Thirteen
Anika
‘I’ll go freshen up, if that’s okay?’ Vikrant said.
‘Go right ahead,’ I invited.
I went out to the balcony, to enjoy the gentle rain and give Vikrant his privacy. It was somehow too intimate to watch him get ready for a shower and bed. It reminded me of all the times he’d gently insisted I shower with him, ‘for water conservation’. More often than not, we wasted water and had the funniest, sexiest times.
One time, he’d literally slipped on a stray bar of soap and fallen on his butt, injuring his tailbone.
I laughed my butt off before helping him up.
I blinked back tears as I remembered everything – the good times and bad – that I successfully repressed for months now. Maybe being back here, with him, for this one week, could give me the closure I needed to move on with my life.
Without him.
Lightning flashed, cutting across the velvety sky with a silver crack, followed by roaring thunder. The rain turned forceful. Falling on my face and clothes, drenching me.
Good, the rain would hide my tears.
I wiped at my streaming cheeks and walked slowly back in just as Vikrant bounded out with a curse, slamming the ensuite bathroom door open.
‘FUCK!’
***
My eyes widened as I saw him wrap a towel around his hips and curse loudly. In a fraction of a second, I took in his glistening chest that looked stupidly good wet. And the way his hair curled at the nape, drawing my attention to the dents on his shoulders, because he was an exercise fiend and kept himself in shape by doing all the right things. Exercise and enough sleep and a diet of super healthy things like protein shakes and leafy vegetables.
Heat pooled in my belly, wetting me with its instantaneous reaction.
‘Hey! What happened?’
Vikrant held the towel in one hand. ‘There’s a lizard in there.’
‘What?’ I asked thickly while I devoured the droplets of water streaming down his back and disappearing into the indents made by his gluteus maximus. I clutched my fingers tight, digging the nails into the soft bed of my palms.
‘There’s a fucking lizard in there. As big as a rat.’
His words penetrated my foggy brain.
I laughed. Loud and free.
Vikrant gave an affronted look as he knotted the towel properly and wiped a hand down his half soapy face. ‘It’s not funny, Anika. You know they are slippery creatures. And they bite.’
I controlled the rest of my laugh with effort and kept a straight face as I nodded soberly. ‘I’m sorry. You’re right. I’ll go shoo it off, okay?’
Vikrant was alarmed. ‘It could bite you too! Be careful.’
‘I will,’ I promised him solemnly.
***
I walked into the bathroom and there it was. The culprit that had allowed me to see Vikrant in all his beautiful, buff glory for a hot, sexy second.
Thank you, Mr. Lizard.
It was stuck right next to the showerhead, bulging brown eyes twitching this way and that. Right at Vikrant’s eyesight. No wonder he’d freaked out.
It was so cute that a normally calm man like Vikrant shuddered at the thought of creepy crawlies. I was the one who dealt with spiders and ants and other creepy crawlies, during thunderstorms.
He just cowered in the corner and called out unnecessary advice.
Like now. ‘Turn on the handheld shower, okay?,” Vikrant called out. “It’s the faucet on the left side.’
‘Okay,’ I called back.
I turned on the left side faucet and the overhead shower drenched me even more in ice-cold water.
I shrieked. Turned it off. The lizard scampered as my shriek reverberated against the bathroom walls, disappearing into the shower grate.
***
‘Fuck! Are you alright?’ Vikrant burst through the door. And froze right where he stood.
‘Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.’ I sagged against the wall, as the shock wore off. ‘Your lizard’s gone.’
‘Great. That’s great.’ Still, he didn’t move from the middle of the bathroom. And his hold on the towel was alarmingly precarious.
I licked my wet lips and pushed wet hair back from my face.
‘You should finish your shower. The danger has passed.’
I forced myself to look nowhere but at his eyes. His hot, intense, focused eyes which were also looking at nothing but my face.
‘You’re...’ He cleared his dry throat. ‘You’re all wet.’ He made a gesture with one hand, pointing in the general direction of my torso.
I looked down at my soft tee shirt. It was completely drenched. It was also sticking to my chest like a second skin, which meant he could see that I wore no bra, and the cold water had peaked my nipples.
Fire flashed through me, until I was sure steam would come off my clothes and dry them off.
God, yes, I was all wet.
‘Dammit,’ I muttered. I unstuck the tee shirt from my stomach. ‘I didn’t bring any other night clothes.’
‘Oh.’
I sighed. And made to take my tee shirt off, forgetting for a moment that Vikrant was even there.
‘I’ll lend you my tee shirt,’ he said loudly. Reminding me of his presence.
I paused in the act of undressing. ‘That’s…nice.’ And it was. Although, before, he would have been just as happy to have me naked and willing in his arms.
‘Wait here.’ Vikrant nodded stiffly and turned and walked out, holding the towel in a death grip.
I sighed once more as the bathroom door closed behind him.
Closure , I repeated. This week was all about closure. Not resurrecting inconvenient feelings that would only end in disaster. No matter how badly I’d wanted that towel to drop.