CHAPTER 8 （Shoot Out）
KRISH
As Trisha ran away, the loss of her presence hit me like a physical blow.
My hands dropped uselessly to my sides, still burning from the feel of her soft skin beneath them.
For a dizzying moment, we had teetered on the edge, so close I could almost taste her lips.
It took every ounce of restraint not to pull her back and press my mouth to hers.
But then she was gone, the charged air between us turning cold in her absence.
The slammed door echoed with sharp finality, leaving me alone with my ragged breathing and pounding heart.
Part of me, the part that had been longing for this moment for far too long, wanted to chase after her, to pull her into my arms and seal what we both knew was brewing between us with a kiss.
It felt like the natural progression of things, the culmination of the undeniable chemistry that crackled between us whenever we were together.
But another part of me, the rational part, knew that Trisha wasn’t ready for that.
She was still grappling with the fallout of Daniel’s betrayal, still burdened by guilt and self-blame.
Pushing her into something she wasn’t ready for would only complicate matters further, and I couldn’t bear the thought of adding to her already heavy load.
I raked my hands through my hair in frustration as I stood there alone in the living area.
The memory of her soft lips, tantalisingly close, lingered in the air.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had missed an opportunity, that I had let fear and uncertainty dictate my actions instead of following my heart.
But maybe it was for the best. Maybe this was a sign that we needed to take things slow, to let whatever was between us simmer and grow organically.
And maybe, just maybe, when the time was right, Trisha would be ready to take that leap with me.
Until then, I would wait patiently, knowing that our connection was too strong to ignore and too powerful to be denied.
***************
The next two days buzzed with activity inside the safe house, even though it was just Trisha and me.
We were constantly plotting and planning our mission to capture Daniel.
The stakes were high, and time was of the essence.
We knew we had to act before Daniel could get suspicious that we were coming for him.
The third day passed in a blur of video calls and strategy sessions.
Our team, though remotely connected, was as involved as if they were right there in the safe house.
The walls echoed with our voices, discussing, debating, and deciding the best course of action.
We could track Daniel’s location, just like we could track every movement of every agent in GLEN.
His location still showed he was in Kuala Lumpur, which is why the team there was planning their mission to catch him.
Daniel was a traitor, and we had to bring him to justice.
Trisha and I poured over maps and surveillance footage, analysing every possible angle and every potential risk, determined to outsmart our adversary at every turn.
But amidst the chaos of this mission, there was another, more personal battle raging within me—the memory of our near-kiss haunting my every thought.
I couldn’t shake the image of Trisha’s lips, so close yet so out of reach, the taste of what could have been lingering on the edges of my consciousness.
On the fourth day, I found myself watching Trisha as she sat cross-legged on a yoga mat, her eyes closed in meditation.
She exuded an aura of calm and serenity, a stark contrast to the chaos that surrounded us.
Lost in the moment, I failed to notice the pillar in my path until it was too late.
With a loud thud, I collided with it, my balance lost as I stumbled backwards, landing unceremoniously on the floor.
Trisha’s eyes flew open, concern etched on her features as she rushed to my side.
“Krish? Are you okay?” she asked, her voice laced with worry as she inspected the forming bruise on my forehead.
“I’m fine,” I said, wincing as she gently touched the tender spot. “Just attacked by a rogue pillar.”
Trisha chuckled, the sound felt like music to my ears. “You should have watched where you’re going instead of blaming the pillar.”
“Hey, I was walking in a perfectly straight line!” I protested. “It’s not my fault the architect put that pillar right where people walk. Who does that? Hazardous design if you ask me.”
Trisha rolled her eyes playfully. “Admit it, you just weren’t paying attention. Your focus was elsewhere.”
Now, I am stunned.
“Can you see with your eyes closed?” I asked, hoping she hadn’t seen me openly admiring her doing meditation, the only reason why I couldn’t see the pillar in my way.
“Nope,” she replied, a smile playing on her lips. “But you are becoming pretty predictable these days, Director. It’s not hard to guess why you couldn’t see the pillar.”
She knew I was ogling her during her meditation.
“Just another day in the life of Krish,” I joked, flashing her a lopsided grin.
She rolled her eyes playfully, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
“You’re lucky you didn’t knock yourself out,” she teased, blowing gently on my forehead bruise, a sign that she cared.
Our gazes locked, and for a moment, everything else faded away. It was a soft, intimate gesture, a respite from the harsh reality of our mission.
But the moment passed as quickly as it had come, reality crashing back in with a jolt. We had a job to do, a traitor to apprehend. Now wasn’t the time to get distracted, no matter how we might feel.
With a sigh, Trisha stepped back, the professional mask slipping over her features once more.
“Come on, let’s get some ice on that.” And just like that, we slipped back into mission mode, the job at hand taking priority.
But that shared moment lingered, a spark kindling between us, waiting to ignite.
It was day seven. We’d been at it for hours, reviewing every scrap of intel on Max and his elder brother Ron’s operation, searching in vain for some thread we could pull that might unravel the whole enterprise.
My eyes were tired from staring at page after page until the words blurred together.
The other team in Kuala Lumpur was ready to carry out the mission to arrest Daniel tomorrow.
Across from me on the couch, Trisha rubbed her neck, rolling her head side to side to try and relieve the tension.
“Ugh, I need a break,” she muttered, “my brain is fried.”
I knew the feeling. My own neck and shoulders were knotted tight as a drum.
But I found myself distracted from my discomfort, watching a stray lock of dark hair curl softly against Trisha’s cheek.
All I could think about was reaching across to tuck it back behind her ear, using it as an excuse to touch her skin.
Our eyes met and her lips parted slightly, a question in her expression. Ever since our missed kiss, the air between us felt charged, ready to ignite.
I looked down hurriedly, shuffling the messy pile of papers in front of me. “Yeah, let’s take 15 to reset.” I tried to sound casual.
We escaped to opposite sides of the apartment, apparently to clear our heads and stretch our cramped muscles.
But before long, I found my eyes drifting down the hall to where Trisha stood gazing out the window, backlit by the setting sun.
The light played over her delicate features, and I ached to go to her, to pick up where we’d left off.
Focus, man, I told myself, shaking my head. But it was getting harder by the day.
Later, as we passed each other in the narrow hallway, her arm brushed against mine, sparking that electric current once more.
We froze, our hungry eyes locked. For a dizzying moment, I thought she might lean in, might bring her lips to mine again.
I swayed toward her, everything in me screaming to close the gap between us.
But once again, at the last second, Trisha blinked and turned away, a pretty blush blooming on her cheeks.
With a ragged breath, she escaped to the living room.
I braced my arm against the wall, knocking my head gently against it in frustration.
Get it together, Krish. But my heart was racing as if I’d just defused a bomb.
This idea of staying under one roof had suddenly gotten a lot more dangerous.
We were both fighting a losing battle here.
The spark between us was bound to ignite into an alarm blaze.
I wasn’t sure if I had the strength or will to stop it.
And looking into Trisha’s eyes lately, I wasn’t convinced she wanted me to.
***************
Today was the day we had been waiting for—the day we would finally take down Daniel and get justice for all he had done.
The team was in position, ready to move on his hideout in Kuala Lumpur on my command.
Trisha and I were waiting anxiously for updates.
But she also had a check-up scheduled with Dr. Bhatt to assess her shoulder injury from the earlier blowout.
Despite her protests, I insisted on joining her at the hospital.
Until Daniel, Max, and Ron were in custody, I refused to let her out of my sight.
The guards accompanied us to the hospital, where I paced restlessly in the waiting room while the doctor examined her, keeping in touch with the ground team there in Kuala Lumpur headed by Sudesh.
Trisha emerged from the exam room, absently rubbing her shoulder. She looked at me expectantly.
“Any news?” she asked, eyes searching mine.
“The team is in position just a few blocks from Daniel’s location,” I updated her. “They’re preparing to move in now. His tracker shows he hasn’t left the compound.”
Trisha nodded, looking relieved. “Hopefully, that means he has no idea what’s coming.”
“We are lucky,” I agreed.