by KASI, MV
They had just gotten back to their holiday home and she had promised to fix dinner that night.
They had stopped at the same grocery store they had met for the first time. The old woman at the counter gushed and made eyes at them as though she was seeing a perfect little love story unfolding in front of her.
"I knew as soon as I saw you both eying each other, you would make a perfect couple!" she said.
Srishti didn't have the heart to burst the dreamy bubble the old woman had dreamed around them. And Rana did nothing to encourage the lady either. He began to tell her that they even had the names of their children picked out.
Srishti had to more or less drag him out.
As soon as they got home, he swatted her on her butt. "Alright, baby. Grilled chicken, wine and blowjob time," he said.
"Uh huh, I'll get started on the first one while you prepare the second. Blow job will have to wait, until we finish showering."
She headed purposely towards the kitchen, even though she didn't have much clue. Unlike her mother or her aunt, she wasn't that great a cook. She just knew enough basics to not starve. And most of the time, she got food delivered from her parents or other members of family who knew she would forget eating when she was working on her next great idea.
She took the whole chicken and marinated it using the pre-made fix.
"Alright, this isn't that hard," she muttered and then turned on the oven.
While that was getting cooked, she went towards the master bath to hunt for Rahul.
He was already in the shower. Naked.
She was reminded of the first time she found him in that way.
Has it really been only five days? It had felt as though she had known him for a longer time. He was considerate, caring and so much fun. Whoever would land him would be one lucky woman. But for two more days, he was totally hers.
Removing her clothes quickly, she headed towards the shower cubicle to join him inside.
She was no longer conscious of her body in front of him. Especially because he always looked at her like she was beautiful. He turned towards her when he heard the shower door open and his eyes roved over her body, arousing her immediately.
"Well, did someone order a blow job? I'm here to deliver it," she said with a smirk.
He laughed and pulled her inside before closing the door.
An hour later, when they began drying themselves, she smelled something.
"Do you smell that?" she asked.
"Yes," he said with a frown.
"Doesn't smell like grilled chicken," she said.
Wrapping a towel around him, he hurried towards the bedroom door. "You are right. It's not grilled chicken we smell. Its burnt chicken," he said.
She hurried behind him with another towel wrapped around her.
"Oh shit," he said, grabbing a couple of oven mitts and opened the oven door.
Soon a thick smoke filled the kitchen making them cough.
She hurried towards the kitchen door and opened it wide. Meantime, Rahul had removed the completely charred chicken and placed it on the counter.
She felt mortified, looking at the ruined dinner. And instead of offering some polite platitudes saying it was okay, he burst out laughing.
Soon her mortification turned into being pissed off.
"Stop it!" she snapped at him.
"Can't help it. It is so funny," he chuckled.
"What did I do wrong? I did put a timer for an hour," she huffed.
"You put it in broil mode. It needs to be in baking mode."
She felt embarrassed as she stared at the totally burnt remains of the chicken.
"You weren't joking when you said, you didn't cook and that your family delivered homemade meals to you," he said smiling.
Gaurav used to complain about that fact too. Even if a woman had a demanding career, she was expected to make gourmet meals for her family.
She bit her lip. "I'm sorry Rahul. We'll have to order something else for dinner now."
"Hey, it's okay," he said, pulling her close.
"Stop it."
"Stop, what?"
"Grinning at me like that. It's...it's quite embarrassing."
"Why? Because it ruins the whole image of you being too capable and perfect?" he asked.
She narrowed her eyes. "I may not be too capable or perfect, but I'm perfectly capable of cooking."
He folded his hands. "Is that so? What can you cook?" he asked.
"Let me fix something. Meantime, why don't you just get rid of this chicken," she said.
"You don't have to fix anything. Let me just make—"
"No! I am going to prove to you that I can cook."
"Okay, then, Miss Perfection," he teased. "Go ahead and fix us something."
While he carried out the charred chicken, she rummaged the fridge and pulled out bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and cilantro.
A few minutes later, she was standing over the stove with a spatula in hand.
Rahul had just returned and was washing his hands at the sink in the kitchen.
As she stared at his back, she felt a twinge of regret. She would be lying to herself if she said she didn't enjoy his company immensely. And it had been a long time since she felt this comfortable with anyone.
But unfortunately, it wasn't enough to start something long-term, because even Rahul would eventually be disappointed with her after she gets back to her real world.
"Something smells amazing," he said, sniffing the air dramatically.
"Of course. Prepare to have the world's best cucumber sandwich," she exaggerated.
He poured the red wine into two glasses and sat down as she brought the sandwiches to the table.
Taking a generous bite, he looked at her in surprise. "These are seriously the best cucumber sandwiches I've ever eaten," he admitted.
They both laughed and she picked up hers and sat back to have a relaxing dinner.
"So do you have any other secret hidden cooking talents?" he asked.
She smiled. "A few of my mother's other recipes. I paid attention to only the quick ones."
"I'm so very glad," he said, taking another sandwich into his plate.
She sighed contently and sat back in the chair, before saying, "Ugh."
"What is it?" he asked.
"My hair. It reeks of smoke," she complained.
He gave her a long slow smile. "Miss Kumar, are you trying to get me back into the shower again?" he teased.
"There are four other bathrooms in this house, Rahul," she told him.
He laughed and then helped her clear out the dishes before dropping their smoke smelling towels.
And then he bent over and tossed her over his shoulder.
She shrieked out a laugh which turned into a moan when she stared down his firm ass. She wanted to smack it or pinch it.
And so she did both as he took them back into the bathroom.
CHAPTER 17
The next day, they decided to stay in and have a lazy day at home. So, after lunch they were in the media room, where Rana was getting his ass kicked. Again.
"That's it! Next time we have sex, it's your turn to be on the top and do all the work," he snapped in a mock angry tone.
Sapna and he were playing one of his other favorite video games of his. Not only had she won, she systematically and deliberately destroyed him in the game.
"Yeah, yeah. When I am on top, you are always begging me to go slow. Admit it, you can't keep up with me, both in your favorite games and in the bed," she said, grinning and displaying her gorgeous dimples.
God, he loved watching her face and especially waking up to her beautiful smile each morning. He had become so used to it from the past six days. He didn't realize until then on how much he was going to miss her.
He had mixed feeling about her flying back home the next day. Even though he had promised her that he wouldn't pursue her beyond the week, he didn't think he would be able to keep up his word.
He
could not let someone like her simply disappear from his life.
She was the most fascinating woman he had ever met. He liked how she was constantly thinking. Constantly analyzing. Sometimes, he wondered what it was like in her head, since there seemed to be non-stop activity.
He had never met anyone like her in his life. And it wasn't like she was a perfect woman or anything. She was argumentative, competitive, and quite bad at a few basic life skills. But he loved the fact that she always tried to put in her best effort to everything.
And apart from their mutual love for video games, they also had similar interests in science and technology. They had spent endless hours discussing pros and cons of some of the cool new toys that were being invented. He loved listening to her talk. Hearing her views on the world. Even though she didn't tell him too many personal details about herself, she gave him enough tidbits to know what kind of person she was.
She was the kind of person, he could easily imagine spending rest of his life with. But how can someone fall for another person within a week's timeframe?
Maybe it was just his ego talking. Because no woman had turned him away from her. He was usually the one ending before things got serious.
Women thought he was good-looking, famous and came from a prestigious family with old money. But due to the unusual circumstances, when his fame or family background didn't play into the picture, this one woman he was wildly attracted to and found interesting, had more or less told him that he was okay to sleep with, but not good enough to spend her life with.
"Okay, let's take a break. I'm bored of winning all the time. And I think your fragile male ego cannot handle it anymore," she teased.
"Want to watch a movie?" he asked, looking at the extensive collection displayed in a case next to a large screen television.
"Hmm...ok. But don't ask me to recommend a movie. Because I have to warn you it has been over a decade since I've watched any."
He was stunned. "A decade? As in ten years?"
"Yes. That's what a decade usually means," she replied in amusement.
"Wow."
He selected an old action movie that he was sure she must have watched. He didn't want her to pay too much attention to the movie. Meantime, she brought in a large packet of chips and settled down on the couch. He sat next to her, pulling her close, until they were both relaxed and comfortable.
"So, this long-term relationship you had. How long was it?" he asked her casually.
He almost expected her not to answer, but he was surprised when she did.
"Ten years."
He almost choked on a chip.
"Ten years!"
She shrugged. "We knew each other from much before. But we got involved when we turned eighteen."
Shit. She must have been pretty invested in that relationship if it was for that long. But he knew it definitely wasn't a passionate relationship. He had noticed how she didn't know much about getting pleasure. She was shocked and surprised when she came several times with the help of his mouth in different places. She even looked awed each time they were together. What kind of an idiot was she with for ten long years? Didn't that man cherish and pleasure her the way she deserved?
If she had been his, then—
Shit. What was he thinking? She definitely wasn't his.
"What about you? Ever been in a relationship?" she asked.
He smiled at her. "Nope."
"Why not?"
"I guess I didn't find the right kind of girl."
"Oh? What kind?"
"Hmm, someone who can kick my ass in video games, someone who makes the best sandwiches, someone who gives one hell of a blow jo—" she punched him and giggled.
He grinned, although he was only partly joking. Sometime during the week, she had become more than a perfect body, he could entertain himself with. They had become close. Almost like friends. Friends who were wildly attracted to each other.
"Ever make out while watching a movie?" he asked.
"Uh, no."
His grin turned wicked. "Prepare to be blown away..."
He wanted to show her every way a man could cherish a woman he—ahem—liked.
CHAPTER 18
On the last morning of her holiday, Srishti woke up to an empty bed for the first time in the week.
Slipping on her sleep shorts and tank top, she went towards the balcony where Rahul was standing quietly and watching the view outside. When she opened the sliding doors that led to the balcony he turned to look in her direction.
He stilled when he saw her watching him, and stretched out a hand towards her. When she placed her hand in his, he tugged her along to a chair. He sat while pulling her into his lap, and folded his arms around her.
His bearded chin rested on her shoulder.
"Couldn't sleep much last night. Woke up early," he said softly.
Something about his voice made her close her eyes and her chest tighten.
She couldn't move or even respond. Being in his arms felt like heaven. Dangerous, stupid thoughts flew through her mind.
You have always wanted to be wrapped safely in someone's arms like this. That moment is here. Do something. Say something to him!
She tried to ignore her thoughts. Those were simply foolish thoughts she had entertained when she was a romantic adolescent. Real life did not work like that.
She slowly relaxed back into him as he tucked her closer against him. So close that she could feel his breath against her ear.
They sat there quietly for a while, until he broke the silence.
"We should get ready now. Your flight will leave in a few hours," he said.
Walking into the bathroom together, they began to get ready. And as they did the entire week, they took shower together, which led them to being with each other for the last time.
And it wasn't like any other time. It wasn't rough, hot or fast. This time, Rahul took his own time. When he kissed her, it was...sweet. It was like he was showing his tenderness towards her.
As he slid inside and moved within her, she trailed her fingers over his body, fingering each and every ripped muscle, and then gripped the strong hips at his waist.
At that moment, he was all she wanted to see or feel.
She didn't know him, and he was still a stranger to her, but she felt connected to him beyond the physical level.
She glanced up at his face, and caught him watching her. His eyes were devouring her face like he wanted to memorize her.
She couldn't look away from his stare.
She knew it was a strong chemistry that bound them together. But she could also feel emotion well up from inside her.
"I need you to come, Sapna," he said with a strained voice even as his eyes watched her keenly.
She jerked her head in a nod as he surged even deeper, causing the intense pleasure to burst through her. Even as her release tore through her and her vision blurred, she kept her eyes on him.
He did the same. He kept his eyes on her even as his body shuddered with his own release.
They stood staring at each other for a while.
She felt something pass though them with their eyes. Not wanting to analyze it, since it scared her, she turned her head, breaking away their eye contact.
He leaned forward and brushed his lips to hers in a tender kiss.
Turning her head, she looked at him again and smiled, breaking the moment.
"I think we should get going, or I'll miss my flight," she said.
He stared at her face for a while and then he nodded.
He moved away from her, putting space between them.
"I'll be downstairs. Come down when you are ready," he said and left the bathroom.
They had a relatively quiet breakfast and soon, she stood in front of the holiday home as he began to load her luggage in the car.
***
The drive to the airport was also relatively silent.
When, she collected her boarding pass and stood in front of the security
line, she was the one who broke the silence.
"Rahul, are you going to be okay?" she asked him quietly.
"You mean, am I going to be devastated because I'll be missing you very badly? Comparing each and every woman I meet, with you, and miss you even more because they won't be able to match up to you, ever?" he asked.
She smiled at his exaggeration.
"I will miss you," he admitted. "But only because you are a dynamite in bed," he told her, with a smile.
She was both embarrassed and proud at his compliment.
"It was like sleeping with a laptop. She was cold and selfish."
Those words didn't have the power to hurt her anymore.
Rana kissed her softly on her forehead.
"Have a good life, Sapna."
"You too, Rahul. Take care," she said softly, and then waved him a final good bye before turning to leave.
She didn't look back deliberately, because her chest was feeling unusually tight again.
When she boarded her flight and took her seat, she just stared blankly at the view outside.
She knew she wanted to be with Rahul.
Life could be so strange. A week ago, she was living her usual fast paced, practical life that she loved, and then the next moment something happened to make her question everything.
And now she was craving for a man. And not just any man, but just Rahul.
It was ridiculous for someone practical like her to fall for someone that soon. And that too for someone who came from a very different background compared to her.
Considering, she had a tough time keeping Gaurav—who was actually from her world—she couldn't imagine keeping Rahul for long.
She took a deep breath.
No. She could definitely not imagine her life with Rahul. Knowing him, he would never agree to use her money for their living expenses. He would insist that they use just his.
During the week, he had paid for all the expenses insisting that she was letting him stay for free. He had even returned the money she had given him initially on the first night.
He was a proud man. But a proud man with modest means.
Even if she were to be with him like she wanted to, she knew she would never be able to adjust to a completely domesticated life. Cooking, cleaning, laundry took up a lot of time. Time she didn't have because she spent most of it on her work and inventions.