Chapter 32 #2
Jiya slipped off her shoes near the door.
She moved easily around the room, growing comfortable.
She folded my blazer—the one I had draped over her shoulders before we left the club—and carefully placed it over the back of a dining chair.
She walked over to the gramophone in the living room and gently placed the needle on the spinning disc that was already sitting inside.
A moment later, Elvis Presley’s voice filled the room with the soft, timeless melody of Can’t Help Falling in Love.
The warm crackle of the record blended beautifully with the quiet atmosphere of the apartment.
I watched her sway slowly to the music.
The lights in the room were dim, casting soft shadows across the walls. The faint glow from the lamp near the couch illuminated her silhouette as she moved with the rhythm.
My heart began to pound harder with every step I took closer to her.
A sudden flush of heat spread through my entire body when she reached for my hand and twirled with me around the living room.
Our movements were not perfectly choreographed, but somehow we fell into sync, laughing softly as we moved together.
When the song came to an end, she stopped and looked up at me.
Her eyelashes fluttered slowly.
For a brief moment, the world seemed to shrink around us.
Without thinking further, with our bodies still pressed together, I bent down and kissed her.
The kiss was soft at first, hesitant, as though we were both testing the moment.
Then something shifted.
A moan escaped her lips as she responded, and suddenly, hesitation vanished. Our breathing turned uneven as the kiss grew hungrier, more urgent.
Her arms slid around my neck as she pulled me closer, her body moulding against mine.
My hands moved instinctively along her back, tracing the curve of her waist beneath the soft fabric of her dress. The contact sent a rush of sensation through me after months of restraint.
Every emotion I had been holding back—desire, longing, frustration, love—rose to the surface.
A soft moan slipped from her lips, breathless and trembling.
“Cole…”
The sound of my name on her lips hit me like a spark to dry tinder. A deep, possessive heat surged through my chest, tightening every muscle in my body. God, I loved hearing her say my name like that—soft, needy, filled with want—as if she had finally stopped fighting what was between us.
My grip on her tightened slightly as I pulled her flush against me.
The kiss deepened again, slower this time but heavier with meaning, our breaths mingling as the tension that had lived between us for so long finally snapped.
I lifted her into my arms and carried her toward the bedroom.
Clothes loosened and slipped away as the urgency of the moment took over. The room felt warm and charged with energy as we moved together, the air thick with the closeness we had both been denying for far too long.
For a long time, I had known how important Jiya was in my life.
Tonight, that truth finally became impossible to hide.
She was only the second woman who had ever made me feel this way.
And the truth slowly took hold as we held each other.
The scent of her shampoo drifted into my senses—jasmine, soft and floral. I pressed gentle kisses along her neck, along her arms, along the delicate curve of her hands. Her perfume lingered lightly on her skin.
In those moments, the rest of the world seemed to fade away.
All that remained was the rhythm between us, the closeness of her body beside mine, and the unshakable feeling that every loss, every heartbreak, every turn in our lives had been guiding us—slowly, relentlessly—to this night.
After everything had finally quieted, Jiya fell asleep beside me.
I lay there for a long time, watching her.
She looked peaceful, her breathing slow and even.
To me, she looked perfect.
Exactly what I had been searching for without realizing it.
Carefully, I reached toward my nightstand and picked up my camera.
I clicked a single photograph of her sleeping peacefully beside me.
I wanted to remember this moment forever. I wanted to remember the way she looked tonight, the way she felt in my arms, the happiness that had filled the room. Because somewhere deep inside me, I knew I wanted this to last.
I wanted her in my arms forever.
I could hardly wait for the morning.
I wanted to wake up beside her. I wanted to see her open her eyes and smile. I wanted to talk to her about what tonight meant… about what it meant for us.
I wanted to know how she felt about me.
About us starting something real together.
As I lay there beside her, my mind wandered back over the evening.
I had noticed the scar on her chest earlier. And the small mark on her left shoulder that had looked like a bullet wound.
I did not know the full story behind them.
But I knew one thing with absolute certainty.
I wanted her.
More than anything else, I wanted a second chance at happiness.
At love.
At being someone’s partner again.
And I wanted that chance with her.
Gradually, the weight of the day faded from my thoughts. My mind emptied itself of all the worries and questions that had been circling inside it earlier. My body relaxed as a pleasant wave of calm washed over me. Minutes later, I drifted into a peaceful sleep, smiling.