Hers to Love

Chapter 25

As Maria carefully prepared her dress for the wedding, meticulously ensuring every detail was in place, she was interrupted by a soft knock on her hotel room door. She wasn't expecting anyone and assumed it might be one of Amir's sisters, but as she opened the door, she was stunned to see Amir standing there.

"Amir?" Maria's voice was laced with surprise.He was leaning slightly against the doorframe, his eyes shadowed with an unreadable expression. But what struck her immediately was the unmistakable scent of alcohol on his breath, a scent she never associated with him. The realization hit her hard—Amir had been drinking, something she knew was forbidden in his faith.

"Can I come in?" Amir asked, his voice husky, tinged with something Maria couldn't quite place—desperation, perhaps.

Maria hesitated, a mix of concern and confusion swirling inside her, but she stepped aside, allowing him in. As he entered, he shut the door behind him, and in the dim light of the room, Maria could see the turmoil in his eyes.

"Amir, what's going on?" she asked gently, searching his face for answers. "You've been drinking... that's not like you."

Instead of replying, Amir took a step closer, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made Maria's heart race. Before she could react, he reached out, pulling her to him in a sudden, almost desperate embrace. Maria stiffened at first, surprised by his actions, but the warmth of his body against hers quickly dissolved her hesitation.

"Amir..." she began, but her words were cut off as he captured her lips in a deep, passionate kiss. The world seemed to spin as she melted into the moment, her heart pounding as all the confusion and uncertainty between them were momentarily forgotten.

As the kiss deepened, Amir's hands caressed her back, pulling her closer, as if afraid she might slip away. Maria, caught up in the intensity of the moment, responded in kind, her fingers tangling in his hair. The tension that had been simmering between them for weeks seemed to boil over, spilling into this heated, intimate exchange.

When they finally pulled back, both were breathless, their foreheads resting against each other. "Maria," Amir whispered, his voice filled with a mix of regret and longing, "I'm sorry... I don't know what I'm doing. I just... I needed to feel close to you."

Maria looked into his eyes, seeing the conflict within him. "Amir... we can't just ignore everything that's happening," she said softly, though her voice trembled slightly.

"I know," he murmured, his hands still holding her tightly. "But right now... I just want to be here with you. Just for a little while, without all the questions, without all the doubts."

She nodded, understanding the need for solace in the midst of chaos. The kiss had awakened something in both of them, a raw connection that had been buried under layers of confusion and unspoken words. As they stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, the world outside the hotel room faded away, leaving just the two of them, caught in a moment they both knew was fleeting but undeniably real.

Their embrace deepened, leading to a night of passion, where words were unnecessary, and only the unspoken feelings between them took center stage. It was a momentary escape, a brief respite from the complications that awaited them, but it was also something neither of them would easily forget.