Incandescence

Chapter 26

It was almost nine when Anis stood up from his chair and winded all the work. I was tired of bending over the laptop as well and my stomach grumbled from hunger. I had even left my cold coffee back in the coffee shop when Anis had come to fetch me. I quickly logged off his laptop and shut down the lid as I stood up from the couch as well. We were on silent mode as we made our way to the parking, towards his car. I should talk to him, but what? He knew I was angry at him for being rude to my friend. Whatever complicated relationship I had with Hashim, he should have been cordial with him.

He started the car as the valet passed him his car keys. I slid in the front seat and buckled the seat belt. He did the same as he slid into the driving seat and then we were on our way home. The tension in the air grew heavy as the distance from the hotel increased but I wasn't going to speak to him. I wanted him to suffer just a little more. So I turned towards the radio and searched the air for some good song. There was Green Day playing "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" on one channel. I listened to it for a bit then changed as I wasn't in the mood to listen to that particular song. The next station had trance playing, which wasn't my mood at all so I changed to the third station and stopped at this track. It was Jesse McCartney's Beautiful Soul. The song was deep and I loved the lyrics.

I felt Anis glance towards me and as I turned to look at him, understanding dawned on me. His eyes explained him feelings clearly. The lyrics were meaningful enough and Anis's gaze told me what his lips couldn't. I gazed in his eyes for a second, reading his expression and then looked away. I didn't want to understand what he was trying to say. It wasn't true, I knew. It was all figment of my imagination, that's all. I knew that already.

We finally reached home. Quickly unbuckling my seat belt, I stepped out of the car before he came towards my door to open it for me. I didn't want him to do that for me. He wasn't my driver, for god's sake. I waited as he unlocked the door and held it open for me to enter. I entered, switched on the lights and was about to go in my temporary room when my cell phone rang.

It was from home. Attending the call, I quickly walked to the nearby mirror, and tied my hair in a ponytail. Keeping it open all day irritated me.

I greeted my parents who were on the other side of the phone.

"I'm fine, mom! How are you and dad?" I said as I walked in my room. Anis was transferring our shopping bags to my room, which had my new clothes.

"We are fine." Mom said from the other side of the phone. "How was your flight?"

"It was good. Mom, how could you and dad agree to all this? What will our relatives say about this when they get to know?" Our relatives would talk a lot if they heard that I'd travelled alone with a guy, who was no way related to me, who was just a friend. It wasn't an encouraging practice for females to travel with men in our country without marriage. It was not encouraged at all. I knew what everyone would talk about. They would call me lose character female while pointing fingers at my parents, which I'd never wanted to.

"Nobody will say anything, Alisha. We just want you to be happy, child, and we know that you will be happy with Anis. He is an honorable man and he will protect you."

I rolled my eyes at mom. She was also singing his tune now. What had he done with my parents?

"Maybe." I said and then changed the subject. I talked to her for sometime and then dad came, I talked to him and then finished the call.

Anis was standing at the door, waiting for me finish talking to mom.

"You want to go out for dinner or order in?" he asked. I was exhausted enough to want to go out again so I said.

"Order is fine. I'm too exhausted to get dressed for dinner and go out."

"Sure." He turned away from the door and took out his phone to order some Hilal food for us. I closed the door of my room and unpacked the bags of clothes. Jumping into a trouser and t-shirt I had bought, I stepped outside.

"I ordered some desi food from a local Indian restaurant." He told me as I slumped on the couch.

"That's fine with me." I said and switched on the television.

"Alisha!" I simply loved the way he called my name and now I was getting used to hear him call me like that.

"Yes?" I said, trying to avoid his eyes.

"Tomorrow evening, we have to attend a dinner party at my friend's house in the city."

"Dinner? Tomorrow night? Do I really have to go?" I asked, definitely trying to come up with a reason not to go.

"Yeah, you have to! It's an intimate party, only four to five people, not more."

"I see."

"So be ready."

I nodded and turned my attention back to the television.

"The theme is black tie, Alisha."

"Got it." I said as I watched the rerun of Made of Honor on one of the local channels.

Anis came and sat down beside me, his body only an inch away from mine. Every pore of my body was aware of his nearness. I tried to ignore the fact that he was this close to me. My hands itched to move towards his and touch his hand for only once but I tried to control myself. I knew that if I touched him, I wouldn't be able to stop. This attraction and feelings that Anis evoked in me were so new; I didn't know how to cope with them.

What happened to me whenever he was close? I couldn't think straight and all I wanted was to touch him, feel him closer to me and just revel in that feeling. I kept my gaze focused on the movie and my hands clenched together as I tried to watch without really watching what was happening in the movie. Before I could think of anything else, Anis's hand came over my clenched fingers and unhooked them.

"Relax!" he whispered in my ears, sending a thrill down my spine. His voice made goosebumps appear on my arms. Every cell of my body singed for his touch and all I wanted was for him to be closer to me, closer than close. I snuggled closer to him and kept a strong hold on his hand. We didn't need to say anything as we sat there, cuddled into each other. His breath on my hair as he held my hand, while drawing circles on the upper side of my hand with his index fingers. Even such an innocent gesture evoked feelings in me that were so new, they scared me.

I turned my head to look at him and he was indeed looking at me with smoldering eyes. The brown of his eyes were like melting chocolate as he watched me, while drawing circles on my hand. There was nothing unusual about the way we were sitting on the couch, just a couple getting comfortable with each other, but for me the moment was almost magical. His melting brown eyes made my heartbeat quicken and I tried to breathe faster.

What happened the next moment wasn't unexpected at all. I knew since I had seen that look in his eyes that something like this was going to happen and deep down, I wanted it to happened. I closed my eyes and moved closer to him as his face came down towards mine and kissed my forehead. He took his time slowly, kissing my forehead, nose and cheeks, prolonging the torture. I wanted something else from him, I could feel it in my heated blood and then his mouth took mine in a heated kiss that swept me off my feet. His lips contoured mine to his, while a wave of delight pulsed through me and I wrapped my arms around his next, pulling his face towards me. I could feel my pulse quicken as he suckled my lips, kissing them with a fervor that I'd never felt before. All I wanted at that moment was something more from him and he gave it to me. He practiced his tongue against my lips, coaxing them to open and when I gave in, his tongue invaded my mouth.

I lost sense of everything except what he was doing to me with his mouth. His tongue forayed in and out of mouth in a slow rhythm that made me want more of him and I pressed myself closer to him. His mouth kissed me slowly and deeply, and then he suddenly stopped.

"Alisha!!" his voice was a hoarse whisper. I looked at him with liquid eyes, wanting more of the passion that he'd just evoked in me. I was unable to speak.

"I promised your parents that I wouldn't step out of line with you. If we continue this, I won't be able to stop." He said as he sat up straighter and then fixed me in the crook of his arm. I didn't know what to say to him or what not to say. I just wanted him close to me for now.

What had really happened just now? Anis had kissed me. As that sank into me, a warmth flowed through me and I put my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes. For the first time in my life, I felt happy and protected.

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