Lawfully Yours - Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Arundhati’s Apartment – Same Night
Arundhati sat on the couch, cradling a mug of tea between her hands, her arm still faintly throbbing from the motorbike incident earlier that night. The ache was dull but persistent, just like the memory of Kushal’s hand gently holding hers, his thumb brushing the sensitive skin of her upper arm as he checked for bruises. That fleeting moment that was so unexpectedly intimate refused to leave her mind.
She’d tossed and turned for hours after returning from the club, every attempt at sleep hijacked by that man’s face. The way he’d spoken, the concern in his eyes masked by sarcasm—it all pulsed beneath her skin now like a rhythm she couldn’t silence.
To distract herself, she had brewed chamomile tea and shuffled to the living room, playing a soft, old tune on her speaker. But as the music played, a familiar piano chord unfurled a memory she had locked away—the first time she had met Kushal Nair at a party of Verma and Associates one and half year ago. The night everything shifted.
FLASHBACK
Verma Residence, Delhi – Late Afternoon (One and Half Year Ago)
The warm winter sunlight poured through the large French windows of the Verma bungalow, casting golden slants across the polished wooden floors. Arundhati dropped her travel bag by the foot of the couch and sank into it with a groan, pulling off her sandals with a sigh. The flight from Bangalore had been exhausting—not so much physically as mentally. Her uncle had sounded unusually serious on the phone, using the word urgent like punctuation.
“Uncle? I am home.” She called out, her voice echoing in the quiet, elegant drawing room.
Raj Verma appeared from his study, dressed in a crisp white kurta, looking every bit the powerful patriarch he was in the legal world.
“Uncle?” she rushed to him and then hugged him. “Is everything alright? Why did you call me so urgently from Bangalore?”
“I’m glad you came, Aru,” he said, settling her on the couch and then sat beside her. “I wanted to talk to you in person.”
She frowned. “Oh. But on the phone, you sounded like the sky was falling. What’s this about?”
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he reached for the brass tray on the coffee table and poured her a glass of fresh nimbu pani, handing it to her like he used to when she was a child.
“You’ve been working hard,” he said. “At that firm in Bangalore.”
She nodded, sipping. “I like it. The work is challenging, and you know I wanted to make my own place—without leaning on your name.”
“I know,” he said with a small smile. “I’ve always respected that about you. But…”
She looked up, the pause catching her attention. “But?”
He leaned back and folded his hands over his stomach. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I called you here to talk about your future.”
Her brows knit. “My future in what sense?”
“In the sense of marriage.”
Arundhati blinked. “What?”
“I’ve found someone I think you should meet.”
She straightened in her seat, almost snapping. “Wait, you found someone? Like a groom?”
Raj nodded slowly, unbothered by the storm gathering on her face. “He’s not just someone. He’s special. And I believe… he could be a great partner for you.”
“Uncle…” she exhaled. “I didn’t come here for a matchmaking session. I came because you said there was something urgent.”
“This is urgent, Aru,” he said quietly. “You’ve crossed thirty. You’ve built a good career, but you’ve shut yourself off from anything personal. And don’t think I don’t know you’ve been dodging every proposal and distraction. You’re married to your case files. You pour everything into your work—but there’s more to life.”
She stood up. “So you thought—what? That I’m running out of time, and you’ll just… slot someone in?”
“No,” he said firmly. “I thought that maybe, since you haven’t found someone, I could help. You’re my responsibility. I raised you like my own daughter. And now, when I see someone I trust—someone who is everything I ever wanted in a man for you—I couldn’t ignore it.”
She turned to him, arms folded. “Who is he?”
A small smile returned to Raj’s face. “Kushal Nair.”
The name was familiar in her legal circle too, but she was sure she hadn’t met him before.
“He’s been with Verma and Associates for four years now,” Raj continued. “And in the three years, he’s been the architect of every major legal win we’ve had. He’s sharp, driven, grounded. Doesn’t chase fame or power. Just justice. But still, it all comes to him naturally. He’s such a magnet in our legal world.”
She raised an eyebrow. “So basically, your golden boy.”
“Exactly,” he said, not denying it. “He’s the reason Verma & Associates is back on the map.”
Arundhati groaned. “That’s not a reason to match me up with him, uncle. What is this—corporate matchmaking?”
Raj laughed. “C’mon, Aru, I just want you to meet him. Tonight. That’s it.”
She blinked. “Tonight?!”
“There’s a party, Aru. Our firm is celebrating twenty years. I would have invited you anyway, but now I’m glad it’s happening today. You’ll meet him in a casual setting, no pressure. Just conversation.”
She sat back down slowly, shaking her head. “Uncle… I’m not saying I’m against marriage. I just… haven’t thought about it. I want to focus on my career for a few more years.”
He reached over and placed a gentle hand over hers. “I understand. But I’m getting old, Aru. And if anything were to happen to me… I want to know you’re not alone. Not just legally or financially—but emotionally. I want to see you find someone before I go.”
His voice cracked slightly at the end, and her heart clenched. For all their sharp conversations and her stubborn independence, Raj Verma had been her everything since her parents died. She owed him more than she could ever repay.
She swallowed the knot in her throat. “Okay. I’ll meet him. No promises. Just meeting.”
He smiled and patted her hand. “That’s all I’m asking.”