He buried his face in the curve of her neck, inhaling her scent. Sweetness filled his lungs. She surrounded him, her mere presence unmanned him, and in moments like this, it was near impossible for Abhi not to let down his guard.
It was defence mechanism, his last-ditch effort to keep a piece of himself from the public's ravenous appetite. It came with the job, they say, but it felt overwhelmingly draining to always expect the worst in people. He's never really slept beside anyone, not really. Abhi never allows his bed partner to sleep beside him after s*ex, either he removes himself from the room or, when Abhi is particularly wary, he delicately instructs her to sleep someplace else because, well, he needs his space. It was too personal, too symbolic to wake up with someone and have breakfast with them. Falling asleep with a woman is one thing, waking up in her presence is another. It signifies a promise, a commitment he can't keep. And yes, it does make him feel like an absolute cad, but he just doesn't want to feel obligated.
So it was life's greatest irony that Pragya, after their first sexual encounter, decided to turn the tables on him.
They slowly descended from their high. Their heavy breathing gradually slowed and Abhi hefted his heavy form atop her and onto the mattress. He turned his head and looked at her, her eyes firm shut and mouth slightly agape. Just as he was about to gather her body closer to his, Pragya opened her eyes and sat up, running a trembling hand through her messy hair. He was presented with her bare back, noticing the faint violet marks of his fingers. A wave of possessiveness washed over him. She was completely, truly, undeniably his. His elation at the thought was cut abruptly short when Pragya made to grab the piece of clothing at her feet. She had one foot in her underwear when Abhi's hand shot out.
"What are you doing?"
The person in question didn't give any answer. She stared straight ahead and tried to pry his hand from her upper arm. When he didn't even budge, she continued dressing herself with her free hand.
"I asked you-"
"I heard you."
"Then what the hell are you doing?"
Pragya released a sigh and finally looked over her shoulder to watch Abhi. At her vacant eyes, Abhi slowly peeled off his fingers from her arm and sat up straighter. Pragya didn't let the moment pass and stood up from the bed. Her slight gasp didn't went unnoticed by the perturbed man waiting on the bed.
"Chashmish, come back to bed. You're still- tender- after your first time. Chash- hey, where are you going?"
Pragya slightly limped as she crossed the room heading for the door leading to the bathroom. Just as she was about to turn the knob, Abhi heard her murmur distractedly.
"I-I just want to clean up. Then I'll go to sleep."
The door opened and shut quietly. Abhi leaned back against the headboard and ran a hand over his face. It was all going so well then this happened. She was an enthusiastic participant from the start, and he tried his best to go gentle with her.. or did he? With a frustrated groan Abhi let his eyes wander to the rumpled bed sheet. He gave a little wince at the smearing of blood and felt every single bone in his body wanting to follow his Chashmish, comfort her, and convince her to come back to bed. It was peculiar- this wanting, this longing, to be close to a woman even in the aftermath of lovemaking when all he usually wanted to do was drift into blissful slumber. It was definitely a first.
At the sound of the lock unlatching (did she really have to lock the door? ) Abhi glanced up to see Pragya walk steadily to the sofa.
"Chash- Pragya, come back to bed."
Abhi's gut clenched at how Pragya dismissed him and continued walking to the sofa. When she finally pulled the blanket over her lap, something snapped inside him.
"Pragya, you will come back to this bed on your own two feet or- or I'll make you."
Abhi tried his best to keep his voice even. He felt the gnawing sense of emptiness at Pragya's withdrawal, and for the life of him, he couldn't understand why it was so important to have her beside him at that very moment. Later, he will come to realize that he was as much hers as she his, and that she became an integral part of his life- in and out of bed.
The slight hitching of breath brought him from his musings and he glanced down at her. He ran his fingers softly through her fine hair, moving to gently trace the line of her eyebrows, down the bridge of her nose and tenderly caressed her generous mouth with the rough pad of his thumb. He didn't want to wake her, she's had a long day and she needed the rest, but he suddenly craved to see her beautiful eyes looking back at him with her the warmth and love she could never mask. So when her eyelids fluttered open, revealing two dark orbs blinking back blearily, he pressed a gentle kiss on her lips and pulled her warm body even closer, twining his long legs with her shorter ones.
"Sleep."
"Mmmkay."
After he heard her breathing even out, he shifts his weight onto his elbows and leaned down gently, wrapping his arms around her middle. He nestled his head between her breasts and lets the beating of her heart lull him to sleep.
Abhi smiled contentedly. Now this is blissful slumber.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
