The soft, profound warmth of his forehead kiss still lingered beautifully on Kritika's skin long after they had left the roadside tea stall behind. She sat quietly beside Vedant as the massive SUV glided smoothly through the winding, dark Manali roads, the quiet hum of the engine providing a gentle background to her racing thoughts. Her slender fingers drifted up absentmindedly, brushing the exact spot on her forehead where his lips had touched her just moments ago, as if trying to preserve the physical memory of his touch.

Vedant noticed. Of course he did. His sharp eyes never missed a single detail when it came to her reactions. A smug, deeply satisfied little smirk played on his lips as he kept his right hand steady on the steering wheel, while his left hand remained firmly wrapped around hers, his thumb caressing the back of her palm.