Chapter 18: A Stolen Moment
Abhay's P.O.VConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
I got to the hotel where Mikalya was staying, earlier than expected because I wanted her to see me as someone who was serious and intentional about our relationship, and not some player who just wanted to be with her for her beauty alone. Already, I could feel my heart rate spiking up with every minute that passed which just told me that she was close by. I couldn't explain it, but there was this special connection I felt with Mikalya that I hadn't felt with anyone in my entire life. And just then...I heard it...the sound of her footsteps as she descended the stairs down to the lobby.
My hands instinctively went to my camera that I had strapped to my neck just in case. And now, I knew that it was the best choice I ever made.
How was it that every colour she wore made her look even more gorgeous?
Yesterday afternoon, it had been blue. Then last night, it had been black. And now, she was wearing a red ghagra-choli with a white dupatta and I felt like my eyes had just rediscovered the colour red.
"I knew you had a habit of sneaking pictures." Mikalya smiled as she looked at the camera roll and the pictures I had taken of her.
I hadn't meant to show these pictures to her. They were supposed to be my secret, my personal collection. I had shot a few pictures of her when she had not notices. There weren't for the public...but when it came to this woman, I didn't always act like myself.
She gave me her hand, and for a second, I just stared at it...before I took her hand in mine and brought it to my lips...and placed a gentle kiss on the other side of her palm before letting go immediately, as if afraid that someone would see the intimate contact and think wrongly of us.
She burst out laughing, holding her sides even as confusion clouded me because I didn't understand the reason for her laugh. It just seemed like she had caught onto a joke that completely eluded me.
"What's funny?" I tilted my head to the side, but her laughter was contagious, and it made me smile along with her.
"You are so shy, no wonder you are still a virgin." she said, her laughter dying down.
"Oh... I don't think..." How? How did she know I was still a virgin? I don't think that ever came up in conversation before...
There was, however, nothing I could say to defend myself because we both knew she was telling the truth. There were times when I was shy, times such as these but with her, I found out that I wasn't just shy...but intimidated as well and flabbergasted. Mikalya had this aura about her that I couldn't shake off. It made me stutter and stumble.
"You know..." she smiled at me. "If you want to get a woman to notice you, then you must be a bit more daring."
I cleared my throat to try and make this less awkward, but in all honestly, she made my heart beat so fast that I was more concerned of it bursting out of my chest. If a single smile from her could do this to me...how would I react if I did something more...daring?
"How can you even tell that I am still a virgin?" I asked, awkwardly scratching the back of my neck.
She chuckled, looking around as if she was worried people would overhear, before she leaned closer to me. With her height, it didn't take her much to reach my ears. She merely had to lift her face.
"I don't know, I can just tell." She gave another chuckle. "Also, I might have to disappoint you about something..."
I was confused because I didn't know what she meant by that. Disappoint me how? There was nothing that she could possibly do that would disappoint me at this moment.
"What do you mean Mikalya?" I asked.
"Well, I am not a virgin who is waiting for the right man, Abhay. So if you are expecting something like that from me...you just might be disappointed." she said, finally.
I stood still, trying to make sense of what she had just said. I mean...I kinda expected it, I just hadn't imagined that she would be so direct and open about what she said. Mikalya wasn't the kind of woman I was used to. She wasn't shy or uncomfortable in her own skin. She knew just how gorgeous she was, she knew the effect she had on men and most importantly...she seemed to know exactly what she wanted. And none of that bothered me in the least bit. In fact, it would've been weird if she didn't have men admiring her at all times.
"Look Mikalya, all these things don't matter to me. The only thing I care about is what's in your heart." I smiled, in an effort to reassure her, even though I knew she didn't need it.
Mikalya suddenly became very quiet, all traces of laughter and mischief erased from her eyes. And I began to panic because I thought I had said something wrong. I didn't know why but I wanted to make things alright between us so there wouldn't be any misunderstandings.
"Did I say something wrong?" I asked, quietly.
Mikalya looked up at me as if she was startled to hear my voice, before she gave me a small smile that didn't really reach her eyes and shook her head.
"I was just lost in my thoughts for a little while." she shrugged. "So...what do we have planned for today?"
I understood that it was the closest I would get to unraveling her secrets at the moment. Mikalya might be smiling now, but I had a feeling that her guard was up and she was still keeping me at arm's length. And I wouldn't have expected otherwise. I was still unsure of what was actually going on between us, but still, I was glad that despite not having a clear relationship status, I could spend this stolen moment in time with her.
"I have everything all set up." I told her, answering her question. "There is this wonderful place that the locals told me about and I want to explore it with you. I think it'll be the best place for photographs." "Great.” Finally, her smile looked genuine. "Let's get going before we run out of daylight."
"This way," I guided her out of the hotel, not really worrying about daylight because the sun usually set around seven or eight in the evening in the deserts, and it was only two in the afternoon, so we had more than enough time to take our pictures.
Soon, we set out in a car that I had managed to borrow across the desert. I wanted it to be a memorable event, for the both of us, so I had spared no expenses in bringing out the rental car and the other stuff that I had in the trunk, all set to have a picnic by the bonfire after the photoshoot was over.
"I have this perfect venue in mind where we can take several good pictures." I explained to her as I got behind the wheel and followed the route that the locals had painstreakingly explained to me so that I didn't get lost in the deserts. I couldn't deny the fact that I was feeling nervous around her liking the place I had selected, but I couldn't help it because it just seemed like anytime I was around her, I totally lost control of my senses. I was shy to begin with, but being around Mikalya was a whole new level.
The fact that I even got her to agree to first have dinner with me and then go on this trip with me so I could take her pictures...it already made me feel like I was the luckiest man alive.
As we drove in comfortable silence, the vast white sands of the desert passing by us at a rapid pace, I could feel myself relax and be at ease. It felt like I belonged right here, beside her. And she belonged right here with me.
It was true that I didn't even know where she was from or what her surname was, but nothing seemed to matter. I wasn't the kind of person who took stuff at face value, I was usually very thorough with everything and I didn't make friends easily either, but with her, normal rules had never applied. After all...I always ended up comparing her to a wolf, didn't I?
"So have you ever sneakily taken photos of me before?" she asked out of the blue, and all of a sudden, my nervousness came back full force.
I glanced at her and found her staring at me already, hoping for a direct answer. Her stares were intense, probing like she wanted to know my innermost secrets. And I found out that I could refuse her nothing.
"Yes, I have." I lowered my head, sinking into my seat as I heard her laughter from beside me.
"Oh...sneaky and kinky!" She laughed out.
Her laugh was like a melody to my ears and just hearing her now had me smiling like a fool. With this woman, it was very clear to me that I was no longer in control of myself and I could easily lose myself in her warmth. "Tell me more, how many pictures?" She continued probing. "Did you catch a weird angle? Will you frame them?"
The short distance to the destination crossed easily as I endured her non-stop teasing as my cheeks grew hotter.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of driving, we pulled to a stop. We arrived at a hilly area, a little distance from the main city center and in its place stood the remains of a broken palace. I had chosen this place because of how scenic it looked and just seeing Mikalya's face light up with approval told me I had made the right choice.
Getting out of the car hurriedly, I rounded up to her side of the door and opened it for her, helping her out of the car.
"Shall we explore?" I asked, giving her my arm.
She looked at me for a second before finally smiling and taking my arm as we ventured into the area.
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Author's Note- Hey there,
To everyone who had been waiting for this story to be completed, I can finally assure you that this story is... in fact, now completed. However, I do have some bad news as well.
First of all, let me apologize for taking so long to finish this story. I had lost inspiration to write this story and I hadn't written a single word (of this story) in the past few years since I had gotten busy with several other works, mainly exclusives on other platforms. But when I did get inspiration, I made sure to complete it. So now, you can enjoy the rest of the story, and the last installment will be up on a few select apps, except for Novelnow.
Now for the bad news: I have the first seventeen chapters edited and bettered for a better reading experience, however, this app is now run by ghosts and absolutely no one answers my questions or helps me when I send them messages after messages to help. So, the edited chapters are no longer available here. But they are available on Goodnovel, Radish and AlphaNovel. So please check them out for my future books and several other exciting Exclusive and Non-Exclusive content, as I will no longer provide books to a dead app that refuses to help its authors.
For now, enjoy this story, as I will complete this, but for every other incomplete and new and exciting stories, please check the apps mentioned above.
Thank you so much for sticking around! Happy reading!