An Inconvenient Flame

Chapter 55{B}

Okay new chapter here.

Brush up the previous if you want since it's the continuation of day 2 after rafting.

And guys target this time

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We're both dripping wet when we step into the resort. 

The moment the door clicks shut behind us, I roll my shoulders back, then drop my head forward.

"Damn, my whole body is achi..."
I stop.

The word hangs halfway out of my mouth. My face flushes warm before I can catch myself.

My muscles ache, yes, but the memory of this morning's slow unraveling rushes through me.

I swallow, blinking quickly, and pretend to adjust the strap of my sports watch. Certainly I don't want to embarrass myself.

He doesn't react, already pulling off his damp shoes.

"I'm taking the bath first," I say, trying not to sound like my thoughts are still tangled in the bedsheets from earlier.

He nods without turning. "Go on."

The bathroom tiles are cold under my feet, but the hot water quickly clouds the mirror.

I step under the stream and close my eyes, letting it beat gently down my neck, arms, thighs. My body feels worked and worn in the best possible way. 

I think of the river, the rapid that nearly pulled me under, the way I screamed and laughed at the same time.

And I think of his hand. Firm on my waist when I was climbing back in. The security of it. Like I wouldn't fall again.

When I come out, towel-dried and wrapped in an oversized T-shirt, I barely have the energy to drag myself to the bed. 

The sheets are cool. I fall into them with a soft grunt ahh... and let the mattress engulf me.

God.
That was... so good.

I grab my phone, tapping into the shared folder the rafting guide sent. The screen floods with blurred snapshots and shaky videos.

Laughter crackles through the speakers. I spot myself  yelling as the raft dips, hair flying, legs braced. And Abhiraj beside me, steady, paddling with grim look he always carry.

I smile.

There's a video where I'm in the water, bobbing along the rope, and my mouth's open like I'm shrieking, but it's laughter. 

I shut my eyes for a second. It's 3:30 already. We haven't eaten anything since breakfast, and now that the rush has faded, the hollow ache of hunger is returning.

The bathroom door opens. Steam spills out before Abhiraj walks through it. He hangs his towel on the edge of the balcony, then walks over and sinks onto the bed beside me.

His hair's still damp, curling a little at the edges. His shirt clings faintly to his chest.

"Lunch here or outside?" he asks.

I blink one eye open, still sunk halfway into the pillow.
"Let's go out. I saw riverside café on our way back. It's not far."

"Alright," he says simply.

We stay like that for a while. Not speaking. Just breathing in sync. My shoulder brushes his. Neither of us moves away.

By the time we get up and start getting ready, it's already 4:30. We leave without a rush, walking slowly down the damp road.