𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭�...

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Kaho na pyaar hai..

I woke up at 4 PM.

WHAT? THE FUCK? 4 PM?!

I shot up, eyes darting around.

Bed? Empty.

Where's my jaan?

I grabbed my phone.

5 missed calls from Eshaani.

FUCK.

My meeting. I missed it?!

Now? What do I—

The bathroom door creaked open.

And there she was.

Draped in just a towel.

Wet hair clinging to her skin, droplets sliding down her collarbone, legs on full display.

Meri jaan.

I wish I could see this view daily.

Scratch that—I will see this view daily.

She looked up, blinking. "You're awake?"

No shit, sweetheart.

I smirked, leaning back. "If I knew this was waiting for me, I would've woken up earlier."

Her eyes narrowed. "Shut up."

I eyed her towel. "Or you could drop that and I'd shut up real quick."

"In your dreams, Ishaan."

I raised a brow. "Sweetheart, after today's scene, I don't need to dream."

Her cheeks turned pink.

Bingo.

"Stop looking at me like that." She huffed, tightening the towel around herself.

I grinned. "Like what?"

"Like you're mentally undressing me!"

I chuckled, dragging a hand through my hair. "Jaan, mentally nahi—main toh literally karne ke mood me hoon."

Her mouth fell open.

Then—bam.

A rolled-up towel hit my face.

I burst out laughing. "That the best you got?"

I caught the towel she threw at me, chuckling.

Feisty.

But my smirk faded the second she turned her back to me.

Because that towel?

Barely hanging on.

A single tug, and—fuck.

I swung my legs over the bed, eyes darkening as she rummaged through the closet, completely unaware of the storm she was about to unleash.

"Lavika." My voice was low, rough.

She stilled, fingers gripping a shirt. "Hmm?"

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "You're testing my patience."

She turned, frowning. "What?"

My gaze dragged down her body, slow and deliberate.

She followed my eyes—then realized.

Her grip on the towel tightened. "Ishaan, don't."

I tilted my head. "Don't what?"

She stepped back. "I know that look."

I grinned.

Smart girl.

In one swift movement, I was in front of her, hands braced on either side of her against the closet.

She sucked in a breath. "Ishaan—"

I traced a finger down her arm, my touch feather-light. "Haan, jaan?"

Her skin broke into goosebumps.

She tried to push me back. Tried.

But the second she did, her towel slipped just a little.

Her eyes widened. "Ishaan!"

I caught it before it fell, fisting the fabric at her waist.

Our bodies—flush against each other.

Her breath hitched.

My grip tightened.

"Careful, sweetheart," I murmured, lips brushing against her ear. "Ek aur wrong move, aur..."

Her fingers curled into my shirt. "Aur?"

I smirked, my lips barely grazing her jaw. "Aur tumhe kapdon ki zaroorat hi nahi padegi."

She shivered.

Fuck.

I felt it.

Her thighs squeezed together, that tiny nervous gulp she did when I had her like this—my jaan was affected.

Good.

She licked her lips. "Mujhe... kapde change karne do."

I leaned in, lips ghosting over hers. "Karo na."

She blinked.

I smirked. "Lekin mere samne."

Her mouth fell open.

Cute.

"Never happening." She pushed at my chest.

I caught her wrist, pulling her flush against me. "Sweetheart, tujhe nahi pata... tu kya deny kar rahi hai."

Her breathing stuttered. "Ishaan..."

I kissed her.

Hard.

She gasped, and I took full advantage, deepening it, letting her feel exactly how much I wanted her.

Her towel? Barely clutching onto decency.

My hands? Not far behind.

If she didn't stop me soon...

God help us both.

Her hands fisted into my shirt, lips parting under mine. A soft whimper left her mouth, and fuck—my control slipped another notch.

I pulled her impossibly closer, one hand at the small of her back, the other still gripping her towel.

Her body melted against mine, warm and soft, her scent intoxicating me like the finest drug.

She tried—tried—to push me back, but all it did was make her towel dip even lower.

"Jaan," I murmured against her lips, "ek second bhi aur ruka, toh control chala jayega."

Her breath hitched, eyes hazy, cheeks flushed the prettiest shade of pink.

"Then stop," she whispered.

I smirked. "Not when you're looking at me like that."

Her brows furrowed. "Like what?"

I trailed my nose along her jaw, inhaling deeply. "Like you want me to lose control."

She shuddered, her fingers twitching against my chest.

I felt her hesitation, her resolve warring with whatever desire flickered in those brown eyes.

Then, she exhaled sharply and pushed me.

Hard.

I barely took a step back before she yanked her towel up to her collarbone, glaring. "Go away, Ishaan!"

I chuckled, dragging a hand through my hair. "Jaan, you really think a flimsy towel is enough to keep me away?"

She huffed, stepping to the side. "I have clothes, you know."

I crossed my arms, leaning against the closet. "Change."

She blinked. "What?"

I tilted my head. "Change. I'm waiting."

She narrowed her eyes. "Turn around."

I grinned. "Not happening, sweetheart."

She exhaled in frustration, then muttered something under her breath before storming into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

I laughed, shaking my head. Feisty. I loved it.

Walking back to the bed, I checked my phone again.

Another missed call from Eshani.

Fuck. I should probably—

Buzz

Ishaan stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders before grabbing his phone. "Chalo, darling, mai chalta hoon. Office mein kaam hai."

Lavika, still flushed from their earlier moment, narrowed her eyes. "Haan haan, ab yaad aaya kaam?"

He smirked, stepping closer. "Agar tum jaise distraction saamne ho, toh kaam bhoolna natural hai, jaan."

She crossed her arms. "Jaaiye, warna phir complain karoge meeting miss ho gayi."

He chuckled, cupping her cheek. "Tum rest karo. Packing kar lena. Phir jaldi milte hain, hmm?"

She nodded, softening a bit. "Theek hai. Drive safe."

Ishaan leaned in, pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead. "Always."

With one last smirk, he turned and left—because if he stayed any longer, work would be the last thing on his mind.

🧸ྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀི

As I walked into my office, the familiar scent of expensive cologne and fresh coffee greeted me.

The glass walls overlooked the London skyline, but my mind was somewhere else—back in that damn hotel room, with my jaan wrapped in nothing but a towel.

Focus, Ishaan.

Eshaani was already waiting inside, iPad in hand, her expression serious. "Sir, you missed the investor's meeting. I tried calling you."

I sat down, rubbing my temples. "I know. Schedule a follow-up. I'll handle it personally."

She nodded and swiped on the iPad. "I also need your approval on the final budget reports. And the proposal for the new expansion—"

"Send the reports to my email," I cut in, rolling up my sleeves. "I'll go through them tonight."

Eshaani hesitated. "Sir, also... Mr. Sullivan wants a confirmation on the Singapore project."

I leaned back, tapping my fingers on the desk.

That deal was crucial, but right now, my priority was different.

"Tell Sullivan we'll finalize it after Holi."

Eshaani blinked. "You're going to India?"

"Haan," I smirked, checking my watch. "Book two business class tickets for tomorrow night. Lavika aur main saath ja rahe hain."

She nodded, typing away. "I'll arrange it."

I glanced at my phone.

No texts from Lavika.

She must be busy packing.

Or overthinking.

That girl's mind never rested.

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "Also, clear my schedule for tomorrow after noon. I want to spend the day with her before we leave."

Eshaani simply nodded, unfazed.

She was used to my orders by now.

I pulled out my phone, sending a quick text to Lavika.

Me:
Jaan, kya kar rahi ho?

A minute later, my screen lit up.

Meri jaan🫀:
Packing. Tum?

Me:
Tumhe miss kar raha hoon.

Meri jaan🫀:
Bas kuch der pehle hi toh saath the love.

I smiled.

She already knew we were going to India for Holi.

But what she didn't know... was the surprise waiting for her.

And knowing her?

She'd either love it...

Or kill me for not telling her sooner.

I leaned back in my chair, watching the confirmation email pop up on my screen.

Luxury Bungalow – Posh Area, Mumbai.
Status: Purchased.

A slow smirk spread across my face.

Perfect.

This wasn't just a house.

This was for us.

For our future.

For every damn morning I'd wake up next to her, for every evening we'd spend tangled in each other's arms.

For our marriage.

I could already imagine the look on her face when she found out.

Shock? Definitely.

A lecture about how I should've consulted her first?

Most likely.

But beneath all that?

I knew my jaan—she'd be touched.

"Sir?"

I looked up to find Eshaani still standing there, waiting for my next instruction.

"Anything else?" I asked, shutting my laptop.

She nodded. "Just your itinerary for tomorrow. Your flight to Mumbai is confirmed. Do you want me to arrange a car from the airport?"

"No need," I said. "My jiju will handle it."

"Understood." She hesitated. "And about the bungalow... should I inform the staff to prepare it before your arrival?"

I smirked. "Not yet. I want to be the one to show her."

Eshaani nodded, not questioning further, and left the office.

I picked up my phone, my fingers hovering over Lavika's contact.

Should I tell her?

Nah.

Some surprises are best kept secret.

After throwing the last set of clothes into my suitcase, I exhaled, plopping onto the bed.

Finally done. Well, mostly.

My charger, headphones, and some last-minute essentials were still lying around, but I'd deal with that later.

My phone buzzed.

I stretched my arm lazily to grab it and squinted at the email notification.

"Your Business Class tickets have been booked. Flight to Mumbai – 10:30 PM. Two passengers. Booking reference: XYZ123."

I blinked.

Twice.

Then scoffed.

So quick, man!

I hadn't even finished packing properly, and Mr.CEO had already arranged everything like some efficiency machine.

My shaan🏡🫶🏻:
Tum kya kar rahi ho, jaan?

Me:
Shukar mana rahi hoon ke maine ek organized boyfriend dhoond liya.

A minute later, my phone rang.

His name flashed on the screen.

I answered, rolling my eyes. "Ishaan, why are you so fast?"

His chuckle sent shivers down my spine. "Sweetheart, tumhe abhi pata chala?"

I groaned, flopping back on the bed. "Matlab packing bhi puri nahi hui, aur tumne tickets bhi kar diye? Koi discussion nahi, bas direct action?"

"I don't believe in wasting time, jaan." His voice was smug. "Aur tum mere saath ja rahi ho, ye toh obvious tha."

I sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. At least now I don't have to think about it."

He hummed. "Packing ho gayi?"

"Almost." I stretched my legs. "Bas kal subah thoda kaam hai hospital mein, phir free ho jaungi."

"Haan, I figured. Half-day le lo. Rest bhi zaroori hai."

I smiled.

Sometimes, behind all his smug arrogance, Ishaan really knew how to take care of me. "Haan, CEO sahab."

He chuckled. "Good girl. Kal milte hain."

"Hmm." I yawned. "Kal milte hain."

🧸ྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀི

Next Day

Dragging myself through the hallway, I let out a deep sigh.

I wasn't even doing anything major—just checking up on a few post-op cases, filling out some reports, and nodding along to my senior's instructions.

Still, I was so damn lazy today.

Maybe it was the pre-travel exhaustion, or maybe I was just mentally checked out already.

Either way, I kept glancing at the clock, counting down the hours until I could leave.

"Dr. Mehra," one of the nurses called, handing me a file. "These need your signature."

I took the papers with a tired smile. "Thanks, Priya."

She chuckled. "You look dead. Late-night studying?"

I snorted. "Late-night packing."

She raised a brow. "Oh? Going somewhere?"

I grinned, tapping the file. "Mumbai."

"Vacation?"

"Holi plans."

She gasped. "Oh my God, that's exciting! Who's going with you?"

I hesitated, but a slow smile spread on my lips. "My... um, friend."

Lies.

Boyfriend.

But saying it out loud felt too soon.

Priya wiggled her brows. "Sounds like more than just a friend."

I rolled my eyes, quickly signing the papers. "No comments."

She giggled. "Enjoy, Dr. Mehra."

With one last glance at the clock, I knew I was done for the day.

Time to head home.

9 PM
One Day Before the Flight

Ishaan sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his half-empty suitcase like it had personally offended him.

"Packing? Really? Kya zaroorat hai? Ek tee, ek jeans, done."

He grabbed a black tee and tossed it into his suitcase.

A moment later, he added another.

Just in case.

Then, a pair of jeans.

Good enough, right?

Then, he paused.

Wait. Lavika will judge me.

With a sigh, he stood up and grabbed a few more things—his favorite cologne, an extra shirt (only because she'd call him out), and the essentials.

Looking at the neatly packed suitcase, he smirked. Elegant. Minimal. Perfect.

He stretched his arms, cracking his neck. "Aur kuch?"

...Nah.

With that, Ishaan switched off the lights, set his alarm (which he'd definitely snooze), and crashed onto the bed.

🧸ྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀི

The day went by in its usual rhythm—meetings, emails, coffee, a little bit of annoying Eshaani (because why not?)—until the clock struck 8 PM.

Both Ishaan and Lavika were ready to leave for the airport.

Ishaan, being himself, called her up.

"Jaan, mai lene aau? Ya aap aajaoge airport pe?"

Lavika, rolling her eyes dramatically, replied, "Arey, pookie, mai aajaungi. Don't worry!"

Ishaan smirked. Pookie?

This woman was something else.

"Theek hai, but location on rakhna. Aur koi dikkat ho toh call karna."

"Haan haan, baba, jaise pehli baar travel kar rahi hoon."

He chuckled. "Bas keh raha hoon. Tum par trust hai, par  logo pe nahi."

She laughed. "Point."

🧸ྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀི

The moment Ishaan saw Lavika dragging two heavy suitcases behind her, he stopped in his tracks.

"Girl, 2-3 mahine ke liye India ja rahi ho kya? Yeh kya packing hai?" he said, eyeing her luggage like it was smuggling an entire mall.

Lavika flipped her hair dramatically. "I'm just a girl."

Ishaan raised a brow. "Acha? Just a girl? Just a girl jo pura ghar leke ja rahi hai?"

Lavika rolled her eyes. "Aapne kya pack bhi kiya hai? Ya bas ek tee daal ke nikal pade?"

Ishaan smirked, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Ek tee? Please. Do tee hain. Ek jeans bhi. Aur cologne."

She gasped, placing a hand on her heart. "Oh wow. Kya luxury packing hai, Mr. CEO."

He chuckled, pulling her closer. "Mujhe kya zaroorat? Tum ho na, jo extra extra pack kar ke chali ho."

She smacked his arm playfully. "Chup karo."

And just like that, amidst teasing and laughter, they headed towards their flight.

🧸ྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀི

As the boarding announcement echoed through the airport, Ishaan placed a protective hand on the small of Lavika's back, guiding her toward the gate.

"Seat window wali chahiye ya aisle?" he asked, smirking.

Lavika shot him a look. "Obviously window. I need my main character moment."

Ishaan chuckled, shaking his head. "Dekh raha hoon, film chal rahi hai tumhare dimaag mein."

The two made their way onto the flight, business class exuding luxury—spacious seats, plush interiors, and that subtle scent of expensive air.

Lavika settled into her window seat, adjusting her blanket, while Ishaan took the one beside her, loosening his watch.

Just as the flight attendant passed by, Ishaan leaned closer to Lavika. "Kuch chahiye? Champagne? Juice?"

Lavika gave him an unimpressed look. "Abhi paani mila haina , Us se kaam chal jayega."

Ishaan scoffed. "Jaan, kuch chahiye hua toh btadena"

She rolled her eyes, taking the water bottle anyway.

🧸ྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀི

An hour into the flight, the cabin lights dimmed, and most passengers had settled in for the long journey.

Lavika was engrossed in an episode of a K-drama on her phone, earbuds plugged in, eyes twinkling with excitement.

Ishaan, on the other hand, had his laptop open—attempting to finish up some work.

But his attention kept drifting toward her.

Her soft giggles.

The way she bit her lip at the suspense.

The way her fingers clutched the blanket as if the scene was too intense.

Adorable.

He smirked, nudging her arm. "Mujhe bhi batao, kya chal raha hai?"

Lavika pulled out an earbud and dramatically sighed. "Acha suno. Ye hero, na? Isko poison de diya villain ne, aur—"

Ishaan raised a brow. "Poison? Matlab ab iska scene khatam?"

She gasped. "NO! The FL saved him at the last moment! Toh ab tension ye hai—"

Before she could finish, Ishaan chuckled. "Toh basically, drama, tears, near-death, phir romance?"

She huffed. "Haan! Aur waise bhi, real life bhi toh aisi hoti hai!"

Ishaan tilted his head, looking at her intently. "Real life aur drama ek jaise nahi hote, jaan."

She smirked. "Oh? Matlab tum jo CEO ho aur secretly thoda danger bhi ho, wo ek typical male lead se kam hai?"

Ishaan narrowed his eyes playfully. "Tum kehna kya chahti ho?"

She winked. "Bas yehi ki... agar tum K-drama hero hote, toh bohot hit hote."

Ishaan's smirk grew. "Aur agar main villain hota?"

Lavika blinked, then grinned. "Phir toh dangerously handsome hote."

Ishaan chuckled, shaking his head. "Tum na, pagal ho."

She shrugged. "I try."

And with that, she rested her head against his shoulder, yawning softly.

Ishaan stilled for a second.

Then, his arm instinctively wrapped around her, pulling her closer.

The world faded, the hum of the aircraft the only sound between them.

Home wasn't a place.

It was a person.

And Ishaan had found his.

🧸ྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀིྀི

The moment they stepped out of the plane, the warm air of Mumbai hit them.

Lavika stretched, letting out a happy sigh. "Finally! Apna desh, apni mitti."

Ishaan smirked. "Bas, abhi se emotional?"

She rolled her eyes. "Arre, kuch nahi. Just excited."

Ishaan grabbed their luggage, nodding toward the exit. "Chalo, Adya wait kar rahi hai."

As they walked through the crowd, Lavika's heart pounded.

India. Mumbai. Home.

And something told her—this trip was about to change everything or maybe something?

───────── ౨ৎ ─────────

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