And is he actually flaunting them so openly?
Damn him.
Somewhere between him biting my lower lip and kissing me senseless last night, I remember digging my nails into his arms, hard. And now, this shameless man is walking around wearing the evidence like a trophy.
Our eyes meet, and neither of us looks away. For one long second, all I see is last night. His arms around me. My lips on his. And how we had come dangerously close to surrendering ourselves completely to each other. Heat floods my cheeks, and I turn my attention back to the toaster.
“Raghav?” Kailash Uncle looks up from the omelette he’s making. “What are you doing in the kitchen?” he asks suspiciously. “Go get showered.”
Raghav nods obediently before stepping further inside. “I’m hungry.”
I continue spreading jam over the toasted bread while Uncle shakes his head in amusement. Raghav walks straight towards me, and my heart starts thudding like a Dolby speaker inside my chest.
“Morning.”
His deep voice makes my fingers falter.
“Morning,” I mumble.
Without another word, he reaches for one of the slices of toast I’ve just prepared and takes a bite, standing far too close to me. Close enough for my stupid body to remember every single thing from last night again. That nearness between us is too hot to ignore. He knows exactly what it does to me, which is exactly why he’s doing it.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Uncle glancing over his shoulder, trying to see what’s happening between us. He’s quiet,but there’s a knowing grin on his face, as if he can sense that something is different between us. As though he knows Raghav isn’t here because he’s hungry. He’s here becauseI’mhere.
Before I can process what he’s doing, Raghav tears off the untouched half of his toast and lifts it towards my mouth.
What?
I just stare at him, but he says nothing. He simply gestures with his eyes, urging me to take a bite. Something is definitely wrongwithhim…orwith me. Because I suddenly feel like a puppet, completely helpless against whatever this man is doing to me.
Slowly, I lean forward and take a bite from the piece he’s holding. I chew it absentmindedly, wiping my lips afterwards. Raghav grins, then takes another bite himself.
“Breakfast is in ten minutes,” Uncle says dryly. “Though I can see someone couldn’t wait.”
I almost die of embarrassment while Raghav merely smirks and walks out of the kitchen without another word, leaving me standing there with my palm pressed over my racing heart.
What just happened?
He looks like a man who’s done holding himself back. I know exactly where this road is heading. But none of that changes the fact that I’m still angry about the way he forced me into this marriage.
Would I still cross that line with him? Would I ignore everything only because our attraction towards each other is becoming impossible to deny?
I don’t know.
And that’s exactly what scares me.
****************
Josh Club – Mumbai (Late Evening)
The next evening, we are back at the very place where Raghav and I had first crossed paths.Josh Club.
It was Ayaan and Meher’s idea to come here tonight. Tomorrow afternoon, Raghav, Mom, and I will be flying back to RK Estate, so before everyone goes their separate ways again, the four couples decided to spend one last evening together. The ambience of Josh Club is still the same. The music is loud, the crowd is elite, and the entire place reeks of money and power. We settle into a corner section, away from the crowd.
Ayaan sits beside Meher, hovering around her as if she might disappear if he looks away for two seconds. At seven months pregnant, she has been banned from almost everything due to her overprotective husband. So instead of cocktails, there’s a glass of fresh lemonade in front of her, along with a variety of healthy salads and starters. Ayaan practically watches every bite she takes.
Across from them sit Vishnu and Simran. Vishnu carries that same political aura around him, while Simran looks completely relaxed beside her husband. I can see that they have been holding hands under the table.How romantic.
Trisha is sitting beside me, and Krish is seated next to Raghav, directly opposite me. Raghav deliberately chose that spot. Every few seconds, I end up glancing at him and find those dark eyes already fixed on me. It should be illegal for someone to look this handsome.
