Aryan
“One more, please,” Ira said, her voice playful yet sweet. Her wide, pleading eyes locked with mine, those puppy like eyes that had always been my undoing and I felt my resistance crumble like sand beneath a wave.
Damn. She was beautiful.
Not just in the way her dusky skin shimmered under the golden lights of the club, or how her black curls framed her flushed face perfectly, but in the way she looked at me like I was her entire world. We were just two days away from becoming husband and wife. Mrs. Ira Rathore. It already sounded too good to be true. My fiancée. Soon, my wife and my forever.
“You forget our discipline, Ira,” I said, raising a brow with mock sternness. “What were we taught in our army training?”
She rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips, as she nudged the shot glass closer to me. “Aryan, please. Don’t bring your army discipline here. Tonight, you’re not a captain and I’m not a lieutenant in the Indian Army. We’re not in uniform. We’re not standing in formation. We’re just two people who’ve waited a decade for this moment. Let’s live it a little, hmm?”
I chuckled softly. Her words had a way of grounding me and lifting me at the same time.
“I would be really happy if, for just these two days, we forget we’re officers,” she added in a softer tone, “and just remember that we’re a couple, deeply in love, celebrating the last few days before becoming one.”
“Enjoy, baby. It’s our night.”
I couldn’t argue with that. I lifted the glass and threw the shot back in one go. The bitter burn hit my throat hard, making me wince.
“Shit! That’s strong.” I coughed, shaking my head.
Ira giggled, and before I could recover, she grabbed my hand and dragged me to the dance floor. The music thumped around us like a heartbeat, fast and relentless. Everyone turned as we joined the crowd, and a collective cheer rose. Some of our friends clapped, others whistled, and a few raised their glasses to us.
Ira moved like she was made for the rhythm. She was confident, wild, and free. I placed my hands on her waist, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin fabric of her dress. Her eyes glistened as she looked at me like I was the only man in the universe.
God, she didn’t even know.
She didn’t know the way she filled every corner of my heart. How each beat of my life had been pulsing in sync with hers since the day we met. Ten years. A full decade of laughter, trials, arguments, letters during training, nights spent dreaming under the stars, and long conversations whispered between missions.
I met Ira when she was sixteen. I was eighteen. We were kids then. We were awkward, stubborn, and loud-mouthed teens in our school uniforms. But something sparked that first day. Something magnetic and impossible to shake off.
I thought I’d lose her when I joined officer training, thought our paths would naturally drift apart. But Ira surprised me because she’d cracked her CDS exams and entered the same training academy. I thought she would chase her modeling dreams, but no, she chose a path even harder. She chose duty. She chose the country. And I chose her all over again.
“Aryan…” she breathed, her voice dreamlike, her gaze softer than the moonlight.
I knew that look.
Without a word, I took her hand and led her through the crowd to a dimly lit hallway that opened off the dance floor. A quiet corner. No eyes. No music. Just us and the sound of our racing hearts.
I backed her gently against the wall and leaned in, capturing her lips with mine in a kiss that was more fire than oxygen. She gasped against my mouth, tangling her fingers in my hair as if she needed more than oxygen. I kissed her deeply, hungrily, like it was the last time.
God, I wanted her right then and there. My pulse pounded, my blood roared but I reminded myself: Ira deserved more. She was not just my desire but she was my destiny. My queen. And queens should never be rushed.
Still, the temptation clawed at me.
“Aryan,” she whispered, breaking the kiss, her voice husky and low. “Why do you have to be so damn handsome, so sexy… so tempting, huh? I can’t even resist you anymore.” Her fingers gripped my shirt, tugging me closer. “Can we just…?”
“Ssh,” I whispered, placing a finger on her lips. “We’ll wait. Just two more nights. You deserve to be cherished, Ira. Not claimed in a corner of a hall, half-drunk and reckless.”
Her eyes burned with frustration and affection. “You’re killing me,” she muttered.
I smiled, brushing her hair back. “We’ve waited ten years. We can wait two more days.”
She surprised me then her lips trailed down to my neck, and suddenly I gasped, taken off guard when her teeth sank gently into my skin.
“Ow!” I hissed.
She pulled back, smug, her lipstick slightly smeared. “Don’t you dare stop me, okay?”
I shook my head, laughing softly. “You are trouble.”
“And you love it,” she whispered, pressing another kiss to my cheek. “I can’t wait to share your name. I’ve dreamed about this for so long, Aryan. We were made for each other, you know that? There’s no one else. It’s always been you. It’ll only ever be you.”
Emotion bubbled in my chest like a wave. “I love you more than the whole universe,” she added.
I wrapped my arms around her, our foreheads touching. “And I love you more than the whole Milky Way.”
We laughed the way only two people in love could. The music from the club felt far away now, like we were in our own little bubble.
“Thank you for always standing by me,” I murmured. “For chasing your dreams. For being everything.”
“Don’t get all sentimental on me, Rathore,” she teased, though her eyes shimmered. “Sometimes, I still can’t believe you’re the same Aryan who stares down generals without blinking. You look so brooding and dangerous in your uniform, if only people knew how soft you really are.”
“Only for you,” I said.
She playfully narrowed her eyes. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten how many girls threw themselves at you over the years. You rejected every single one of them like swatting flies.”
“They weren’t you,” I said simply. “And they never will be.”
Just as the words settled between us, her phone buzzed from inside her purse. She sighed, fishing it out and glancing at the screen. “It’s Mom.”
I leaned against the wall as she stepped away to answer. I checked my watch and it was half past twelve. She was more than two hours late. Her mother had warned her to be home early tonight, especially with all the relatives arriving. But if there was one person Ira never listened to, it was her mother.
A few minutes later, she returned, slipping her phone back into her purse with a grimace.
“My brother’s on his way. He’ll be here in five minutes.” Her voice was tight, laced with annoyance. “The relatives have arrived, and they’re already asking about me. I have to go. If I don’t show up soon, they’ll probably think I’ve eloped or something.”
She rolled her eyes. “Relatives are more poisonous than snakes. At least if a snake bites you, you die. But these people? They mark your whole family for life with their words.”
I burst into laughter, unable to hold it in. “You have no filter, do you?”
She grinned proudly. “That’s why you love me.”
“Let me walk you out.”
As we passed through the crowded dance floor, people called out, raising their glasses. Meera, Ira’s best friend, gave us a sly look and stumbled toward us. Her mascara was slightly smudged, and her heels weren’t doing her any favors.
“Where have you been?” she slurred, then winked. “Wait, don’t answer that. I know. I know.”
Her boyfriend caught her just in time before she fell over, and I shook my head, smiling.
I hated our joint bachelor party.
The club air was heavy, filled with the scent of alcohol, perfume, and sweat. It clung to my clothes and skin like smoke. I could barely breathe in there anymore. But I had come for Ira. Because she loved the music, the dancing, the atmosphere. And I loved her the way her body moved to the rhythm, how her eyes sparkled when the beat dropped, how she came alive under the lights like a firework about to burst.
Outside, the cool night air was like a blessing. The silence wrapped around us, the stars above blinking lazily through the haze of the city.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at the Haldi,” she said softly, brushing her fingers against my jaw. Then she leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips.
“See you, love,” I replied, watching her step into her brother’s car. The door closed with a dull click, and just like that, she was gone.
I stood there for a moment, hands in my pockets, feeling strangely hollow as if something important had just slipped through my fingers and I couldn’t quite name what. A sigh escaped me.
I pulled out my phone and saw two missed calls from my father. I frowned. Probably wedding stuff. Or maybe another lecture. Either way, I didn’t want to talk.
I glanced at the now quiet club entrance, then toward the parking lot. My keys felt heavy in my hand as I made my way to my car. I felt the buzz of the liquor now just slightly but I still had control. Mostly. The voices of my friends still echoed in my head, laughing, calling me “Mr. Almost Married,” clapping me on the back, handing me another shot.
I should’ve said no. I should’ve waited. I shouldn’t have driven.
But at the time, it felt fine. I wasn’t drunk. Just buzzed. I could walk straight. Think clearly. At least, that’s what I told myself.
I turned on the engine. The hum of the SUV steadied me. I rolled down the window, letting the wind hit my face like a splash of ice water. The road ahead stretched out. It was dark, lonely, and empty. Like a tunnel with no end.
My thoughts wandered back to Ira. Her kiss. Her laugh. Her last words.
And then…it happened.
Too fast.
A shadow. A blur. A flash of white.
THUMP.
The impact jolted through the car like an explosion. I slammed the brakes, and the SUV screeched, skidding sideways, tires screaming against the asphalt. My heart shot into my throat, my pulse hammering against my skull. The seatbelt yanked me back violently.
Silence.
Complete, suffocating silence.
My breath came in short gasps. My hands trembled as I stared ahead, frozen. The headlights illuminated the road like a spotlight revealing a figure sprawled across the tarmac.
No.
No, no, no.
I threw the door open, stumbling out. My knees hit the ground hard as I collapsed beside her. A woman. Mid-twenties, maybe. Pale skin. Long black hair soaked with rain. Blood trickled down her temple, mixing with the wet road.
“Miss?” My voice cracked. “Hey… Hey! Can you hear me?”
I touched her shoulder gently. She was still warm, breathing barely.
Her eyes fluttered open, only for a second. Glassy, distant. Like she was staring at something far beyond me. Then they closed again.
My buzz disappeared. Replaced by terror. A cold, paralyzing terror.
Hands shaking, I fumbled for my phone, finally managing to unlock it. I dialed emergency services.
“Please, I… hit someone. I didn’t see her. She came out of nowhere, please send help. Fast. She’s bleeding, and I think… I think she’s dying…”
I rattled off my location, barely able to form the words.
I looked at her again. Blood pooled beneath her head. Her chest rose in shallow, struggling breaths.
And then, the realization sank in.
My wedding was in two days.
And I just ran someone over.
What if she dies?
What happened to me?
To Ira?
To us?
The night had started like a dream. And now it felt like the beginning of a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.
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