CHAPTER 39 #2
She gives me a look. “Because it’s Haider. Although whenever I’m in any slightest trouble, he’s the first one to show up and check on me. I’ve hardly ever seen him do that for anyone else working here.”
Ah! That gives me hope.
“Great.” I shake my head. “Have you ever told him how you feel?”
“Never. And I don’t think I ever will. I’m definitely not walking up to Haider and confessing my feelings to him.”
“But why?” I ask, surprised. “Maybe Haider too likes you. I’m sure he’s smart enough to figure out your feelings by now. Maybe he’s waiting for you to make the first move? We don’t know what’s going on inside his heart.”
She lets out a frustrated groan. “Exactly. Which is why I don’t want to do anything stupid. I don’t know how he’ll react. What if he explodes the moment I say anything?”
“Oh, Esha,” I sigh. “Stop worrying. But if you don’t want to take that chance, then there’s only one way to find out… through Raghav.”
She looks horrified. “Please don’t involve Raghav Sir.”
“Why not?” I grin wider. “He and Haider practically share the same brain anyway. If anyone can figure out what Haider actually feels, it’s Raghav.”
Esha shakes her head in denial. “That would be so awkward.”
“But effective.”
She drops her face into her hands while I laugh.
“Don’t worry. Leave it to me.” She looks up immediately. “I’ll make sure Raghav talks to Haider. That way, we’ll finally find out if Haider has feelings for you or not.”
Esha groans again, but I continue anyway, “Because if he doesn’t, then at least you’ll know the truth. Then you can finally move on.”
She falls silent.
“You don’t deserve to spend your life waiting for someone who feels nothing for you.”
Esha sighs reluctantly. Then she gives in, defeated. “Fine.”
I grin. And just like that, the plan is officially in motion.
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Night – Raghav’s Villa
I’m standing by the dresser, taking off my earrings. Raghav just returned home a while ago, and he’s still in the bathroom. I can’t wait for him to come out so I can talk to him about Esha and Haider. As I carefully remove the other earring, it suddenly slips from my fingers.
“Oh, great.” I groan as it bounces off the dresser and rolls somewhere beneath the bed. Dropping to my knees, I bend forward and peer underneath, searching for the tiny piece of jewellery. It takes me a moment, but eventually I spot it.
“There you are.” I reach for it and pick it up.
Still kneeling on the floor, I straighten up and lift my head, only to freeze. Raghav has just stepped out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a pair of grey sweatpants. His hair is still damp from the shower and tiny droplets of water trail down his neck. The sight of him is distracting, as usual.
My pulse stumbles, and I remain rooted at the spot.
His gaze finds me instantly in that suggestive kneeling position, and just like that, neither of us looks away.
My eyes travel helplessly from his damp hair to his face, tracing the sharp line of his jaw, and then settling on the strong column of his throat.
I take in the slow movement of his Adam’s apple before moving lower to the hard planes of his chest and the defined muscles of his abdomen.
I should stop my exploration right there. But at the moment, I have no control over myself.
Just like every other time I find him shirtless, my eyes move lower once again, to the waistband peeking above his grey sweatpants, then to the unmistakable outline of his a*ousal beneath the soft fabric, and finally to the loose drawstrings hanging carelessly there.
I swallow hard. And the worst part is, I don’t even realise how obvious I’m being right now, and how openly I’m staring. I only come to my senses when Raghav starts walking towards me, each slow step making my heart beat harder.
Before I know it, he’s standing directly in front of me, far too close.
Only then do I become painfully aware that I’m still on my knees with Raghav towering over me, my face barely inches away from the loose drawstrings hanging from his sweatpants…
and everything hidden beyond that soft grey fabric.
The proximity sends a rush of heat through me. I swallow again, unable to think clearly, unable to decide what I’m supposed to do. The sensible thing would be to get up. To break this strange, dangerous moment.
But I don’t. I can’t. It’s as if my body has forgotten how to move.
I’m so mesmerised by the sight of him standing over me that for several long seconds, neither of us does anything to break the moment.
It feels as if we are both trying to understand something neither of us is ready to say aloud. That we desperately want each other.
Raghav finally makes a move. He hooks two of his fingers beneath my chin and tilts my face upwards until I have no choice but to look straight into his eyes. And what I see there makes my pulse stumble… raw, naked desire.
My stomach flutters, and my heart pounds harder against my ribs. Suddenly, I become aware that I’d been staring at him for far longer than I should have. Long enough for him to know exactly what has caught my attention.
His thumb traces the curve of my lower lip, lingering there. The gesture is so intimate that my entire body goes still.
“You... kneeling in front of me like this...” His gaze roams slowly over my face. “Hair tied up. Those lips slightly parted. Looking up at me the way you are...” A slow smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Princess... you have no idea what this look of yours is doing to me right now.”
F*ck! It would’ve been better if he hadn’t said a word, because now every sentence creates a vivid visual in my mind. An er*tic one. And how could it not? The way I’m kneeling… him standing right in front of me… my face inches away from his crotch… it’s enough to make any man lose all sense.
The silence between us stretches, feeling too intimate, too dangerously consuming, when there’s a knock at the door.
The spell shatters instantly. Raghav’s hand falls away.
Heat floods my cheeks as I quickly push myself to my feet.
Without daring to look at him again, I turn and hurry towards the door, grateful for the interruption and desperately needing the distance.
I pull the door open and find Mom standing outside. For a second, she looks at me, then her gaze shifts over my shoulder. Behind me, Raghav is standing near the dresser with his back to us, dressed only in his sweatpants.
Mom’s eyes dart between the two of us, and I instantly know what she’s thinking.
That she has probably interrupted something.
Earlier, the very idea would have horrified her.
But after everything she witnessed in Mumbai…
the stolen glances, the lingering looks, the way Raghav and I held hands for longer than needed… perhaps it no longer surprises her.
She clears her throat awkwardly and turns to me again. Her hand rises to cup my cheek before touching my forehead.
“Siya, are you okay?” she asks, worried. “Why do you look so flushed? Do you have a fever or something?”
My eyes widen. I glance back at Raghav and catch him already looking our way. There is a small smirk on his face, and my cheeks grow even warmer.
I shoot him a quick look before turning back to Mom.
“No, Mom,” I say quickly. “I’m absolutely fine. What are you doing here?”
“Oh.” She blinks as if remembering why she came. “I came to call you for dinner.”
I nod. “Okay.”