||Just One Breath Away-AN FF~VM pg 122|| - Page 12

She stood still, frozen in place as she watched the figure slowly walk closer to her, becoming darker by the second. As it was she was terrified of the dark, and her panicked mind refused to calm down in his presence.

He started coming into the glare of the headlights, and her heart stopped when she saw his face…a face she recognised…even though she hadn't been expecting it.

Relief washed over her and she felt giddy with happiness as he came and stood in front of her in the rain. Her breathing slowed to normal, and her first instinct was to jump into his arms and be enclosed by them.

He scrutinised her appearance, and raised an eyebrow at her dripping wet state. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, she was there, in his arms, holding on to him like there was no tomorrow.

His arms automatically encircled her small form, holding her tight in his embrace, and he sighed involuntarily.

And she knew she was safe.

His steady heartbeat calmed her down, and she bunched up his wet shirt in her hands. It was an unknown feeling, one that assured her of security. She had never thought it would feel like this to be in his arms…it felt like it was meant to be.

Surprised as he was at her sudden reaction, he held her against him, savouring the moment. He had dreamed of this moment many a night, and he wanted to live it. She fit so perfectly in his arms… He took a deep breath contentedly and tightened his grip around her.

The rain poured down heavily, blocking out every other sound than that of the roaring wind. They stood there, locked in a warm embrace in the cold night, alone on the empty road, when every other person had retreated to shelter.

The clouds rumbled loudly, and she hid her face in his shirt, scared. He looked down at her, at the feisty woman, who was trembling ever so slightly in his arms, afraid of a thunderstorm.

He touched her chin which was tucked in his chest, and lifted her face up.

Her eyes refused to meet his, to show him the vulnerability, the fear in them.

He cupped her face and made her look up at him. The tenderness and concern in his eyes warmed her heart.

"I'll drop you home in my car", he offered softly, and she had to strain her ears to hear him over the rain.

Still reeling from what had happened between them before, she extracted herself from his arms and turned her back to him, debating whether to oblige. She needed to get home, and this was her only option, but still her stubbornness resurfaced and she felt like giving him a hard time.

The wind blew even more fiercely, and she shivered in the cold, wrapping her arms around her to protect herself.

Her action not going unnoticed by him, he immediately took off his jacket and draped it around her. The light brushing of his fingers on the bare skin of her shoulder sent a different kind of shiver through her, one she wasn't used to.

He felt it too…he moved his fingers lazily on her neck, tracing it lightly. The places where he touched burned even in the cold. It felt so good.

He turned her around slowly by the shoulders, and she didn't protest, too lost in his touch. He was close…too close to her, and she knew it. But it felt so right…she didn't have the heart to move away.

He came even closer, and she could feel his warm breath on her face. The close proximity drove her out of her mind. He was teasingly close…his lips hovered a tantalizing inch away from hers…just one breath away.

She looked at him with half-closed eyes, observing him longingly from under her eyelashes. Her wet hair framed her face; her clothes clung to her perfect body, tiny droplets of water settled on every part of her exposed skin…he wished to kiss them. It was sweet torture.

He sighed, and his breath tickled her face.

"Abhi…" her soft voice beckoned him. It was too much of temptation. He just had to give in.

Closing the distance between them, Abhi softly placed his lips on hers, as the familiar feeling washed over him again.

She tasted of rainwater…so fresh. His arms encircled her waist, and pulled her closer till she was settled against his chest. Her arms snaked around his neck, and his hand moved to her hair, threading his fingers through it.

She stood on her tiptoes, and he pulled her even closer, deepening the kiss when she allowed him to. It felt like heaven. They kept kissing passionately, oblivious to the fact that they were standing on the road on a rainy night.

When they surfaced for air, he scrutinised her face. Her eyes looked at him longingly, need evident in them. He knew they had lost control when he slowly kissed her eyelids and moved to her jawline. She shivered and pulled him closer.

Their first kiss had been sweet, but this was nothing short of passionate. They were kissing each other with bruising intensity, conveying all the pent up anger, frustration and jealousy through it.

It had been nothing like she's imagined, her mind vaguely registered as he peppered little hot kisses on her face. She had expected a spark, but this was far beyond that. This was fireworks. Not that she was complaining. It was surprisingly easy to give in to temptation where he was concerned.

The thought hung in her mind for a while, and suddenly she realised what they were doing. In horror and thorough embarrassment, she pushed him away and looked down at her feet, turning beetroot red.

He looked at her confusedly, his lips swollen from the kisses, when reality dawned on him. Embarrassedly he wondered what to say…or rather, do.

They both fidgeted, looking anywhere but at each other. Their lips still tingled, and deep inside, they hid a desire to pick up from where they left off…it felt too perfect in each other's arms. The kiss felt too good.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was twisting her hands and biting her lip, observing her shoes.

Taking a deep breath, he ran his hand through his hair and tried to get himself under control. His eyes moved to the flat tyre of her car, and he walked forward and stood beside her.

His close proximity obviously disturbed her…or rather, made her self-conscious.

He decided against speaking, he didn't trust his voice. So he simply reached out and took her hand, and she stiffened.

His simple touch made her skin break out in gooseflesh. It burned her, but she wanted him to hold her once more.

She slowly turned around when he pulled her closer, and being unable to resist, he slowly kissed the back of her hand, making her shiver once more as he did so.

They stood there silently, listening to the rain patter around them, drowned in each other's eyes, anticipating the next move. The sparks were still flying, and they could both feel that they'd lose control again any moment. It was scary…but it was strangely a beautiful feeling.

The low rumble of thunder brought them back to their senses, and they both flushed light pink. Her hand still in his, fingers intertwined, he slowly pulled her into his car, and made her sit down. She was uncharacteristically quiet, and he walked over to the other side and sat himself on the driver's seat.

She sat there like a doll, unmoving…the only thing that indicated that she was even alive was the soft heaving of her chest due to her breathing.

He bent in to fasten the seat belt on her, and his scent filled the air she breathed. She held her breath, not wanting to lose herself once more. This was becoming a problem. He was her boss, and she was kissing him at every given opportunity. Something had to be done about it.

He quickly moved away once he tied her seat belt, and started the car. She made no protest; she didn't ask where they were going. Maybe she trusted him. Or maybe she was just too embarrassed…or scared. Either of the two.

He drove in silence, once in a while glancing at her from the corner of his eye, trying to judge her expression…but it remained stubbornly blank.

Her house came, and he stopped the car, waiting for her to get out. She still sat there, staring straight ahead.

He cleared his throat and announced softly, "Nikki…you're house." His voice came out huskier than he had meant it to be.

"Huh?" If anything, she appeared flustered…okay, now that was something different.

"You're house Nikki…you should go", he told her feebly. Truth be told, he didn't want her to leave. He just wanted to hold her again… Anger at himself made him push those thoughts to the back of his mind. This is not going to happen. I can't let it happen. Get a grip, Abhimanyu.

She nodded slightly and started to take off his jacket.

"Keep it on!" he instructed her, and when she looked at him confused, he explained, "It's still raining…you'll need it. Give it back tomorrow."

Taking a deep breath, she nodded and got out. Closing the door, she waited for him to leave. She just wanted to have a last glimpse of him tonight.

"What're you waiting for? Go inside", he rolled down the passenger side window and leaned in his seat to have a good view of her.

"You…you won't go?" It sounded more like a request than a question, but thankfully he chose to ignore the tone.

"I err…I'll wait till you go inside."

His simple statement warmed her heart. She gave him a shy smile and walked to her main door, all the while wanting to run right back into the car and settle comfortably in his arms.

Once at the door, she turned around, and saw his black Lancer waiting on the driveway. Giving it once last longing smile, she opened the door and walked inside.

He watched her turn and glance smilingly in his direction. Then, she went inside her house and shut the door…he couldn't see her anymore.

He faced the windshield, and suddenly the memory of their fight in his office came rushing back to him. Coupled with that, the freshness of their kiss in the rain flashed once more in his mind, and he smiled at the contrast.

Sighing and still smiling, he drove back home.

Changing into dry clothes, Nikki sat on her bed with Abhimanyu's wet jacket. It smelled of him…she couldn't help but hold it close to her heart. Finally, tired and exhausted from the day's events, she slowly fell asleep with a smile on her face.

That was the first night she dreamt of Abhimanyu Modi. The first of many…

*****

Nikki fixed her car in the morning and took it to the hospital, wondering what Abhi would do today… That was all she thought of. Abhimanyu.

Nikita's duty was with Akash once again. She hadn't had a chance to return Abhimanyu his jacket, and didn't have too much of an intention to do so either…she'd much rather smell his scent in it and soothe herself to sleep. She'd never thought that her boss's arms would become such a safe place for her.

Akash was nice, as usual, but Nikita's concentration was elsewhere. He smiled when he talked, trying his very best to forget the way she had talked to him the day before. But her inattention was starting to irk him.

"Dr. Nikita…" he called her name politely once, and when she appeared too immersed in a file, he raised his tone. "Dr. Nikita, I'm talking to you!"

His sudden harshness was unknown to her. She looked up, and he was staring at her with irritation.

"Do you mind listening to me? I'm your senior after all…" her innocent gaze melted him in no time.

"Err…sorry Dr. Mathur…I…I mean Akash", her apology melted him further, and, giving her a soft smile, he continued explaining the case to her.

At times she seemed a bit distant, but he just assumed that her argument with the boss was still bothering her, and tried to be as nice as possible, pushing the jealousy that swelled up inside him to a deep corner.

*****

Shehnaz walked out of Abhimanyu's office in a daze. He was surprisingly nice today…what's wrong with him? She muttered confusedly under her breath and went to join the others in the cafeteria for lunch.

Armaan was happily flirting with Riddhima and Anjali deftly brushing off Atul's attempts to impress her at the lunch table. Muskaan and Nikki chatted animatedly, and Akash watched Nikki with a fond smile on his face.

She smirked at her friend's lovelorn smile and sat beside him with a thump, shaking him out of his daydream.

"Stop dreaming lover boy", her snide comment made him blush, and he quickly changed the topic to avoid further embarrassment.

"Where've you been? You're late", he complained.

"I was with Abhi", she explained.

At the raised eyebrows of almost everyone at the table and the odd look of Nikita, she added, "Work…we were working."

"Aaaaahhh…work!" Akash repeated melodramatically and Anjali sniggered. "So…what work were you doing huh?"

She made a face at him, and the others laughed. All the others except Nikita, that is. She couldn't understand that expression…it wasn't anger, neither suspicion, nor jealousy…it was something entirely different which she did not know.

"Come on, tell us!" Muskaan teased her, and she flushed remembering the smile that had graced her former boyfriend's face all the while she had been with him.

"Nothing…just work…The New Sanjeevani Project", she stated, trying to keep her tone as neutral as possible.

"Then why are you blushing?" Akash asked her and playfully banged his shoulder against hers.

She opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish, looking anywhere but at him.

"Achha achha chalo theek hai…you dream about him as much as you want…we won't interfere!" he laughed, and she blushed harder.

*****

Nikita walked into Abhimanyu's cabin, the kiss flashing in her mind and making her face turn hotter by the second. She took deep breaths and went and stood in front of him, waiting for him to look up from his file.

When he did look up, she was amazed by how young he looked. He had a beautiful happy smile on his face, and his eyes lit up with its effect. He was strikingly handsome, she noticed with a blush.

"Sit down", he offered, unintentionally smiling at her and making her go weak in the knees. She gulped and sat down. This wasn't going to be easy.

They got to work, occasionally stealing a shy glance at the other and turning away when caught. It was highly awkward, but they tried to remain as professional as possible.

She didn't fail to notice that Abhi hadn't come over to her side and sat beside her as had become the norm for them. He was visibly trying to put last night behind him and distance herself from her. It hurt. But she was glad that his attempts were not very successful either.

Finally, Nikki's duty hours were over at 5pm. Not wanting to leave, she fidgeted with the end of her dupatta, looking at the files strewn over his desk.

Some work was still left, she knew. Maybe she could use that as an excuse to stay for some more time.

As if hearing her thoughts, Abhi suddenly spoke, "Nikki…there's still some work left, I'd like to finish it today…"

"Sure!" her answer was too quick. "I…I mean, of course…I don't mind working overtime…" she tried to cover up feebly for her over-enthusiasm.

"Actually, I was thinking…" he appeared visibly nervous saying it. "Maybe you could come over to my house at 8, and we could discuss it there…I mean, maybe over...err…dinner?" his eyes were hopeful.

She melted, and her heart jumped in joy while her brain shouted its disapproval.

There was no way she was not going to accept this invitation.

"Sure…yeah, I'll…I'll be there, at 8", smiled, and skipped out of his office, while he smiled at the door she had closed behind her.