tone was casual, but his sharp gaze was anything but.
Ravi's jaw clenched. Rudra wasn't just his boss—he was Ria's older brother. And that made things even more complicated.
"No," Ravi lied smoothly. "About work."
Rudra huffed a laugh, leaning back in his seat. "If you say so." He didn't push further, but his knowing smirk said enough.
Ravi ignored it.
—
Meanwhile, at the Mansion…
Ria stood in front of her bedroom mirror, staring at her reflection.
Her hands clenched the edges of the dressing table as she tried to make sense of the storm raging inside her.
Tonight had been a disaster.
No—it had been worse than a disaster.
Karan had humiliated her. Tried to force her. And then, Ravi had stepped in—like he always did.
Ravi.
She exhaled sharply, frustration bubbling inside her. He was infuriating. Always appearing at the right moment. Always shielding her, protecting her—like it was his job.
But that wasn't what confused her.
What confused her was the way her heart had reacted when he spoke those words.
"But her man will."
Her fingers tightened around the table. She had felt something—a shiver, a rush of something unknown—when he said that. But why?
Why do I care?
She didn't have an answer.
And that scared her.
—
The Meeting
By the time Ravi and Rudra arrived at Singhaniya Corp, it was already past midnight. The office was mostly empty, save for a few executives waiting in the conference room.
Ravi walked inside, his expression unreadable as he took his seat. But no matter how hard he tried, his mind refused to focus.
Minutes passed. Conversations happened. Deals were discussed.
And yet, all he could think about was the way Ria had looked at him tonight.
The way her voice had softened.
The way she had whispered his name.
"Ravi."
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath, rubbing his temples.
He was in trouble.
Because for the first time, he realized—
He was falling for her.
And there was nothing he could do to stop it.