Chapter 6 — The Almost Kiss
1602 Words
Chapter 6 — The Almost Kiss
Rain slid slowly across the windshield of the black Aston Martin parked near the empty waterfront.
The city lights of Mumbai shimmered across the ocean like fractured stars.
Inside the car, silence breathed between Mihir Raichand and Maya Verma.
Dangerous silence.
Because Mihir’s hand was still resting against Maya’s cheek.
Warm.
Gentle.
Intentional.
Maya’s heartbeat became completely unreasonable.
This was the same man who sanitized elevator buttons.
The same man who visibly tensed whenever strangers came too close.
And now he was touching her like he forgot how afraid he usually was.
Mihir noticed her breathing change slightly.
So did Maya.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
The world outside disappeared into rain and darkness while the space between them became painfully small.
Maya looked into his eyes carefully.
And for the first time—
She saw exhaustion beneath the control.
Loneliness beneath the perfection.
Mihir whispered quietly, almost like the words surprised him too.
“You calm me.”
Maya’s breath caught.
Nobody had ever said something like that to her before.
Not softly.
Not honestly.
She tried to recover with sarcasm because emotions were horrifying.
“That’s medically concerning.”
A faint smile appeared on Mihir’s face.
God.
That smile should honestly be illegal.
Maya stared before she could stop herself.
Mihir noticed immediately.
“You’re staring again.”
“You keep having a face.”
“That’s usually how faces work.”
“I’m choosing to blame genetics.”
His thumb brushed lightly against her cheek accidentally.
Both froze instantly.
The tiny movement felt far too intimate.
Mihir slowly pulled his hand back like he’d suddenly remembered himself.
Control returned to his expression immediately.
The warmth disappeared with it.
Maya strangely missed it already.
Bad.
Very bad.
Mihir cleared his throat slightly and looked toward the rain outside.
“We should relocate.”
Maya blinked.
“That sounded aggressively unromantic.”
“I wasn’t being romantic.”
“Sure.”
Mihir started the engine again, though his pulse still hadn’t settled.
Because for one dangerous moment inside that parked car…
He almost kissed her.
And the terrifying part?
He would’ve wanted more afterward.
—
Twenty minutes later, the Aston Martin stopped in front of a private AstraVex safehouse hidden near the outskirts of the city.
Unlike Mihir’s penthouse, this place looked almost normal.
Modern.
Quiet.
Minimal security staff.
Maya stepped out cautiously while rain misted around them.
Then she looked at the building suspiciously.
“You own secret houses?”
“I own multiple secret houses.”
“Rich people are living in spy movies.”
Mihir led her inside calmly.
The safehouse interior glowed with warm lighting and dark wood walls.
Still clean.
Still organized.
But softer somehow.
Less lonely.
Maya wandered slowly through the living room.
Then paused near a piano in the corner.
“You play?”
Mihir removed his watch carefully. “Sometimes.”
“Wow.”
“What?”
“You voluntarily have hobbies.”
“I’m deeply offended by your expectations.”
Maya smirked faintly.
Then suddenly her expression changed.
She noticed the blood staining Mihir’s sleeve.
The corridor shootout.
“Mihir.”
He looked up.
“You’re hurt.”
“It’s nothing.”
“That is absolutely blood.”
Mihir glanced down briefly. “Minor injury.”
Maya walked closer automatically.
“Sit.”
“I’m fine.”
“You got shot at by emotionally unstable criminals. Sit down.”
Mihir surprisingly obeyed.
Maya immediately paused afterward.
Wait.
Why did he listen to her?
Apparently Mihir wondered the same thing.
Interesting.
Maya carefully grabbed a first aid kit from nearby storage.
When she returned, Mihir had already sanitized the table surface twice.
She stared at him.
“You disinfected furniture during active bleeding.”
“Hygiene matters.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
Mihir removed his damaged shirt sleeve slightly to expose the injury.
Maya froze for half a second.
Strong arms.
Defined muscles.
Seriously unfair existence.
Her brain whispered traitorously:
Handsome.
Again.
Maya focused aggressively on the injury.
“It’s shallow,” she murmured.
Mihir watched her quietly while she cleaned the cut carefully.
Unlike everyone else around him, Maya didn’t hesitate near him.
Didn’t fear him.
Didn’t worship him.
She simply… handled him naturally.
And somehow that felt more intimate than touch itself.
Maya suddenly looked up.
“You’re tense.”
“You’re touching me.”
“You let me.”
Mihir went silent.
Because that was true.
His body should’ve reacted by now.
Panic.
Discomfort.
The instinctive need to pull away.
But instead…
Her hands felt calming.
Warm.
Safe.
Maya noticed his expression soften slightly.
And something fluttered painfully inside her chest.
Before either could say anything—
A loud notification echoed from Maya’s tablet.
Both immediately focused.
Work.
Safer territory.
Maya opened the encrypted alert quickly.
Then her expression darkened.
“What happened?” Mihir asked.
Maya turned the screen toward him.
A photograph appeared.
Security footage.
Taken tonight.
Of them inside the car.
Too close.
Mihir’s hand against Maya’s face.
Below the image was one sentence.
WE KNOW YOUR WEAKNESS NOW.
Cold silence filled the room instantly.
Mihir’s jaw tightened dangerously.
Maya’s stomach dropped.
Serpentine knew.
Not about attraction exactly.
But close enough.
They knew Mihir cared about her.
And that made Maya a target beyond hacking value.
Mihir’s voice turned ice cold. “I’ll destroy them.”
Maya looked at him carefully.
And realized he meant it literally.
“Mihir—”
“They threatened you.”
“They threaten everyone.”
His eyes locked onto hers sharply.
“That’s different.”
The intensity in his voice made her heart stumble.
Maya looked away first.
Because nobody had ever looked at her like she mattered before.
Not truly.
Mihir stood suddenly and walked toward the massive windows overlooking the rain-soaked city.
His hands clenched tightly.
Maya watched him quietly for a moment.
Then slowly approached.
Carefully.
Like approaching a wounded animal.
“You’re blaming yourself,” she said softly.
“I brought you into this.”
“I hacked your company before meeting you. I was already involved.”
“They’ll use you against me.”
Maya crossed her arms lightly. “That sounds romantic in a deeply unhealthy way.”
No response.
Maya’s smile faded slightly.
She walked closer until she stood beside him near the window.
Rain reflected across the glass around them.
“Mihir.”
He looked at her finally.
And Maya’s chest tightened immediately.
Because he looked genuinely afraid.
Not of Serpentine.
Not of death.
Of losing control.
Of caring.
“You know what the worst part is?” Mihir asked quietly.
Maya shook her head once.
“I can’t think clearly when it comes to you anymore.”
The honesty hit like a punch.
Maya stared at him speechlessly.
Mihir continued softly, almost frustrated with himself.
“You’re reckless. You argue constantly. You invade every system you see.”
“That’s fair.”
“And somehow whenever you disappear for more than five minutes, I want to track every camera in the city.”
Maya’s pulse became impossible.
“Mihir…”
“You’re becoming a distraction.”
His voice lowered dangerously.
“The problem is… I don’t want you to stop.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Electric.
Maya’s defenses cracked slightly then.
Just slightly.
Because she understood exactly what he meant.
She was terrified too.
Terrified of needing someone.
Terrified of trusting someone.
Terrified that Mihir Raichand was slowly becoming important to her.
And important things could be taken away.
Maya looked down briefly before whispering—
“You’re my distraction too.”
Mihir’s entire expression changed.
Softer.
Almost stunned.
Like he hadn’t expected honesty back.
The rain intensified outside.
Thunder echoed softly.
And suddenly the room felt too quiet again.
Too intimate.
Mihir slowly stepped closer.
Maya didn’t move away.
One step.
Then another.
Until barely inches separated them.
Maya’s breath caught.
Mihir’s gaze dropped toward her lips again.
This time he didn’t look away.
Neither did she.
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
“You’re doing the staring thing again.”
“You’re beautiful.”
Maya stopped breathing.
Because he said it so simply.
So honestly.
Not flirtation.
Truth.
Her heartbeat became chaos.
“Mihir…”
His hand lifted slowly toward her face again.
Hesitant.
Careful.
Like touching her still felt unbelievable.
Maya leaned into his hand slightly before realizing what she’d done.
Both froze.
The tiny movement shattered something between them.
Control.
Mihir’s breathing changed instantly.
Then very softly—
“Tell me to stop.”
Maya looked into his eyes.
Saw restraint hanging by a thread.
Saw how hard he was fighting himself.
And for the first time in years…
She didn’t want distance.
She wanted him closer.
So Maya whispered the most dangerous answer possible.
“No.”
Mihir moved immediately.
One hand against her waist.
The other gently holding her face.
Maya’s fingers instinctively gripped his shirt.
And then—
A phone rang loudly across the room.
Both jerked apart instantly.
Maya stared at the ceiling in betrayal.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
Mihir closed his eyes briefly, visibly restraining irritation.
The phone continued ringing.
Relentlessly.
Maya groaned dramatically. “If that’s another assassination attempt, I’m deleting humanity.”
Mihir answered the call coldly. “What.”
His expression changed instantly.
Not softer.
Worse.
Dangerous.
“Mihir?” Maya asked carefully.
He lowered the phone slowly.
“They found Naina.”
Maya went completely still.
Fear hit instantly.
Sharp.
Violent.
Because Naina wasn’t trained for this world.
And Serpentine had just crossed a line they would regret forever.
- Writer
