09-02-2026, 05:40 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-02-2026, 05:49 PM by heygiwriter. Edited 2 times in total. Edited 2 times in total.)
Chapter 78 – The Calm That Sparked Doubt
Bharath sensed it the moment he stepped back into the house after the morning drop-off.
Mirnaa hadn’t cooked breakfast. The kitchen was untouched — no lingering aroma of chutney, no steel vessels stacked beside the sink, no sign of the usual early-morning ritual. Vikram sat at the dining table, scrolling through his phone with an unnaturally calm expression, as if the kiss last night had never happened, as if nothing had shifted at all.
They had both woken late.
The house felt too still — like the eye of a storm.
Bharath knew he was standing between two volcanoes: Vikram and Aadharsh. He couldn’t trust either of them fully anymore. Vikram’s calm was too perfect, too controlled — a mask that hid rage or calculation. Aadharsh was a ticking bomb — his consignments already under trouble, and Bharath’s double-agent game could blow up in his face with one wrong move toward Vikram.
His prize remained simple: Mirnaa’s innocence. Not just to possess it — but to explore it sexually, layer by layer, until she gave herself willingly, thinking it was all her choice. They had believed his story — at least Mirnaa had. That was enough. Now he would play even more carefully. One slip and both volcanoes would erupt.
The trio went out for breakfast — a quiet café on the beach road. Vikram ordered idlis and filter coffee. Mirnaa barely touched her plate. Bharath ate slowly, watching them both. Too much normality. It sparked doubt in him. People who had just crossed a line didn’t behave this normally unless they were hiding something bigger.
After breakfast, Bharath drove Mirnaa to the hospital.
The drive was mostly silent.
Mirnaa stared out the window, fingers twisting the edge of her saree pallu. She couldn’t be normal — even though Vikram had told her it was okay. The kiss replayed in her mind — the way Bharath’s lips had claimed hers, the way she had let him, the way her body had responded despite the guilt. She felt dirty. She felt confused. She felt… something warm and forbidden she didn’t want to name.
Bharath noticed.
He stayed quiet — letting the silence stretch. Too much talking would make her defensive. Too much comfort would make her suspicious.
Before they reached the hospital gate, he spoke — soft.
“Bye. Let’s meet in the evening.”
Mirnaa nodded — small and stepped out.
Bharath purposely avoided Vikram the rest of the morning. He left the house early, drove to a quiet spot near the ECR, and called Priya.
She picked up on the second ring — surprised.
“Bharath? Hi.”
“Are you around Mirnaa right now?”
“No… I’m at the counter. Why?”
“Mirnaa didn’t prepare food today — not even lunch. I want you to take her to the nearby star hotel for lunch. And join us.”
Priya laughed — low, teasing. “I brought food.”
“That’s okay. Let’s share. Do you think i only taste Mirna's ... allow me to Let me taste you too.”
Priya took the double meaning — and enjoyed it. Her voice dropped. “Sure. I’m waiting!”
“Don’t tell her. Let it be a surprise.”
The noon arrived.
Mirnaa was heading to the canteen when Priya caught her arm.
“Come on — let’s go to the hotel. My treat.”
Mirnaa hesitated. “Let’s eat in the canteen. Why outside? You even bought the lunch right”
“Let’s share it there. Come, Mirnaa.”
They sat at a quiet corner table in the hotel restaurant — air-conditioned, soft music, linen napkins.
Priya dialed her phone.
Bharath appeared in under a minute — casual shirt, easy smile.
Mirnaa’s eyes widened. “What is this? Surprise?”
She looked at Priya. “Yours doing?”
Priya shook her head. “No — Bharath wanted to surprise you.”
Bharath slid into the seat opposite her.
“You used to give me lunch boxes every day. Today you haven’t prepared anything in the morning — won’t I notice it? How could I forget you? So I made a plan and called Priya. Also… ever since I met Priya, we never shared any meals. So I planned it.”
Mirnaa was not sure how to take it. But she liked how he noticed these little thing .. Care..
She managed a small “Thanks.”
Bharath waved it off — light, friendly.
“Keep your thanks aside. This hotel has plenty of good things to eat. Let’s order and have a blast.”
He made it easy. Tense-free.
He showed no over-the-top care toward Mirnaa — treated them both the same. Joked with Priya about hospital gossip, asked Mirnaa innocent questions about her day, laughed at the right moments. Friendly. Normal. Attentive to small things — refilling her water, passing the raita first — but never lingering, never possessive.
![[Image: image-1-4.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/x8ts3XDZ/image-1-4.jpg)
After the meal — biryani, Curd, cold coffee — he said goodbye and left for “work.”
Evening came.
Bharath picked Mirnaa up as usual.
The drive home was quiet at first.
Then — halfway — he spoke.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I know you would have felt bad after the kiss.
Thank you. I promise I won’t make you uncomfortable again.
She didnt say anything but looked at him
Bharath continued his game, i got worried after the kisses. i worry you would withdrew from me..
These days your friendship was actually one thing that kind of getting me back..
Your friendship is more important than anything else.
She really looked at him..
I respect you. I adore you — as much as I love you, I want to respect your marriage as well.
Mirna eyes expanded, a sudden shyness hearing the word love, yet it alarmed something..
Bharath quickly shifted..
If you have any boundary to tell me… I won’t cross it.”
He paused — voice dropping.
“But emotionally… I need you for some time. Hope you can understand me. I wanted to say this for a long. Also…
I expect some privacy to our friendship. You can see a change in me from last night. Your kisses do that magic.
But I know my limit.
When you can put so much effort on that… why won’t I think of it?”
He gently held her palm — like an assurance.
His thumb brushed the inside of her wrist — slow, warm, deliberate.
Then — warmly — he thanked her.
Mirnaa’s breath caught.
Suddenly her mind reeled one word
As much as I love you.
Does he love me?
Doesn’t he know I’m married?
Yes… he said he wanted to respect my marriage.
How should I take it?
He causes me fear (with love) and consoles me (respecting my marriage) in the same breath.
I definitely trust him.
He cannot harm me or my relation.
He is open like a book. He is my friend… my well-wisher… my savior.
I never seen him explaining this much… Seems he worried about protecting his friendship with me..
He values me so much...
Let’s go past this and pursue good relation.
The thoughts landed like a soft explosion in her chest. She felt happy, shy, guilty, thrilled — all at once. Her cheeks flushed deep pink. Her fingers curled slightly around his — involuntary.
She looked down at their joined hands — heart racing.
His assurance, the words on respecting Marriage, the boundary offered without her even asking — it melted something inside her.
She squeezed his hand back — small, uncertain.
What else could she want?
He had bowled her emotionally.
He threw his hand open — one palm facing her.
“Friends?”
Mirnaa smiled — shy, relieved — and clapped her hand against his in a light high-five.
“Friends.”
The Thar racing towards the home...
Bharath guessed Vikram would be in rage but acting.
He believed Vikram could be calculatedly setting a trap for him.
Bharath decided to play along.
He would maintain distance — make Vikram believe he was backing off.
Then — when Vikram least expected it — he would unleash his game.
More than Vikram could predict.
Bharath sensed it the moment he stepped back into the house after the morning drop-off.
Mirnaa hadn’t cooked breakfast. The kitchen was untouched — no lingering aroma of chutney, no steel vessels stacked beside the sink, no sign of the usual early-morning ritual. Vikram sat at the dining table, scrolling through his phone with an unnaturally calm expression, as if the kiss last night had never happened, as if nothing had shifted at all.
They had both woken late.
The house felt too still — like the eye of a storm.
Bharath knew he was standing between two volcanoes: Vikram and Aadharsh. He couldn’t trust either of them fully anymore. Vikram’s calm was too perfect, too controlled — a mask that hid rage or calculation. Aadharsh was a ticking bomb — his consignments already under trouble, and Bharath’s double-agent game could blow up in his face with one wrong move toward Vikram.
His prize remained simple: Mirnaa’s innocence. Not just to possess it — but to explore it sexually, layer by layer, until she gave herself willingly, thinking it was all her choice. They had believed his story — at least Mirnaa had. That was enough. Now he would play even more carefully. One slip and both volcanoes would erupt.
The trio went out for breakfast — a quiet café on the beach road. Vikram ordered idlis and filter coffee. Mirnaa barely touched her plate. Bharath ate slowly, watching them both. Too much normality. It sparked doubt in him. People who had just crossed a line didn’t behave this normally unless they were hiding something bigger.
After breakfast, Bharath drove Mirnaa to the hospital.
The drive was mostly silent.
Mirnaa stared out the window, fingers twisting the edge of her saree pallu. She couldn’t be normal — even though Vikram had told her it was okay. The kiss replayed in her mind — the way Bharath’s lips had claimed hers, the way she had let him, the way her body had responded despite the guilt. She felt dirty. She felt confused. She felt… something warm and forbidden she didn’t want to name.
Bharath noticed.
He stayed quiet — letting the silence stretch. Too much talking would make her defensive. Too much comfort would make her suspicious.
Before they reached the hospital gate, he spoke — soft.
“Bye. Let’s meet in the evening.”
Mirnaa nodded — small and stepped out.
Bharath purposely avoided Vikram the rest of the morning. He left the house early, drove to a quiet spot near the ECR, and called Priya.
She picked up on the second ring — surprised.
“Bharath? Hi.”
“Are you around Mirnaa right now?”
“No… I’m at the counter. Why?”
“Mirnaa didn’t prepare food today — not even lunch. I want you to take her to the nearby star hotel for lunch. And join us.”
Priya laughed — low, teasing. “I brought food.”
“That’s okay. Let’s share. Do you think i only taste Mirna's ... allow me to Let me taste you too.”
Priya took the double meaning — and enjoyed it. Her voice dropped. “Sure. I’m waiting!”
“Don’t tell her. Let it be a surprise.”
The noon arrived.
Mirnaa was heading to the canteen when Priya caught her arm.
“Come on — let’s go to the hotel. My treat.”
Mirnaa hesitated. “Let’s eat in the canteen. Why outside? You even bought the lunch right”
“Let’s share it there. Come, Mirnaa.”
They sat at a quiet corner table in the hotel restaurant — air-conditioned, soft music, linen napkins.
Priya dialed her phone.
Bharath appeared in under a minute — casual shirt, easy smile.
Mirnaa’s eyes widened. “What is this? Surprise?”
She looked at Priya. “Yours doing?”
Priya shook her head. “No — Bharath wanted to surprise you.”
Bharath slid into the seat opposite her.
“You used to give me lunch boxes every day. Today you haven’t prepared anything in the morning — won’t I notice it? How could I forget you? So I made a plan and called Priya. Also… ever since I met Priya, we never shared any meals. So I planned it.”
Mirnaa was not sure how to take it. But she liked how he noticed these little thing .. Care..
She managed a small “Thanks.”
Bharath waved it off — light, friendly.
“Keep your thanks aside. This hotel has plenty of good things to eat. Let’s order and have a blast.”
He made it easy. Tense-free.
He showed no over-the-top care toward Mirnaa — treated them both the same. Joked with Priya about hospital gossip, asked Mirnaa innocent questions about her day, laughed at the right moments. Friendly. Normal. Attentive to small things — refilling her water, passing the raita first — but never lingering, never possessive.
After the meal — biryani, Curd, cold coffee — he said goodbye and left for “work.”
Evening came.
Bharath picked Mirnaa up as usual.
The drive home was quiet at first.
Then — halfway — he spoke.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I know you would have felt bad after the kiss.
Thank you. I promise I won’t make you uncomfortable again.
She didnt say anything but looked at him
Bharath continued his game, i got worried after the kisses. i worry you would withdrew from me..
These days your friendship was actually one thing that kind of getting me back..
Your friendship is more important than anything else.
She really looked at him..
I respect you. I adore you — as much as I love you, I want to respect your marriage as well.
Mirna eyes expanded, a sudden shyness hearing the word love, yet it alarmed something..
Bharath quickly shifted..
If you have any boundary to tell me… I won’t cross it.”
He paused — voice dropping.
“But emotionally… I need you for some time. Hope you can understand me. I wanted to say this for a long. Also…
I expect some privacy to our friendship. You can see a change in me from last night. Your kisses do that magic.
But I know my limit.
When you can put so much effort on that… why won’t I think of it?”
He gently held her palm — like an assurance.
His thumb brushed the inside of her wrist — slow, warm, deliberate.
Then — warmly — he thanked her.
Mirnaa’s breath caught.
Suddenly her mind reeled one word
As much as I love you.
Does he love me?
Doesn’t he know I’m married?
Yes… he said he wanted to respect my marriage.
How should I take it?
He causes me fear (with love) and consoles me (respecting my marriage) in the same breath.
I definitely trust him.
He cannot harm me or my relation.
He is open like a book. He is my friend… my well-wisher… my savior.
I never seen him explaining this much… Seems he worried about protecting his friendship with me..
He values me so much...
Let’s go past this and pursue good relation.
The thoughts landed like a soft explosion in her chest. She felt happy, shy, guilty, thrilled — all at once. Her cheeks flushed deep pink. Her fingers curled slightly around his — involuntary.
She looked down at their joined hands — heart racing.
His assurance, the words on respecting Marriage, the boundary offered without her even asking — it melted something inside her.
She squeezed his hand back — small, uncertain.
What else could she want?
He had bowled her emotionally.
He threw his hand open — one palm facing her.
“Friends?”
Mirnaa smiled — shy, relieved — and clapped her hand against his in a light high-five.
“Friends.”
The Thar racing towards the home...
Bharath guessed Vikram would be in rage but acting.
He believed Vikram could be calculatedly setting a trap for him.
Bharath decided to play along.
He would maintain distance — make Vikram believe he was backing off.
Then — when Vikram least expected it — he would unleash his game.
More than Vikram could predict.
![[+]](https://xossipy.com/themes/sharepoint/collapse_collapsed.png)