FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN

You want me!

Manjari sucked in a breath as she reeled under Neel's touch. Nothing else mattered...neither the snow beneath her nor the tree root poking her, neither the cold permeating every bone of her body nor the fact that anybody could walk on them. All that mattered was that her body was on fire in a really long time.

"Should I stop?" she heard him ask. Her senses were in a haze and she was incapable of formulating words. Unconsciously, she just shifted closer to him and he obligingly fastened his lips on hers again. Dimly she could feel his hands bunch up her nightshirt to her waist. His cold hands touched her bare skin and goosebumps erupted all over her body. She could feel his arousal against her abdomen....Her mind was in a state of inertia and she wondered why had they stopped kissing in the first place...he was good at it and she enjoyed it....they should do it daily, she thought when she felt his hands touch the waistband of her pyjamas and just like that reality sunk in.

Manjari felt a cold dread and shame envelope her entire being. She became aware of where she was and more importantly with whom. She was ashamed of herself, her cheeks flaming as she realized how intimately close their bodies were. She had given in so easily to his advances. No wonder he kept pestering her. He knew that she could not resist him. She pushed him with all her might and scrambled to her feet, brushing her clothes. Neel still lay on the ground and was watching her intently. She avoided his gaze as she made her way back to her house.

"Invite me in", she heard him say. She stood still for a moment. Those words. Those exact words.

She exhaled slowly and turned to look at him. "No", she said.

"You want me!"

"Sadly, yes. And I wish to god that I did not", she said, bitterness apparent in her voice. Something flashed in his eyes but was gone the next moment.

"It is not something either of us can control."

"No", she said bitingly. "This is where you are wrong."

Saying this she turned and entered her house, closing the door behind her.

Neel took a deep breath and then smiled to himself. The spark was still here. She was so pliable when she was in his arms. He could not wait to kiss her again. Because he was not going to let her go. Mission Manjari 2.0 was well underway.

Manjari could not sleep a wink all night and woke up with dark circles under her eyes. Amaira was starting her on-line classes and Manjari had to set her up for that. After making sure that Amaira had everything she needed, she made her way to the backyard. She was making her way to her favourite spot- the porch swing when she stopped still. Memories of last night came flooding and a blush spread across her cheeks. She swerved and made her way towards the chairs. She settled herself comfortably and opened her book. But her thoughts were somewhere else. How could I have done that? Behave like that? Her control had slipped ad she had almost given to the moment...

Neel had been observing Manjari silently for a while. He wanted to go and speak to her, but he was sure that she would simply leave. Also, he remembered her orders to not come to the backyard or front yard at all because she did not want Amaira to know he was there. Amaira. How he wished to see her, for her to call him papa, for them to be a family. He consoled himself...soon, he promised himself...soon he would have what he had wanted and desired. For them to be a family.

Manjari sighed as she shifted again in her bed. Sleep, she commanded her body. You need the rest. Sleep, she told her mind, we had a long day. Sleep, sleep sleep.

But to no avail. She was too hot. She stripped her bed of all covers and lay down again. Soon she was cold. So, she covered herself with one thin blanket. Then her pillow was not comfortable...she plummeted it into shape, but nothing helped.