I was supposed to update last weekend but then I got super busy and week days are absolutely crazy. Finished this while sitting in a boring lecture so it might not be the best. Also, not sure about the next two weekend updates because my college has two fests in the two weekends, but I'll really try my best. Happy Valentine's Day, people! Thanks for all the love you've showered on this book ❤

The journey from the airport to their resort in Waiheke Island was one of delightful discoveries. Being in a new country was always a great experience and when it's a country as beautiful as Auckland, it makes it all the more special. Surbhi had never been to a place so developed yet so naturally beautiful, with clean, large highways surrounded by forests. They had to take a ferry to get to the island from the main city and the water was so blue, Surbhi and Nakuul were already excited to take a swim in the sea. Although Nakuul had played series in New Zealand before, he had never been to this part of the country and he was in absolute awe of it. The company made it all the more amazing and in the short journey towards the island, they were already clicking pictures and being, what he assumed was, major 'couple goals'.

From the shore, their resort was only 10 minutes away. It was called Marino Ridge, a luxury resort with their own private beach. Nakuul and Surbhi had, over the past couple of days, chosen this resort themselves. It was an expensive one and although Surbhi had wanted to share the expenses, stating firmly that she was capable of paying for her vacation, Nakuul had been adamant.

I earn for my loved ones, Surbhi, he had said, and that includes you. Who else am I going to spend my money on?

As romantic as that was, Surbhi still hadn't been convinced and had only relented when Nakuul had assured her that she would share the expenses in their next vacation together. That had brought along the prospect of another vacation with him and had momentarily distracted her, giving him enough time to pay for everything on his own. They had done an excellent job in selecting the resort, because Marino Ridge looked gorgeous from outside, with it's white, marble walls, furnished lounge and the long pool in the lawn with dazzling blue water. The staff were very attentive and showed Nakuul and Surbhi to the private lodge they had booked. It was nothing less than an apartment, fully furnished with an open kitchen, a grand master bedroom and of course, an open private pool. As soon as the bellboys had kept their luggage and left, Surbhi was jumping around in excitement.

"This. Is. Perfect!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around Nakuul. He laughed while trying to keep his balance and twirled her around.

"It really is. Are you hungry? I'm super hungry. Let's go get lunch?"

"I wanna take a shower first," Surbhi remarked with a frown, examining her body that felt grimy after the long flight and the ferry ride. "Give me 20 minutes?"

20 minutes was of course a slight miscalculation, because she emerged only about 40 minutes later, in one of those fluffy pink bathrobes kept in the lavish bathroom. Her hair was dripping water droplets as she rubbed them with a towel, and the strong scent of fruits and exotic berries was wafting from her to Nakuul's nostrils. He tried not to stare and make her uncomfortable, and instead focused on the newspaper he was reading.

"Don't you want to take a bath?" She asked him while taking out a lotion from her bag and applying it on her limbs.

"Yeah, I'll go do that," Nakuul said. He really needed an escape from the alluring sight she was right now and going to take a shower seemed like the best option.

Instead of having lunch at the resort's deluxe restaurant, Nakuul and Surbhi decided to explore around a bit, and settled on a small outdoor café nearby. Ordering a large cheese pizza with mushrooms and garlic breads, they waited impatiently for their food to arrive. When it did, the aroma itself made their mouths water. Munching on the lunch like the hungry souls they were, they talked about what they could do the whole day. They had booked a guide who would show them around all the tourist spots in Waiheke, but he would only arrive tomorrow. Their rest of today was free.

"How about we just relax in the room and watch a movie or something?" Nakuul suggested. It had been a long journey, after all. Surbhi nodded.

"Ooh, and take a dip in the pool as well!" She added excitedly. Nakuul smiled, and after finishing lunch, they walked hand-in-hand till the resort, checking up some roadside stalls on the way that sold hand-made ornaments and decors. Nakuul bought Surbhi a charm bracelet, much like the one her character wore in her show.

Back in the room, they turned on the large LED TV perched up on the wall and connected it to a pen drive they had brought. Putting on Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na after much debating on what they should watch, they settled down on their fluffy king-sized bed. While Surbhi watched on with concentration the same movie for the hundredth time, Nakuul stole glances at his girlfriend to observe her. Even when doing something as simple as watching TV, she was delightful to watch.

She had a habit of sucking the tip of her thumb whenever a particularly distressing scene came, and it filled Nakuul's heart with tenderness. Her ability to empathize with fictional characters always amazed him and it was no wonder that she was such a good actress. She really lived the characters' lives as her own and to a sportsman whose work was all about practicality, this was enchanting. They watched silently, before Surbhi declared she was hungry again and had Nakuul order room service. He tried to not make her eat on the bed but she remarked how he was being like SSO and continued eating there anyway. Afterwards, they lay cuddling on the bed, movie half-forgotten. He placed kisses on her mouth while she giggled and tried to evade by turning away, but he was relentless in his pursuit.

"Babe come on!" He cried, as he came across a mouthful of her hair when he tried to land one on her lips. Laughing, Surbhi pecked his nose.

"You're such a cutie," She grinned, and he scrunched up his nose. Tackling her on the bed, he lay over her while pinning her hands to the side.

"What is it that Shivaay says?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not cute. I'm hot."

Surbhi laughed at that, wriggling to get her hands free. Nakuul complied but held her down by the waist. Pressing his lips on hers for a soft kiss, he rolled over on his back again, and she snuggled up to his side.

By the time they actually stopped goofing around and finished the movie, it was late night. Surbhi insisted she was too full for dinner but Nakuul forced her to eat something, not wanting to let her sleep without dinner. They changed into their night-suits, and thankfully for Nakuul his girlfriend chose to wear clothes that covered her lovely skin well enough- loose mickey-mouse tee with matching long pyjamas. He knew that atleast for tonight, he was safe. They turned off the lights and got comfortable on the soft bed. They hadn't spent a full night together after they had started officially dating and it brought a different sort of comfort and intimacy.

"Do you remember the first we slept together?" Nakuul asked. "I mean, slept on the same bed?" He corrected himself with a slight blush. Surbhi nodded against his chest.

"Remember how drunk you were the second time?" Nakuul joked, making her frown up at him.

"I also remember how you opened your shirt that night, cheapda," She rebuked. Nakuul chuckled fondly and wrapped his arms around her tighter.

"That's only because I was warm, okay? And you were practically lying on top of me."

"Whatever," Surbhi muttered, and they fell into a short silence.

"We've come so far since then, haven't we?" He reminisced. Surbhi smiled.

"You know," Nakuul continued, "I think I knew, even then."

"Knew what?"

Staring down at her with love, he replied-

"That I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Surbhi's breath caught in her throat, and she looked up to meet his gaze.

"Y-you do?"

"If you will allow me to," Nakuul smiled, tenderly kissing her forehead. "You know, Praachi Di always used to tell me that one day I'll find a woman I'll fall deeply in love with. It's not that I didn't believe in love, but I guess you don't understand the depth of the emotion until you have experienced it first-hand. But now I know how it feels."

"How does it feel?" Surbhi asked impishly, eager to know more.

"It's inexplicable, Surbhi. It's like my heart explodes into bursts of happiness whenever you're around me and I feel like I will never need anything more in my life as long as I have you. I really won't."

With moist eyes, Surbhi pressed a long kiss on his cheek, trying to tell him in her own way how much she loved him too. Words were never her thing unless they were presented to her on a script and Nakuul didn't need to hear the words, anyway. He knew just by the way she looked at him, with pure, unadulterated admiration in her eyes, that she loved him just the same. And with this knowledge in mind, they both fell into a peaceful sleep. Their vacation had just started, and excitement was running through their veins. 

I have a new story on Shivika put up, called The Making of a Fairytale. Do check it out if possible!