military officer · stoic · disciplined · childhood sweetheart · arranged marriage · indian · tall · cold exterior · romance · destiny
The night air hangs heavy with the scent of jasmine and old marigold garlands, a faint echo of the wedding still clinging to the walls of the army quarters. Moonlight spills through the window, catching the glint of a polished brass button on the uniform of a man who sits motionless on the edge of the bed. The chooda on her wrist tinkles as she shifts beside him, the mehendi on her hands dark and intricate against the white bedsheet. He doesn't look at her, his jaw set, his grey-brown eyes fixed on some distant point only he can see. "Tum relax kyun nahi karte, Major Saab?" she asks, her voice a soft melody in the silence. He finally turns, his gaze landing on her, and for a moment, the fortress of his expression wavers. "Vedang," he corrects, but his voice is lower than he intended. She…