There was a raw, powerful need stirring inside him, demanding release. But he knew better. He knew where that path would lead him…to disappointment.
Just as every moment like this in the past had ended with her disappointed, when he had pulled away, withdrawn, and left her standing alone in the heat of what could have been.
And that knowledge was the only thing holding him back.
Suddenly, Mishti ended the call. That was when she realised Karan was watching her. His eyes were hooded, dark, filled with need.
The moment their gazes met, she reacted instinctively. She pulled her pants back down quickly and placed the lotion away. But Karan still did not look away.
Without a word, she walked to the bed, pulled the comforter over herself, and switched off the bedside light. The room fell into a quiet semi-darkness.
Karan smiled faintly. “Good night,” he said.
“Good night,” she murmured from the bed, before looking at him and asking, “When are you going to sleep?”
He paused for a few seconds, as if deciding and then replied, “Not for a few more minutes,” he said calmly, “if I’m sleeping here on the couch.”
She did not understand what he meant, but he continued, “But if I get to sleep there,” his eyes gestured toward the empty space beside her on the bed, “then I’m winding up right away.”
Despite the low light in the room, he could see her cheeks turning red. She pulled the comforter tighter around herself, turned her face to the other side, and closed her eyes, without responding.
Karan smirked to himself. That woman was going to be his undoing if she did not forgive him soon. He let out a hard sigh, loud enough for her to hear, before returning his attention to the laptop and resuming his work.
****************
Sometime later, Mishti heard his pained voice.
“No…”
Her eyes opened slowly. For a moment, she was disoriented. Then she remembered that she was in the hotel room she shared with Karan. He was on the couch. It was still night, and he appeared to be asleep.
Then she heard it again.
“No… Maa…”
The moment the word left his lips, her heart clenched. She turned on the bedside lamp and looked toward him.
Karan was trembling on the couch. His body lay rigid, disturbed, his face contorted as though caught in a nightmare. Pain was etched across his features.
“Maa,” he murmured again, his voice thick with anguish.
Mishti rushed to him immediately and sat on the edge of the couch, fitting herself into the little space beside him.
“Karan,” she called softly, trying to wake him.
He did not respond. She called his name again, but he still did not wake. Finally, she reached out and touched him.
That was when his eyes flew open.
He was breathless, gasping as though pulled suddenly out of deep water. The moment he saw her, he sat up abruptly, his body shuddering as another tremor ran through him.
Mishti wrapped her arms around him and soothed his back gently. He did not hug her back, though. He was still trapped in the remnants of the nightmare.
She knew he needed comfort badly.
“It’s okay. Relax. Calm down,” she began murmuring. His heart was still racing beneath her palms, beating erratically.
Mishti did not want him to slip back into that terrifying moment even after waking up. She needed to ground him. Distract him. Do something to pull him out of it.
