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The three men glared at him before picking up their pace.

“Run, boys,” Krish teased from behind them. “Run.”

Raghav abruptly turned around and punched him lightly on his chest.

“Stop enjoying this so much.”

Krish only laughed as they all jogged back towards the resort, where their wives were already waiting for them.

****************

The four of them made their way back to the breakfast lounge, ready to face their wives, who had already heard an interesting version of what had happened on the beach from Trisha.

Ayaan and Krish, who had abandoned their shirts during the run, had now slipped back into their breezy half-sleeved shirts, leaving the top few buttons undone. Their damp hair was still slightly dishevelled, while Vishnu and Raghav were still in their vests, looking far too relaxed as though they were already prepared to face whatever may come their way.

They had barely entered the lounge when Ayaan spotted Trisha. She was sitting beside Siya, wearing a grin that immediately made him suspicious.

Raghav noticed it too. More importantly, he noticed the way Siya looked at him. One slow look from his wife was enough to tell him that Trisha had probably provided a highly entertaining narration of the morning’s events.

Ayaan leaned slightly towards him. “We’re in trouble.”

Raghav’s gaze remained on Siya. “I already know.”

“How bad?” Vishnu asked.

“Judging by the look on their faces?” Raghav finally glanced at him. “Very.”

Krish, who was a few steps behind them, shook his head, reaching closer.

“Come on, man. You’ve been married for years. By now, you should have figured out how to handle your wife.”

The other men gave Krish a long, unimpressed look before following him towards the table, where their wives were already seated together.

Raghav pulled out the chair beside Siya and settled into it. His eyes immediately found his wife, and for several seconds, he simply forgot that anyone else was sitting at the table around him. In her backless halter dress, with her long hair framing her face, she looked unbelievably gorgeous. Her eyes lifted towards him, and the moment their gazes met, she gave him a sharp glare. But Raghav didn’t look away immediately, and that only made her glare harder.

Ayaan meanwhile had taken the seat next to Meher, while Vishnu and Krish joined their respective wives. For a few seconds, nobody said a word.

The women simply looked at their husbands, one after another, and the expressions on their faces said more than any accusation could have.

Ayaan was the first to crack under the silence.

“Meher, trust me.” He cleared his throat. “We were just catching our breath.”

“Exactly.” Vishnu immediately nodded, turning towards Simran. “We don’t even know what version of the story Trisha told you, but I’m sure she exaggerated half of it.”

Trisha, sitting beside Krish, immediately turned towards him with a deeply offended frown.

“I did no such thing.”

Before Vishnu could defend himself, Raghav turned towards Siya.

“No other woman could ever catch my eye, Siya,” he said calmly. “You know that.”

A beat of silence followed. Then all four women burst into laughter. The men stared at them, and then at one another, completely bewildered.

“What?” Ayaan finally asked.

Meher wiped the corner of her eye, still laughing. “Relax, guys. We know what happened. Trisha told us everything.”