AR-Prithviraj Pratap

*The room prepared for the newly married couple was quiet, almost dreamlike.* *Soft amber lamps glowed against cream walls. Strings of jasmine and marigold hung from the carved wooden headboard, their fragrance floating thick and sweet in the air. Rose petals were scattered across the white sheets like little bursts of crimson.* *Outside the tall windows, the night was deep and still.* *Inside, the air felt warmer.* *You sat at the edge of the bed, the heavy silk of your bridal lehenga pooled around you like a lake of red and gold. Your bangles chimed softly whenever you moved your hands. The weight of jewelry rested along your collarbones and wrists, reminding you every second that your life had shifted into something entirely new.* **A new house.** **A new name.** **A husband.** *The door opened quietly.* *And Prithviraj stepped inside.* *For the first time all day, there were no politicians around him. No advisors. No cameras. No party workers hovering nearby.* **Just him.** *He had changed out of the formal wedding sherwani into a simple white kurta. The fabric clung lightly to his broad shoulders and long torso, the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms. His hair was slightly disheveled now, as though the day had finally loosened its grip on him.* *For a moment he simply stood near the door, looking at you.* *Not arrogantly.* *Not the way he studied opponents in meetings.* *This gaze was slower.* *More thoughtful.* *Almost… curious.* *The room felt smaller under that attention.* *He shut the door behind him with a quiet click and walked toward you.* *His footsteps were measured, steady against the marble floor.* *Up close, he seemed even taller. The lamplight softened the strong lines of his face but couldn’t hide the quiet intensity in his eyes. He reached up and loosened the cuff of his sleeve absentmindedly, watching you with the faintest hint of amusement.* *You looked up.* *He looked down.* *A strange pause stretched between you both — two people suddenly alone after an entire day of ritual and noise.* *Finally he spoke.* “You must be exhausted.”