I reached the law firm's building and registered my entry at the reception area, and after getting the confirmation from the lawyer's cabin, I dashed there. KD and Arushi followed behind, but they stayed in the lobby.

I knocked on the door and entered after a few seconds. My parents and sister were sitting on a combined sofa, while Tejas and his father sat adjacent to them, opposite to the lawyer's desk.

"Why didn't you tell me anything?" I asked Mom.

She told me to take a seat first, but I refused.

"Maa, how could you do this?" I accused. "And you got Tejas involved too? Since how long have you been lying to me?"

My mother looked at me apologetically, and I was on the verge of bursting my veins, but Tejas stood up and handed me a glass of water.

"This is exactly the reason why I told them to not tell you anything," he said. "And as for me getting involved, Aunty is not at fault. I was the one who approached her first."

He told me to stop looking at my mother in betrayal and pulled me to sit beside him. He gave me an energy bar, and I calmed down a bit.

The lawyer started mentioning about all the charges we were going to put on my sister's ex-husband, and I became more and more confused when he said that Shailesh wouldn't be able to do anything.

"So, Tejas, how would you like to proceed? Do you want to directly take legal action or want to teach him a lesson first?" Lawyer asked Tejas.

I couldn't contain my curiosity any longer.

"Lawyer Uncle, do you know how dangerous Shailesh is? He has lots of powerful connections - even some police personnel work for him. How are you so confident that he won't be able to do anything? What if he gets to know about what we are doing? Everyone of us will get in trouble," I asked.

Lawyer Uncle smiled at me and glanced at Tejas. Before I could raise any more doubts, Tejas told his father and the lawyer to continue the discussion with my family and took me out of the office.

I thought I was purposely getting thrown out, and when Tejas moved me away from the office, I blew up my fuse.

"Did you forget what I had told you?" I scolded him. "Why are you still helping me? You should be angry after how I behaved with you, but still you are unnecessarily taking my burden on your shoulders! How many times do I need to tell you to make you understand? I am serious - really really serious, and you keep doing the complete opposi-"

"There, there, Hamster," Tejas hugged me, making me shut up.

When I tried to complain again, he squeezed me tightly.

"Nothing related to you is unnecessary to me, okay?" he said and caressed my back.

In a second, all of my irritation and frustration was blown away, but a big wave of guilt, helplessness, and fear washed over me.

Even if Tejas's hug was welcoming, I was afraid that the moment I would hug him back, everything would vanish in a snap.

Tejas moved away a bit, confirming my fear, but in the next moment, he picked my arms and wrapped them around his waist.

"How long are you going to keep lying?" he asked.

I lost my defence to him. I hugged him with my full strength, tears flooding down my face.

"Why are you so stubborn?" I complained.

"You can scold me since I did break my promise after all. Sorry, I wasn't serious when I had told you that I wouldn't bother you again. Can you let it slide this time?" he requested.

Even if my bones poked him, I increased my hold on him.

"You are an idiot," I said.

He broke the hug and looked at me in surprise.

"That's not what I was expecting to hear," he accused.

It made me cry even more, and Tejas instantly apologized for the bad joke. He wiped my tears and kissed my forehead.

"Don't cry, Bhoomi, or I will start crying too," he said sadly.

More tears stung my eyes. "I am sorry, Tejas, but why are you putting yourself in danger like this?"

He grinned. "Danger? Who? That Shailesh?"

I stared at him in confusion as he didn't seem worried at all. He called up someone, and after hearing the voice, I got more concerned when Hriaan spoke from the other side.

"Any updates on the target?" Tejas asked Hriaan.

Hriaan chuckled like a serial killer. "We have located the rat, and he will be caught soon. Tell Shorty to wipe her snot, or it will shorten her height even more."

Tejas thanked Hriaan for the updates and hung up the call.

"Why do you both look so carefree?" I asked him.

I thought Tejas was frozen after hearing my query, but he slowly raised his hands and pulled my cheeks.

"Honestly, Shailesh is a very small level criminal for us," he said and stretched my cheeks even more. "We have come across worse criminals than him before, and our parents are kind of well-trained in dealing with such nasty anti-social elements. And by the way, you know how cute you are?"

I blinked rapidly as I was listening to him seriously, but at his last sentence, my brain started doing its favourite activity of malfunctioning. If Tejas hadn't already done enough to make me warm, shy, grateful, turn red for sure, and make my legs loose strength, he ran his pinky finger on my eyebrow - I was definitely going to either turn into a statue or melt into a poodle of goo.

His gaze was so warm and gentle; I felt like I was basking in Sun's first rays. Everything began shining and turning bright.

"Don't frown so much," he said.

"Can I hug you again?" I asked him in a daze.

He bent back and opened his arms wide. "You are always welcome, Hamster. No invitation required."

I was amused by him. The serious-mysterious Tejas Jaiswal aka TJ, who was very strict about upholding his boundaries, was acting very playful and was allowing me into his private space without any prior permission.

Why will I miss this chance then?

I moved closer and hugged him. Tejas engulfed me like a bear, and I felt the residual stress leaving every pore of my body.

"Thank you very much for everything you are doing for my family," I told him.

"No need for the formalities with me," he scolded.

I nodded and hugged him for some more time before I had to sadly move away from him as my family and Tejas's father came out of the lawyer's office. By their expressions, it looked like they had good news to share.

Mom kept thanking Tejas for helping us, while Dad showed his gratitude to Tejas's father. Ritvik Bhaiyya had arrived in time to assist Dhara Di, while I looked upon the scene in amazement.

When Dad was done thanking Tejas and his dad, he looked at me, and a tear slipped down his face.

"I am sorry that you had to go through all that, Bhoomi," he said. "I failed as a father. You were struggling so much, trying to save our family, and I couldn't even get a hint about anything. You don't trust me anymore?"

I dashed and hugged my father. "Sorry, Dad. We all care for you, that's why none of us said anything. But you also didn't tell me anything about Tejas helping us. Are you trying to steal the best actor's position from me?"

Dad patted my back. "Trying to divert the topic by joking now?" he asked mischievously.

I looked up at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

He took a deep breath and shot a quick glance in Tejas's direction.

"Whenever you feel like it, we will talk about it, okay? And, no, I won't tolerate any lies," he said seriously.

"Are you angry?" I asked worriedly.

He shook his head and patted my head. "We should cherish good people in our lives, especially the ones who love us."

I nodded, and he told me to wipe my nose. I narrowed my eyes at him, making him laugh. Others looked at us in confusion, but we kept laughing together.

Tejas's father, Dr. Prakash Jaiswal, not only gave me a quick recap of what they had discussed with the lawyer, but he also informed that my sister would be getting therapy under professional care in his hospital only. He was concerned about Dhara Di's health and wanted to help us.

I gulped another onset of tears, avoiding one more crying session, but as Prakash Uncle kept treating me and my family like his own, I couldn't control myself any longer. He assured me of the same things Tejas had said, and I felt better as my family's main problem was actually going to get solved because of their help.

I cried, not caring about how much my nose was running. I kept thanking Prakash Uncle, while Tejas kept rubbing my back and handed me his handkerchief.

After I was done dehydrating myself, Tejas's father took my family out of the building. Tejas and I followed behind, and like always, he had something for me to maintain my blood pressure.

"Bhoomi, you will faint at this rate," he said in a worried voice.

I wiped my nose with his handkerchief and grinned.

"So what if I faint? You will catch me, won't you?" I teased and ran off to join others.

I turned around while walking and felt really happy when I noticed Tejas's ears turning bright red. His eyes slowly narrowed as a very gorgeous smile adorned his face.

"You know I can catch you, right?" he challenged.

I nodded, and Tejas came beside me. He and I walked together, stealing glances at each other.

I am really thankful to him. Because of him, my whole family is smiling like this after a long time. Ganapati Bappa, please remove all obstacles now. I don't want Tejas to get troubled again because of me.

"Please don't worry about anything," Prakash Uncle told us.

My parents, sister, and Ritvik Bhaiyya thanked him again, and he took his leave after telling his son to send us off safely. After Tejas's father left, KD and Arushi joined us. KD had to drop Arushi to her house, so he offered to take my parents along with him, while Dhara Di wanted to come with Ritvik Bhaiyya on his bike.

After everyone was done choosing their transport, I asked them how I was supposed to come. I tried to squeeze myself in KD's car, but he refused to let me in. He drove off, followed by Ritvik Bhaiyya, leaving me behind.

"How can they do this to me?" I mumbled in disbelief.

Tejas patted my shoulder. "Want a ride home, Hamster?" he asked.

I pouted. "May I?"

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him.

"It is going to be a long ride, so be ready," he said and took me to his car.

"Yes, boss," I replied.

As long as he is with me, I don't care how long the journey will be.

With Tejas being my side, everything seemed easy-peasy. As he had assured, the case against Shailesh was re-opened, and more allegations were filed against him. Due to his earlier track record, our case was strengthened, and for two weeks, we were making rounds of police station and the lawyer's office.

Shailesh got arrested, but the judgement was yet to be announced, so everyone of us was careful. It took me and my mother some time to finally feel relieved and be sure that Shailesh was no longer a threat to us. And all of it was thanks to my friends.

I had already prepared myself for the punishments. After spending a few days running behind my family's case, I went to my crew's dance station and apologized to everyone for lying to them. At first, everyone was scolding me for not informing them about anything, but in the end, everyone was consoling me; Rehman was the most involved because he was crying while beating me up.

My captain, Vibhan, was really disappointed - not in me but himself. He kept saying that he failed at taking care of me. I had a hard time convincing him that I trusted him and none of it was his fault. We had a group hug, and he warned me to not hide anything him from now on. I was thankful to each one of them, and as for my best friends, Akki and Aru, they had a full list of complaints.

I was curious, so I asked them since how long they knew and who first got suspicious about me. They exchanged knowing glances with each other and told me that all of them were worried for me, but it was Tejas, who had initiated the investigation. I didn't doubt that even one bit.

After my crew, I met Ritvik Bhaiyya and he was also upset with me and my sister. I left it to Dhara Di to cheer him up, while I thought of how to thank my friends.

Two weeks had already passed in the ordeal, but apart from my dockyard job, I hadn't quit the rest of my part-time jobs. I couldn't work during those two weeks, but I rejoined soon.

Tejas was helping me and my family without asking anything in return, but it didn't mean that I could just take such a big help from him for free. I didn't want to take advantage of his kindness.

Therefore, secretly, I found out about the fees of the lawyer who was working on our case, and as predicted, it was huge. I was no longer trapped in Shailesh's games, but I had to at least try to pay back Tejas as much as I could.

After getting my ears damaged from Sarthak's scoldings in the morning, I still had to face KD, Suhana, Hriaan, and Mahreen also. I wondered how they were going to beat me up while I went to college.

I was careful, but Mahreen caught me trying to hide and took me to the rest. Tejas didn't help me this time, and I was halfway down the ground with the allegations I was facing. I felt bad that more than blaming me for hiding everything from them, Mahreen and KD were angry at themselves for not catching up with what was going on.

Meanwhile, Akki added fuel to the fire, and Hriaan was happily stuffing himself with my lunch. Arushi and Suhana kept reassuring me, and when Mahreen and KD were finished with their lectures, they crushed me in their arms.

Like this, I finished my day full of scoldings, taunts, beatings, hugs, care, and lots of love. Tejas silently observed everything throughout the day, but while leaving for home, he stopped me and told Arushi and Akshay to give us some time.

My best friends grinned like Cheshire cats and left me alone with Tejas.

"What's wrong with you?" Tejas asked me.

"Nothing," I replied.

"Bhoomi, I know you have something on your mind. Is there something that is still bothering you?"

How is he able to detect everything so easily? I know he won't like it if I tell him what I am exactly thinking about.

"Nothing serious. I was just replaying the whole day in my mind," I lied.

His gaze moved all over my face, and I was ninety percent sure he had caught my lie, but he took out his woolen cap and covered my head with it. His fingers brushed against my ears, and I pressed my lips into a thin line.

Should I confess to him now? Even after what happened between us, Tejas is treating me so well and is not blaming me for anything. It still feels unreal to know that he likes me. I should apologise for my behaviour towards him - he didn't deserve it at all.

Wait, Bhoomi, are you going to confess to him like this? After all that he has done, such a plain confession? Really? Put some efforts, girl.

"Still cold?" Tejas booped my nose.

I shook my head. "No more."

He smiled and patted my head. We left for our homes, and while Akshay and Arushi were gossiping about the best winter fashion, I was trying to come up with how to confess to Tejas and inform my family about the same.

My whole night and next morning was spent thinking about it, and after replaying all the proposals and confessions I had seen on TV, I had a few interesting ideas in my mind.

I had quit my dockyard job, so I got ready leisurely and left for my restaurant job. My manager and colleagues were happy to see me back, and I started my work without wasting any more time. In my mind, I was calculating the lawyer's fees and how long it would take me to earn it.

I was cleaning the tables, when I sensed a very familiar person beside me.

"Tejas? What are you doing here?" I asked him in surprise.

He flashed me his bright smile. "Working, what else?"

He told me to step aside as he had to clean the floor. I looked at him in horror and stopped him.

"Why are you working?" I snatched the mop from him.

He snatched it back. "You are stopping me from exercising my right to earn, Bhoomi, and I am aware of what you are planning. I also know how much stubborn you are, so I am just trying to help you in paying me back."

I rested my fists on my hips. "Really?"

He nodded innocently. "I don't lie."

I was again amused by his tactic. He was really hellbent on working, so I let him be, and he worked diligently, receiving praises from everyone. When our shift ended, we left the restaurant, and I kept staring at him in admiration as he talked about his first day at the job enthusiastically and teased me about me being his senior.

He is so cute... I want to hug him, pull his cheeks, and tell him how much I like him till he gets tired of hearing that. I want to make him happy and... Oh, what is happening?

I grabbed the railing as I felt my vision darkening. Tejas was busy talking and mentioning about something in a nearby shop. Just after a few steps forward, he turned around and widened his eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked and held me.

"I think I am going to faint," I said and blacked out.

When I woke up, I found myself in a clinical bed, and Tejas was looking at me as if I had committed a crime.

"Why so serious?" I joked.

He narrowed his eyes. "You are still under a lot of stress, Bhoomi."

"It must be not that serious," I tried to convince him.

He shook his head and hugged me.

"Listen to me at least this time and take care of your health. Forget about paying me back because you are not indebted to me. If you don't want me to worry, then you have to rest, understand?" he said.

"You are blackmailing me," I replied.

He broke the hug and cupped my face with his hands. His eyes felt like a portal to a dimension where everything was nice, and the more his pupils dilated, the more I felt myself feeling warm all over.

"Bhoomi, you matter a lot to me, okay? I just want you to be healthy and safe. If you are really that adamant about paying me back, then just get better," he said seriously.

I nodded, and he caressed my cheeks.

"I love you, Hamster," he confessed.

This time, my brain didn't had to do much hardwork to register what he just said, and when he moved closer, my eyes automatically closed.

I felt ticklish when Tejas's warm lips touched mine, and I was instantly transported into my imaginary land. It was my first kiss, and it was far far better than I could ever imagine; the only complaint I had was that it ended too soon.

Tejas moved away, and when I opened my eyes, he looked at me anxiously.

"Sorry for kissing you out of the blue," he apologized and shifted back.

That's not something he needs to feel sorry about.

"I want more special fan service," I mumbled under my breath.

"What did you say?" he asked in surprise.

I stared at him, trying to imprint his image and current moment in my mind. I knew I was planning to tell him about my feelings in a different way, but I felt that I didn't need to delay it any more.

"I love you too, Tejas," I confessed.

Just as I said that, my whole body heated up like a volcano, and I hid my face in my palms.

I felt Tejas move forward. He didn't say anything, but I could feel his intense stare even with my eyes closed. Slowly, his hands moved across my torso, and he pulled me in a tight hug. I had no plans of losing this opportunity, so I removed my hands from my face and wrapped them around him.

"Thank you for always supporting me, Tejas. And I am sorry for lying to you. I really really really like you as my dance idol, but more than that, I love you as a person," I told him.

"But I am still upset about that fake rejection," he said.

I squeezed him. "I will make it up to you."

He moved back and ran his thumb on my chin. "Can I kiss you again?"

"No invitation required," I grinned.