No strings, Just Heat

CHAPTER 7: Three Rules, Two Bodies, One Bed

Akshu

The universe is a b*tch.

I was supposed to crash at Mira's tonight after that dumb movie marathon, but no-her drunk cousin is passed out on the couch, and I have nowhere to go.

Which is how I end up here.
At Kaustubh's place.
At 2:04 AM.
In his oversized hoodie and very tiny shorts.

And there's only one bed.

He hands me a pillow with a smug smirk. "Floor or bed?"

"Floor. Obviously," I say.

Ten minutes later, I'm on the bed.
Because the floor is hard. And I'm not.

"Still keeping the no cuddling rule?" he asks, one eyebrow raised.

"Duh."

Five minutes later, my leg is somehow over his thigh, and his hand is dangerously close to my waist.

Kaustubh

She smells like vanilla and ego.

She's on my bed, in my hoodie, her hair messy and eyes tired.
The kind of tired where you let your guard down.

"Don't read into this," she mutters.

"I wouldn't dare."

But the way her body fits next to mine, her warmth bleeding into my chest-
It's starting to feel like the rulebook's crumbling in my hands.

We don't speak for a while.

Then she whispers, "Why does this feel... safe?"

I turn to her, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"Because we know it's temporary," I say. "And that makes it easier to pretend it's not real."

She nods.
Eyes closed.

She falls asleep before me.
Arm across my chest.
Breath warm against my skin.

And I just lie there.

Wide awake.

Wondering when this stopped being casual.

"We only broke one rule. But it felt like a thousand things changed."

Ready for Chapter 8: Sanya's Revenge Plan next?