71. Chapter 7
Lule was curled in bed, hoodie zipped to her nose, mascara smudged, a pit of silence where her rage had burned out. Her phone was on Do Not Disturb, and she was halfway through typing a rant into her blog-nerdtakover when the knock came.
Soft at first. Two taps. Then another proper knock.
She grumbled about inconsiderate neighbours and opened the door.
Rahul stood there, damp hair stuck to his scalp, hoodie on backwards, laptop bag slung across his body.
“I brought that old Studio Ghibli playlist,” he said. “And Maltesers.”
She stared at him.
“Also,” he added, “you said you were out of ice cream, and that sounded like a code red.”
Lule stepped back, just enough to let him in.
He walked into her flat, dumped his bag on her bed and kicked off his shoes like he’d always done.
Until he went off-book on her.
The arsehole.
How dare he?
How dare he? Lule thought, the rage building up while blinking back tears she wouldn’t let fall-
Lule stayed frozen, arms limp by her sides, heart doing wild things in her chest while she tried to decide exactly what to say .
Rahul dropped the bag by the couch, then turned to face her fully. His light brown eyes were calm but there was an intensity there, a kind of wild madness that she had never seen there before. It was like he had made some decisions before he even knocked.
“I’m done,” he said.
“What?”, whispered Lule, her heart sinking.
“With being your emotional support tech guy while you date idiots who don't deserve your time.”, he continued as if powering through an obstacle.
She opened her mouth, but he stepped closer, his eyes boring into hers.
“We’re giving this a go.”
It wasn’t a question.
Her breath caught. “What-”
“I mean it, Lule. No more dancing around it. No more ‘best friends.’ No more pretending we don’t want this.”
Her chest seemed to bloom with hope. The elephant seemed to have moved on to newer pastures.
She was trying to form another sentence when he stepped forward, took her face in his hands, and kissed her.
It was not a soft tentative kiss. It was the kiss of a man starved.
His firm lips pressed her soft ones as he tilted his head and his tongue invaded her mouth, learning the contours of her mouth, savouring her taste as her breasts flattened on his hard chest and his hands wandered to cup the curve of her buttocks under her nightshirt.
Then his hands dived under the elastic and he squeezed her butt cheeks before one finger traced the crease in between, making her jerk .
There was no doubt, only warmth, pressure and the feeling of finally tipping over a line they’d both drawn and redrawn for years.
She gasped and pulled back slightly, lips parted.
“I-” she started.
He kissed her again, harder.
This time, when she pulled away, there was a dazed look in her eyes.
“But…”
Rahul stared at her, voice gravelled, serious.
“Shut up, Lule. Or we’re fucking right now.”
A beat of silence. Her lips parted again, but she didn’t speak.
Then - with a crooked, breathless smile-
“Okay.”
He kissed her again, harder this time while she clung to him. He lifted her like she weighed nothing, and her legs wrapped around his waist with a desperation that made them both breathless.
His mouth was hot on her neck, hands greedy on her hips as he pressed his hardness to her softness. Everything was fast and urgent like they’d waited too long and now their bodies were out of patience .
She gasped into his ear as he carried her the short distance to her narrow bed, half falling onto it in a tangle of limbs and hoodie strings.
Fingers fumbled with clothes, soft cotton and warm skin.
His hands moved over her breasts and he took her pink nipple into his mouth and sucked before gently biting down, making her back bow.
He moved on to its twin, treating it with the same care as he learned the contours of her breast. Her thighs trembled against his as he pressed his hard manhood unerringly against the juncture of her thighs.
The air between them was thick with everything unspoken.
Then-he paused.
“Wait,” Rahul breathed, forehead against hers, his voice rough. “I don’t have a condom.”
She blinked up at him, pupils blown wide. “I’m on the pill,” she said, throat tight.
He searched her face. “I am clean. I have always used a condom”
Lule nodded, pulling him down by the collar of his shirt, breath hot and trembling. “So am I. Just don’t stop.”
And he didn’t. She felt his finger trace her opening before plunging in and moving in and out.
One finger became two as he watched his fingers move in and out.
Low moans escaped her clenched teeth as she felt the tension build.
Before she could reach her peak, the fingers were replaced by something bigger, much bigger.
And then he was thrust into her like he couldn’t stop himself and she felt the tension burst in waves.
She almost blacked out and vaguely heard him groan
“So tight”
“Not going to last”
“Sorry, love”
And she could feel him pulse inside her as he groaned into her neck. Then his whole body seemed to relax.
After seconds which seemed longer, he made a half-hearted attempt to get up. But she held on to him and locked her legs around him .
“Don’t go, "She whispered shakily into his neck.
“Too heavy.” He mumbled as if punch-drunk .
When he pulled back to look down at her, there was a dazed look in her eyes. She blinked up at him like she wasn’t sure if this was still real.
“But…”
Rahul stared at her, jaw clenched, voice gravelled and low.
“Shut up, Lule. Or we’re fucking again right now.”
She gave a half-laugh, breathless. “Careful. I get attached. Like Harley Quinn levels of batshit. You pull this move, you’re stuck with me, puddin’.”
His mouth twitched and his eyes lit up.
He leaned in, voice dropping into something theatrical. “Then get attached. Let’s stay like this. They will find our mummified bodies ten years later with my dick still inside you,” he said in full Joker growl. “I have dreamed of this for so long, Lule.”
Lule blinked, snorted before saying “I have a confession to make.”
His expression shifted - a quiet intensity, serious for a beat. The inevitable eyebrow went up.
“I forgot the bra on purpose.”
Rahul seemed to relax.
“Thank God. I wondered if I got the signals wrong.”
“But make no mistake, Lule. This is it. No takebacks now.”
That silenced her.
“You’re my one constant,” he added softly. “Even if the world’s burning down. I don’t just love you. I would tear my heart out for you.”
A beat of silence .
“I was so grateful you didn’t get Northumbria. That you could be with me in Oxford”, he confessed. “I am sorry. But I was happy you didn’t get your first choice.”
Her lips parted, but no words came.
Then - with a crooked, breathless smile, she whispered a secret
“I did get Northumbria. I chose Oxford because I would have been lost without you. I was hoping Priya would find a nice preppy lawyer and dump you. I love you so much. I don’t know about my heart but you can have a kidney.”
She yanked him forward until their faces were inches apart, her voice low and laughing, eyes bright with something fierce and certain.
“We are the biggest nerds on the planet,” she whispered. “We’re going to have so much fun. Our kids will be legends. Just the right mix of genes. Attractive and intelligent.”
Rahul grinned-wide, wicked, and utterly hers.
“Game on, Lule.”
And then she kissed him like she meant to set the whole damn night on fire.
They broke apart, ready for round two. But before she could close the space between them, her nails dug into his arms.
“One thing though,” she said. “Aria’s a non-negotiable part of my life. She’s not perfect, and she’ll probably scare you shitless with how direct she is, but… she raised me. She is my family.”
He nodded, more serious now.
“I’ve only met her briefly,” he said. “Didn’t seem like the type to be easily impressed.”
“She’s not.”
“She’s as much my sister as she is yours,” he said, voice low, controlled, “Because you love her, I will as well. ”
He gave a slight shrug. “Worst-case scenario? We don’t like each other. But even then, I’ll respect her. Always.”
Lule studied him, then gave a small, relieved nod.
“Fair enough.”
He paused. “Still doesn’t mean I’m not going to make fun of her taste in reality TV.”
She grinned. “She’ll roast you alive.”
“Looking forward to it.”
And then she kissed him - laughter still in her mouth, their hearts unclenching one stubborn knot at a time.