Simran

******

My feet moved on his command. I put my hands on his chest and pushed him away. He didn't just command anyone to dance. He ordered the siren of dance, for whom dance was not an activity; rather, it was a learned prayer, one I chanted daily.

With my feet and arms making me glide smoothly under the cold, hard droplets of rain, I made sure his eyes didn't waver away from me for even a second. I might have danced almost every day of my life, but this was different. This was solely for the one man who ignited passion in me, ignited feelings that I was scared of, yet thrilled to explore. He stood at one point, his eyes burning my body as well as my soul. I didn't just feel the cold water droplets on my skin; they were mixed with the fire of his gaze, the burn of his desire.

I twirled, and then I was closer to him again. His intense stare wrapped me in its snare. His shirt was drenched too, clinging to his body so tightly that I could see those hard muscles clearly. Confidently, yet a little nervously, I wrapped my arms around his neck. He leaned in and murmured, "I didn't tell you to stop, sweetheart."

Without even touching me, he was making me feel his touch, just through his desire-laced words and his burning gaze.

"I haven't stopped," I said as I swayed my hips with my arms still wrapped around his neck. I had to actually tiptoe when I did that, considering he was really tall. My feet might hurt because of that, but that was going to feel more pleasurable. He removed my hands from around his neck, twirled me around, and then pulled me gently to him, until our bodies collided, as if ready to melt into one. Our clothes, completely soaked and glued to our skin, made me feel bare. I could feel my nipples hardening, and my eyes began to turn heavy with desire. I noticed his eyes darkening, and then he snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me extremely close, covering whatever gap was left. The truth was there wasn't any gap. Without being naked, it felt like I was. My body burned with his protective hold, my own need for him, and the overwhelming feelings I had never before. I lowered my eyes, unable to meet his gaze. I didn't know how I acted that boldly with him, and now, when reality was sinking in, I wanted to hide away. He didn't let me, though. He put his forefinger and thumb under my chin and lifted it up.

"You are never going to dance like this for anyone else."

This was another order that had me shivering.

"And if I do?"

His voice dropped. "Then I will hunt them down and pluck their eyes out."

I sucked in a breath.

"As for you..." He murmured and brushed his thumb over my lips. A throaty moan escaped my lips, and something twisted deep in my core.

"I will punish you until your feet remember who they belong to."

But then his voice got lower, but more dangerous.

"Starting from now..."

My eyes widened. Not in shock, but fear and thrill. I gulped because I was scared, but this scary feeling was awakening some unknown desires in me.

"Now?" I whispered.

His grip tightened, just enough to make my breath hitch.

"You were dancing alone," he said, voice low. "And I wasn't here."

My stomach flipped.

"Someone could have seen you."

A dangerous smirk curved his lips, and I froze. He was playing with me his favorite game, the game of control and possession.

My heart was beating too fast, half thrill, half fear, too tangled to tell which was stronger. I pushed him suddenly, catching him off guard, and stumbled back a step. Then I took another step back. My mind was getting hazy, and so was my judgment. I wanted him, but at the same time, I didn't know if my feelings were sorted.

His eyes burned with a fire that would soon burn me too because of the distance I tried to put between us.

"If you run," he warned softly, "you get punished."

But I ran nevertheless.

I ignored his warning, knowing well there was no saviour for me but only him. He was the only tormentor and my only saviour. I ran back inside and heard his footsteps closer.

"Firefly," he called out, but I ran as fast as I could. His footsteps were getting clearer, so I instantly stepped inside the first room I saw. It was Mom's room. I didn't hide just there but hurried inside the washroom. I tried locking the washroom, but the knob wasn't working.

Shit!

It would be better if I walked out of this room and hid in the library instead. I didn't think he would go there to find me, but for that, I had to leave without making a sound. However, my bangles and anklets weren't supporting that quietness.

I decided to pull them off my wrists and feet and leave them there so I could slip away to the library and hide.

"The more time you take to come out, the harsher I am going to be...." I heard him now. His voice was scarily closer. He was in Mom's room. I stood like a mannequin in the washroom, not moving at all. I could stop my bangles and anklets from making sound by staying still, but how could I have stopped my thudding heartbeat? It didn't just beat in fear but with the realization he was closer.

"There is no point in hiding, firefly." I stopped my breath, still not moving an inch. I could hear my heartbeat as loud as a drumbeat. I wondered if he could, too. But if he had, he would have found me, right? But he didn't, so maybe he didn't know I was there.

Or he just loves the thrill of chasing you, just like how you love being chased by him.

That wasn't the time for my inner self to show me the mirror I was avoiding seeing. But when did she ever listen?

I was worried, sweat dripped off my forehead now. It was difficult for me to control my breath. I noticed the doorknob twisting. I dug my nails into my palm. I was still not releasing my breath.

But...he didn't come inside. Why?

He left the doorknob and walked away. I could hear his footsteps fading in the distance, and I released a breath of relief. This room got a clear pass, so I was relieved he wouldn't come back, but one thing still bothered me.

Why didn't he come inside the washroom to check?

This was not like him. Something was definitely off about it. Because as far as I knew, my husband was thorough with everything, so if he was chasing me, he wouldn't leave any corner unchecked.

Why did he not check the washroom then?

What are you trying to do, Kiaan? What's your game plan?

My mind raced with the thoughts of all the possibilities of why he didn't check the one place he would have found me, when all of a sudden, the lights went out.

No, no, no.

I was scared of the dark.

Darkness never ever appeased me, and it was always an invitation to hidden, unknown fears and monsters for me.

The darkness spiked my fear to an unmatched level, and now I was heaving for breath. I could feel my heartbeat racing like a trapped animal. There was only one way out of that trap: running into the arms of my chaser. I could go to safety, but that meant offering myself to the devil when I had purposefully run from him.

He was a beast...yet...he was the only one who ever made me feel safe, who ever made me feel inevitable emotions. I twisted the doorknob to walk out of the washroom, but it was locked.

I tried again, and it didn't open. It was not working before, then, how could it start working out of the blue, trapping me inside?

What was happening?

I could feel unseen monsters approaching me. My eyes burned with tears. I wanted to go to him.

Why the hell did I even run away from him?

I sniffled, and then with shivering hands, I started opening the cabinets of the washroom in the dark.

At one darkest corner of my mind, I heard a whisper.

Call for his name. You need him.

But the voice quieted down the moment my fingers touched the candles I had been frantically searching for. Mom had told me she kept scented candles in her washroom. I found the lighter too, there, kept in the same place.

Hurriedly, with trembling fingers, I flicked it on and lit the candle. I placed it on the counter and let out a breath of relief, still missing him. I wished he was there. I wished for him to hold me, to chase away those monsters like he had promised.

But then my heart dropped with the sad realization he wouldn't find me soon, as he had already checked that room.

I assumed I wouldn't be found now. However, when I looked up at the mirror, I saw him. He stood there, just behind me, watching me. His arms were crossed, his shoulder leaning against the door like he owned the room... like he owned me.

Since when was he there?

How did he even open the washroom door?

Was he there all along, watching me panic?

"Caught you."

My breath hitched.

His lips curved, slow, dangerous.

"Now you are mine."

I turned around, facing the mirror instead of him. He took slow, deliberate steps forward as I watched his reflection approach in the glass, stopping right behind me.

"How did you find me?" I questioned softly.

"You called for me," he insisted.

Confusion flickered across my face as I shook my head. I hadn't called for him. I wanted to, but I didn't.

"Yes, you did."

I kept staring at him, my breath uneven, my heartbeat racing. He leaned closer, and I tightened my grip on the candle. Watching our reflection in the mirror, he whispered, "Every time your bangles jingled, they called for me."

He blew softly against my ear and brushed his lips against it. I glanced sideways, but my gaze stayed fixed on our reflection.

"And your ghungroos... they kept chanting my name while you moved so restlessly," he continued.

"You would have been silent if you didn't call for me..."

It was unsettling how he read me, how he seemed to read my soul as if he had known me for a very, very long time. He curled his fingers around mine over the candle. He made me release it, and it slipped from my fingers. I couldn't do much because his touch made me lose my senses and my grip. The candle fell onto the counter, wax dripping over its surface, but the flame... the flame didn't die, just like some unknown desire in me that refused to quiet down.

He laced our fingers together, his other hand settling on my waist over my drenched saree. He bit my earlobe lightly, and I shuddered. My eyes began to grow heavy with desire. He kissed my earlobe and brushed his lips against it again, drawing a gasp from me.

"Kiaan..." I called his name, though it sounded more like a moan.

"Hmmm..." he hummed in response, deliberately testing my restraint.

"Forgive me..." I whispered.

His lips stilled, no longer giving me that slow, torturous pleasure.

He watched our reflection in the mirror before turning me to face him. Grabbing my waist, he lifted me effortlessly and set me on the counter. Then he placed his hands on either side of me, trapping me in as he leaned over my frame, making me feel even smaller than I already was.

"What for?" he asked.

"Because I..." I lowered my eyes, guilt settling heavily inside me. He slid his thumb and index finger under my chin and lifted my face gently.

"Because you what?"

"Because I screamed and... let Bhaiya and Jiju hit you..." I shouldn't have done that. He had just started to open up to me, and in my foolishness, I pushed him away, making him shut down again. And now, I regretted it more than I ever thought I would.

"I don't mind any of that."

I looked up at him and found unwavering sincerity and honesty in his eyes.

"But I do mind you creating distance between us..."

"I didn't... I... you confuse me..." I stammered, my feelings spilling out before I could stop them.

"You still don't understand what you are to me..." he murmured, as if even admitting that cost him something. Why was he placing so much weight on my shoulders, as if I meant more than I could ever imagine? As if I had pulled him into this relationship and not the other way around.

"You don't understand what I can do for you either..." His voice dropped lower.

His eyes burned with intense fire as he spoke, "I have made myself clear, Firefly."

"You are mine, and you don't get to hide away from me... run from me..."

"You don't get to push me away."

It sounded as if I were something he owned, as if I belonged to him completely, and even taking a step away wasn't a choice.

"You sound like I am your possession..." I said softly.

"You are more than that," he murmured. "You consume me in a way no one ever did... or could. And I will do the same..." My heart thudded when he admitted that. Then his eyes darkened.

"Or perhaps I will do worse..."

I swallowed and gripped the counter tighter as I drew in a shaky breath.

"So tell me, baby... what are you really apologizing for?"

"For running..." I murmured, then added, "And for pushing you away... I won't do it again..."

"You don't get that option anymore," he stated firmly.

"I missed you..." I confessed as a tear slipped from my eye. I didn't miss the man who created distance, but the man who held me when the panic attack overwhelmed me. I missed the man who knelt in front of me, who fought for me, who bled for me.

"You did, huh?" He kissed the tear away before it could fall further.

"That was only three days..." he whispered.

"Torturous ones..." I sniffled.

He rested his forehead against mine and said, "Imagine every day and night for twelve years. What would have happened if you had to wait that long?"

"The real question is... would you have waited at all?"

"I would have died." I knew I would have died if I had to wait that long for someone I cared about.

I saw an intense fire in his eyes, like it was the flames of hell burning inside of him, eventually escaping through his eyes, as if I had awakened something in him. Before I could fathom anything else, before I could even ask why he had mentioned twelve years, he grabbed the nape of my neck, yanked me closer, and crashed his lips onto mine.

I had never ever been kissed before. I didn't know what to do, but I surely acted differently, like I knew what I had to do. My hands wrapped around his neck, my fingers swam in the softness of his dark hair. He had one hand on my bare waist, burning my skin with his touch, another on my nape, holding me still.

He sucked my lower lip slowly but with his burning desire. I had never felt what kissing felt like before, and now that the man I always wanted to be with was kissing me, I couldn't help but be high up on the moon. He bit my lip harshly, yet it felt like he was controlling himself from going too far. I mirrored his action, sucking his upper lip, following his lead. His hand from my waist moved to my front on my stomach, and I trembled like a shaking leaf ready to fall off a tree's branch. He ran his knuckles over my bare stomach, awakening the goosebumps, making me whimper in the kiss. His hand slid up to my breasts, and then he lined the base of my blouse with his index finger. That was a scary, thrilling, fearful realization that he could touch an intimate part of me at any moment. That thought itself had me moan while he was still devouring my lips.

I could feel my core clenching, and I clenched my thighs together. I had no idea what was happening to me. His hands moved to my thighs instantly, parting my legs, and then he pulled back from the kiss.

"Don't..."

"I want you to feel it...." I whimpered on his command.

"I..." He didn't let me say anything and was kissing me again. He shoved his tongue in my mouth, and everything in my mind began to go blank. I felt like I was surrendering to him. He took hold of my one leg and wrapped it around his waist, and I wrapped the other like my body was in his control now. The moment my core came in contact with his clothed body, I could feel a need there, like it was pulsating, like there were heartbeats too.

Fuck! What's happening to me?

He pulled out of the kiss for a moment, and I rubbed my core on his body, trying to ease the unknown pain of my core.

"Kiaan...." I moaned his name like a plea, a request, a need I didn't know. I just feel he was the only one who could salvage me.

His lips were back on mine again. I grabbed his hair tighter, trying not to lose myself, and he kept tasting my mouth like he had been starved for a long time. He tasted every inch, every corner, and my eyes teared with all the overwhelming pleasure. I could feel my insides tingling, wetness pooling in my core, with an unquenching pain awakened there. It was so unbearable. I kept grinding against his body, trying to create some friction which could help with the pain of my core, but he palmed my hips, holding me steady, kneading my hips over my drenched Saree.

Does a kiss really feel that way?

When he pulled back this time, our foreheads rested against each other. I was panting for breath, my eyes droopy with desire, while his eyes seemed like starved, way too starved for a normal human. But...he wasn't normal, nor was he a human. He was a deranged beast who wanted more.

"Say it again..." he whispered.

"Say that you missed me," he clarified. He sounded desperate, as if my need for him was his need too. As if my longing for him was what kept him alive.

"I missed you..." I whispered, and he kissed me again.

He pulled back just enough to murmur, "Again..." wanting to hear it once more.

"I... I missed you..." I repeated, and his lips found mine again.

"I missed you..."

We kept kissing until I was breathless once more.

He scooped me up in his arms and took me inside the room. He lay me on the bed softly and climbed on top of the bed.

"Kiaan..." I called out to him.

"I have never..." I wanted to tell him that I had never been intimate before, that this was all new to me, but he didn't let me speak.

"I know..." he said softly.

But how would he know? Maybe he was only assuming. I needed to tell him what I was trying to say.

"But..."

"Shhh..." He placed a finger gently against my swollen lips.

"I don't want you speaking until your mouth is whispering my name like a prayer... or asking me not to stop....or begging for my mercy."

He moved the veil of my saree off my shoulder, revealing my wet blouse and parts of my bare skin. I moved my head sideways and closed my eyes shyly. My chest rose and fell quickly as I swallowed nervously, and then he leaned over me.

"Look at me..." he said softly. His voice felt warm and gentle, but I couldn't meet his eyes.

"Firefly..." He kissed my forehead and gently turned my face toward him. When our eyes met, I could clearly see how much he wanted me.

"Don't look away."

He took off his shirt and threw it on the bed. Then he placed his hand on the pleats of my saree tucked at my waist. I took in a sharp breath, but he didn't pull them yet. He just kept his hand there, holding me in that tense, quiet moment, making my body feel the fear and thrill of what he would do now.

"Say it again that you missed me..."

"I missed you..." His lips trapped mine again as his fingers dipped deep inside my underskirt to pull the pleats out. I almost cried in pleasure when his hands dipped deeper inside my Saree and rested over my panties. It felt like someone had put my entire body on fire. Fuck...that ache in my vagina just increased, and I just wanted to close my legs and trap his hand so that the pain goes away.

It would have gone away just like that, right?

But then, I heard someone giggling...and a manly voice too.

Kiaan pulled back his hand, and he pulled back from the kiss as well. I felt disappointed, disheartened. My body didn't like that loss of contact, losing his touch. I wanted his closeness, needed him to touch me, to quiet whatever fire he had ignited in me.

I mewled quietly, wanting him all over me. His eyes darkened just from that voice out of my mouth. I didn't make that sound purposefully; instead, I had never known one day I could make a sound like that in desperation.

"Do that again," he murmured darkly, barely holding himself back, "and I won't give a damn who walks through that door. I will take you right here... right now."

I gulped, not being scared but because I was way too aroused. When he noticed the hunger in my eyes too, he groaned, "Fuck! You want that, don't you?"

But then the sounds we heard earlier got louder, and I panicked. Kiaan's eyes were hazy, but he was alert, too. He covered me with my saree and pulled the blanket over me.

"Kiaan... what..."

"Shhh...keep quiet."

Why did he always make me quiet?

I frowned at him.

He kept watching me intensely, while he grabbed his shirt, slipped his arms into the sleeves, leaving the buttons undone as if he was picturing when he would make me his in all terms. He then got off the bed, walking towards the door.

"That was funny..." I heard Saavi's voice.

"Muffin, let me keep these bags inside Maasi's room. You go ahead." That was Dhruv Bhaiya's voice.

My eyes widened hearing Dhruv Bhaiya's voice, which was clear, and that he was stepping inside the room. Kiaan got closer to the door, and just then, Dhruv Bhaiya entered.

Dhruv Bhaiya's steps faltered when he saw Kiaan at the door, and he looked confused.

"What are you doing here?" He asked Kiaan, and then his gaze dropped. "...And semi-naked?"

Then his eyes landed on the bed. And of course, he saw me, except that only my head was visible. My husband had made sure I was covered like a baby.

Dhruv Bhaiya looked at us, amused. His lips thinned into a teasing smile, and then he immediately started looking anywhere but at us. He slowly placed the bags in one corner of the room.

Shit. Shit.

"Dhruv, who are you talking to?" Saavi called from outside.

"No one, muffin. Just some cats."

"Cats? What cats?"

And then Saavi appeared too.

She looked at Kiaan first and said, "That's Kiaan, not a cat..." but then she saw me.

Her eyes widened. Her cheeks turned crimson because, obviously, she was thinking what she shouldn't be thinking. I slipped my head back under the blanket for a moment, feeling second-hand embarrassment. However, I kept peeking once in a while.

"What are you two doing here?" Kiaan asked them, like he owned the room.

"This is Maasi's room," Dhruv Bhaiya said.

"But I guess you forgot...And water is dripping everywhere..." Dhruv Bhaiya added, looking at the water scattered around that had dropped from our wet clothes.

"Dhruv, don't..." Saavi warned, mortified.

"Maasi and Uncle will be here in ten to fifteen minutes," Saavi informed us.

"Yeah," Dhruv Bhaiya added with a smirk, "do whatever you want in those minutes. I hope that's enough."

"Dhruv..." Saavi hissed.

"Come on, let's go."

While I was peeking out slightly from under the blanket, I saw her practically pushing her husband out of the room. The moment they were gone, Kiaan shut the door. I felt him step closer, and I quickly pulled the blanket back over my head again, hiding myself from him now.

I felt him tug at the blanket and pull it down just enough for my face to be visible. He was hovering over me again, though there was a little more space between us this time. Even then, I could hear his loud heartbeat matching mine.

He leaned closer and kissed my ear, making me shiver, my lips trembling.

"Next time you run away," he murmured against my ear, "I will lock you away from the world and keep you to myself."

"And as for the punishment..." his voice dropped, turning darker. "I haven't even started that yet, baby." He gently bit my earlobe and added, "You are just spared for tonight."

I had a frightening realization then. I wasn't scared of his darkness anymore. I was scared of how much I wanted it, how deeply I wanted to be a part of it. I had always run from every monster in my life. But this time, I was choosing the beast.

And I was choosing him with my own free will.

******

Hi Lovelies,

I hope you all are doing well. 🤗

I genuinely struggled writing this chapter, trying to make it good enough. Hope it was good 🤗

Were you guys expecting more romance? 🙈

The intimate scenes will genuinely be more, but right now, I am just setting the mood. 😛

What do you all think would happen now? 🤔

What about the forgiveness Kiaan has to seek from Simran? 🤔

Do you all think Simran will forgive him easily, or Kiaan will fuck up again? 🤔

Do share your views about the chapter. It would mean a lot to me. ❤️

P.S -> The next update will be published on Tuesday. Stay tuned 🤗

Thanks,

Shrishtee