Sameera's POV:
Warm lips. I felt in them. Soft at first. Then suddenly consuming. Saharsh's mouth moved against mine like he had been starving for me, kissing me deeper until I couldn't breathe properly anymore. My fingers tangled into his hair instinctively while his hand gripped my waist hard enough to pull me flush against him.
Every kiss felt dangerous. Possessive. Like he was trying to remind me exactly who I belonged to.
"Saharsh…" I whispered breathlessly against his lips, but he only kissed me harder. His hand slid upward slowly along my waist before moving to the back of my neck, fingers curling into my hair. Then he pulled gently. A soft gasp escaped my mouth instantly. His lips left mine only to trail down my jaw and neck, kissing every inch slowly while my entire body burned under his touch.
God.
His fingers hooked against the slit of my dress before slowly pulling it lower from my shoulder while his lips kept moving against my skin. I could barely think. Barely breathe. My hands clutched his shoulders while he kissed lower… and lower…
Then suddenly he came back to my mouth again, devouring my lips completely while one of his hands slipped down my thigh straight underneath my dress and then— My eyes flew open immediately.
I gasped sharply and sat up halfway in panic. "What the fuck—" The words died in my throat. Because Saharsh was sleeping right beside me. One arm wrapped loosely around my waist while the other hand was still trapped between both of mine against my chest.
My brain stopped functioning. Shit shit shit. What the hell happened last night? Why was he in my bed?! I looked down at myself frantically. Still wearing the white dress.
Thank God.
Then immediately toward him again. His face looked ridiculously peaceful while sleeping, hair messy over his forehead, lips slightly parted, chest rising slowly beneath the black tshirt he slept in. And somehow that only made things worse.
"Oh my God," I whispered in horror while holding my head. "Did we hook up last night? Why can't I remember anything?!"
The movement and panic probably woke him because a second later he frowned slightly before opening his eyes slowly. "Are you okay?" he asked in that deep morning voice.
That voice should be illegal. Sleepy and Rough. Way too attractive for seven in the morning. I stared at him like an idiot for a second. Morning Saharsh was unfairly beautiful. I completely forgot my own panic for two whole seconds just staring at him.
"What happened?" he asked again while slowly sitting up against the headboard. "Why are you freaking out first thing in the morning?"
I blinked quickly before finally finding my voice. "Saharsh," I said seriously, "tell me honestly what happened last night."
He looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Why are you in my bed?"
His eyebrow lifted slightly. Then suddenly realization crossed his face. "Oh."
My heart started racing again immediately. "Did we…" I swallowed nervously. "Did we hook up?" A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips instantly. "Or did we sleep—"
"Together?" he completed casually. He leaned back slightly looking way too entertained now. "Well," he said lazily, glancing around the bed dramatically, "we did sleep together. As you can clearly see."
My jaw dropped.
"No no no no," I panicked immediately, clutching my head harder. "That means we had sex and I forgot about it?!"
That gave me a sarcastic laugh from him.
"Whoa, relax, Miss Sameera." He held both hands up. "You're thinking way too far." I stared at him suspiciously. "We didn't fuck," he said bluntly. "Just look at us properly. We still have our clothes on."
I immediately looked down again. His tshirt. My dress. Still intact.
Oh.
"So…" I looked back at him slowly. "Nothing happened?" And apparently my tone sounded a little too disappointed because his eyes narrowed instantly.
"Yeah," he said slowly, clearly trying not to grin. "Nothing happened. We just slept."
Then after a pause— "Why do you sound disappointed though?"
My eyes widened immediately. "What? No. I'm not disappointed."
His expression turned even more amused. "Oh really?"
"Absolutely." I looked away quickly before muttering under my breath— "Thank God that was a dream…"
"Dream?" he repeated immediately.
Shit. I froze.
Very slowly, I turned back toward him. He was already looking at me differently now.
Dangerously interested.
And then he moved closer. Way too close. "Sooo…" he said softly, eyes fixed on my face, "you had a sex dream about me, Miss Sameera?"
My cheeks burned instantly.
"No!"
"That sounds exactly like a yes."
"It was not a sex dream."
"Oh?" He leaned even closer now, his breath brushing my neck lightly. "Then why are you blushing this hard?"
I could barely breathe properly. He smelled warm. Clean.
"Saharsh—"
"What happened in the dream?" he whispered near my ear teasingly. "Should I be concerned?"
"Oh my God shut up."
"Did dream me behave badly?"
"You are behaving badly right now."
His low laugh sent literal shivers down my spine. "Interesting," he murmured. "So dream me definitely kissed you."
I shoved him immediately. Hard. "GET OUT."
"You throw people out very easily," he muttered while walking toward the door. The words hit harder than they should have.
I looked away instantly but he still noticed. Of course he did. But instead of saying anything more, he simply stopped near the door before glancing back at me once.
"For the record," he said calmly, "if something had actually happened last night… you wouldn't be confused about it in the morning."
Heat rushed straight to my face. "Saharsh!" That finally made him smirk properly for half a second before he stepped outside. And I slammed the door shut directly on his face while my heart continued losing its mind behind it.
---
The entire resort was glowing in shades of yellow and orange. Marigold decorations hung everywhere, fairy lights wrapped around trees, loud Bollywood songs blasting through the speakers while relatives and friends danced like nobody cared about dignity anymore.
Janvhi's mehendi ceremony was in complete chaos. Exactly how she wanted it.
I sat cross-legged beside Rishita while the mehendi artist carefully worked on my hands, drawing intricate patterns all the way up my wrist. The smell of henna mixed with flowers and food filled the air while girls around us laughed loudly over wedding gossip.
Rishi, meanwhile, was busy arguing with her mehendi artist because apparently her design "didn't look Pinteresty enough."
"You are impossible," I muttered.
"And you are boring," she shot back dramatically before suddenly narrowing her eyes somewhere behind me. Then she smirked. "I think he's looking at you, Sam."
I immediately stiffened. "Who?"
Rishi gave me the most done expression possible. "Who else? Saharsh."
My heart betrayed me instantly. I tried sounding normal. "He's wearing sunglasses. How do you even know?"
"Because," she whispered dramatically, "his head has been turned in this direction for the last five minutes, stupid."
Against my better judgment, my eyes flickered upward. There he was. Standing across the lawn with the rest of the boys. Wearing a sky blue kurta. Sleeves folded till his forearms. Black sunglasses resting on his face while he bossed everyone around like he owned the entire wedding.
Which honestly— he kind of behaved like he did. Aryan and Shivam were carrying some decoration props while Saharsh stood there instructing everyone with complete authority. Even from this distance he looked unfairly good.
The sunlight hitting the sharp lines of his jaw. Hair moving slightly with the wind. One hand casually inside his pocket while the other pointed toward the stage.
God. Why did this man always look like a walking problem?
The second I looked at him, his head shifted slightly away. I immediately looked down again. But Rishi caught it instantly.
"Ohooo." "You're avoiding him."
"I'm not."
"You literally looked away in 0.2 seconds."
I tried focusing on my mehendi instead. "I just want to be at peace."
"Peace my foot," Rishi muttered.
Before I could argue again, Janvhi suddenly appeared behind us wearing her light green outfit and bridal mehendi half-dried on her hands.
"Who wants peace?" she asked suspiciously.
"Our friend right here," Rishi answered dramatically. "Who is avoiding looking at Saharsh since morning."
Janvhi gasped loudly. "Why?"
I groaned. "Can everyone stop discussing my life for five minutes?"
"No," both of them answered together.
Janvhi sat beside me carefully before narrowing her eyes. "Wait… why ARE you avoiding him?"
Because I had woken up with him in my bed this morning. Where I had almost confessed my sex dream to him. And he looked way too smug afterward. Even after everything between us, my stupid heart still reacted to him like it belonged to him.
But obviously I couldn't say all that. "Nothing happened," I lied weakly.
Rishi immediately gasped dramatically. "OH MY GOD. Something definitely happened."
"Tell us everything. What did the drunk Sameera do?" Janvhi demanded instantly.
"There's nothing to tell."
"Not even a kiss?" Rishi asked.
I opened my mouth automatically. "Yeah. Not even a kiss…"
Then suddenly— My brain froze. The memory hit me instantly.
Warm lips. My fingers around his neck. Pulling him closer before falling asleep again.
Oh no.
My eyes widened slowly. "We kissed," I whispered in horror.
Janvhi almost screamed. "WHAT?"
Rishi nearly smudged her mehendi trying to grab my arm. "YOU KISSED?"
I looked up immediately toward where Saharsh had been standing. But he wasn't there anymore. The space was empty. My stomach dropped.
"He lied," I muttered under my breath.
"What are you muttering?" Janvhi asked suspiciously.
"Nothing." My heart had already started racing. Because suddenly I remembered his expression this morning. That teasing. The way he kept asking about my dream while conveniently not mentioning the fact that I had literally kissed him last night.
This asshole.
I immediately stood up too quickly.
"Where are you going?" Rishi asked.
"To confront someone."
Janvhi burst out laughing. "Oh my God she's gone fully psycho in love."
I carefully lifted my mehendi-covered hands while walking away through the decorations, trying to spot one very irritating man somewhere in the crowd.
I found him inside one of the resort rooms near the banquet hall. Of course he was working during a mehendi function. The door was half open and I could already hear his voice from inside, calm and authoritative while he discussed something with Daksh, Aryan and Shivam.
Without thinking twice, I pushed the door open. "Saharsh, I wanna talk. Come out."
All four of them turned toward me instantly.
Saharsh leaned back against the table, sunglasses now removed, sleeves rolled up while he looked at me with complete calmness.
"What happened now?" he asked dryly.
"You lied."
One eyebrow lifted. "About?"
I marched inside without caring about the audience. "You said nothing happened between us last night but we clearly kissed."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then Shivam slowly looked at Daksh. Daksh looked at Aryan. Aryan looked ready to choke on oxygen.
"Bold," Shivam whispered dramatically.
Aryan immediately grabbed his shoulder. "Okay. We're leaving."
"Yes," Shivam agreed instantly while walking toward the door.
Daksh looked between us once before sighing. "Try not to kill each other before sangeet."
And within seconds they disappeared outside, shutting the door behind them. Leaving me alone with him. Saharsh rubbed one hand over his jaw slowly before looking at me again.
"What the fuck, Sameera?"
"No YOU what the fuck," I shot back immediately. "Why didn't you tell me we kissed?"
His expression barely changed. "Because we didn't."
My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"
"What happened last night was hardly a peck."
"Our lips literally touched!"
"Yes," he replied calmly. "For two seconds."
"That still counts as a kiss!"
He stared at me for a second before the corner of his mouth curved slightly. "You've really forgotten what an actual kiss feels like after leaving me, huh?"
The sentence hit directly in my chest. I narrowed my eyes immediately. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He shrugged casually. "Nothing."
"No. Say it properly."
His gaze dragged slowly over my face before settling back into my eyes. "You're reacting this dramatically over one drunk peck," he said quietly. "Makes me wonder if you've kissed anyone properly in the last two years."
The audacity.
The actual audacity.
Something inside me snapped instantly. Before I could think twice, I walked straight toward him, grabbed his collar tightly and pulled him down toward me.
Then kissed him.
Hard.
It wasn't soft.
Wasn't hesitant.
It was pure frustration and anger. Pure "how dare you."
His body went completely still for one second in shock while my lips stayed pressed against his stubbornly.
See? I could kiss.
I pulled away after a few seconds, breathing heavily, still gripping his collar tightly. "There," I snapped breathlessly. "Happy now? I can definitely kiss."
For one second he said nothing. Just stared at me. Then slowly his face moved closer again. "That," he said in a low voice that sent literal chills down my spine, "is not how you kiss."
My heartbeat stumbled. Before I could react, one of his hands slid around my bare waist suddenly and pulled me flush against him.
The breath left my lungs instantly. "Saharsh—"
"Let me teach you properly." Then he kissed me. This time there was nothing hesitant about it. Nothing controlled. His mouth crashed against mine hard enough to make me lose balance completely as he pushed me backward until my back hit the nearby table.
Something fell behind me loudly. Neither of us cared. My fingers tightened in his kurta instinctively while his hand gripped my waist harder, pulling me impossibly closer until there wasn't even an inch left between us.
Fuck.
This was dangerous.
His kisses were deeper now, slower and rougher at the same time, like he was making up for every second he had spent staying away from me. Like he was craving me this whole time.
My mind stopped functioning embarrassingly fast. I could only feel him. The warmth of his body pressed against mine. His fingers digging into my waist. The way he kissed me like he wanted to ruin my ability to think straight.
I gasped softly when his hand moved upward along my back, fingertips brushing against bare skin before sliding lower again possessively.
"Saharsh…" I whispered against his lips.
His jaw tightened slightly at the sound of my voice. Then suddenly his hand moved into my hair, gripping softly before tilting my head back enough for his mouth to move from my lips to my jaw. A shaky breath escaped me immediately.
Damn him.
He knew exactly what he was doing.
"You talk too much," he muttered against my skin before kissing just below my ear.
My knees nearly gave up right there. I grabbed his shoulders harder while he kissed lower toward my neck slowly, deliberately, making my entire body heat up. Another decoration piece crashed somewhere beside us when his hand tightened around my waist and pulled me even closer.
The sound finally made us pause for half a second. Both breathing heavily.
His forehead rested briefly against mine while our breaths mixed between us.
His eyes opened again and the softness disappeared immediately. Not completely. But enough to remind me that this wasn't fixed. His thumb brushed once against my waist before he stepped back slowly.
Too soon.
"You remember now?" he asked quietly, voice rough from the kiss.
I could barely breathe properly.
And honestly? I wasn't even sure I remembered my own name anymore.
I stood there staring at him while my heartbeat refused to return to normal. His chest was still rising heavily from the kiss. Hair messy. Kurta slightly crumpled under my grip. Lips swollen because of me.
Somehow that realization alone almost destroyed whatever sanity I had left. The room felt too small now.
Saharsh looked away first, running one frustrated hand through his hair before taking a step back from me completely. That distance hurt immediately. I hated how instantly I noticed it.
"You should go back," he said finally, voice rougher than before. "People will start looking for us."
I blinked at him.
That was it?
After that?
"You're seriously acting normal right now?" I asked breathlessly.
His jaw tightened. "Do I look normal to you?"
Honestly?
No.
Not even close.
He looked like he was fighting himself every second standing near me. And somehow that made things even worse. I folded my arms across my chest, trying to control my breathing. "You kissed me."
His eyes snapped back to mine instantly. "You kissed me first."
"I was proving a point."
"And I corrected it."
The nerve of this man.
I stared at him in disbelief while he walked toward the fallen decoration beside the table and picked it up calmly like he hadn't just ruined my ability to think straight.
"How are you so calm?" I muttered.
That actually made him laugh softly. A tired laugh. "Sameera," he said while placing the decoration back, "if I stop controlling myself around you for even one second, this entire resort is going to have a problem."
My stomach flipped violently.
He looked at me again after saying that. Big mistake. Because the second our eyes met, the tension returned all over again.
"You're impossible," I whispered.
"And you're reckless."
His gaze dropped briefly toward my lips again before he looked away instantly like he was forcing himself not to.
God.
This man was going to kill me.
I took one slow step toward him again. "Then why kiss me like that?"
His expression darkened immediately. "You really wanna ask that after the way you walked in here?"
I swallowed. "What did I do?"
"You grabbed my collar and kissed me in the middle of an argument."
"You deserved it."
A dangerous smile touched his lips. "See? Reckless."
I opened my mouth to argue again but suddenly voices echoed outside the room. Both of us froze. "Oh shit," I whispered.
Saharsh immediately stepped away from me completely, fixing the collar of his kurta while I quickly checked my hair using the reflection in the glass cabinet nearby. My lips were visibly swollen.
Wonderful.
The door suddenly opened slightly and Shivam peeked inside dramatically. "Are you guys done committing crimes in here or should we come back later?"
I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. Behind him Aryan looked equally entertained.
Daksh on the other hand looked tired already. "I told you both not to kill each other. I didn't say start a whole scene."
"Shut up," Saharsh muttered immediately.
That made them laugh harder. I quickly grabbed the nearest cushion and threw it toward Shivam who dodged it easily.
"Ohooo," he grinned. "Violence too. Passionate."
"Get out," Saharsh snapped.
Instead of leaving, Shivam looked between both of us carefully. Then his eyes widened dramatically.
"WAIT—"
He pointed at my neck.
"Oh my God."
My eyes widened.
Saharsh frowned. "What?"
Aryan burst out laughing first. Daksh looked away trying not to smile. And Shivam practically yelled—
"Saharsh gave you a hickey?!"