Page 58 of The Pursuit
Her expression softened, but she remained silent, letting me gather my thoughts. I pressed on, “You know how deeply I love you. How important you are to my life now.”
I drew in a fortifying breath.
“We’ve faced so much together, and every moment, good or bad, has only made me love you more.”
She smiled, a soft blush colouring her cheeks. “Krish, you’re making me blush. What’s this all about?”
I took a deep breath, my hand trembling slightly as I reached for hers.
“Trisha, I know how much your role as a GLEN agent means to you. Your passion and dedication are part of what I love about you. I would never want to come between you and your work. But... I want to give a name to our relationship. I want the world to know that you are mine, and I am yours.”
Her eyes widened in surprise as she realised where this was going. “Krish, are you...?”
I nodded, feeling my throat tighten. “I know we might have to stay apart sometimes because of our missions.But despite that, I want us to be a couple, a married couple. Trisha Choudhary, will you marry me?”
There was a moment of silence, and I could see the wheels turning in her mind. I was already afraid she might not be ready, that her dedication to her work would make her hesitant. She stared at me for a long moment, her mouth working soundlessly. A pit of dread formed in my stomach—maybe I had been too presumptuous after all. What if this was too much, too fast, and...?
“Krish,” she began, her voice soft and thoughtful. “I never imagined you’d ask me this, especially not tonight.”
Here it comes. I can’t believe I’ve botched this so utterly... “Just think about it, at least? No pressure at all, I just—”
“Yes.”
The single syllable cut through my panicked rambling, and my eyes shot to hers in disbelief.
“Yes?” I echoed dumbly.
She laughed, that bright, melodious sound that never failed to make my heart swell. “Yes, you idiot! Of course, I’ll marry you!”
Before I could react, she flung herself into my arms, crushing her lips against mine in a searing kiss. I instantly melted into her touch, heady with giddy euphoria. While still kissing her raw and deep, I managed to take out the ring from my pocket and slid it onto her finger.
Trisha pulled away slightly, her eyes widening in surprise as she glanced at her hand. “Did you just put the ring on while we were kissing?”
I chuckled, feeling a bit sheepish. “I couldn’t wait to put it on you, and I didn’t want to stop the kiss, so I did it in the middle. You know how I can multitask,” I winked.
She laughed again, louder this time, and threw her arms around my neck, hugging me fiercely. “You impossible, ridiculous, wonderful man...”
Holding her close, I murmured into the fragrant silk of her hair, “There’s one more thing. Next week, we’re going to Austria to meet my father. I can’t wait for you to meet Dad and become an official part of the family.”
She pulled back, beaming up at me with unguarded adoration shining in her eyes. “Neither can I. God, I love you so much.”
“And I love you, too,” I added, a touch of smug satisfaction creeping in my voice before claiming her lips once more.
**************
Before flying to Austria, there was one more thing that needed to be done—Trisha was being relieved from her duty as Meher’s personal bodyguard to take on more specialised missions, befitting her immense skill set.
I could tell it was an emotional parting for the two women, Meher and Trisha, who had grown incredibly close over the months they spent together, practically glued at the hip. Ayaan had already assigned another one of our top protective agents to take over for Trisha.
“Trisha, I’m going to miss having you around all the time,” Meher said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“I’ll miss you too, Meher,” Trisha replied, hugging her tightly. “But as they say, it’s time for me to move on to newmissions.”
Meher sniffled and then smiled. “I’m happy you’re joining the family once you and Krish get married. That’s what matters the most.”
I watched the two of them, feeling a mixture of pride and happiness. Trisha had become more than just a bodyguard to Meher; she was family now.
“By the way, Krish,” Meher said, turning to me with a mischievous grin, “you saved me the trouble of matchmaking by finding your perfect partner yourself. I still have to look after two more—for Vishnu and Raghav.”
