She nodded, her smile widening, her watery eyes shimmering like a million little stars had been trapped within her irises.
“Aditi Krishnan, will you make me the happiest man ever and please marry me?” he asked sweetly, causing her to take a deep breath in, trying valiantly to hold back her tears.
“Yes,” she sniffed, feeling a joy that made her entire being glow from the inside. She’d never thought she would ever be loved like this. So openly, so thoroughly and so unabashedly.
Rian’s trembling fingers grasped her equally shaky hand as he slid the ring on, the fit absolutely perfect.
“It's beautiful,” she whispered.
“Not more than you.”
“Shut up and kiss already!” they heard a lady yell, belatedly realising that the mic nearby was still on.
“Sorry,” Aditi grimaced, her face red. “That’s my rowdy cousin.”
“I like this cousin,” he murmured, the tip of one finger tracing her skin where her blush spread. “I don’t know her but she’s my favourite.”
Aditi would have laughed except Rian actually did lean forward to kiss her in front of all her family and friends.
Her fingers speared his luscious hair, the glint of her ring shining brightly against his dark head. She sighed as his mouth moved over hers, enveloped by his love.
And truly, it was glorious.
40
The Krishnan Clan
Rian
The inside of Aditi’shouse was laid out in a style reminiscent of older Indian homes. Tall ceilings, white paint on the walls accented with warm wood and red oxide flooring. The large, central living space was comfortably furnished. On one side was a shallow pond that caught the moonlight from the skylight above it, sounds of the ongoing party outside trickling through.
Rian glanced upwards, catching sight of red roof shingles under the waterfall of lush creepers that had been strategically grown to act like a privacy screen for the dining space on the other side.
The dining room was blessedly empty compared to where he was.
Seated on a couch, with nothing but the wall behind him and a room full of people he’d never met in front, their expressions ranging from curiosity to displeasure, he felt uncharacteristically nervous.
The only consolation he had was that Aditi was beside him, her shoulder touching his arm. He tilted his head to the side, eyes sweeping the crowd that had gathered within the living room.
“All of these people are related to you?”
“Yep.”
“How big is your family?”
“Big enough to populate an island,” she whispered back.
“Will you be okay living with just me and Nanamma, full-time?”
She glanced up to find his eyes on her.
“Perfectly. Will you be okay with having my family members visiting us often?”
“We’ll move to a bigger place to accommodate more visitors,” he immediately offered.
“You’d do that for me?” Aditi asked, seconds away from leaping into his arms.
His dimple deepened. “I’d do anything for you.”