Page 53 of A Lab Rat's Guide to Fated Love
Vir’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her to him. One hand cradled her face as he kissed her like he’d been starving just as much as she had, while his gentle fingers combed through her curls, making her melt right into him.
When their lips finally drew apart, gasping for air, Vir didn’t stop. His mouth shifted to trace a line of fiery kisses along her jaw and down her neck, while Nori’s palm pressed into the small of his back, wanting—needing—more. Their bodies mashed together, putty and clay, fueling the newfound intensity of her desire.
But then, it’d never been a question ofifshe wanted him.
It’d always been a resounding—howdareshe?
“V—Vir,” Nori gasped, drawing a ragged breath as hot tears blurred her vision. Her hands balled into fists and began pressing hard into his chest.
Vir
Vir’s greedy, parched mouth made itsway back up to her lips.
Thetasteof her… He couldn’t have imagined it in his wildest dreams. And the unbelievable surge of emotion—both his own and Nori’s.Nori’s…
He couldn’t even differentiate where the wash of his colors ended, and hers began. The intensity had him reeling.
Nori’s hands balled into fists against his chest, and for the briefest moment, he wondered if she was still trying to pull him closer. It rather felt like he was being pushed. Confused, he leaned back and caught her eyes. What he saw in them stopped him in his tracks. And a split second later, he sensed it, too.
Right under her layers of rapidly fading desire, wasfear.
He let his arms fall to the sides and took two deliberate steps away from her.
Between the next few thumps of his struggling heart and the heavily bloated pufferfish in his chest, it truly dawned on him—the gravity of his feelings, his hopelessness, and the depths to which he’d fallen for her. If he confessed, would it scare her away?
With the distance between them, Nori slowly began to relax. Her fists unclenched, and little by little some semblance of color returned to her chalky features.
And as it did, the remnants of Vir’s silly smile crumbled under the weight of her sorrowful gaze. Her eyes lowered to her feet and waves of guilt began rolling off her, surging till they’d consumed them both.
Vir clung to her through his eyes, not daring to close the gap between them again. He was going to fall apart into a million pieces if she refused to look at him now, with the regret in her silence so unmistakably loud.
She regretted kissing him.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, slowly withdrawing, her steps unsteady in the sand. “I’m so sorry.” She turned and ran back to the studio.
Vir stood there alone, his toes curling and digging into the slippery, damp sand again. A few reluctant heartbeats later, he let out a shaky sigh and followed her inside.
Fourteen
A Kiss and a Coffin
February 2019:
Kochi, Kerala
Nori
Nori swore at her wide-eyed reflectionin the mirror, her fingers tracing the strange pool of color in her lips.
Fuck.One more time, because what thefuckwas that?
Sure, she should’ve stepped away, instead of giving in to temptation and slamming her whole face into Vir’s. Still, a kiss was supposed to be a kiss. Just a kiss.
Notthat. It wasn’t supposed to feel likethat. It wasn’t supposed to light her blood on fire like some crazy drug, making her forget where they were or even her own damn name. It sure as hell wasn’t supposed to make her forget all the reasons why she wasn’t supposed to be kissing him in the first place.
How was she going to face him now?
Nori stalled for time for as long as she could, before finally leaving the bathroom to find Vir eating a banana by the kitchen island. A small platewith a neat cluster of guava slices sat on the counter in front of him—with the seeds removed.
