Page 104 of Lawfully Yours
The first round began.
Around them, couples laughed and cheered. The organizers walked from table to table, handing little covered trays to the wives. Arundhati was given thin slices of something orange and crisp.
She picked one up and held it to his lips.
Kushal opened his mouth, and chewed thoughtfully. The corners of his mouth twitching into a smirk. “Carrot.”
“Correct,” said the host over the mic, and they moved to the second round along with eight other couples.
The second round moved faster.
This time, she was handed a spoonful of something thick and dark. She brought the spoon to his lips, careful not to spill.
He tasted it, winced slightly. “Tamarind paste.”
“Correct again!” the host declared. Another cheer went up.
By round three, the crowd had thinned. Only four couples remained. The atmosphere had changed. It wasn’t just a game now; it was a competition, and strangely… it was personal.
She received a small dish of creamy green mash. Arundhati recognized it immediately as mashed avocado. She offered it to Kushal. His lips brushed her fingers as he took it.
He paused, frowning slightly, almost forgetting the taste, but then he said, “Avocado.”
She exhaled with relief. “Correct.”
Final round.
Just one couple stood between them and victory.
Arundhati was excited. In years, she hadn’t let herself feel this kind of fun, this simple, bubbling joy. The kind that made her forget about Delhi, about courtrooms, about everything… even their divorce trials. In this tiny mountain town, among fairy lights and laughter, she felt happy and part of a completely different world altogether.
Kushal, on the other hand, was losing his grip.
With the blindfold over his eyes, his world had narrowed to one sense—her.He could hear only her voice, feel only her presence. The touch of her fingers as she fed him, the scent of her perfume lingering just inches from his skin. Even the cheers and music faded behind the rush in his ears every time she leaned in.
The host announced the final round. Suddenly, she leaned in close again, and her breath ghosted against his cheek as she whispered, “We need to win. This is the last round. Use all that focus of yours, okay? Give that brilliant mind of yours something to chew on.”
He didn’t speak. He just nodded, jaw tight.
But inside, he was burning.
All he wanted…needed…was to pull her into his arms right there, to kiss her until she melted in his hold. To tell her that he was so close to losing his restraint.
The final round had begun.
A hush fell over the crowd. The host stood between them, smiling widely as she lifted the bell, ready to strike it and signal the start.
Arundhati had just been handed a small bowl. She peeled back the foil covering and immediately recognized the contents by scent and colour alone. Thick, glossy, and a deep chocolatey brown—Nutella.
This one should be easy.
All eyes turned to them.
Across from her, Kushal sat blindfolded, utterly still. Tense. Waiting.
The host rang the bell. “And… feed!”
Arundhati lifted a spoonful and gently brought it to his lips. Kushal opened his mouth without hesitation, trusting, though she could tell from the slight furrow of his brows that he was already unsure.
