Chapter 1
My house never really slept. Guards paced the marble halls and patrolled the gates, shadows cutting through the floodlights in silence.As always, the house was under strict surveillance. My family didn’t believe in trust, not when enemies could strike at any moment.
Still, every weekend, at the same ungodly hour, my phone would buzz with a single message: “i am waiting outside”
I had been waiting for that text all night, her heart thrumming louder than the footsteps of the guards below. Midnight was our hour, and though i told myself it was reckless,I couldn’t stop.
He stood by the shadows outside the gates like he always did, tall, careless, impossible to ignore. He wasn’t supposed to be here.I wasn’t supposed to go down. Yet every weekend,I found herself sneaking past the guards, risking everything for him.
The street stretched out in front of the balcony, dark and still, as if holding its breath. Before making a move, I glanced at the balcony camera to make sure it was tilted toward the other side. My father had installed one with night vision, which made sneaking out nearly impossible. A sharp exhale left me as I climbed the railing and landed on the boundary wall. The thud echoed against the silence, and my heartbeat quickened.
My eyes flicked to the guard below. A few tense moments passed. He didn’t stir. Relief loosened my chest, and I edged across the wall, careful with each step, until I reached the gate.
There, waiting under the halo of a dim streetlight, stood a figure in black. As promised. Like always.
I stopped at the edge of the wall. He must have sensed me, because his head lifted, and his gaze found mine. Those deep brown eyes filled nothing but love froze me in place, swallowing the world until there was nothing but him and me. He was looking at me as if he was seeing the most beautiful woman in the world.Heat bloomed across my cheeks, and though I wanted to look away, his eyes held me captive. There was never hesitation in the way he looked at me only certainty, as if nothing else existed for him.
The flicker of the streetlight broke the spell. I prepared to climb down when he extended his hand. Without hesitation, I slipped mine into his. His grip was warm, steady, and so much larger than mine—his palm wrapping around mine like it belonged there. Something stirred in my chest, dangerously alive.
“Leila,” he murmured, my name dragging low and husky from his lips.
I raised a brow, waiting for more, but his mouth curved into that half-smile of his. I shook my head. It was one of those moments—he only said my name to make me look at him. His quiet chuckle confirmed it. Rarely did he laugh, and though it was fleeting, it made my heart skip in the strangest way. I bit back a smile.
I walked ahead, knowing his long strides would catch up.
“You’re two minutes late,everything alright?” he said softly—not a scolding, just an observation.
“Had to make sure Hania was asleep,” I replied.
He nodded, falling into step beside me. This was the part of the night I craved—the only time I felt at peace, the only time I felt like I belonged. It was reckless, dangerous, forbidden… but worth every risk.
When I first entered university, there was only one name everyone chanted-Aunn sikander, the rockstar. My family had warned me about him, the arrogant heir,born with power and pride. I thought he’d wear his arrogance like a crown and do nothing but make my life harder—especially since our families carried an enmity older than us, rooted in blood and betrayal.But soon, I realized he wasn’t the boy they painted him to be.
On stage, he sang like a rockstar, his voice chasing the kind of ache that could set songs on fire. Off stage,I found a boy who listened, who understood the parts of me no one else cared to see. He carried the weight of an empire, yet with me, he was just Aunn. And that was how I fell—because he wasn’t the monster I was told to hate, but the only soul who made me feel free.
he didn’t care that we were supposed to hate each other, didn’t care that hell would break loose if anyone found out—he loved me like it was his passion, fierce and relentless, as if nothing could stand in his way. And against all reason, that love made me forget the chains that bound me, until all I could see was him.
By the time we reached the dhabba at the corner, I was already rambling, spilling every stray thought, while he listened with that quiet intensity that always undid me. Golden fairy lights glowed above, chai steam curled into the night, and the clatter of cups blended with distant laughter. He pulled out a chair for me, waiting until I sat before taking his own.
“Boss, do chai,” he ordered, voice low and casual. My eyes betrayed me, lingering on the way his Adam’s apple shifted as he ordered two cups of chai. God, he was so unfairly handsome. In his black hoodie, with his sharp jawline and unruly hair catching the glow, he looked like he’d stepped straight out of a magazine.The second his gaze snapped back to mine, I whipped my face away, heat rushing to my cheeks.
His soft chuckle followed, wrapping around me like smoke. ‘‘You can look all you want,’’ he teased, ‘‘I’m all yours.’’ My lips curled before I could stop them. ‘‘In your dreams,’’ I muttered, trying to sound sharp, though my voice came out far too soft.
He leaned closer with that infuriating grin, his shoulder brushing against mine on purpose. “If it’s in my dreams, then you shouldn’t blush so much, sweetheart.”
My heart betrayed me with the way it skipped. I hated how easily his words slipped past my guard, how his confidence disarmed me like no weapon ever could.My heart flipped again at the thought that he was mine and only mine.
He leaned in. “Apka din kaisa tha, meri jaan?”he asked casually like he hadn’t turned me all red a moment ago.
The respect in his tone melted me. I grinned, launching into my story. “Oh! Do you know what Guard Uncle said today?” I widened my eyes dramatically.
His brow arched, amused.
“He said he dreamt of someone walking on the boundary wall at night. Honestly, it scared the life out of me. Thank God he brushed it off as a dream, otherwise Baba would’ve lost it.” I huffed, shaking my head.
“Don’t worry, Leila,” Aun said, his voice dipping, suddenly serious. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I know,” I whispered. “But… we never know what fate has in store. Everything could change in a blink. We’re walking on eggshells.”
He caught my hand gently, his thumb stroking my skin, steadying me. “Don’t waste your thoughts on fear. If anything ever happens to you, I’ll burn this world to ashes.” His eyes darkened, and I knew he meant every word.
A weak chuckle escaped me, trying to lighten the air. He reached forward, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. His gaze never wavered. “I mean it, Leila. You are my life. Nobody dares to touch what’s mine.”
My heart tripped at his words.
The waiter returned with our chai, cutting the tension. I slipped my hand free and wrapped it around the cup, trying to cool the warmth on my cheeks. I wouldn’t admit it aloud, but I liked his possessiveness. His claim on me.
“Ah, before I forget,” he said suddenly. He pulled out a gajra from his pocket. “Brought this for you.”
A smile tugged at my lips. I extended my hand shyly, and he slipped the gajra onto my wrist, his fingers brushing my skin, sending a shiver through me. Before I could recover, he revealed a payal too.
I blinked. “You bought these… for me?”
He shrugged, chuckling. “You mentioned yesterday you like gajray and payal. I couldn’t resist.”
I stared at him. “You actually went out to buy it?”
“Yes, sweetheart. You’ll look breathtaking in it. Like these gajray—I’d love to see you wear it.”
My heart tumbled as he sipped his chai like it was nothing, while I sat reeling. He noticed everything, gave me everything, even the things I never asked for.never once did he measure love in riches. All I longed for were simple joys, and he never mocked me for it.aunn gave them without hesitation ,adoring the simplicity in me that others might have overlooked.
When he caught me staring, he shook his head with a soft smile. “leila, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
Gratitude swelled in me. “Thank you, Aunn,” I whispered.
“Your presence is my biggest gift,” he murmured back. “Just don’t ever leave me. I can’t… I can’t live without you.”
“I promise I won’t,” I said, meeting his eyes without wavering.
As we sipped the last of our chai, I teased, “MR rockstar … how’s the music going?”
His smile stretched wider. “In progress, ma’am.”
“Still working on that deewanapan song?” I pressed playfully.
His smirk deepened. “You could say that. I’m still trying to find the right pain in my voice.”
I laughed softly, unable to stop smiling.
