CHAPTER 14 （A new beginning） #2
One thing I noticed through all this was that Krish’s behaviour was cold and frustrated only towards me.
With Ayaan, he was the same funny guy he used to be, and with Meher, too, he was slowly building rapport.
But all that coldness and angry glares were restricted to me alone.
Not that I minded, but it still hurt to see him behave so strangely with me every time.
As if he didn’t know me at all. As if we had never been close.
As if he had never touched me. The mere thought of Krish’s touch, knowing he was still a wall away from me, pricked me and made me toss in bed for hours.
It was night. Tomorrow, I had heard Ayaan and Krish planned to go to a club called “The Roost” to find someone called ‘Raghav,’ who apparently belonged to the Bat gang they were looking for.
I wasn’t yet an active part of that separate mission, which both my bosses were involved in, but I had been strictly instructed that Meher should not leave the house tomorrow when they were out.
The task of protecting Meher and being her shadow was going great, except when she talked about Krish sometimes.
I tried hard to keep my expressions neutral and not show that I was affected by him in any way.
In his absence, it was easy to pretend I was unaffected, but living under the same roof as him made it hard for me to focus.
Unable to sleep, I got out of bed and made my way to the terrace to get some fresh air. But just as I entered, I saw Krish already there, smoking alone in the dark night.
As soon as I stepped onto the terrace, Krish noticed my presence. He took a long drag of his cigarette before speaking in a flat tone, “Couldn’t sleep?”
“Yeah...” I replied, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Part of me wanted to turn around and leave, but I didn’t want to appear rattled in front of him.
An awkward silence stretched between us. I could sense the tension radiating from Krish, like a raging storm desperately trying to be contained. Finally, I broke the quiet. “I’ll just... get some air and go back inside.”
Krish let out a harsh chuckle. “What, am I making you uncomfortable now? You used to be so comfortable around me once, Trisha.”
His biting words stung, but I fired back. “Well, you certainly don’t make it easy to be comfortable these days, Krish. The way you’ve been treating me...”
“Oh, like you’ve been perfect with me always?” He turned towards me, eyes blazing with sudden intensity. “After everything that happened between us, you think you have the right to expect better treatment from me?”
I felt tears prickling my eyes as a rush of memories assaulted me—memories of stolen glances, gentle caresses, deep kisses and whispered promises.
“I never intended to hurt you, Krish. You know that.” My voice came out smaller than I intended.
In two strides, Krish closed the distance between us. He gripped my arms tightly, his face just inches from mine.
“Don’t lie to me, now. Not again. You knew exactly what you were doing when you ripped my heart out.”
His closeness was overwhelming. The scent of his cologne dredged up a torrent of longing I thought I had buried long ago. My lips parted involuntarily as my gaze dropped to his mouth.
Krish seemed to notice because his grip on my arms relaxed slightly. When our eyes met again, some of the anger had faded, replaced by an unmistakable heat.
We stood frozen like that, suspended in a heavy silence that seemed to reverberate with everything left unsaid between us.
My heart pounded, whether from anger or impossible hope, I couldn’t tell.
Then Krish’s hand lifted to delicately brush a stray lock of hair from my face.
The gentle touch was like a spark, igniting the simmering tension into an inferno.
Before I could overthink it, I surged forward and crushed my lips against his.
A strangled groan escaped Krish as he immediately responded with searing intensity. His arms encircled my waist, pulling me flush against his body as our mouths moved in frantic harmony. I tangled my fingers into his silky hair, deepening the kiss with every ounce of pent-up longing I’d harboured.
Our bodies pressed impossibly closer, seeking that achingly familiar friction.
I could feel the hard planes of Krish’s chest against my rapidly rising and falling chest. His hands roamed down my back in a blazing trail, caressing and kneading the supple curves, stroking the bare skin left exposed by my pulled-up top.
I arched shamelessly into his touch, craving more of the delicious heat building between us.
Krish groaned against my lips as I tugged on his hair, tilting his head to ravage his mouth with deeper, hungrier kisses.
Our tongues met in the most intoxicating way.
I inhaled the spicy, masculine scent of him, feeling utterly drunk on his taste, his warmth, and the solid strength of his body moulded to mine.
It felt like coming home after being lost for so long.
It was all achingly familiar yet brand new at the same time. I never wanted this moment to end.
But eventually, the need for air became overwhelming. Krish tore his lips from mine, and we stood panting heavily, our ragged breaths mingling in the humid night air. His eyes bore into mine with a molten intensity that made my knees feel weak.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The world seemed to hold its breath as the weight of what had just happened stretched between us. Krish slowly lifted his hand to caress my flushed cheek, and I leaned instinctively into his touch, my eyelids fluttering closed.
Then, as if a spell had been broken, Krish abruptly stepped back, putting distance between our bodies again. I opened my eyes, only to witness the confusion and vulnerability swirling in his gaze.
“Krish...” I began uncertainly, my voice already husky from our passionate exchange.
He cut me off with a harsh shake of his head. “I’m not some toy for you to play with and discard whenever you feel like it, Agent Trisha.” The use of my title, spat out like a curse, stung worse than a slap.
Krish’s eyes raked over me with blatant accusation. “You think you can just seduce me, get whatever sick satisfaction you want, and then go back to treating me like I’m no one?”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he closed the distance between us again in two strides, gripping my arms in a punishing hold. “Do you enjoy doing that, Trisha?” he growled, his face mere inches from mine. “Stay the fuck away from me,” he snarled.
The crude words felt like a punch to the gut, forcing the air from my lungs. Then, as abruptly as he had grabbed me, Krish shoved me away from him. I stumbled back a few steps, gasping for breath as he pinned me with a look of pure, undisguised loathing.
With that, Krish spun on his heel and stormed back inside, leaving me alone on the terrace. I could only clutch my arms around my torso as the hot sting of tears burned my eyes. Why the hell had I kissed him?