"Okay?" he asked when he reached her, his hand settling at her waist.
The tightness eased. The noise receded to manageable levels. The world righted itself.
"Fine," she said. "Just... lot of people."
"Want to leave?"
"We just got here."
"I don't care." His fingers laced through hers. "If you're uncomfortable, we leave."
But she wasn't uncomfortable. Not with him beside her. Not anymore.
"I'm okay," she said, and meant it. "Just... don't disappear again."
Something flashed in his eyes. Satisfaction. Possessiveness. Triumph barely contained.
"Not going anywhere," he said, voice low and certain. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her temple.
Her breath hitched. She looked up. Vikram was looking at her with an expression she didn't dare name.
For the rest of the evening, he remained exactly where she could reach him. Where she could feel the solid warmth of him. Where the world felt steady and right.
Across the room, Kavita watched her sons with their wives. Raghav and Ishani moved through the crowd with practiced synchronization. And Vikram, who'd spent the entire evening orbiting Divya, his world narrowed around her.
"She kept looking for him when he stepped away," Harshit murmured. "Like she'd lost her bearings."
Kavita smiled. "The walls are finally coming down."
???
The breakfast table at Khanna Sadan buzzed with its usual morning energy, but Divya sat frozen, staring at her untouched plate of poha. Today was her Viva, the final exam for her post graduation. A questionnaire about the thesis she’d submitted months ago.
"Beta, you need to eat something," Kavita said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You can't walk into your viva on an empty stomach."
"I can't." Divya's hands trembled. "I feel sick."
"That's just nerves," Harshit said from behind his newspaper. "Perfectly normal. I threw up before my PhD defense."
"That's not helping, Dad," Raghav said mildly, spreading butter on his toast.
"I'm just saying, nerves are natural."
Beside Divya, Vikram reached over and plucked a piece of fruit from her plate, holding it in front of her mouth. "Eat. At least this."
She shook her head. "I can't."
"One bite." His voice was gentle but firm. "For me."
She opened her mouth reluctantly. He popped the fruit in, looking entirely too satisfied with himself.
"There. See? The world didn't end." He nudged her shoulder with his. "Now try the poha."
"I'm going to mess this up," she said quietly. "What if I freeze? What if I can't answer their questions? What if…"
"What if you walk in there and boss them around the way you boss me around?" Vikram interrupted, tone light.
Her head snapped toward him. "I don't boss you around."