Aarav Malhotra had everything a man could buy-power, money, a corporate empire-but not what he desperately needed.

Touch.

No woman had ever been able to lay a hand on him without triggering his rare hypersensitivity—a condition that forced him to live behind walls, gloves, and distance.

Until her.

The girl who bumped into him at a seminar and made his entire world stop.

Her touch didn’t burn him.

It calmed him.

He didn’t even know her name that day.

But he knew one truth:

She is the one.

And he would find her.

And he would keep her-

no matter what it takes

CHAPTER 1 - The Girl Who Didn’t Hurt

The seminar hall buzzed with noise as students shuffled to their seats.

Dimpal Chandel, a 22-year-old MSc student with a habit of dropping things at the worst moments, ran inside with a stack of papers clutched against her chest.

A sudden bump.

Papers flew.

“Ahh—sorry sorry sorry!” she breathed as she bent down.

Another hand reached the papers at the same time.

She looked up.

And saw him.

A tall man in a charcoal suit.

Cold eyes, sharp jawline.

The CEO everyone whispered about.

Aarav Malhotra.

Their fingers touched for half a breath.

Dimpal felt nothing.

Just embarrassment and heat rising to her cheeks.

But Aarav—

His world cracked open like lightning.

No pain.

No reaction.

No burning skin.

For the first time in his life…

He could touch someone.

He stared at her like she had rewritten the laws of physics.

Dimpal quickly scooped up her papers, bowed like a scared rabbit, and scurried away to the back row.

Aarav remained frozen, still holding one sheet.

The faint warmth from her touch lingered on his skin like a memory he never wanted to lose.

He looked at the paper.

Her name was written in a corner.

Dimpal Chandel.

His heart whispered the words for the first time.

“She’s the one.”

Aarav could not focus through the seminar.

His eyes kept drifting to the back row, to the girl who hid behind her notebook.

When she raised her hand to ask a question, he stared.

When she tucked her hair behind her ear, he stared.

When she scribbled notes furiously, he smiled without realising.

His secretary whispered,

“Sir… are you okay?”

“No,” Aarav replied honestly.

Then after a pause, “Yes.”

Then again, “I… don’t know.”

It was the most confusing day of his life and yet the best.

The next day, Aarav didn’t go to his office.

He went to her university.

He sat inside the campus café, hidden behind a newspaper like a ridiculous detective.

When Dimpal entered the café, smiling shyly while ordering a chai, Aarav felt his heartbeat skip.

She sat alone.

Her feet swung lightly under the chair.

Her hair was in a messy bun.

She looked… perfect.

Aarav whispered to himself,

“I want to protect her.”

He didn’t know from what.

But he wanted to guard that innocence, that softness, that tiny smile that lifted and fell every time she talked.

Parents’ Approval

Aarav was not good with emotions.

So instead of confessing like a normal man…

he went to meet her parents.

Without telling her.

“Sir… do you love our daughter?” her father asked, bewildered.

Aarav blinked.

“I am… getting there,” he admitted honestly.

“But I want your blessings first.”

Her mother dropped her spoon.

Her father rubbed his temples.

“Beta, don’t you think you should ask her first?”

Aarav nodded seriously.

“Yes. Eventually.”

Lost in the Wild

A business trip plan.

A sudden storm.

A staged attack (unknown to them).

Aarav grabbed Dimpal’s wrist as they ran through the forest, rain soaking them completely.

She stumbled.

He caught her instantly.

Her forehead hit his chest.

Her breath mixed with his.

For the first time, Dimpal felt something warm in her stomach.

“Aarav… I’m scared,” she whispered.

“I’m here,” he said softly.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

His voice wasn’t cold anymore.

It was gentle, Reassuring, Almost… loving.

The Cave Night

They found shelter in a small cave.

Aarav lit a fire with shaking hands.

Dimpal shivered violently.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

She nodded.

Without hesitating, he wrapped his coat around her shoulders.

Her head slowly fell onto his arm as she drifted into sleep.

Aarav didn’t sleep the whole night.

He watched her tiny breaths.

Adjusted the coat around her.

Brushed a strand of hair off her forehead.

Whispered things she couldn’t hear.

“You are… the only one I can touch.”

“You make me feel normal.”

“I think I’m falling for you, Dimpal.”

He pressed his forehead to hers, checking her fever gently.

Something in his chest softened in a way he had never felt before.

The Village of Misunderstandings

When they entered the tribal village the next morning, the villagers instantly judged the situation:

A man… and a young woman…

together…

in the wild…

“Are you married?” the village chief asked.

Dimpal: “Wha—no—actually—”

“Yes,” Aarav replied calmly, without blinking.

“YES?????” Dimpal hissed at him.

“Temporary. For safety,” he whispered back.

“But also… I don’t mind.”

Fake Husband, Real Feelings

The village gave them a tiny hut.

One bed.

One blanket.

Zero electricity.

Dimpal nearly died of embarrassment.

“This is SO awkward,” she whisper-yelled.

Aarav was smiling like a satisfied cat.

Their days became a mix of:

Dimpal burning chapati → village women laughing

Aarav learning to chop vegetables → cuts his fingers

Both trying to understand villagers’ sign language

Sharing stories in darkness

Accidentally brushing hands

Laughing at each other’s clumsiness

Protecting each other like real partners

Some nights, Dimpal would fall asleep against his shoulder while talking.

And Aarav would stay still the entire night…

just to not disturb her.The Moment That Changed Everything

During the tribal festival, Dimpal got lost in the crowd.

Aarav panicked—really panicked—for the first time.

He found her minutes later, looking confused and scared.

She looked up at him with relief.

“Aarav!!”

Without thinking, she grabbed his hand.

Hard.

Aarav felt his heart explode.

She didn’t let go.

For the first time, she didn’t pull away.

She didn’t second-guess.

She didn’t hide.

Her fingers stayed interlocked with his.

Aarav whispered, breathless:

“Dimpal… don’t let go.”

“I won’t,” she whispered.

And for the first time…

she meant it.

Aarav Malhotra did not believe in miracles.

Not after spending twenty-eight years being allergic to the world.

Literally.

A condition so rare doctors wrote papers about him —

no woman could touch his skin without triggering severe burning pain, nausea, or fainting.

His employees feared him.

Business rivals kept distance.

His own family didn’t hug him.

Aarav lived in an isolated bubble of gloves, sanitizers, and distance.

Cold.

Untouchable.

Untouched.

And everyone knew the rule:

Stay away from the CEO.

Don’t get close.

Don’t touch him.

Don’t even accidentally brush past him.

Everyone knew.

Except… one girl.

A girl who walked like sunshine without permission.

A girl who didn’t know rules because she always tried her best—but was born clumsy.

A girl whose innocence was louder than any warning sign.

Her name was Dimpal Chandel.

Beautiful.

Too beautiful.

Heart-shaped face, soft doe eyes, long silky hair tied in loose bows.

A smile that made strangers bless her silently.

Unaware of her charm.

Unaware of her danger.

Unaware that she was about to destroy Aarav Malhotra’s entire universe.

The Collision

It happened at the grand revolving doors of Malhotra Towers.

Dimpal, carrying too many books and her tiny peach-coloured bag, pushed the glass door a little too aggressively—

It spun faster—

The books slipped—

She stumbled—

And crashed straight into someone’s chest.

Tall.

Hard.

Cold.

Her fingers touched his jaw as she tried to balance herself.

Her palms pressed against his shoulders.

Her face brushed the side of his throat.

For a full three seconds…

She touched him.

Fully.

Accidentally.

Directly.

Skin on skin.

She gasped.

He froze.

Employees nearby dropped their files.

Someone whispered, “Oh god, she touched him.”

Another person crossed themselves like she just invited death.

Because the CEO—

he should be fainting by now.

He should be screaming from pain.

He should be collapsing.

But he wasn’t.

He didn’t fall.

Didn’t flinch.

Didn’t even blink.

Instead…

Aarav slowly looked down at the small girl pressed against him.

Her long eyelashes trembled.

Her lips parted in shock.

She smelled faintly of vanilla and jasmine.

Her hair tickled his throat.

He felt… nothing.

No pain.

No allergy.

No burning.

Rather—

Something warm.

Something electric.

Something frighteningly pleasant.

His heart—

the one he never felt—

skipped.

Who is she?

But Dimpal had a completely different panic.

“Oh my god—I’m so sorry—sorry sir—sorry please don’t fire me—I’m not even hired yet—sorry—sorry—SORRY—”

She babbled while trying to stand straight, but her foot tangled with her own bag strap and she bumped into him again.

Employees gasped.

Aarav caught her waist with one gloved hand—

and his bare wrist brushed her cheek.

Again.

Her warmth seeped into his skin… beautifully.

He felt dizzy.

Not from allergy.

From her.

He let her go only because she stepped back herself, cheeks pink like cherry blossoms.

She bowed ninety degrees.

“I-I swear I did not mean to crash into you. The door is too spinny.”

Aarav’s lips twitched—

the closest he came to a smile in years.

“Spinny,” he repeated softly.

She nodded like a nervous squirrel.

“Yes. Very spinny.”