Note: The flashback is a little graphic, it's up to your discretion whether you want to read it (it's not very graphic, just moderately). In case you want to skip it, it's a flashback of the first time they make love.
She knew him well enough to know that he brought her to this restaurant because he considered this a date - but she considered it simply dinner. There was nothing romantic about this, and if he had any one-sided romantic thoughts, then she was going to make sure they left his mind. She wasn't here for romance, she was here for a purpose.
When the waiter came by to take their orders, Randhir spoke up. "This lasagna," he said, pointing at the menu.
She flipped through her menu and noticed that this was the most expensive dish out of a whole bunch of expensive dishes. She pressed her lips together so tightly that they were probably a fine line at this point.
"And for you ma'am?" the waiter asked, turning towards her.
"Um... I'll have uh... this soup," she said, pointing to the dish on the menu - it looked the least expensive.
It wasn't that she didn't have money to spend. She earned a lot of money, but a lot of it went towards Shraddha's treatment and doctor's visits. Randhir, on the other hand, earned more than her and she knew that. He was quite rich, and eating in these restaurants was probably an everyday thing for him, but she knew that he only brought her here to irritate her and spend money on her, which she was not going to allow him to do.
"Are you sure that's all you want?" Randhir asked with a raised eyebrow.
Sanyukta ignored him and handed the waiter her menu.
"Thank you," she told him and then picked up her glass, sipping her water.
Randhir handed his menu to the waiter too and smiled at him politely. Once the waiter disappeared, Sanyukta lowered her glass of water and glared at him.
"Why did you bring me here?" she snapped.
"Is there something wrong with this place?" he asked her lightly.
"No! But this is the kind of place people go to for dates," she snapped, as if it was the most obvious thing - which it was. "So I want to know why you brought me here?"
"This is a date, isn't it Sanyukta?" he asked, as if that was the most obvious thing.
She inhaled sharply, irritated by his actions.
"Randhir, I don't know how you got this misunderstanding that I would be willing to go on a date with you - we're here for a serious purpose, not to go out on dates," she snapped. "I have zero interest in you anymore. I hope your misunderstanding is cleared."
She saw a flicker of pain in Randhir's eyes and it stung her own heart - she never wanted to inflict any pain upon him. But at the same time, she wasn't able to give her heart back to him so easily and she just did not understand how he could think that by taking her out on dates, she would suddenly be okay with him.
"You had to eat right Sanyukta? So whether it's here or in a more inexpensive restaurant, why does it matter?" he asked softly.
She ignored him and looked down at her hands which were folded on top of the table. As much as she hated to admit it, the idea of being with Randhir again excited her. She knew that the circumstance was such that she shouldn't be excited to be with him, that this was her helplessness - but Randhir was still Randhir. He was still the only man she had ever loved, and still loved.
"Sanyukta," he murmured, and she looked back up into his eyes, and this time she couldn't look away - it was as if he had glued her eyes there. "I know this isn't easy for you, and you might think I am a jerk for saying this, but please relax a little. We have to get close, so you should drop your guards. At least for a few days."
Then he reached out and placed one of his hands on top of her folded ones. She shivered. Not because she was cold, but because she felt that surge of electricity that she used to feel whenever Randhir had touched her. Her eyes immediately welled up with tears - oh how she had missed this feeling. How she had wanted him to touch her like this again for the last five years.
"It isn't easy Randhir," she whispered, keeping her hands still. "That's the problem."
"I know Sanyukta," he told her. "That's why I brought you here. So we have a good atmosphere to dine and talk in."
She felt her lips tremble as fresh tears fell from her eyes. Only Randhir could irritate her one moment and then make her feel so special and loved the next. How she desperately wanted to drop her guard again and listen to him, but she was scared, scared that he would break her heart again. It wouldn't be easy for him to win her trust back again.
"Don't cry, please," he said, looking pained again.
He extended his arm to wipe her eyes, but she wiped her cheeks quickly and stood up.
"I - I'll be back," she said, her voice cracking, and rushed out of the room to the bathroom.
She locked herself in a stall and broke down crying. This was so overwhelming for her. She was conflicted - after five years, she had come face to face with Randhir again. After he had broken her heart and humiliated her, accused her of cheating on him, refused to accept his child, she had told herself that she wouldn't go back to him under any circumstance - even if he had realized his mistake and had come back begging. But telling yourself and actually following it were two different things.
Five years later, the only reason she had come face to face with him again was to beg him to get his bone marrow tested because Shraddha needed a matching bone marrow. She would have never tracked him down and approached him if it weren't urgent. But she was a mother before anything else, and as a mother she had to do whatever it took to protect her child.
Now she had to have a child with him and she didn't know what to think of her destiny. One look at him and she knew that she still loved him - it wasn't something that she had been able to avoid for the last five years either. She used to sleep with the picture of her and Randhir because she just missed him too much. Even after the humiliation she faced, she couldn't get him out of her heart, and she stopped lying to herself that she could ever forget him. She couldn't. She could never forget him or the beautiful times they shared.
But that didn't mean that she could ask him to come back to her - a part of her wanted to be with him again, it desperately wanted to run into his arms and hug him so tightly that they wouldn't ever be able to separate from each other again. However, she had faced so much pain and anguish in this relationship, that even if she tried to go back to him, she would just be pushed backwards.
Her soul was too damaged.
Now she detested the idea of being with him, even if she loved him - how could she ever forget about the painful wounds on her soul? How would her heart be able to repair itself enough to be with him, even if it was for one night?
Wiping her eyes, she walked out of the stall and splashed cold water all over her face before wiping her face with a paper towel and looking at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red and swollen - it was so clear that she had been crying. But the emotions were so overwhelming that she could not hold herself back.
Regaining her composure, she made her way back to their table and sat down. The lasagna and soup were already there, waiting for her. Randhir had split the lasagna in two plates, and had kept one of the plates on her side of the table.
Surprised, she glanced at Randhir.
"I want you to eat properly," he told her sternly.
She nodded, not in the mood to argue. She took a bite of the lasagna and held back another sob. Why was she crying so much? She knew Randhir was worried about her by the way he was looking at her, and that look he gave her just made it worse. His love was never fake. At least if it was fake, she might have had a reason to hate him, but the only reason she resented him was for refusing to accept his daughter as his own.
He always loved her more than he needed to.
"Sanyukta, are you okay?" he asked her softly.
She nodded and started to chew faster, needing something other than her thoughts to focus on. She swallowed and then took a large sip of water.
They finished their lasagna in silence.
"Do you want to drink the soup, or do you want to pack it?" Randhir asked her once they finished the lasagna.
"We can pack it," she told him.
The waiter packed their soup and returned it. Randhir picked up the bag containing the packed soup and pushed back his chair.
"Randhir, the bill?" Sanyukta asked.
"I already paid it when you were in the bathroom," he said before turning around and walking towards the door.
She was shocked. Picking up her purse, she walked outside after him and grabbed his arm as soon as they felt the cool breeze hit their faces.
"Why?" she asked.
He looked down at her hand on his arm and she removed it quickly.
"Sanyukta, don't ask why. I wanted to do it, so I did," he told her, looking into her eyes. "Anyways, we need to talk about how tonight will work."
"T - tonight?" she stammered, realizing that what had to happen had to happen tonight.
"Yes, tonight. Come on, let's walk around for a bit," he told her, and started walking ahead of her.
She felt herself get irritated - without even asking her, he decided that they were going on a walk? She furiously walked up to him.
"I don't want to walk," she said, but he continued to walk forward, and her pace matched his as well.
"Yet you still are," he teased.
"Stop it Randhir!" she said seriously.
"Stop what?" he asked as if he didn't know.
"All of this!" she said, as they walked towards a park.
Finding a bench, Randhir sat down, and Sanyukta immediately sat down next to him.
"Alright Sanyukta, let's get to the point," he said, turning around to face her. "What can and can't I do?"
"Meaning?" she asked, surprised.
"Meaning can I kiss you? Can I touch you?" he asked bluntly.
Her mouth dropped open at his question - she hadn't even thought about it like that. Now that he spoke about it, this just seemed so complicated.
"It wasn't this complicated during our first time," she mumbled.
Randhir chuckled lightly.
"Everything just kind of came together," he replied, and she smiled, remembering the first time they made love.
--
They were both trying to control their desires but it wasn't working, their kisses got more frantic, their lips moved together at a faster speed, and their breathing got even heavier than before. She was lying on top of him on her bed, half naked. His hands were pressed down on the small of her back, holding her as close to him as possible, and her hands were on his cheeks, softly cupping them.
"Mmm Randhir," she moaned against his lips, but before she could say anything else, he captured her lips in his again and sucked lightly, making her moan again.
His hands slid up her back and unclasped her bra before turning them over so they were both on their sides. Looking into her eyes the whole time, he removed her bra and threw it on the ground where their clothes were.
"Let's do it now," Sanyukta whispered, finally succumbing to her inner desires.
He gently pushed her backwards on the bed so she was lying down and he placed his legs on either side of her hips before kissing her eyes one by one. Her hands wrapped around his neck as he kissed her cheek and then sucked on her earlobe. She moaned. It felt so good when he did that.
His lips traced her jawline softly before reaching the soft skin of her neck. He gently sucked on the bottom of her neck and she moaned with pleasure.
As his lips moved further and further down, tracing every bit of exposed skin, sucking on the right areas, and kissing where she was most sensitive, she felt her body burn with desire - and then finally, she couldn't take it anymore.
"Randhir, please," she moaned as his mouth sucked on her navel. His hands were resting on the sides of her hips as his lips moved further down.
Her hands reached down for him and froze on the top of his head as he pulled off her remaining garment.
He glanced up at her and she looked at him with pleading eyes.
"There is still four days," he muttered, "And I didn't bring a condom."
"Randhir, let's just do it," she said impatiently. "I don't want my first time to be with a condom anyways."
"Shit Sanyukta," he murmured, pulling off his boxers, "What are you going to do to me?"
He moved up the bed so his face was level with hers.
"Shut up," she said, and captured his lips with hers. She sucked on his lower lip, making him moan.
He traced the inside of her mouth with his tongue before gently grazing her bottom lip with his teeth. This incited another moan from her.
Finally he pulled his lips off her, both of them gasping for air.
"I love you," he breathed out, kissing her nose.
"I love you too," she replied, meaning every bit of it.
Her arms wrapped around his body and pulled him close to her as he kissed her neck hungrily while positioning himself between her legs.
"Damn you're so wet," he mumbled.
She blushed.
"You're so hard," she retorted.
He chuckled and then kissed her lips again.
"Ready?" he asked.
She dug her nails into his back.
"Yes," she breathed out, squeezing her eyes shut.
As soon as their bodies joined, she felt discomfort for a short period of time, but eventually the discomfort turned into pleasure and she wanted more and more of him. Once they reached the epitome of pleasure and had finished, both of them held each other tightly.
"You're sweating so much," Sanyukta murmured, as he kissed her shoulder.
"So are you," he replied, out of breath. "And you barely moved - I did all of the dirty work."
"Dirty work?" she asked, with a raised eyebrow, then she burst out laughing.
He chuckled and lay down next to her, breathing heavily. She snuggled up close to him.
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