...
Somehow, we ended up here.
His hold around my waist tightened as he stared deeply into my eyes, his lips parting as though preparing for what came next.
I was pinned against the kitchen counter, my arms resting on his shoulders as I tried to prevent the distance between us from closing.
His expression carried a wave of desperation and thirst, accompanied by a noticeable blush spreading across his face.
For some odd reason, I wasn't sure what expression I was wearing with our faces mere breaths apart.
Nevertheless, that didn't make the man before me disappear.
His hold was firm, almost gnawing. I couldn't recognise the man before me; he seemed engulfed by an overwhelming urge and starvation.
Gradually, he drew closer, our noses brushing against each other as his warm breath grazed my cheeks.
He shifted, brushing his nose against mine, almost as though he were contemplating his next move.
Then he stopped, setting his jaw before bending down toward me.
My fingers tightened around his shoulders, his lips nearly meeting mine. I still hadn't parted my lips, and perhaps that had insinuated to him that I was refusing him.
Now it was up to me.
Would I put an end to his hunger, or make him suffer more than he already had?
Then something startled me.
He nearly forced my hands from his shoulders, clasping them together and holding them firmly against the wall.
We finally touched, and automatically, my lips also parted to join his. Suddenly, he almost slurped my lips, learning the taste he had been deprived of.
I reached up on instinct, my fingers lightly cradling the side of his jaw, trying to hold on to the fleeting intensity of the moment.
A sudden, breathless surge caught me completely off guard. My eyes stayed open for a split second, wide with quiet shock, before the sheer warmth of it pulled me in.
He held my hand steady against my chest, his fingers progressively intertwining with mine, anchoring me right where I was.
Then he reluctantly pressed harder, taking the breath I had left away from my mouth.
"Mhmm."
He didn't back up; instead, he pushed in deeper than he already had. Both of our eyes shut close, and he busied himself pouring out his entire soul in that one forceful, passionate kiss.
I freed my hands from his tight clutch since I was suffocating from the lack of air in my lungs.
Instantly, I tried pushing him back, but the man wouldn't budge.
There was no way this was Haider. He wouldn't rush himself like this.
I kept aggressively tapping on his shoulders, and finally, even he lost his breath and decided to pull away.
Both of us panted like we had run a marathon, his glower meeting mine.
Not even five seconds later, he came in strong once more, squeezing my lips with his, and this time, pulling me by the waist.
The urgency of his hurried kiss unveiled the pent-up emotions he had kept secluded. The words died between us, swallowed by the sudden immediacy in the air.
He didn't give me time to think. His mouth collided continuously with mine, the frustration and relief releasing all at once.
He became lost in the breathlessness of the moment, his fingers pressing against my waist.
Sharp pain began to evolve as the seconds passed, yet his appetite remained unsatisfied.
"Eek!"
He bit my lower lip!
But then-
The scene began to blur.
His figure, his expression, even the warmth of the moment slowly dissolved into something indistinct, as though my mind itself were smudging the edges of reality.
I blinked.
The kitchen was gone.
So was Haider.
I found myself standing somewhere unfamiliar, surrounded by a strange stillness. Everything felt unnaturally vivid, yet somehow distant, like a memory I had never lived.
I tried to make sense of it, but my thoughts refused to settle.
Was this really happening?
Or was I dreaming?
Before I could find the answer, the world around me shifted once more.
And suddenly, I woke.
I scanned my surroundings, the familiar furniture and wallpaper gradually returning to my sight.
***
Ariya got up slowly, still unable to comprehend the situation that had just unfolded. Her stare then fell onto the small clock on her bedside table.
4:00 a.m.
Prayer time.
After performing wudhu, she stepped out to meet Haider in the living room, where he was preparing the prayer mats.
"Oh, you're up. I was about to call you."
Ariya didn't reply. Instead, she wore a distressed expression.
Haider immediately noticed the shift and enquired about it, but all he received in return was another stretch of silence.
She refused to answer and refused to look at him.
And so, as misunderstandings often go in relationships, he wholeheartedly believed that he had made a grave mistake.
He just had no idea what it was.