Chapter 31
Two Days Later – Kushal’s Penthouse
It had been two long days since that stormy moment in Verma she wasn’t sure her heart could endure.
By the time night fully edged in, Raj rose to leave. “Alright, kids, it’s time to leave. I’ll see you both in the morning.”
“Take care, Uncle,” she said before he kissed her forehead.
Kushal quietly accompanied Raj to the elevator while Arundhati stayed back in the house.
At the lobby, while waiting for the elevator doors, Raj placed a hand on his shoulder.
“She’s trying, son. With everything she has.
And I know you see it too, so don’t pretend you don’t.
I understand what it did to you when she once gave you the same cold distance.
God knows I’ve tried to talk it out to her then, to give you a chance.
And that’s why I’m saying the same to you now.
Mend it, Kushal. Mend it before it breaks beyond repair. ”
Kushal only gave a curt nod, unwilling to let his words sink deeper than they already had.
When the elevator doors closed, he stood a moment longer in the hallway before turning back toward the penthouse. When he returned, the lights in the kitchen were dim, and Arundhati was at the sink, quietly rinsing the tea cups.
Kushal was still holding his cup. He had taken it with him to the lift while seeing off Raj Verma. She glanced at him as he stepped inside and leaned against the counter, waiting for his turn to wash it.
“Give me your cup,” she said simply.
“I’ll wash it.”
“Why can’t I wash your cup? Don’t treat me like a guest here. This is my house too,” she answered. “It won’t hurt to help.”
“I said I’ll wash my cup. You don’t have to bother. Finish yours. I can wait.”
He did wait, close behind her. Arundhati didn’t force him further and continued with her task.
But for Kushal, it was hard to wait. The scent of her perfume rose around him.
As she washed the cups, the strap of her spaghetti top slipped from one shoulder; the motion was so slight it could have been an accident, but to him it was an invitation written in a language he had not forgotten.
Knowing her hands were wet and she was still busy with her task of washing, he set his cup down and closed the gap.
His fingers moved before his mind did, brushing the strap back up with the gentleness of a man easing a bruise.
The faintest graze of his knuckle against her bare skin made her stiffen, but she didn’t step away.
She just turned the tap off with a trembling hand, then leaned back into him, offering more.
Her spine pressed into his chest, her body surrendering an inch at a time, daring him to either claim her or step away once and for all.
For Kushal, that felt like another soft invitation.
Although he should have kept his hands off her if he really didn’t want to forgive her yet, he wrapped his arms around her waist, anchoring her to him, while his mouth lowered.
His lips brushed the delicate shell of her ear, tasting the heat of her skin.
She drew in a sharp breath, her knuckles gripping the edge of the counter, but she didn’t stop him.
For a suspended moment, everything else fell away.
All that remained was the rhythm of their breathing, and the tremble of her body in his arms.