He had seen how he affected her, when he had held her at the pub; her hug had told him more than her words ever could - her trust in him, her love for him, her relief at letting go had all been evident; even though she had almost crushed him when she had abruptly walked away.
The evening he had asked her to replace Pari - she had desperately tried to conceal her reaction to him as he had held on to her sari; compelling him to move closer while covering her with it, resting his hand on her stomach. He had seen through her efforts and it had made him want to do it all the more - get close to her, show her what he felt, and force her to realize, that what she felt for him could not be contained.
At the wedding, seeing her dress undone, he had stopped her to help - slowly turning her around, deliberately letting his fingers brush her skin; moving her hair unhurriedly, fastening her hooks leisurely; keeping his eyes on her all the time, looking to find what he knew would be there - in her lowered eyes, her uneven breaths, her trembling self all telling the tale of the effect he had on her.
Today, she had come barging into the meeting, showing utter disregard for those present in the conference room; completely unaware of her disheveled form, her uncombed hair loosened from their usual braid, her unkempt clothes that she had forgotten to change; her aggressive demand for answers had made him feel triumphant. Triumphant, in his secret knowledge that she cared about him; cared so much that she had not even realized that she wore clothes which had blood on them - his blood. He had told her as much, almost letting her in on his secret- telling her that he had understood everything- understood her concern, her reason for coming the way she had, thundering in like the "Hoshiarpur Express" that she was.
It was killing him, holding back, trying to give her time to realize, let her come to him on her own; he did not know how much more of this he could take and had resorted to baiting her; to get under her skin like she had gotten under his; had gotten close to her without getting close enough; standing back to watch her when she thought he was not; looking at her instinctive response to him before she clamped down on it; giving him that much more of an incentive to goad her. Her awkwardness at the realization of being alone with him in the conference room, her sudden reticence, her disbelief in him being alright had incited him into teasing her, into coaxing a response from her.
He had seen her gaze get drawn to him; watching him remove his tie, his vest, unbuttoning his shirt; looking on, helplessly, drawn to him like a moth to a flame. She had been so lost, she had not realized until the last moment- he would actually be baring himself to her and had only then remembered her modesty and turned away from him; but not before her eyes had had her fill of him - he had seen to that.
He knew it was not fair to be doing this to her, but he could not help himself - it was taking every ounce of control he had in him, to not think about her- about being around her, about holding her close, about making her respond to him, about loving her. Watching her lose herself in the sensations he caused, letting go for a moment only to bring herself back with a jolt, pushed him into trying to elicit more of those fleeting moments.
Her every action showed him how much she cared, loved and wanted him but for some painful reason known only to her and guessed at by him, she held herself back. But, he was willing to wait - to wait for her to come to him. He would do all it would take and more to make her believe in his love for her and for her to acknowledge what she felt for him, accept him into her heart as he had her.
Artist : Elvis Presley Song : Love Me Tender
Love me tender, love me sweet,
Never let me go.
You have made my life complete
And I love you so.
Love me tender, love me true,
All my dreams fulfill.
For, my darling, I love you
And I always will.
Love me tender, love me long,
Take me to your heart.
For it's there that I belong
And we'll never part.
Love me tender, love me dear,
Tell me you are mine.
I'll be yours through all the years
Till the end of time.
When at last my dreams come true,
Darling this I'll know
Happiness will follow you
Everywhere you go
Arjun
Web Series
12