Conditions Of Shashank | 18+

Chapter 39: His lips

"My friend wants to start a food business, so he needs to register for FSSAI. Do you handle that?" Saaransh is standing next to Ujjwal's desk.

"I don’t handle it, sir, but there’s another department for that," Ujjwal replies while reviewing a client’s 2019-20 income tax return.

"Alright, I’ll give you the contact. Pass it to the firm’s department; they’ll handle it."

"Okay," Ujjwal says, flipping a page. "When I was a fresher, they gave me all kinds of tasks- FSSAI and GST registration, then GST and income tax returns, and I even prepared financial statements."

"Really?"

"Hmm. For the last two years, I’ve been focused solely on income tax because that’s where my interest really lies."

"That’s evident," Saaransh comments.

"And then your case came. I’ve read many case studies, but I’ve never seen a case like yours. We’re trying our best to get the right result." Ujjwal closes a file and logs into Saaransh’s ID on the income tax portal.

"Where do we stand?"

"We’ve responded to the assessing officer; now we’re waiting for their reply."

"Hmm."

~

(Ishika's POV)

(Night)

I reached home, took out the keys from my purse, and unlocked the door.

My eyes are searching for him.

Where are you?

He’s not in the living room or kitchen. Maybe he’s in the bedroom. There are no used utensils in the kitchen, which means he hasn’t eaten.

I moved towards the bedroom. Kumar had texted me earlier that he was very tired from work today.

I slowly opened the door.

He is asleep.

I turned on the lamp. A warm yellow light fell on his face.

Half of his body was covered with a blanket, both hands resting on his chest, and his head slightly tilted.

Seeing him like this brought a smile to my face.

I gently ran my hand over his head. "Kumar..."

He opened his eyes. "Ishika? When did you come?"

"Just now."

He sat up and motioned for me to sit on the bed too.

He noticed the space between us and placed his hand on my waist, gently pulling me closer.

How do I tell him that I was sitting a bit away because I’m sweaty?

"Did you face any trouble on the way?" he asked.

"No," I replied.

His eyes started closing again.

"Are you hungry, Kumar?"

He nodded.

"I’ll go make dinner," I said, noticing how tired and hungry he looked.

"You’ve just come back from traveling; you must be tired too. Rest a bit first," He said, his eyes slightly red.

Even though his hand was not moving on my waist, I was feeling shivers throughout my body.

"Then, I’ll go freshen up first."

"Hmm."

"Your hand," I said. Although I didn’t want his hand to leave my waist.

He opened his eyes, realized and withdrew his hand.

I changed into a fresh night dress after freshening up.

When I came out of the bathroom, the scene was exactly what I’d expected. He had fallen asleep sitting up. My lips curved into a smile.

I sat beside him, and when he noticed, he pulled me close to his chest.

Nowhere else feels as comforting as being close to him.

I placed my hand on his chest and looked up at his face. He looked so adorable.

Then my attention shifted to his lips.

I felt like placing my lips on his.

No, Ishika, this isn’t right. He is tired and sleeping, and here you are, thinking about this? Shame on you. I told myself.

Control yourself, Ishika. He thinks you’re so innocent.

And I am innocent.

Innocent, really?

Y-Yes, I am.

While I was lost in my thoughts, he asked me, "Did you enjoy the trip?"

"Yes,"

He kissed me gently on my forehead.

See, Ishika? He gave you a sweet kiss on the forehead, and here you were, thinking about a lip kiss.

But he did place his hand on my waist when I arrived.

That was just to pull you closer, nothing else.

And what about him hugging me like this now?

It shows how much he missed you. Look at him- he hasn’t let go of you yet. He can’t bear being apart from you even for a few days.

Fine, but how do I control myself?

After battling with my thoughts for some time, I said, "I’ll go make dinner now."

He let go of his arms that were hugging me.

I started walking out of the bedroom. "Why don’t you come too? Sit at the dining table."

I felt happy when he followed me to the kitchen.

I turned on the kitchen light and started cooking while he sat behind me at the dining table.

I kept glancing back at him. Again, he had fallen asleep while sitting.

I finished cooking and placed the food on the table. We started eating together.

I felt restless. I had to ask him the question.

Don’t ask, Ishika. He’ll get startled.

"Kumar..." He looked at me.

Listen, Ishika, hesitate a bit.

"Looking at your lips makes me feel like putting mine on them. Tell me, am I wrong?"

He had food in his mouth, but hearing me, he froze and then started coughing.

I quickly gave him water and caressed his back.

"Eat slowly,"

Ishika, just look at his condition. He’s tired, December is coming, he has lots of belated income tax returns to file, and you’re asking him this?

"Tell me, am I wrong?"

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Hi, I am also writing another story called "Promised Marriage". If you want to read, then you can read it.

❤