If You Could Stay

16. Naira

What is wrong with me? The lack of food must have made me delusional because there was no way I almost kissed Kartik Goenka.

I entered my apartment in a frenzy and leaned against the closed door, my breaths ragged. I had spilled spaghetti sauce on his shirt. It was an accident. I had fallen on top of him. It was an accident. He stared heatedly at my lips and I felt the sudden urge to capture his soft, pink ones. That was also an accident. Right?

"Who's chasing you?"

I opened my eyes to see Mayuri with a cup of coffee and her pajamas and reading glasses on. She was clearly up late working on a case.

"What?" My voice comes out trembling.

"Is someone chasing you Naira? Why are you so breathless?"

Mayuri looked at me from head to toe before narrowing her eyes towards my face. Her eyes widened at whatever emotion she saw on my face and she nearly dropped her coffee cup.

"Oh my God. Naira Singhania, what made you this breathless? Or rather, who, made you this breathless?"

"W-what are you talking about?" The stutter in my voice betrayed all my attempts to remain calm and collected. I walked to the living room with Mayuri right on my heels.

She set her coffee cup down and gave me a pointed look. I avoided her eyes; she was the one person I couldn't hide from. And if my rapid heart beat and the heat rushing to my face told me anything, it's that Mayuri definitely sensed I was hiding something.

"You're breathless, your cheeks are flushed," she glances down at my dress and squints her eyes. "And is that...spaghetti sauce on your dress?"

I follow her gaze and look down at the smear of sauce on my chest. Immediately, my mind transports to the large, strong chest underneath me and the subtle, rich scent of cologne that enveloped me. I feel a shiver run down my spine at the memory. Mayuri gasps and sits me down on the couch, taking an eager seat next to me.

"Tell me everything. You were missing the whole day. You weren't at your office and you didn't reply to my texts. Who were you with?"

"I was working, Mayuri."

Mayuri gives me a dubious look. "But you weren't at your office. I called looking for you but they said you never even stepped foot into your office today."

I hesitate before deciding to tell Mayuri my whereabouts. "I was at Mr. Goenka's office."

Mayuri's jaw drops so low, I'm afraid her face would permanently lock like that.

"What were you doing there the whole day and whole night for that matter? It's midnight, Naira. And you're coming home looking like a pasta dish."

"I told you, I was working. There was a problem with the photoshoot and it took the entire day to try to reverse the damage."

Mayuri crosses her arms across her chest.

"I still don't understand how you ended up look like that." She gestures a hand towards my chest.

"I, um, kinda spilled sauce on Mr. Goenka and then tried to help him clean and then tripped and landed on top of him and ugh—I'm such a mess Ri!" I drop my face onto my hands.

I feel her hand on my shoulder. "What aren't you telling me Naira?"

That I almost kissed him. Worse. That I wanted to kiss him.

He was so patient listening to me talk about my mother and not a speckle of judgement was on his face while he listened. And he told me she would be proud of me. The way he said it, with purity and confidence, it was as if he, himself, was proud of me.

But I decided to keep those thoughts to myself for the time being.

"Nothing Ri. I'm just stressed, that's all. I still need to find models for the photoshoot. Where am I going to find models in such a short notice?"

I look expectantly at Mayuri with pleading eyes. She widens her eyes and jumps a foot away from me.

"Don't look at me! I don't do cameras. Put me in front of villains, kidnappers, murderers and I will look them right in the eye. But don't put me in front of a camera." Mayuri raises her hands up in surrender as she speaks.

I sigh. Even though she is drop dead gorgeous, I know Mayuri would never model. At least it was worth a shot. Plus, I needed a couple for the shoot.

"What about you Naira? You've done photoshoots before. And it's for your own brand. Who better to represent it?"

"Even if I did, it's a couple shoot. I need a male partner."

Again those brown eyes, clean shaven jaw, and scowl flashes before my eyes but I blink the images away.

Mayuri inches closer to me, a devilish twinkle in her eyes. And I have a sudden sense that whatever is about to come out of her mouth would be very dangerous for me.

"I seem to recall that you have a very tall, very handsome, very model-like fiancé, Naira." Her smile widens into a large grin and my heart thuds rapidly against my rib cage.