Every dull thud of his foot stepping against the floor reverberated within every part of her being. Each step he took towards the counter heralded a step back by her until she found herself backed against the wall with only the counter between them.

Her shoulders were stiff and sore as every muscle tensed within her back and her spine ramrod straight, unable to slack even a bit. Her fingers tensed and spasms wrecked through her arms intermittently as he gazed down at her, hope evident in his eyes.

He can't be here.

No, he can't be here.

Her breaths were shaky and her heartbeat echoed in her ears as each beat seemed louder than the one before. She could feel sweat gather along her fingertips, at the base of her back, in the hollow of her throat and between her breasts as he made to step behind the counter.

"You're not allowed back here." Her voice was a hoarse whisper, as if it scratched her throat just to escape.

He smiled, amused at her reply. "Then why don't you come over here." He gestured to a spot beside him.

Tasneem looked around, eying the few customers warily. She didn't want them to know, to cause a scene but every drop of blood in her body begged for her to turn away and never look back.

He would cause a scene.

If she didn't go with him, he'd do something. She knew him well enough to know that he always got what he wanted. She nudged one foot in front of the other, almost painfully aware that with each second she was only getting closer and closer to him.

Him.

Him.

Him who had taken her whole being away from her.

He still kept a part of her and she hated him for it. She hated him so, so much that were her hatred a corporeal being, it would smother her beneath its magnitude.

Her hatred for him surpassed every other emotion except her fear. Her hatred may have been transient but her fear was everlasting. She would never, ever hate him more than she would fear him because to do so, would mean death and that was something she was not ready for.

She looked around, hoping that Mr Umar would step out of the storeroom. He would see her leave with someone who was not her husband and he would know. She would never disappear because he would know.

She stepped closer and closer to him, surpassing the counter, completely bare before him. Nothing shielded his view of her; there was only space and the feel of his gaze upon her whole body. "You've changed this past few months." He reached forward to touch her, ignoring the way she shrinked out of his hold. His hands glided smoothly over her waist, above her ribs, gently grazing the side of her breasts before he cupped her chin in his hand. "But you're still beautiful."

Smile. You have to smile and make him happy.

Her lips quirked upwards, as if his words truly meant something to her yet it only left her feeling as if she was sick and gross and dirty once again. How could one touch of his erase the hundreds of touches she'd felt of Riaz. In one second, he had eradicated every ounce of purity in her body replacing it only with his sick thoughts. His thoughts that screamed out to her, every second that his hand lingered on her body spoke a different thing he'd wish to do.

He'd want to place his lips on her own, probe her mouth with his tongue, graze his teeth along her neck. She knew what he wanted. She knew he wanted to bite her skin, fondle her breasts, run his fingertips along her navel only to disappear beneath her plain cotton panties where he'd touch her and find his way inside her.

She could see it in his eyes. In the way his gaze flittered between different parts of her body. As he looked at her hands, she knew he'd want her to touch him. He'd guide her to his zipper, forcing her to push it down and touch him till his eyes closed in pleasure and he'd moan in her ear, tugging her earlobe between his teeth. She knew what he wanted but she didn't want to give to him.

Not now.

Not again.

Not ever.

"I can't wait till we're alone." He whispered in her ears, concealing his words with a bare brush of his lips against her cheek. "The things I've wanted to do to you since you left." His arm wrapped firmly around her waist, pulling her forward till she could feel his chest against her own. Tears prickled against her eyes as she felt her mind gently slip away.

She couldn't stop it.

She couldn't stop her reflex reaction to give in to him. Her body was still scared to go against his wishes and she found herself resting her cheek limply against his chest as he hugged her. She wanted to pull out of his hold, she wanted to scream at him, take the knife from Mr Umar's counter and stab him over and over and over again.

But she couldn't.

She was weak.

She was so, so weak that she couldn't tell him no.

She hated herself and she hated her body and as he gathered her almost painfully close to his body, she could taste the salt of her tears. She could taste her control and her peace and her serenity slip away from her heart into her mouth where it would mix with the acidic bile of her stomach.

It would be dirty and tainted and nothing would fix it.

He didn't feel the tenseness in her body nor did he feel the tears that drenched his shirt. All he felt was her and her body and the curves beneath his hands. He felt his control and his power slide back into his hands as easily as a well-worn ring. He could feel his dominance rise back to the surface and he loved her for it.

"Let me take you somewhere." He asked, feeling her gentle nod against his jaw. He didn't see the way she turned around, almost desperate to find Mr Umar. All he saw was his golden glimmer of hope once again.

"The beach." He was surprised to hear her voice. She had never been assertive and had never requested for anything but he didn't mind acquiescing this once, not after seeing her for the first time in months. He'd give her anything she asked for.

She turned around, one last time, praying Mr Umar might have overheard from wherever it was he had disappeared to. She looked up, physically reeling at the smile on his face. "The beach it is." He turned around, gently guiding her out the door.

Each step towards the door left her feeling as if she were wading through thick mud. Her feet wouldn't move and she could feel his annoyance building with every stumble she had taken. She stepped towards the door, frozen in place. Once she left the sanctuary of the shop, she would be truly alone with him.

She couldn't do it.

She couldn't do it.

"Do you want to go, or not?" He shook her arm, bending down to talk directly to her. She could only look up at him, unable to open her mouth to even speak. "Answer me!" He shook her once again, breaking her out of her unseeing gaze.

"Yes." He couldn't make a scene.

She wouldn't survive it.

"Then, let's go." He smiled down at her once again, gently dragging her out the doorway. He walked, content for the first time in months. He walked past shops, unaware that the woman besides him was nothing but an empty shell moving at his pace. She had long stopped seeing the world around her, instead receding to a place long forgotten.

A place harbouring her deepest dreams that she hadn't visited in a very long time.

He looked to the left and right, noticing the near empty streets, backing her up gently against the rusted light pole along the curb. "You haven't even kissed me today." He said, dipping his finger beneath the collar of her work shirt.

She closed her eyes, remembering how it felt when Riaz's hands dipped beneath her shirt. Her brother's hands erased the ecstasy she felt at Riaz's touch, the pleasure she felt. This took it away and it made it dirty and ugly and as his lips descended on her own, her eyes pinched tightly closed praying she wouldn't gasp for breath under his touch. She felt him smile against her mouth, knowing he could taste remnants of her tears on her lips as his tongue flickered lightly against her.

Please, don't.

Please don't.

Her chest hurt, begging for release as she kept her breath throughout his kiss. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't because if she did, she'd open her mouth to him and he'd take what was never his at all.

He was hurting her and everyone around could see.

Yet no one did anything.

No one did anything.

I don't have control anymore.

I don't have control.

He's taken it and he's never giving it back...