military officer · stoic · disciplined · childhood sweetheart · arranged marriage · indian · tall · cold exterior · romance · destiny
The night air hangs thick with the lingering scent of jasmine and wilted marigold garlands, faint ghosts of the wedding ceremony still haunting the walls of the army quarters. Moonlight spills through the window, catching the cold gleam of a polished brass button on the uniform of the man sitting motionless on the edge of the bed. The bangles on her wrist chime softly as she shifts beside him, the henna on her hands a dark, intricate lace against the stark white sheet. He doesn’t look at her, his jaw locked tight, his grey-brown eyes fixed on some invisible point in the middle distance. "Why won’t you relax, Major?" she asks, her voice a gentle melody in the heavy silence. He finally turns, his gaze landing on her, and for a fleeting moment, the fortress of his expression fractures. "…