Three weeks later, Shay rushes through the last of her emails at her office. She's a little nervous, because earlier Ryan had said, "Can you wrap up your work an hour earlier? We're going out."
Dragging cold fingers through her hair, she flips her head forward and gathers it into a messy bun as she haste to the elevator. It's strange to find the CEO of a company standing outside her office building every single evening not just in tailored suits but in casuals too. Today he is wearing simple blue jeans and white t-shirt, starched of course.
As usual, he is leaning against the hood of his sedan, holding a phone near his mouth with one hand and the other hand has the largest bouquet of...
Are those cupcakes? Yes, he is definitely holding a bouquet of cupcakes. This is the Ryan she has known from seven years back, cryptic, less words more thoughts and always bringing something new to surprise her.
Ryan approaches her from across the parking lot, shoving his phone in his jeans pocket. The sweetest smile touches the lips of the most handsome guy and it's for Shay. She thought she learnt how he looked but this look on his face is so new. His midnight black eyes shine so radiantly as he peers down at her that they appear to be a night sky littered with sparkly stars. And when Shay frowns at the cupcakes, there's a hint of a blush blooming on his strong cheekbones. He may be a man of few words but his expression speaks ample.
Even with her heels on, he still towers over her, looking at her with such tenderness that it makes her want to hug him. He smooths out a strand of hair falling over her eyes and brushes his thumb over the lines of frown on her forehead. His gentle touch turns her to jelly.
Ryan just stands there, employees brushing past him but he stays on the spot, staring at her face for seconds...or forever. It's not like they are getting late. When he finally speaks, his words slide down her dry throat, drops to her stomach and catches fire.
"How is that every time I see you, you give me a new reason to be alive and at the same time you take my breath away." He closes his eyes and groans.
Blushing all shades of red, Shay slaps her bag on his chest, and snatches the big bouquet of cupcakes. She walks over to his sedan, avoiding the slightly smug look on Ryan's face. He knows how to make her flustered. "There's no way I can eat them all. They better be my favorite flavor, Mr. Ryan Tripathi."
She's about to open the door, when his hand wraps around her wrist, his breath filters through the hair behind her ear. "I'm happy you agreed to go out with me, Shay."
"Is this a date?" It hurts to say the words, but Shay has only ever felt this thrilled to go out with Ryan. It can't be just the way he always reminds her of Aarav but it's the way she feels a little less lonely with him.
"No, it's whatever you want it to be. However, I'm not settling for anything less than being your happy moment." He says softly, opening the door for her and fastening the seat belt.
Shay knows he's not trying to impress her or trick her into his life. He hasn't made any heart-wrenching declaration of love, nor implied any guilt-laden acceptance of her feelings for him. At this point Shay is sure, he simply enjoys being with her, talking to her, spending evenings driving around the city as much as she does. She genuinely feels a healthy adult companionship with him.
Her heart jumps to the sight of blueberry cupcakes, her favorite. Smiling he veers onto the main street, his attractive hands skillfully shift through the gears, and Shay is momentarily distracted by how he drapes one hand over the steering and the leather seat against his back creates the hell of an attractive man out of him. Shay has an urge to reach out and intertwine her fingers with his. She wants to live in his wildness and his calm confidence both.
"The meal is in your hand, Shay." He says, stopping at a red signal.
Just the thought of holding hands, has her heart thudding and pulse shooting up. She looks away but now he is looking at her, she can sense his eyes on her. "You should probably keep your eyes on the road."
Suddenly the car feels hot, too hot. She watches Ryan following the movement of her lips as she takes a bite of the cupcake. The bite stays suspended in her throat as he reaches over to wipe the blueberry cream off the corner of her mouth with his thumb, then sucks it between his lips.
The signal turns green and he is back to looking at the road, a sly smirk playing on his lips. Shay clears her throat and gulps down finally, stuffing her mouth with another cupcake and turning towards the window.
The night sparkles around them, shining bright up ahead as they drive for another twenty minutes with awkward but smoldering gazes and sultry voices. He finally pulls up to the huge Skyline Drive-in sign and her eyes bulge out with both surprise and excitement.
"Are you for real, Ry?" There were a couple of cars in the parking lot but it was comparatively less crowded than she had assumed it to be. "I can't believe we're in a drive-in."
"I figured you'd love the place." He says while paying the attendant.
"I've never been to a drive-in." Shay squeals as they park their car at the far end of the lot. They have a perfect view of the trailers flickering across the screen and also away from the other cars around the open ground.
Shay scans the parking lot, loving the unique experience of watching a movie from inside a vehicle, with a man who unravels her restraints with a mere gaze. Her eyes trace the facial hair that peppered his jaw, his hands which she so desperately wants to hold and his strands of hair licking his forehead as he tunes the radio to the FM station and cranks up heat.
Ryan reverses their seats into a comfortable position, his fingers casually brushing her cheek and Shay can see how he is avoiding eye contact. She revels in his control but that's also her undoing. The screen lights up with the movie intro and that's when her excitement reaches its peak.
"Did you know they're gonna play Gone with the Wind?" Shay jumps on her place to face Ryan with heart eyes.
"Didn't you once say that it's one of your favorites?" He finally bores his gaze into hers and says in a deep, gravelly voice. "Now, don't look at me as if you want to kiss the ever-loving hell out of me. Although, I wouldn't mind if you do so."
Damn. His voice sizzles her skin and she turns to the front, trying to hide from the raw desire in his eyes and the way it ignites pleasure in her body. But then her hand twists the ring around her finger, Aarav's ring, not sure if she is trying to remind herself why she should resist the need to be around Ryan or yank it out of her finger and finally let go.
Her heart tightens with the thought of getting rid of the promise which had been broken a long time ago. But the piece of metal is a remembrance of what she once had and she can't settle for anything less than that, if she ever decides to fall again.
They remain silent for a long time, the light from the movie screen illuminates the interior but otherwise they are consumed in darkness. She is thankful to the movie soundtrack streaming through the car speakers for concealing her ragged breathing. Shoving a cupcake into her mouth, she tries to drown the tension around them.
She chokes, rasping and coughing.
"Careful, what's the hurry?" Ryan panics, reaching for a bottle of water under the console, cracking the seal and keeping it near her lips. "Here. Drink some water."
She watches the lines of pure unfiltered care and affection on his face as he rubs her back and brushes some of the crumbs off her jeans clad thighs. His hand stays there but not too dominant, it's rather assured.
Then the best moment in the movie comes and Ryan does the one thing that turns her into a girl who once believed in soulmates and true love.
"You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how," he whispers the line softly, his hands stilling on her cheek, his thumb caressing the fading scars there. "I desperately want to be that someone for you, Shay."
"Then you should kiss me, as I've never been kissed before."
This Shay is new. This Shay is not trapped in the past. This Shay is trying to embrace the tomorrow, one beat at a time.
His lashes feather his high cheekbones and hood over eyes glowing with something dare she think as love. "Come here."
Her skin feels like on fire and soft, fragile tremors tiptoes inside her as he holds her body assisting her cross over the console. He pulls her into the small space between his warm, muscled body and the steering wheel. Her hands seek his shoulders for balance but with his lips so close to her, her senses are already off-balance.
Then he kisses her, holding the back of her head, tugging her hair free from the bun, letting it cascade down the side of their faces as he devours each of her breathy whimpers. It's like air being sucked out of her lungs slowly. He uses both of his hands to smooth her wild hair behind her ears, then holds her face, his lips soft and sweet as they kiss her lazily. No desperation, just resolve. No timelines, just the moment. No tension, just a promise that he is not demanding anything but togetherness.
Shay loses herself in him then, putting all her weight on his knees and her back against the steering wheel. Adrenaline courses through her, charging the moment with raw desires. She clenches her fists in the hair at the back of his head as he deepens the kiss. He hesitates with his hands moving upward from her thighs to her waist, pulling her closer to position her body on his lap properly.
She breaks away from his mouth with a gasp at the feel of his heartbeat against her chest, at the electricity zigging through her body, at the closeness like never before. And then his hands grow a little bolder with her encouragement, still not pushing the moment beyond but simply relishing the contentment of affection humming between them. His fingers slip under the hem of her shirt, he palms the hot flesh of her back and they are kissing again. The heat of his body heightens the kiss, creating a warm, fuzzy feeling in the deepest parts of her.
Shay feels the untamed love in his kisses, filling her heart with the happiness she had been shying away from for a long time. And as much as it scares her, it also makes her feel alive.
***
Author's Note: Here's another one of the newly added chapters. I guess, we needed a little relationship development for these two so here's a little treat.
Let me know if you liked their chemistry and how you rate it.
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Stay safe!