Page 31 of Love Locked
Kyra got up and rinsed her mug in the kitchen while she searched for something to eat. Keeping her distance from the cabinet, she examined the other shelves. Kabir was still talking with Adil and Vaayu. She grabbed a loaf of bread, a jar of Nutella and some butter and sat near the counter.
Kabir huffed loudly into the phone. “Thanks. I merely wanted to inform you two so you would stop worrying about us. Let’s hope we don’t lose power. With my current luck, anything could go wrong.”
Lose power? Oh, no way.Kyra stopped smearing Nutella on her bread. Without power, she wouldn’t be able to stay here. She’ll die.What the fuck was this? House of horrors?
She was pouring another cup of coffee when she overheard Kabir saying, “Yeah, I know she’s.... she’s a kid. Okay?”
Wow. Kid.That stung. She hadn’t acted so juvenile that he thought of her as a child. She was only scared of mice. But then, who wasn’t? Yes, he had to bring her to bed after she fell asleep. But she didn’t ask him to do it.
Kabir cursed, and Kyra knew his network had gone down again. He walked into the kitchen with a furrowed brow and stopped abruptly.
“Sounds like you’re stuck with me for a while longer. It won’t be that horrible. You will have some time off. Maybe use it to your advantage and relax for once.”
“Yeah. It is easier said than done,” he grumbled. “It’s just that I don’t like being a couch potato and watching Netflix reruns like you guys do.”
“Really?” Kyra turned her attention to him. “How perfect.” Even though he was not looking at her, she rolled her eyes. “For your information, relaxation does not mean being a ‘couch potato.’ Relaxation is something that differs from person to person.” She hated that he thought he knew her when he clearly didn’t. He’d never even tried, yet he acted like he had her all figured out. “Well, if you tried to know me better, you won’t comment like this. Anyways, a guy your age won’t understand—”
“A guy my age?” Kabir interrupted. “So, just because I’m thirty-two and hate watching Netflix, I’m what? Old?”
Kyra finally turned to look at Kabir after clearing her throat. “I didn’t say old; I meant that it would be impossible for you to live a carefree life, as all your minutes are planned out before you even take your next breath,” she said.
“That’s not exactly true. I can be spontaneous. Don’t assume that I don’t have fun.” He looked at her coldly while crossing his arms.
“Don’t put words in my mouth. I merely told you to unwind, but you clearly can’t do that. You might as well make the most of the time off since there is nothing you can do about being stuck here with a ‘kid.’ You know what?” Kyra stood up leaving her sandwich aside. He was expressionless as she stared angrilyat him. “It’s your wish. Be as miserable as you want. Alone.”
????
Fuck.
Kabir knew he screwed up. He should have just texted Adil and Vaayu. She shouldn’t have called her a kid. But he was upset over the bad weather, his inability to work and his efforts to refrain from having inappropriate thoughts about her.
He knew she hated it when people assumed she was a kid. He had no intention of upsetting her, yet his careless words succeeded in doing just that. The way she marched off without hesitating to put him in his place was hot. It was a turn-on to see her lose it like that. He shook his head in disgust. He considered chasing her, but he didn’t for fear of getting punched in the nuts.
He poured himself the leftover coffee from the thermos Kyra had filled up. He felt a warmth spreading inside him, thinking how thoughtful she was. She had made extra coffee. The Kapoor sisters were always thinking about others first. He sat by the window, watching nature in its fierce form. He was just sitting idly and felt relaxed. Kyra was right. This was the freest time he had…in months. He loved how fast a busy workday flew by, but even this was nice. He made himself a sandwich and another pot of coffee. Luckily, he had saved some financial journals on his iPad, so he started to read those.
Once he’d finished eating, he walked into the living room and stacked more wood inside the fireplace before lighting it. Hopefully, Kyra would come down soon so he could apologise for being a dick. Maybe the smell of coffee and fire would lure her. Ten minutes later, he was sitting by the table when Kyra entered. She ignored him as she passed him and went straight for the fridge.
She was now wearing leggings and a baggy sweatshirt that hung off her shoulder, exposing her creamy smooth skin. Her long, dark hair was pulled into one of those messy buns that looked really sexy. He loved seeing her like this. Her naturally pink lips and flushed cheeks were impossible to overlook.
An awkward silence lingered in the air as she ate her sandwich. Kabir studied her, wondering if this was how things would be between them the rest of their time here. A few more minutes passed, and neither of them spoke. He studied the way she moved around the kitchen, momentarily fantasising about bending her over the counter.
“What?” Kyra snapped, breaking him out of his trance. She arched a brow, glaring at him. “Why are you watching me like a creep? What do you want?”
Kabir cleared his throat and walked toward her. “I’m sorry for what I said and how I acted earlier. I was out of line.”
Kyra stared at him for a beat. Her face was blank, but her eyes were on fire. She huffed before shoving a piece of fruit in her mouth. “Whatever.” She shrugged before busying herself with cleaning the counter.
“Kyra,” he pleaded. “Don’t be stubborn. Accept my apology or don’t.” His patience was about to run out. He was sure his blood pressure was fluctuating because of this woman.
She crossed her arms. “Maybe you deserve to sweat it out. Maybe I will accept your apology. Or maybe I won’t.”
“Oh, come on. I apologised. What else do you want?”
“I want you to get to know me. The rest of the world, including my family, is hell-bent on thinking I’m still a kid, but I’m certainly not. And I don’t care what they think about me, but for some stupid reason, I do care about what you think of me.” Kyra regretted the words as soon as she uttered them. She was a fool. This statement was nothing less than shouting‘I like you’from the rooftop.
Kabir swallowed. She was so fucking honest, and it was such a rarity to find that trait in someone. God, this woman had effortlessly crawled under his skin, and by the looks of it, she was still there with no signs of leaving.
“Alright,” Kabir said, taking a seat at the counter. She stood across from him and narrowed her eyes as he continued, “I’m all ears.”
