Luv (Un)Arranged (Luv Shuv #3)

Chapter 20

20

Song: Gal Mitthi Mitthi

- Tochi Raina

Aakar

K riti and I woke up late. More like we were woken by the constant ringing of my phone, thanks to my mother. I didn’t even get the chance to admire a sleeping Kriti or fresh out of the shower Kriti or Kriti getting ready in front of the mirror. It was all hurry up, move aside , we should’ve set an alarm, help me with the pleats of this dupatta .

Still, I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. I had a wife. Though she was complaining and frowning as she put on her makeup, I couldn’t have been happier.

Once she was all ready for her first welcome in the house, we went downstairs to the lobby, where Maa, Pappa, and Abhi waited for us.

Maa met us in the middle and looked behind me. “Where are your things?”

I turned to Kriti, and she’d turned her face to look at anything else that wasn’t me or my mother. I couldn’t hide my smile when I met my mother’s eyes. “I decided to stay one more night.”

Now, it was Maa’s turn to blush. I left the two ladies, red in the face, and walked to Dad and Abhi. They quickly understood the lack of bags. Dad turned around to get the car, whereas Abhi coughed. With a light slap on his head, I sent him ahead. Maa quickly ran behind him while I waited for Kriti to join me.

As soon as my family was ahead of us, Kriti glared at me. “You didn’t ask them if we could stay one more night? Couldn’t you have informed them earlier? That was so embarrassing. What would they think of me?”

“Just that we really had the most unforgettable night and that we clearly want privacy to continue having fun.”

She ground her elbow in my waist while I laughed at her flaming red face. “You are the worst. Why did I even marry you?”

I tugged her to our car, where everyone waited. “You love me. And you’ll only thank me when we get back to the hotel.”

“Hmph.”

The entire ride home was spent with Maa informing us about the entire day’s plans. We had a few ceremonies at home as a fun little welcome to Kriti. Next up was Akira and Sam’s ring ceremony. Sam had already proposed to Akira in the US, but since we already had the entire wedding ceremony, Maa and Pappa asked—ordered—them to have another ring ceremony for the family, to which they readily agreed—complied.

I, too, had a small surprise for Kriti.

All of our relatives waited at the entrance of our house when we got out of the car. The moment we got out of the car, I placed my hand on Kriti’s back in support, nudging her to start walking since she was rooted to the spot.

With a quick, grateful glance my way, she stepped forward, and we stood at the entrance. Maa quickly grabbed the puja thali from my aunt and stood before us. After doing the aarti and putting a tilak on our foreheads, Kriti and I touched her feet. Akira, who was standing beside Maa, placed a Kalash pot filled with rice at the door entrance.

Kriti gave me a smile, and at Maa’s advice, she nudged the rice pot and turned it over. With that ritual done, both of us stepped inside the house, from where we were led to our house temple room. There, my grandparents were already seated. Kriti and I sat near the large, deep-set plate filled with colored water.

I already knew what was coming.

But Akira brought Sam right over to us to show him the ritual and explained, “So Maa has placed a ring inside the water with all sorts of coins and other stuff. It is said that whoever finds the ring first would dominate their marriage.”

Sam chuckled. “And the other person would have to forever concede in marriage?”

I scoffed, and so did Akira. “Nooo. It’s just a game.”

Right then, Maa and my aunts sat down around us. “Let’s begin, shall we?”

Kriti looked at me, her eyes set in challenge. I gave her a wink and put my hand in the water. She was quick to follow.

Our hands clashed, and our fingers touched under the water. I believe people played this game to sort of break the ice between the couple and also between the bride and her new family. Maa cheered me while Akira and Meera cheered Kriti.

I frantically tried to find the ring but was constantly met with coins. Dammit. Kriti was as frantic, moving her hands everywhere.

And in the next second, her hand was out of the water, the ring clutched in her fingers. Akira hooted in victory, and Meera clapped with full enthusiasm and delight.

After a few more such rituals, everyone was relaxed and hungry. We all moved to the dining area. Such ceremonies usually didn’t have many people, just close relatives and friends.

But since we were also having Akira and Sam’s engagement ceremony today, the guests were soon to arrive. Neither Sam nor Akira wanted a huge celebration, but Maa and Pappa were adamant that we had to invite everyone who was invited for my engagement.

So every one of us rushed to have some heavy breakfast.

Since we’d already hired caterers and servers, everyone could have breakfast in peace without having to serve anyone.

Kriti and I stood in a circle with Sam, Akira, Luke, Meera, Ria, Abhi, and his best friend Karan. Once we’d all had lunch, Kriti went off to help Maa and the aunties.

After almost half an hour, Maa called Akira and Sam to the living room.

Together, we left the dining area and found all our relatives gathering around near our sofa, which was now entirely covered in flowers. Kriti stood on one end, whereas Sam’s parents stood on the other end. Maa clutched Akira’s hand and led her and Sam to the sofa.

Kriti left her spot for Maa and Pappa and joined me.

Akira was radiant in her traditional yellow dress, and when she looked at Sam, love poured out of her eyes. She looked at him like he was her every dream come true. And Sam couldn’t take his eyes off her, like he worshipped the ground my sister walked on. And for that, he had all of my blessings. If anybody could love Akira with his whole heart and keep her happy, it was Sam.

All of us siblings hooted and howled and showered the couple with flower petals when they exchanged the rings. Akira laughed and hooted with us, whereas Sam had turned a distinct shade of red. Still, he did not hesitate to place a chaste kiss on Akira’s cheek, causing her to blush and not meet anybody’s eyes for a minute straight.

After the ring ceremony, Sam and Akira went around the room, touching the elders’ feet and getting their blessings. When they reached us, Akira smiled and teasingly started to bend down to touch my feet—me, being her elder and all— but of course, I stopped her and pulled her into a hug. “I’m so happy for you, Akira.”

She tightened her arms around me. “We got really lucky, didn’t we?”

I looked at Kriti, who stood beside me. I was pretty sure she could hear us, and so could Sam. I looked at Kriti when I answered Akira, “We really did.”

When Akira pulled away, I pulled Sam into a hug. “Take care of Akira.”

He nodded and slapped my back as he pulled away. He met my eyes, and in all seriousness, he said, “We wouldn’t have happened without you, Aakar. And I’ll never forget that.”

I felt Kriti’s hand on my back, and I smiled at Sam. “Just love and cherish Akira, and we’re even.”

Sam nodded, and with all the seriousness, promised. “Always.”

With that, they moved on to get blessings from other relatives.

I couldn’t have been happier for Akira. In the past, my heart would’ve ached with longing for such love too. But having Kriti by my side, feeling her warmth in my arms, the memory of her kiss, the anticipation of having her in my bed again, I could finally understand why Akira fought so hard for Sam.

“Are you okay?” Kriti asked.

She looked at me with concern in her eyes. I ran my hand in her hair—I couldn’t help it—and gave her a smile. “I’m good.”

Now that everyone around us was occupied with congratulating Akira and taking photos, it seemed the right time for my surprise for Kriti.

I softly clutched her arm and pulled her closer to me. We kept smiling and nodding at the relatives who passed us.

“What?” she asked, her cheeks turning a little shade of pink.

“I have a surprise for you.”

She quickly turned to face me, her eyes wide with excitement. “What? What is it?”

She looked around me as if the surprise would pop out from behind me.

I chuckled and pulled her closer. “Let’s go. And don’t ask me any questions or argue. We don’t want any attention from people.”

I could literally see her contain her excitement and get her face to look serious. My lips twitched, and I could barely contain my own smile. I grazed my hand along hers and led the way, and she kept up with me, just a step behind.

Once we were out of the living room and climbed up to the next floor, everything was far quieter. I could hear her bangles chiming every time her hand moved, her rough exhale at having to climb up the steps in her heavy clothing.

“Where are we going?” she panted, holding the railing of the stairs to the third floor of our house.

I paused and turned around. “Our room.”

Heat rushed through me at the thought of sharing my room with Kriti, imagining her sleeping beside me in my—our—bed and waking up next to her. I waited on the steps as she joined me.

I clutched her hand and pulled her up the last flight of stairs.

She looked so beautiful. Her hair fell in waves over her chest, her maroon-and-gold blouse highlighted her thick curves, and her chaniya , the long, flowing traditional skirt, molded to her hips just fucking right.

Before I opened the door to our bedroom, I pushed her against the door. It was just two rooms on the third floor. Ria’s and my room were separated by the small sitting room, so we didn’t share a wall and had decent privacy. And right now, it was just the two of us on this floor, so I didn’t worry about anyone catching us off guard.

When I stepped closer to Kriti, she pushed herself against the door. “What are you doing?”

“Did I tell you how amazing you look today?”

She smiled her bashful smile. “You like my dress?”

I slowly moved my gaze from the tip of her toes to her eyes, stopping at my favorite spots and making her blush. “I love your dress. And I love you.”

She went entirely soft on me, her eyes shining with what I hoped was happiness and love. “I love you too.”

I stepped closer to her, so close our bodies touched, her hips at mine, my hard cock against her soft stomach, my nose along hers, and our foreheads pressed tight. With a slight turn of my head, I captured her lips in mine.

At the soft touch of her lips, I was a goner. Memories flooded my mind of her legs spread out on the bench, her soft pink pussy begging for my mouth, and the feel of her tongue brushing against mine. I was starving.

I clutched her waist and pushed into her, my mouth eating at her. Her moans pressed against my tongue, and her lips sucked mine. I was lost in her. Her softness, her scent, the way her tongue moved against mine, the way she rubbed her breasts against my chest, the way she clutched my hair as if to hold me to her like she was afraid I would pull away. Not a chance.

But too soon, she pulled me off by my hair. “Aakar,” she panted, her body still touching mine, “we need to stop. Oh god, my lipstick. People are gonna know.”

Before she could freak out and move away from me, I clutched her hand. “You completely made me forget why I brought you upstairs for a second. Now, close your eyes, and just don’t worry for a minute.”

She rolled her eyes and closed them, but her lips were tugged up in excitement.

I turned her around to face the door to our bedroom and opened it. I gently pushed her back. “Take two steps in.”

Once she did, I closed and locked the bedroom door behind us. I didn’t want anyone intruding on our private moment.

She still had her eyes closed, but she had her hands outstretched as if we were playing a game and she had to catch me. She looked ridiculous. I shook my head and tried not to smile, but I couldn’t help it.

Shaking my head, I said, “Open your eyes, baby.”

I stood beside her to see her reaction to our bedroom and the small surprise.

Kriti

My heart seized in my chest the moment my eyes opened. Right there, in front of me, was an empty white bookshelf along half the length of the wall.

Aakar came and stood beside me, his eyes glued to my face. “Since I know how much you love reading and how many books you own, I wanted this bedroom, this home, to feel like your own.”

Tears pooled into my eyes and dripped down my cheeks. And before I knew it, Aakar had his arms around me, my face tucked in that perfect spot where his neck met his shoulder. “Thank you,” I whispered against his skin and placed a kiss right there.

He clutched me tighter to him. “I’ve asked Rati and Kartik to courier all your books here. And given them the money.”

The only reason I remained standing at this point was because he held me so tight in his arms. His shirt was wet with my tears and snot, but I just couldn’t care. I was busy shaking my head in disbelief. “You did all this for me. I just…I have no words.”

He swayed us gently, nuzzling at my cheek and placing soft kisses on my head. “You do know I didn’t build it with my hands, right? I ordered the carpenter to do it. And I really didn’t think you would cry so much.”

I looked at him, my palm splayed over his firm chest. “It’s been a while since I’ve received such a selfish gift. I’m usually the one giving the gifts. You just caught me by surprise.”

He placed a soft kiss on my forehead. “I’ll just have to give you so many gifts that your first reaction is an unsurprised, wide smile. And delight at finding something you wanted. No more tears.”

I laughed. If he thought I would ever not get teary-eyed at a thoughtful gift, he would be sorely disappointed.

I turned to my brand-new bookshelf. It had six partitions that would fit any hardcover book, no vertical partitions to mess up the number of books I could stack, and that freshly painted wood smell.

I sighed at just the thought of arranging my books on these shelves.

Aakar’s arms wrapped around me from behind, and he placed his chin on my shoulder. “And you won’t even need to keep your books wrapped up in that brown paper or newspapers. You can just keep them all displayed.”

As if his huge family wouldn’t just barge into our room whenever they pleased. Like they would not question a cover with couples in a heady embrace, or a smoking hot guy with a hockey stick in his hands, or God forbid, two guys in an embrace. Even Aakar didn’t have a clue about all the books I read and enjoyed.

I just patted his hand at his suggestion. “We’ll see.”

After I had admired my new bookshelf to the fullest, I noticed the gigantic bed at the center of the opposite wall. Covered in creamy silk bedsheets and the four fluffiest pillows I could imagine, I had the insane urge to push Aakar down on the bed and roll around the sheets with him.

He must’ve read my mind, or we might be on the same frequency, because he stood behind me, his very excited state pushing against my backside, and murmured, “Later.”

I turned in his embrace to face him, his thoughtfulness, his surprise, his gift, still a forerunner in my mind. Aakar was someone to be cherished. His need to please his family, to be this reliable pillar of the house, needed to be celebrated. Not everyone could stand to have ten people depend on them and not buckle under those expectations and pressure.

And now, he had me, and he was doing his best to make me feel at home. I cupped his face, raised on my tiptoes, and softly grazed my lips to his. “Later.”

Late that evening, when everyone was done with dinner and all the relatives had left, Aakar and I rushed back to our hotel, all my nervousness about what his family would think forgotten.

The only thing I remembered that I needed was him.

The moment we entered our hotel room, I dragged him into the washroom. He quickly removed my clothes—as quickly as one could when removing Indian traditional clothes and jewelry—and pulled me into the hot shower.

Our lips met in a frenzy as the hot water washed the hectic day away, leaving behind only the passion, the need, and the hunger that had simmered the entire time.

Aakar’s large hand clutched my butt in a firm hold. His words were a rough pant when they met my lips. “We leave for our honeymoon day after tomorrow. And then you’re all mine for the next week.”

His leg slid between mine, his strong thigh rubbing me right where I needed him the most. His lips slid down my throat, placing hot, open-mouthed kisses. His words reverberated down my spine, causing my hips to roll, seeking more friction. “Fuck yes, Kriti. Tomorrow, I’ll not just kiss you everywhere.”

He bent lower and sucked at the top of my breast, leaving a sharp sting of pain and pleasure. “I’ll suck you and bite you. And fuck you and make love to you. I can’t wait to be buried deep inside you. Every. Single. Day.”

Yes. Yes. Yes. I wanted it all. Now and tomorrow and the day after that.

Before I could revel in the sensation of his lips and his tongue on my breast, Aakar turned off the shower.

He opened the glass door of the shower and brought the towel in. He didn’t pause at my questioning look, simply continued to run the towel down my body quickly but thoroughly. Once done, he met my eyes and wiped his own body. “I need you in bed today.”