Page 128 of Every Move You Make
Her breath hitched, a soft laugh escaping as she held onto him, completely trusting him.
For a moment, everything stilled.
And then the crowd erupted. Cheers, whistles, and applause crashed around them as people rose to their feet, hooting and clapping loudly.
Akash let the moment linger for just a heartbeat longer before helping her fully upright again. Their eyes met, and she gave him a radiant grin. Without a word, he took her hand and led her off the stage.
The second their feet hit the ground, the deejay picked up the cue. Music blasted back to life, louder, faster, pulling everyone in. The dance floor filled almost instantly. He turned back to her, already moving, pulling her into the rhythm.
He caught sight of Janak for a brief second. He was standing on the side with Suveer Malhotra, watching them, his face lit with quiet happiness, pride shining through his intelligent eyes.
Akash met his gaze, giving him a small nod and a wide grin.
And then, his heart impossibly full, he was pulled right back to her.
Always her. Just her.
Her reception wasin full swing. The Sehgal Plaza banquet hall had been transformed into something almost dreamlike. Crystal chandeliers cast a warm, golden light across the sprawling space, their glow reflecting off polished marble floors. Tall arrangements of white and blush roses lined the huge room,their soft fragrance mingling with the hum of laughter and music, while guests in glittering ensembles moved like a sea of color around it all.
Amidst all of it, Shauna stood slightly to the side, away from the crowd. Watching him. Always watching him.
Akash stood a little distance away, talking to her parents, his head tipped back slightly as he laughed at something her father had just said. The ease in him, the warmth… it made something inside her chest tighten in the best way.
As if he sensed it, his gaze lifted. And found her instantly. Of course it did.
His lips curved into that familiar smirk, the one she loved far too much, the one that told her he knew exactly what she’d been doing.
Watching him. Just as he had been watching her.
It had been like this the whole evening. Through crowds, through conversations, through the endless stream of people waiting to speak to them, they always found each other. Without trying. Without thinking. They always knew where the other was… what the other was doing.
She let out a sigh. It still felt surreal that she’d married Akash that afternoon on the beach, with the sea stretching endlessly behind them, just the way he’d wanted. And him… he’d looked spectacular dressed in all white.
God. For the rest of her life, she’d never forget the look on his face when he’d seen her. She’d chosen to wear a rust-orange lehenga, the same shade she had worn the very first time he’d laid eyes on her, and this time she’d seen his reaction in real time. His jaw had gone slack. His eyes had widened for a fraction of a second before something softer and deeper had taken over. They had shimmered, just for a moment. And then pure, unfiltered joy had lit up his face as she’d walked toward him.
Leaving her parents, Akash made his way toward her.
“Hello, my beautiful wife.” He leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “Why are you standing all by yourself?”
“I was watching you, husband,” she replied.
“You’ve been watching me for a long time, I think. For years, maybe, haven’t you?”
She tilted her head, giving him a coy smile. “Just like you’ve been watching me.”
His gaze didn’t waver. “I couldn’t have you then… but at least I could watch. And so I did. Every move you made, every smile you gave, I held on to all of it. Because even that felt like something.”
A deep sense of rightness settled over her as she looked at him.
“I did the same. I watched you when I wasn’t supposed to… when I knew I shouldn’t.” Her chest felt heavy with emotion. “I’d look for you in every room, every crowd. And when I found you, I’d pretend I hadn’t been searching at all.”
Memories flickered through her, of stolen glances, of a quiet ache, of wanting something she couldn’t have.
“It hurt,” she admitted softly. “Watching you… knowing you were right there, and still not mine. Wanting you and having to pretend I didn’t. But somehow that makes all this… this moment… us… feel even more real.”
She brushed her hand against his cheek. He kissed her palm.
“We waited,” he said. “We ached. And now… now we finally get to belong to each other.”
