At his shout, Kairav stepped back and the knife slipped from his hand. "He changed you..." his voice cracked.
"Kaira—"
Kairav took a step back, "No Veer... yesterday you were ready to be my husband—"
"Ok ok enough with your talk." Krishav interrupted. "We'll...," he said as he rested his hand on Veeransh's shoulder, "..have to go for the marriage registration. I made an appointment. It's in thirty minutes."
Both Veeransh and Kairav looked at Krishav in shock. "What?" Veeransh asked and Kairav stepped forward. "No! No! This can't be! The marriage....is no—not..."
"No you can't! You can't leave!" Kairav reached for Veeransh's hands but Krishav quickly pulled him right away. "No, bhai. We are leaving." He said with a sharp voice. "So, move aside."
"I said no!" Kairav snapped, his eyes darting towards Veeransh. "Veer, look at me. Just look at me once and tell me this is what you want." Veeransh's fingers curled into a fist and he looked away.
"Look bhai, even after all your beggings, Veeransh is mine now. It's already done emotionally for everyone, why not just legalize it." Krishav smirked.
Kairav glared at him. Looking at that, Krishav stepped closer to Kairav and whispered, "Bhai, it's my marriage and my Veeransh now. So, stop touching him from now on." After that he took Veeransh and left, leaving Kairav alone.
* * *
*marriage registrar's office*
The moment they entered the empty guest room near the registrar's office, he shut the door with force and pinned Veeransh to the nearby wall, gripping his shoulder. "You did listen to me in the end," Krishav said. "You should remember that you're not his anymore. You are my husband."
Veeransh turned his face away. "I only did that so Kairav can move on and forget about me," he muttered. "It's not like I was listening to you."
Krishav laughed quietly at him. "Oh really huh?" He stepped closer so his breath was on Veeransh. "You didn't look like you loved him."
"That's none of your business."
"It is now. I mean my own brother is the ex of my husband. So, wonderful." Krishav smirked. "I mean we just kissed knowing that you still love my bhai."
Veeransh tilted his head a bit to look up. "And you love Jhanvi, isn't it?"
Yes. Krishav still loved Jhanvi. She was his first love. But, now that he has married Veeransh, something in him is telling him to do something that is totally unethical.
"You kept on kissing," Krishav muttered.
"I'd rather kiss a snake to feel good."
"Lucky for you I bite."
And with that Krishav pressed himself on Veeransh and kissed his lips aggressively. Veeransh had to surrender and give in the kiss because Krishav was too strong to push away for him at that moment. Their eyes were closed but the lips kept on moving against each other and the tongues were slowly entangling. Krishav kept on sucking on his lips as Veeransh's gripped Krishav's shirt. The kiss was not at all soft. Krishav's left hand was going down Veeransh's waist as his other hands gripped his neck sideways.
Then after what felt like an eternity, Krishav ended the kiss by biting and pulling Veeransh's bottom lip. "Here you go, there's your bite."
"Ouch that hurt—"
Krishav suddenly bit down on his neck making Veeransh squirm out of amusement.
"Krishav! Sto-ah-p stop!" Veeransh kept squirming as Krishav sucked on that spot.
And then he pulled away as a smirk spread across his face. "Here you go. There's a proof of our suhagrat going perfectly as it should go."
Veeransh pushed Krishav, while he stumbled a few step back. Veeransh wiped his lips and hit Krishav on the face. "Don't do that again, you perv!"
Krishav smirked, running his tongue against the inside of his bruised cheek where Veeransh had hit him. "Seems like you enjoyed it too, baby."
"You want your other cheek bruised too?"
"You want your other neck marked with my bites?"
The two stared at each other for a moment before walking into the office to complete the marriage registration formalities. After some time, they finally came back out. "The registration will be done in four days. I'll pick it up later," Krishav said as he was fixing some documents.
"Woah being rich and favoured is something else."
"Yes, it is."
Krishav walked beside him, one hand inside his pocket while the other carried the registration documents. "So, husband."
Veeransh shot him an annoyed look. "Don't start."
Krishav smirked. "What? It's legally happening now. I should start practicing."
"You're so fucking annoying."
"And you're my husband, so bear with it."
Veeransh rolled his eyes and continued walking down the front pathway of the building. Behind them, workers were fixing a large metal advertisement board near the entrance gate. They were walking right under it as Veeransh looked up. Krishav kept talking anyway, "You know, bhai's face was truly heartbreaking today. Poor man."
Veeransh stopped walking abruptly. A loud metallic creak echoed above Krishav. He looked up and the massive metal board snapped and it went down directly on Krishav. Everything happened too fast after that.
"KRISHAV!" Veeransh ran, grabbing Krishav by the collar and shoved him hard. The board crashed down with a loud sound exactly where Krishav had been standing. People nearby screamed.
Both Veeransh and Krishav were on the ground. Veeransh on top of Krishav, with his hand rested on Krishav's chest. Krishav blinked slowly, trying to process what had just happened. Then he looked at Veeransh hovering over him. "… Fuck that."
Veeransh's breathing was uneven from panic. "Are you hurt?"
Krishav stared at him carefully. Noticed the fear still lingering in Veeransh's eyes. Fear for him. And suddenly something warm curled inside Krishav's chest. Veeransh quickly realized their position and tried getting up immediately, but Krishav caught his wrist before he could move away.
"Wait."
"What now?" Veeransh avoided his eyes.
Krishav's lips slowly curved into a grin. "You pushed me so dramatically." He teased. "Anyone watching would think you're deeply in love with your husband."
Veeransh glared instantly. "Shut up. That thing would've crushed your head."
"Hm." Krishav's fingers tightened slightly around his wrist. "So you do care."
"I care about not going to jail for murder."
Both stood up and the workers apologised for their mistake. Veeransh and Krishav walked to the parking.
Veeransh ignored him the entire time. Krishav followed casually beside him again, but internally his thoughts were far less calm.
Why did Veeransh save him without hesitation? Why did that moment affect him this much? Why had his first instinct been to hold onto Veeransh instead of pushing him away?
The questions irritated him. Because none of this was supposed to matter. Not when Jhanvi still existed in the deepest corners of his heart. Not when this marriage had begun as suspicion and deception
By the time they reached the car, the mood was cleared. Krishav unlocked the vehicle and both got inside. Everything was quiet before the engine was started.
"Drop me at Rehaan's place."
Krishav's hands paused briefly on the steering wheel. "…What?"
"I said drop me at Rehaan's."
"Why?"
Veeransh looked outside the window. "I have some work with him."
Something dark flashed across Krishav's face instantly. "Work?" he repeated slowly.
"Yes."
Krishav let out a dry laugh. "You get married to me and immediately want to run to another man?"
"He's my friend."
"You seem very comfortable around him."
Veeransh finally looked at him. "Are you jealous?"
Krishav scoffed immediately. "Of Rehaan? Please."
"Then why are you reacting like this?"
"I'm reacting because my husband wants to disappear with another guy five minutes after our registration."
"That registration isn't even complete yet."
Krishav's eyes darkened slightly at the reply. "You really enjoy ruining my mood."
Veeransh folded his arms. "You weren't exactly sunshine either."
Finally the car stopped infront of Rehaan's place. But Krishav was hesitant to unlock the door. And to that, Veeransh glared at him.
"Fine." Krishav let out a loud sigh before opening the door.
* * *
*6:30pm, Kairav's room*
The room was dark except for the dim yellow lamp near the balcony. Kairav sat on the edge of his bed, completely motionless. Krishav's words kept replaying inside his head like poison.
"Veeransh is mine now."
"Stop touching him."
His fists clenched tightly. The humiliation he faced still burned. Not just because Veeransh had left with Krishav. But because he had stood there helplessly while his younger brother claimed the person he loved right in front of him.
The sound of the door opening broke the silence and Kairav looked up tiredly. Jhanvi walked inside slowly, dressed in a deep maroon skirt. Her payal echoed faintly across the room "You look terrible, bhai," she said quietly.
Kairav gave a dry laugh. "Thank you."
Jhanvi closed the door behind her and stepped further inside. "Still thinking about Veeransh?" Kairav looked away immediately. That reaction alone made her eyes darkened to execute her plan interestingly. "So it's true," she murmured. "You actually loved him."
Kairav's jaw tightened. "Why are you here?"
Instead of answering, Jhanvi walked toward the balcony and glanced outside at the dark sky. "You know what the funny part is? Krishav always ruins things that belong to other people."
Kairav frowned. Jhanvi continued as she looked at him through the corner of her eyes. "He took Veeransh from you." Her voice lowered. "Just like he took everything from you. First the ownership of those company, then your deals and now your Veeransh."
Kaurav blinked for a sec. "Veeransh also chose him."
"Do you really think Veeransh chose him? After all that you did for him? You broke the wedding with my sister for him. Veeransh still loves you. He's just..." she smirked slightly and walked towards Kairav, "... scared and prolly Krishav is forcing him to do that."
"But—"
"No buts, bhai." She sat on the edge of bed and looked at Kairav, who wasn't focused on her face. Her eyes glowed red. "You should steal Veeransh from him."
Kairav looked at her. "What—"
Jhanvi, whose eyes were back to normal. "Krishav manipulates everyone. Have you seen his company records or his business dealings? All those records look tacky. He must have manipulated Veer to stay in the marriage."
Kairav stood up. "What can I do now? He's my brother and I have lost Veeransh."
"And yet he humiliated you like an enemy today." That sentence landed exactly where Jhanvi wanted.
Kairav's expression darkened immediately.
Jhanvi slowly stood up behind him. "Do you know why Krishav married Veeransh so suddenly?" she asked.
Kairav frowned. "Why?"
"Because he wanted to win. That's all this is to him," Jhanvi continued carefully framing her words. "A game. A victory. He saw how much Veeransh mattered to you, so he took him."
Kairav clenched his jaw harder. Every insecurity inside him was being pulled apart perfectly. And Jhanvi knew exactly what she was doing. Because broken people were easier to control. Her fingers lightly touched Kairav's shoulder in fake comfort. "You're angry at Veeransh," she murmured. "But the real person you should hate is Krishav."
Kairav looked down quietly.
Jhanvi leaned slightly closer. "You still want Veeransh back, don't you?"
Kairav closed his eyes briefly. "…Yes." The answer came out broken.
Jhanvi's lips curved faintly. "Then take him back."
Kairav laughed bitterly. "How?"
"He's not legally married yet." That made him freeze. Jhanvi continued immediately before he could think clearly. "And even if the registration gets completed... There are still ways to destroy Krishav."
Kairav stared at her now. "What?"
Jhanvi walked to the balcony as her eyes turned red again. "Tamas Nikunj."
Kairav looked at her in shock.
"Tamas, Krishav's biggest rival. Ask him for help and ruin Krishav before he ruins your Veeransh and you." Jhanvi said with a successful grin. She did what she wanted to and now this pawn named Kairav will do her work. Krishav had ruined her plan and now she'll ruin him and his reputation.
Confused and conflicted, Kairav left his room, leaving Jhanvi alone smiling devilishly.
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Guide:
payal - anklet