FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN

The Moth and The Flame.

"What are you doing? What are you thinking?". Neel said, as he pushed her in a nearby chair.
Manjari remained silent. Neel tried very hard to control his desire to hold her. "You can leave after you have finished eating this", he said, in a gruff voice, pointing to the food. " I will not have you dying on my doorsteps".

Manjari shook her head and said in soft voice, "I am not hungry...".
Neel looked at her and found her tugging the hemline of his T-shirt and before he could control himself he blurted out." I had to get you out of your clothes...they were too tight".
Manjari went redder(if it was possible!)and  just nodded her head. He continued, "it's not there was anything I haven't seen before".

Manjari blushed from tip to toe, remembering clearly the last time he had seen every inch of her.  God help her, she remembered it in such vivid details . And even now, she could feel the echo of that kiss reverberating through her soul, hot and deep and wild and brutal.

"You're an idiot, Manjari," she whispered to herself. "A Grade-A, one-hundred-percent, award-winning idiot.Your ruined something so beautiful..."

"Maybe," a deep voice said, breaking her chain of thoughts. She raised her head to find Neel's eyes fixated on her. "But you're an adorable one."

"Eat", he said, pointing to the food again.

Manjari could only stare at the food in front of her. She raised her head to look at him. He was busy folding her clothes with his back towards her. Hope bloomed within her, he has teased her, he was worried for her and he hadn't thrown her out( though god knows, he should have).In a daze, she stood up and walked up to him.

Neel kept his head down, certain his heartbeat could be heard by her. The sound of her voice alone had made his skin go hot and his nether regions were active. He knew, he knew the effort it would have taken for her to come, and he knew her enough to know she meant every word she was saying today. Really, all he wanted to do was hold her, crush her, drown in her...but he wanted her to say those words again. Best not to lift his head till then...

He could feel her body heat and thanks to the window pane, he could also see almost every expression of her face. She was nervous...good. He thought. Why should he be the only one to burn, to suffer...

He heard her soft voice say his name again..."Neel...can you please stop? I need to talk to you." His shoulders hunched forward, an anxiety blooming within him. Again. Had she changed her mind? Was he being too brutish? This could go both ways but like always, he stopped and turned to face her.
She looks at him. Really looked at him. The faded jeans that hung low on his hips. His muscles that strained under the white cotton Tee- a reminder of the way he'd held her last time. The strength as he had pulled her close. The desperation as he had kissed her hair. The memory of it night washed over her, sparking a wild, liquid heat that burned through her, making her a little crazy.

Her face became more pale and eyes looked even bigger on her face. Her hair shielded her face partially and she began to shake visibly. Unconsciously, his hand went up to her face to tuck a few unruly strand of hair behind her ears. Almost in slow motion, the palm of his hand came to rest against Manjari's cheek and unconsciously, she rested her cheek against his palm, as if drawing strength from it. Her eyes were watching him and could feel the question she was asking him. He couldn't help himself and withdrew his hand, trying to put a bit of distance between them. They needed to talk first...sort out the mess...before it led to more heartache. But the moment he tried to take a step back, her hand grabbed a bit of his t-shirt. Surprised, he looked at her, she still hadn't stopped shaking but it was what he saw reflected in her face that was his undoing. Before he could think twice, his arms went around her and he hugged her tightly.