“Dinner?”
“I ate.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Sleep.”
He trailed his hand up to the back of her head and stroked her hair. “Is everything ok?”
“Hmm.” She nuzzled into his T-shirt. “As ok as it can be. Iram is home, there is tension between them, Atharva refuses to see what the attack on him can spell out but at least he has everything he needs in his home now so life at work will become easier. The event at Kathua was good but everybody was more interested in getting deets about what’s happening in Kashmir and stone pelting’s hourly rate. Nobody was interested in the railway lines we’ve laid out…” she huffed. “What did I sign up for?”
Samar’s mouth pressed into her hair. “You are cursed with everybody who tests you, starting with me.”
She broke into a proper laugh, shaking her nose from side to side on his chest.
“What?” He pulled her back.
“If I say you are right, will you get offended?”
“I said it myself, right?”
She nodded. And saw his face soften into one of those rare expressions, the one that used to be his SOP back when they had started dating. Amaal leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed his rough cheek. His brows shot up.
“What was that for?”
“For not testing me this week.”
He grabbed the base of her chin and tipped her face up again to kiss her mouth. She moaned, getting his tongue tangling with hers after weeks, maybe months, maybe years. Amaal felt her head tip backwards as he banded his arms around her waist and licked her so well, that her stomach began to clench.
“Ohhh no.” She pushed back. “Don’t start something right now…”
“Why?”
“It’s been so long and… I don’t have the energy.”
“I pumped up enough for the two of us.” He pulled her into the hall and into his arms again, stepping back until he could tug the curtains on the windows with one shove.
“Samar!” She gasped.
“Quiet.” He kissed her, trailing his knuckles down her neck to her breast. “I haven’t been able to give you anything. I have been taking and taking.” He kissed her throat. “I want you to relax and let me do this. And then I want you to close your eyes and go to sleep.” He bit her chin. She gasped. “Hmm?”
She held her breath.
Samar’s head rose and he twisted his fingers in the back of her hair. “Hmm?”
“Hmm.” She felt all her resistance, all her protests, all her muscles give up. He lowered himself on the sofa and pulled her to his lap. She pushed back — “You are still weak…”
His fist wound her hair in a loop and he tugged her head back. Their eyes met.
“Did I ask you?”
She swallowed, seeing that intensity back in his eyes after ages. Feeling the helpless surrender and pleasure return to her own body after ages.
“Can I ask you for something?” She tried. “You can say no.”
“Ask.”
“Can you take your T-shirt off?”
