Serendipity {Complete}

Chapter 17 - Miraya

Tummy satiated, Miraya was close to dozing off as Veer drove them to Lakhda.

He had given her a painkiller for her headache, and the medicine was compounding her drowsiness.

But she did not want to nap. She wanted to watch Veer. Watch how he sat back in the seat, his wide shoulders relaxed, and his supper-plate hands deftly handle the steering wheel. She wanted to memorize his wicked stubble, his silky straight hair, those wide lips, and his soul-searing black eyes framed by those incredible lashes.

It's not fair! He's not supposed to be this beautiful.

The dark green t-shirt he had changed into last night revealed more skin than his button-down shirt had. The soft cotton fabric was snug over his frame—not clingy tight, but it draped lovingly over his body. The muscles in his forearms roped up to taught, swollen biceps that flexed every time he sifted the gear stick.

Does he have time to work out if he's on the road so much? How the heck is he so fit, with a flat tummy, eating greasy potato paranthas from roadside shacks?

Veer looks over at her and catches her frowning at him. He does his sexy eyebrow-cock.

"Aren't you s-sleepy?" Miraya asks him, feeling a twinge of guilt that he has to drive while she can just tuck her head in and nap.

"No, shishi. I got some sleep last night." She doesn't mind anymore that he calls her glass. His gravelly voice softens ever so slightly around the word.

"Did you really?" When he'd woken her up this morning, she had been wrapped around him like an octopus devouring its last meal. That could not have been comfortable for him, especially in this heat. But he had not pushed her away in the night, had instead wrapped his own limbs around her.

Of all the weird and unbelievable things she had experienced since she had left Delhi, the most bizarre was that a stranger had been so much more intimate with her than any boyfriend she ever had.

Over the years, she had come to accept that men did not really like affection. Sure, they pretended to, but she had enough experience to now tell when it was an act. There would always be that tiny little push away, the imperceptible tightening of muscles to subtly discourage any desire to linger.

But she had not felt that even once with Veer. Fleetingly, she had thought that it could have been because he wanted to have sex with her, but even after he had stopped making out last night, he had not pulled back. He had not pushed her away. She recalls how he held her, rubbing her arms and back as she cried like a child. He had showered her with kisses to placate her.

His deep voice interrupts her wistful thoughts. "Yeah, I actually slept quite well. Considering."

His glance at her makes it obvious that he was remembering her clinging to him.

Heat laps at her face. "Considering?"

"Considering all the snoring." Veer's wide grin is annoyingly sexy as he playfully juts his splendid jaw at her.

Startled, she draws in a flustered breath. "I-I wasn't! Was I? Okay, b-but not loudly!"

"Loud enough for a little mishuk." He deadpans at her.

Miraya reaches over to poke his side, making him laugh loudly. He catches her finger, trapping it between his bigger ones and squeezing hard with his knuckles till he hears her say 'ow', before releasing it.

As she settles back to watch him drive, she can't help feeling sad.

I will miss him. Whatever this was, I'll miss it.