Page 125 of Every Move You Make
She touched her forehead to his. “It’s over now.” Something crossed her mind. “You know, I think I know where that necklace is.”
Akash lifted his head. “What? Where?”
She tipped her head in the direction of the sunroom, his favorite place in their new home.
“There.” She looked at Akash. “Your father kept saying he buried it in the east side of the lawn. But what he didn’t realize was that you had extended the house on that side. That’s why he couldn’t find it anywhere else.”
Akash’s eyes widened. “Fuck… we’ll have to tear the sunroom down and redo it.” He grimaced. “I really liked that space.”
She held his hands tighter. “We’ll build it again and make it better. Together.”
“Together,” he promised. “Always together.”
She gave him a brilliant smile. She was so grateful for him in every way.
His thumb brushed over her knuckles, distracting her. “I spent so long believing I couldn’t have you… that you were never meant to be mine. That loving you would always come with losing you.” He lifted her hand and placed it against his chest, over the steady, desperate rhythm of his heart. “I don’t even have words for what I felt when I learned you were in danger. Losing you would end me. I love you so much.”
Shauna’s eyes shimmered, her fingers pressing hard against his chest. “From now until the end of time, you are mine and I am yours. But be warned, I am rude, difficult, and stubborn.”
He chuckled, clearly remembering the exact words he’d thrown at her all those weeks ago when she had gone to her grandfather’s office to claim a leadership role in Sehgal Media.
She leaned closer, a wicked smile playing on her lips. “And be prepared. I will call you an asshole when you annoy me.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I look forward to it, sweetheart. I so look forward to it all. And I will love you through it all.”
“You are mine, Akash… you are my always. My home. My forever. My beginning… and every ending I’ll ever choose.”
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Pure joy flooded through her as she tasted his smile.
Everything she had lost… had finally found its way back to her again.
EPILOGUE
One week later
Sehgal Plaza Hotel
Goa
Akash sat beside Shauna at the center of the crowd, stage lights washing over them as their sangeet performances carried on. Music thumped through the air, while laughter and cheers rang all around them as Mehak and Rishi, Aisha and Rithwik, and Diya and VJ finished their performance. The lights dimmed, and seconds later, Keya, Sheena, and Raashi came on the stage. Everyone around them cheered as they began to dance.
The three of them moved in perfect sync, their steps effortless, their smiles easy, like they’d been dancing together all their lives. And in a way, they had. Their friendship stretched back decades, through schoolyards and college corridors, through heartbreaks and celebrations. It had remained unchanged, unshaken, carrying them forward through every phase of life.
Akash found himself grinning as he clapped along with everyone else, a swell of affection rising in his chest. These three women had cared for him, nurtured him, and shaped him to be the man he was. He loved them all.
The music came to a slow halt, but the three of them remained on stage, exchanging quick, knowing smiles as the crowd buzzed in anticipation.
And then… Kabier, Rajiv, and Sameer strode onto the stage.
The crowd went wild. Cheers doubled, whistles rang out through the audience as the three men joined their wives, slipping into their place beside them like this had always been part of the plan. The music kicked back in with a popular Bollywood track, and the six of them danced to it.
His heart pulsed with happiness. God, these were his people. All of them. And here they were, together, lighting up the stage and looking absolutely spectacular. He was on his feet, hooting along with the rest of the crowd.
Shauna leaned forward, laughing and clapping loudly. “Oh my God, look at them!”
“This is insane!” he shouted, grinning as he watched them.
“So amazing,” she cheered when the couples finally stepped off the stage.
