5 hours ago
Chapter 11 - The Choice
The background checks took less than a day.
Jeeva came home first. He sat on the edge of the bed with his phone still in his hand, the notes he had collected open in front of him. When Tara walked in and saw his face, she already knew the information had not made anything easier.
She placed her bag down and sat across from him.
“Tell me.”
Jeeva spoke without looking at her.
“Karthik has a reputation. Three different women in the last two years. Nothing official, but the pattern is clear. He moves fast and gets bored faster.
Sam Arya…” He paused. “Clean record. No office gossip. Married for six years. Wife lives in another city for work. He travels sometimes. Keeps to himself. No one has anything solid against him.”
Tara waited.
Jeeva finally lifted his eyes.
“That should make him safer. But it doesn’t. It makes him worse.”
“Why?”
“Because men like him don’t leave evidence. They don’t need to chase. People come to them.” His voice had grown quieter. “And you already said he undresses you with his eyes. You already felt him pressed against you in that lift. You already stopped talking to him after that.”
Tara didn’t deny any of it.
Jeeva leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
“I keep thinking about what you said. That if something happens you will call me. That I should come and save you.” He gave a short, humourless laugh. “Do you know how that sounds? You’re asking me to choose the one man who can actually take you away from me… and then promising that you’ll let me rescue you after he does it.”
Tara’s expression stayed calm, but her eyes had sharpened.
“So what’s your decision?”
The room felt smaller. The streetlight outside threw a long rectangle of light across the floor. Jeeva stared at it for a long time before he spoke.
“I hate this.”
“I know.”
“I hate that you’re pushing for him.”
“I’m not pushing. I’m following the rules we both agreed on. Highest capability to seduce. Highest real test.”
Jeeva’s jaw worked. When he spoke again the words came out low and rough.
“If I choose him… and he touches you… I don’t know what I’ll do.”
Tara watched him carefully.
“That,” she said softly, “is the first time you’ve sounded like you’re fighting for me.”
Something in Jeeva’s chest tightened.
He looked at her — really looked — and for a moment the experiment, the rules, the lists, all of it fell away. All he could see was the possibility of another man’s hands on her skin, another man’s mouth on the place he had kissed for seven years.
His voice dropped.
“Sam Arya.”
Tara’s eyes flickered.
“You’re choosing him?”
“Yes.” The word tasted bitter. “I’m choosing him. Because if this is going to be a real test, then it has to be him. Anyone else would be cheating the experiment. And I won’t give you the chance to say later that I protected myself by picking someone safe.”
He stood up, restless, and walked to the window.
“But I’m telling you this only once. If he crosses the line… if he even tries… you call me. Immediately. I don’t care what time, what place, what excuse. You call me.”
Behind him, Tara smiled.
It was a small smile, quiet, almost private.
Jeeva turned and caught it.
For a second he couldn’t read it.
Was she smiling because she had finally seen real possessiveness from him after seven years of perfect calm?
Or was she smiling because the man she had wanted from the beginning was now officially hers to test… and she already knew how far it might go?
The smile stayed on her lips just long enough to leave the question burning.
She walked up to him, placed her palm flat against his chest, and spoke gently.
“If i couldn't handle, i will call you.”
Jeeva covered her hand with his own, gripping it harder than necessary.
Outside, the night continued as if nothing had changed.
Inside, the experiment had just selected its two most dangerous names:
Ramya for him.
Sam Arya for her.
And for the first time, Jeeva felt the clear, sharp edge of jealousy cut through the seven-year-old certainty that nothing could ever come between them.
The background checks took less than a day.
Jeeva came home first. He sat on the edge of the bed with his phone still in his hand, the notes he had collected open in front of him. When Tara walked in and saw his face, she already knew the information had not made anything easier.
She placed her bag down and sat across from him.
“Tell me.”
Jeeva spoke without looking at her.
“Karthik has a reputation. Three different women in the last two years. Nothing official, but the pattern is clear. He moves fast and gets bored faster.
Sam Arya…” He paused. “Clean record. No office gossip. Married for six years. Wife lives in another city for work. He travels sometimes. Keeps to himself. No one has anything solid against him.”
Tara waited.
Jeeva finally lifted his eyes.
“That should make him safer. But it doesn’t. It makes him worse.”
“Why?”
“Because men like him don’t leave evidence. They don’t need to chase. People come to them.” His voice had grown quieter. “And you already said he undresses you with his eyes. You already felt him pressed against you in that lift. You already stopped talking to him after that.”
Tara didn’t deny any of it.
Jeeva leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
“I keep thinking about what you said. That if something happens you will call me. That I should come and save you.” He gave a short, humourless laugh. “Do you know how that sounds? You’re asking me to choose the one man who can actually take you away from me… and then promising that you’ll let me rescue you after he does it.”
Tara’s expression stayed calm, but her eyes had sharpened.
“So what’s your decision?”
The room felt smaller. The streetlight outside threw a long rectangle of light across the floor. Jeeva stared at it for a long time before he spoke.
“I hate this.”
“I know.”
“I hate that you’re pushing for him.”
“I’m not pushing. I’m following the rules we both agreed on. Highest capability to seduce. Highest real test.”
Jeeva’s jaw worked. When he spoke again the words came out low and rough.
“If I choose him… and he touches you… I don’t know what I’ll do.”
Tara watched him carefully.
“That,” she said softly, “is the first time you’ve sounded like you’re fighting for me.”
Something in Jeeva’s chest tightened.
He looked at her — really looked — and for a moment the experiment, the rules, the lists, all of it fell away. All he could see was the possibility of another man’s hands on her skin, another man’s mouth on the place he had kissed for seven years.
His voice dropped.
“Sam Arya.”
Tara’s eyes flickered.
“You’re choosing him?”
“Yes.” The word tasted bitter. “I’m choosing him. Because if this is going to be a real test, then it has to be him. Anyone else would be cheating the experiment. And I won’t give you the chance to say later that I protected myself by picking someone safe.”
He stood up, restless, and walked to the window.
“But I’m telling you this only once. If he crosses the line… if he even tries… you call me. Immediately. I don’t care what time, what place, what excuse. You call me.”
Behind him, Tara smiled.
It was a small smile, quiet, almost private.
Jeeva turned and caught it.
For a second he couldn’t read it.
Was she smiling because she had finally seen real possessiveness from him after seven years of perfect calm?
Or was she smiling because the man she had wanted from the beginning was now officially hers to test… and she already knew how far it might go?
The smile stayed on her lips just long enough to leave the question burning.
She walked up to him, placed her palm flat against his chest, and spoke gently.
“If i couldn't handle, i will call you.”
Jeeva covered her hand with his own, gripping it harder than necessary.
Outside, the night continued as if nothing had changed.
Inside, the experiment had just selected its two most dangerous names:
Ramya for him.
Sam Arya for her.
And for the first time, Jeeva felt the clear, sharp edge of jealousy cut through the seven-year-old certainty that nothing could ever come between them.
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