✨Chapter 12✨

The Bed Between Us

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The fever finally broke two days later.

By the time Meera woke that morning, sunlight filtered through the curtains and the heavy ache in her body had disappeared.

For the first time in days, she felt human again.

The room was quiet.

Peaceful.

But one thing remained exactly the same.

Veer.

He sat near the window, reading through a stack of documents while holding a cup of coffee.

The sight made something warm settle inside her chest.

She watched him for a moment.

His brows slightly furrowed in concentration.

The sleeves of his black kurta rolled up.

The faint scar near his eyebrow catching the morning light.

He looked calm.

Strong.

Reliable.

The kind of man people leaned on when everything else fell apart.

Maybe that was why everyone in Devgarh trusted him.

Maybe that was why she was beginning to trust him too.

As if sensing her gaze, Veer looked up.

Their eyes met.

For a second, neither spoke.

Then his gaze moved to the untouched breakfast tray beside her bed.

"You should eat."

Meera groaned dramatically.

"Good morning to you too."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"There. Happy?"

She blinked.

"Did the great Veer Pratap Singh just make a joke?"

"No."

"You did."

"No."

"You absolutely did."

The smile disappeared immediately.

But she had seen it.

And that made her grin.

Later that afternoon, disaster arrived.

In the form of a leaking roof.

A servant rushed through the haveli informing everyone that the storm had damaged several rooms.

Including Meera's.

When she reached her bedroom, she understood immediately.

Water dripped steadily from the ceiling.

The carpet was soaked.

Several wooden shelves had already been moved.

Workers hurried in and out carrying tools.

Meera stared in horror.

"My room."

One worker gave an apologetic smile.

"It will take at least two days, bahu sa."

Two days.

Wonderful.

That evening, the family gathered downstairs to discuss sleeping arrangements.

Unfortunately, the haveli was unusually full.

Several relatives had arrived for a local ceremony.

Guest rooms were occupied.

Others required repairs.

One by one, every option disappeared.

Until only one remained.

"No."

The word escaped Meera before she could stop it.

Everyone turned toward her.

Heat immediately climbed her face.

Veer looked completely calm.

Which only annoyed her further.

"You'll stay in my room."

As if it was the most logical thing in the world.

As if they weren't talking about sharing a bedroom.

A bedroom.

With a bed.

One bed.

His mother sighed.

"It's only for a few nights."

A few nights.

That somehow sounded worse.

An hour later, Meera stood inside Veer's room holding a small suitcase and questioning every life decision that had brought her here.

The room reflected him perfectly.

Simple.

Organized.

Elegant.

Dark wooden furniture.

Bookshelves.

A large balcony overlooking the fields.

Everything had its place.

Everything felt controlled.

Unlike her rapidly spiraling thoughts.

The bed sat in the center of the room.

Large.

Far too noticeable.

Meera immediately looked away.

"You're staring at it."

She nearly jumped.

Veer stood near the balcony doors.

Watching her.

"I am not."

"You are."

"I was looking at the room."

"The bed is part of the room."

She narrowed her eyes.

Veer looked suspiciously amused.

The realization shocked her.

A few weeks ago, she couldn't imagine this version of him.

The teasing.

The smiles.

The warmth hidden beneath all that coldness.

Yet now she found herself searching for those moments.

Waiting for them.

Dinner passed surprisingly smoothly.

Mostly because Meera avoided looking directly at him.

A strategy that worked perfectly.

Until it didn't.

Back inside the bedroom, silence settled around them.

The comfortable kind.

Not the awkward kind.

Which felt strangely significant.

Veer sat at his desk reviewing village records.

Meera curled up on a chair near the window with a book.

The rain tapped softly against the glass.

Thunder echoed occasionally in the distance.

Hours passed.

Neither spoke much.

Yet somehow the silence felt full.

Not empty.

Around ten o'clock, Meera closed her book.

She wasn't reading anymore anyway.

She'd spent the last twenty minutes staring at the same page.

Veer finally looked up from his paperwork.

"Tired?"

"A little."

His gaze softened.

"You should sleep."

The problem returned immediately.

The bed.

Meera stood frozen.

Veer followed her gaze.

Then sighed.

"It's large enough."

The answer came too quickly.

Almost like he'd already been expecting this.

"That's not the point."

"What is the point?"

She opened her mouth.

Then closed it again.

Because unfortunately, she had no good answer.

Veer stood and walked toward the bed.

The movement instantly made her heart misbehave.

Annoying.

Very annoying.

"We're adults, Meera."

Easy for him to say.

He looked perfectly calm.

Meanwhile, she was internally losing a battle with her own heartbeat.

Eventually, she climbed onto one side of the mattress.

As far from him as physically possible.

Veer occupied the opposite edge.

Leaving a ridiculous amount of space between them.

There.

Problem solved.

Except it wasn't.

Because now she was painfully aware of everything.

The sound of his breathing.

The scent of sandalwood lingering in the room.

The fact that he was only a few feet away.

The fact that he was her husband.

The fact that she had kissed him.

The fact that she wanted to kiss him again.

This was torture.

An hour passed.

Neither slept.

Another thirty minutes.

Still awake.

Finally, Meera gave up.

"Veer?"

The darkness swallowed the room.

Only moonlight filtered through the curtain

A pause.

Then—

"Yes?"

His voice sounded lower at night.

Warmer.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

She rolled her eyes despite the darkness.

"Why do you trust me?"

The question escaped before she could stop it.

Silence followed.

Long.

Thoughtful.

Finally, Veer answered.

"I don't."

The response surprised her.

"What?"

He turned slightly toward her.

The mattress shifted beneath them.

A tiny movement.

Yet suddenly she became very aware of how close he actually was.

"I don't trust easily."

His voice remained calm.

Honest.

"Then why—"

"I trust what I've seen."

The interruption was gentle.

Not rude.

Just certain.

Meera remained silent.

Waiting.

"You protected your sister."

He continued quietly.

"Even after she left."

Her chest tightened.

"You protected your parents."

Another pause.

"You came into a marriage you never wanted because you thought it would save your family."

The words hit harder than she expected.

Because nobody had ever noticed those things.

Nobody had ever seen her sacrifices.

Veer had.

"You care about people."

His voice softened.

The room suddenly felt too small.

Too intimate.

Too honest.

Meera stared at the ceiling.

Trying unsuccessfully to control the emotions rising inside her.

"And you?"

The question slipped out quietly.

"What about me?"

"Who takes care of you?"

The silence that followed felt different.

Heavy.

Painful.

Because she already knew the answer.

Before he spoke.

"No one."

The words were simple.

Matter-of-fact.

As if he had accepted them long ago.

And somehow that broke her heart.

Because she could picture it.

The responsibilities.

The expectations.

The loneliness.

Everyone depending on Veer.

Everyone needing something from him.

Yet nobody asking if he was okay.

Not really.

The realization made her chest ache.

Without thinking, she moved slightly closer.

Only a little.

But enough.

Enough for him to notice.

Enough for both of them to notice.

The darkness hid their expressions.

But not the awareness between them.

For several moments, neither spoke.

The rain continued outside.

Soft.

Steady.

Comforting.

Then Veer's voice broke the silence.

"Why did you move closer?"

Heat instantly flooded her face.

Even though he couldn't see it.

"I didn't."

A pause.

"You're a terrible liar."

To her horror, she laughed.

Actually laughed.

The sound seemed to surprise both of them.

For the first time since their marriage, everything felt normal.

Not forced.

Not complicated.

Not trapped.

Just two people talking in the dark.

Eventually, the conversation faded.

The room grew quieter.

Sleep slowly pulling at both of them.

But before drifting off, Meera whispered one final question.

"Do you regret marrying me?"

The answer came immediately.

Without hesitation.

Without doubt.

"No."

Her heartbeat stopped.

Then Veer's voice came again.

Softer this time.

"Not for a single second."

The confession settled warmly inside her chest.

A place where it would stay for a very long time.

Outside, rain continued to fall over Devgarh.

Inside, the distance between them had never

felt smaller.

And somewhere between whispered conversations, shared silences, and honest confessions—

Meera realized something.

She was no longer afraid of falling for Veer.

Because the truth was far more dangerous.

She already had.

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