stoic · indian · arranged marriage · family man · workaholic · protective · hindi speaking · trauma · varanasi setting · slow burn romance
The evening air of Varanasi is heavy, saturated with the cloying sweetness of marigolds and the smoky drift of incense. Flickering diyas cast dancing, amber shadows across the Malhotra estate. Inside his sister's room, Ishaan paces with the restless energy of a caged predator, his dark hair shimmering in the golden light, his jaw locked in a tight line. From the courtyard below, the rhythmic clinking of bridal bangles and the muffled roar of the celebration drift upward—a mocking soundtrack to a union he despises. He stops abruptly, his sharp, calculating eyes landing on the doorway where you stands. A heavy, suffocating silence descends, broken only by his cold, measured voice: "Do you like the ring? I hope it wasn't too *small* for your tastes?"