Page 72 of Every Move You Make
His thumb continued to stroke the corner of her lips. She didn’t pull away. If anything, she stepped closer.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Janak approaching. Akash stepped back from her, turning to face him fully. Janak clinked his flute against each of theirs.
“I’m happy you’re both doing the right thing,” he said with a smile. “It’s wise that you’ve chosen to put your differences aside and think beyond yourselves.”
Shauna returned his smile. Her eyes met Akash’s, warmth softening her features before she sighed. “We’re going to try to make this work.”
Around them, their families continued to discuss their wedding. Shauna’s mother was debating colors with Keya. Raashi was listing down venues in a notepad. Goa, Mumbai, Delhi… so many destinations were being tossed around.
Shauna laughed under her breath. “I should probably tell everyone that I don’t want a big, loud wedding. Just a small ceremony followed by a reception. That’ll do.”
Janak frowned. “I thought you always wanted a loud wedding.”
She shrugged, her tone calm, almost detached. “This is a contract marriage. It’s not forever.”
“It’s for however long we both want it to be,” Akash cut in smoothly.
As the words left his mouth, a quiet truth settled in his chest. He was going to try—really try—to make this real. But even so, the reality remained. This might not be forever.
Still, that didn’t stop him from saying, “Shauna, if it’s alright with you, I want to get married at Sehgal Plaza in Goa. By the beach.”
She frowned. “Why?”
He shrugged. “It’s a beautiful venue.”
She watched him for a moment, then nodded and made her way to the others. Almost immediately, she was pulled into discussions and opinions and plans. Akash stayed where he was, watching her.
This marriage might not be forever. And yet…
God, he was such a fool for wanting to marry her in the very place where he had first seen her. Nothing had been the same for him since then. She’d always been the storm he’d never been able to outrun, and now he wanted to stop running. He wanted to allow himself to be swept away by her.
Shauna’s eyes met his, and she gave him a smile. His own lips curved in response.
In the background, Janak cleared his throat.
Akash blinked and turned to him. “Sorry, I was just thinking.”
“Thinking,” Janak repeated dryly, “or staring at your fiancée?”
“I wasn’t staring at her,” Akash said quickly.
Janak’s lips twitched. “It’s alright. She is going to be your wife.”
Shauna’s eyes found him again, and something sharp and possessive curled in his chest.
Wife.
Shauna Sehgal was going to be his wife.His.
Janak cleared his throat again, this time laughing.
“It’s not whatever you’re thinking,” Akash protested a little too fast.
“And yet you can’t stop looking at her,” Janak said. “Strange, really. You’ve both spent years being at odds, and now that you’re getting married, neither of you can seem to look away. Maybe this marriage will be good for you.”
“It’s only for five years,” Akash said. “You’ve read the contract.”
“I also know you want more.”
