Serendipity {Complete}

Chapter 18 - Veer

"Thanks, Balraj. It was good I ran into you, even if it was under shitty circumstances." Veer thumps the senior gent's shoulder, enjoying giving it back to him a little too much. Balraj laughs heartily, accepting his smacks good-naturedly.

"Arre, Veere, the best things come out of the shittiest circumstances. That's the beauty of life, eh?" Balraj grasps Veer's hand and pulls him into a bear hug, each whacking the other's back and chuckling loudly.

Balraj had helped Veer grease multiple palms to get them through the two borders of Lakhdha and then further on in Khora. Without the bribes, it would have taken them close to couple of hours to clear each border. They had stopped to bid their goodbyes, parking just under the overpass that Balraj was going to take. From here on, he was driving ahead to cross Khora and try to reach his destination before nightfall.

Turning to Miraya, Balraj bends low, his hand on his chest in a sign of respectful acknowledgement. "Bhabhiji, it was so nice to have met you. I wish I could have spent more time getting to know you. Take good care of her, Veere."

"Right." Veer steps back and pulls Miraya into a side hug, his arm wrapping around her tiny waist. She stiffens imperceptibly at the contact, but he tightens his hold until she is flush against him. He tells himself it was for Balraj to keep up the show of a loving couple, but he would take any excuse to touch her before he dropped her off.

The lie told to Balraj will have to be dealt with at a later date.

Back in the jeep, Veer pulls out his phone and checks the maps, plotting the route to her hotel. The petrol bunk was on the way, and he wanted to fill up first rather than later when it would get super crowded.

"I'll get petrol first, okay, shishi? We are still somewhat early, so the lines should not be too long. I'll take you to your hotel after that." The stopovers at the borders, along with the rising temperature of the day, had started to show up on her face; her skin was flushed and shiny under a thin film of sweat. His little mishuk could not deal with the heat.

Miraya nods in reply as she tries to find a way to sit while avoiding the sun beating down through her window. He had to switch off the air conditioner to ration the petrol consumption, so both windows were rolled down, but he could not do anything about the sun streaming in.

She finally extracts her dupatta from her bag and drapes it over her shoulder, hoping it will shield her to some extent from getting baked.

At the petrol bunk, as he'd predicted, the queue was not that long, but they were still behind at least half a dozen vehicles. Miraya sighs in relief as their jeep finally rolls under the shade of the bunk's roof, cutting off the sun's reach.

"How come a southie is so bad at handling the heat?" Veer glances at her, grinning as she fans herself with one end of the dupatta. Small beads of sweat dot her forehead and upper lip, tempting him to lean over and lick them off.

"I-I know! I just can't. I'd rather b-be freezing to death t-than dying of heat." She looks ready to wilt and crumple in defeat. Grabbing her bag from where she had stowed it under her seat, she fishes out her bottle of water and takes a few slow sips.

Veer watches her throat work as she swallows, and arousal snakes through his core. Is this some new kink? He wonders, shifting in his seat as his crotch tightens. He has never been turned on by watching a woman drink water before. The long column of her throat, stretching as she tilts the bottle and drinks, bearing the marks from his teeth and mouth look fucking sexy.

He still feels bad about having hurt her. He had noticed how uncomfortable she had been throughout the drive, hugging her breasts, fidgeting in her seat, and scratching at the scrapes. But a part of him—a small, dark, wicked part—was turned on by the fact that he had marked her skin so thoroughly. He really wanted to see her tits; his curiosity was almost unbearable in wanting to know what they looked like with his hickeys and beard burns.