She paused.
‘Is that what we’re talking about now? Because I’m not sure. Are we … like … is this foreplay? I’m honestly not sure what this conversation is anymore,’ she continued.
Neel dropped his head back against the couch and let out a laugh. ‘God, I don’t know either. I started with feelings, ended up sounding like a horny teenager, and somewhere in between I think I offended you, complimented you and made no real point.’
‘So does that mean we’re headed to the bedroom?’ Kaavi asked.
Neel groaned. ‘Kaavi, you’re not making this easy.’
She smirked, twisting the strap of her floral summer dress between her fingers.
‘I think I know what I want to say. I just need to get it out the right way.’
‘Spit it out, Neel. For God’s sake.’
‘Let me make my point,’ he continued, shifting closer. ‘Here it is: this thing between us, this urgency, this pull, it’s always been there. Always will be. It doesn’t fade. I don’t know how to explain it, and maybe we don’t need to. It just is. But I need to know … is there something you want to say? Anything you want to tell me? Or do you… why are you looking at me like that, Kaavi?’
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, breathless. ‘I can’t concentrate. You were saying something about … wanting? Need? Chemistry?’
Neel let out a half-laugh, half-growl. ‘You know what? Forget it. I can’t do this right now. This conversation will have to wait …’
He leaned in.
‘Because I want you. Right now.’
And then his lips were on hers.
couple of hours after Kaavi left, Neel sat in front of his laptop pretending to work, the glow of the screen doing nothing to help him focus. His mind kept going back to the conversation he’d tried to have earlier, the one that never made it past the wanting.
What he was trying to say was simple really: we need to talk.
Yes, it was easy to fall into old patterns, into each other. The chemistry had never gone anywhere. And maybe for the next few days, it was fine to let it happen. To express their passion, to hold onto whatever this was while they were in the same place.
But then what?
Was she coming back to Johannesburg?
Were they getting back together?
Those were the questions that actually mattered. And he had no answers. Did Kaavi want him back – not just in her bed but in her life?
Did she want to make their marriage work?
Was she willing to leave Rally?
Because the truth was that he couldn’t stay here. Rally wascharming. It was easy. He liked meeting her family, liked the way people greeted each other wherever they went, liked being able to pop into the doctor’s rooms just to say hi to a friend. But it wasn’t his life.
His life was in Johannesburg, his company, his responsibilities, his rhythm. His family.
They weren’t talking about any of that.
Because if they weren’t trying to burn down the kitchen, they were burning the sheets.
And that just wasn’t enough to build a future on.
Kaavi read the email again, then leaned back in the chair, letting it settle in. It would be an opportunity, something big, glossy, and familiar. But wasn’t that part of her old life?
She didn’t miss modelling. Not really. She certainly didn’t miss the industry or the way it made her feel. She’d closed that chapter, or so she thought. But now she asked herself what she really had.
