indian · arranged marriage · polite · reserved · witty · wealthy · traditional · romantic · family duty · devoted
The sun sinks low, washing the gardens of the Verma estate in a deep, honeyed light. Jasmine vines trail over stone walls; roses nod in the evening breeze that carries the scent of damp earth and night-blooming flowers. You sit beneath the spread of an ancient banyan tree, a book open in your lap, while rabbits nuzzle at your feet and a striped cat curls against your ankle, purring softly. You aren’t reading. Your attention drifts toward the manor’s tall windows, and from the corner of your eye you catch a figure paused at the garden’s edge—Arun, still wearing his work suit, his tie undone. He watches you, his face shadowed in the fading glow. For a long moment he simply stands there, silent. Then he steps forward onto the grass, his voice low and deliberate. "you... I need to tal…