"Just a batchmate? Nothing else?"
He sighed, a heavy, weary sound. "Nothing else."
"Okay." I walked out before I could make a fool of myself by asking more.
The next day followed the same agonizing routine. Saurav ate breakfast in his room while I sat alone at the massive dining table. He left for the office at eight and didn't return until nine atnight. To avoid him, I took my dinner in my room while he ate downstairs.
My phone buzzed with a message from Abhiraj. He was worried, asking if I was holding up okay.I’m fine,I typed back, though every part of me felt like it was breaking.
By eleven, I decided to make him a cup of black coffee, the way he liked it when he worked late. As I approached the study, I heard a woman’s laughter coming from his laptop. He was on a video call.
I moved quietly, trying to be invisible as I set the mug on his desk. I began to pull away, but before I could retreat, Saurav’s hand shot out and gripped my wrist. With a sudden, firm tug, he pulled me toward him.
I stumbled, landing right on his lap. My heart hammered against my ribs.
"Wow! Now that’s romantic," Yashvi’s voice boomed from the speakers. "Typical Saurav." She laughed, her eyes bright on the screen.
"What are you doing?" I whispered, my face heating up as I looked at the camera. My stomach dropped when I realized it wasn't just Yashvi. A whole team of soldiers sat in the background, watching us.
"She’s my wife," Saurav announced. I caught a flicker of something in his eyes, a hint of pride that made my breath hitch. "And she’s an absolutely mesmerizing classical dancer."
"Wait, I think I’ve seen her before," one of the soldiers said, leaning closer to the screen. "Does she have an Instagram?"
Saurav didn't hesitate. "Yes. She has over a hundred thousand followers."
"Wait a minute, Saurav," Yashvi chimed in, a mischievous smirk on her face. "Isthiswhy you made me create a fake Instagram account? Just so you could stalk your wife’s profile?"
"Actually," another friend interrupted, chuckling, "he spends half his time picking fights with the guys who leave comments on her photos."
I froze, looking at my husband in total shock. His grip on my waist tightened slightly, and I watched as the tips of his ears turned a deep, tell-tale pink.
"Ignore them," he muttered to me, though he couldn't hide his small, sheepish smile. He looked back at the screen, his voice regaining its commanding edge. "All of you, shut up now!"
The group erupted into laughter, but the sound faded into the background for me. A memory clicked into place, a specific follower who had been defending my honor in the comments section for months.
"Are you..." I started, my voice trembling with a mix of shock and realization. "Are you '@DarkLove'?"
The video call exploded. His entire unit let out a collective roar of laughter, hooting and clapping at his exposure. Saurav looked away, unable to meet my eyes, but he didn't let me go. For the first time in months, the ice between us didn't feel quite so thick.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he grumbled, though his thumb was tracing soft circles on my hip.
"You do," I teased, feeling a genuine smile break across my face. "You were the one who told that guy in the comments that his poetry was 'technically deficient and visually offensive'."
"It was," Saurav snapped, finally looking at me. "The man couldn't rhyme to save his life, and he was being disrespectful to you."
The soldiers on the screen were having the time of their lives. "He’s obsessed, ma'am!" one shouted. "He makes us look at your dance videos during briefing breaks!"
"That's enough! Dismissed!" Saurav reached over and slammed the laptop shut, cutting off the chorus of laughter.
The silence that followed wasn't heavy like before. It was warm. I was still sitting on his lap, my hand resting on his shoulder. The man who had been a stranger for three months was suddenly right there, hidden behind a pink-eared blush.
"You stalked me?" I asked softly.
Saurav sighed, his shoulders dropping. "I couldn't talk to you. I didn't know how to be near you without feeling like I was failing. So... I watched from a distance. I …” he hesitated, looking away. “I wanted to see you happy, even if I wasn't the one making you smile."
I searched his eyes, watching something flicker deep within those dark orbs. My fingers traced the exact spot on his neck where I had found that lipstick mark.
“One day, I saw lipstick on your neck,” I whispered.