They stood outside the store and talked for a while until before he said. "Hey, so, I guess I'll see you later then,"

"Aren't you going to invite me in again?" she asked as Dhruv stared in shock at her. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to come inside his house or not. His living room could have competed with dumping land, the week's issues of newspaper, glasses, and mugs could be anywhere, furniture moved around. Combs, brushes, dirty dishes from evening snacks, milk encrusted cereal bowls, on the couch, half-open backpacks disgorged receipt and other documents. At times he felt his household was a madly spinning star, but the chaos had never bothered him very much as he never stayed at home for a long time.

"Then wait out here for about two hours or more, and then you can come in," Dhruv said.

She blinked at him. "Why must I wait that long?"

"I need to clean up the place."

"I've put up with you for eight months, Dhruv. I think I know you well enough by now to not mind your messy house," He shrugged.

Dhruv opened the front door, and Ditiya peered inside. She said, "You were honest when you said it is not very clean!"

"It is heavy with atmosphere," Dhruv said.

"And filled with thick cigarette smoke!" She commented almost with a tease.

"Come inside, Ditiya," said Dhruv, and he stepped through the doorway, and Ditiya followed him inside, and then he coughed twice.

After picking up the picking up the wrappers of some packed foods and a few popcorns off the worn couch. He motioned for her to sit down.

"Coffee or?" He asked her

"Or?"

"Tea and water are the only other choices."

"A cup of tea would be nice."

Dhruv plugged in the machine, then went to start a kettle for tea. But, when he opened the tea canister, he found it empty. Frowning, "It's coffee or water," he yelled at her.

"Coffee, please! What happened to you hot tea?"

"A stray cat sneaks into my flat when I am not home if a sliding door is also left open."

"Bizarre cat. Aside from clips or popcorn that was lying on your sofa, the tea must have been the most appetizing item here for a cat."

"Are you making fun of my place?"

"Yes, quite frankly."

He heated water in an old aluminum pot and made two cups of instant coffee. He put two spoons of sugar in each chipped mug.

After handing her one, he sank into the leather armchair.

"Why did you come back to Chicago?" He asked her

"Because I wanted to see you."

"A most enlightening answer." She stretched her smile wide as he looked up.

"How was your trip to Japan?"

"Japan will always be a pleasure to visit."

"Did you any Japanese guy?"

"I can't lie, I dated a Japanese guy, but not because he was Japanese or I was in Japan!"

He didn't seem the least bit surprised, or displeased about it, "So Japan managed to persuade you after all. The last time we talked, you told me you would never date an Asian. What changed your mind?

Not really angry and more just playful, she glared at him "Are you writing a book about me?"

She smiled. "Sorry. It's not often I meet someone who goes who is so pretty and roams around the world."

She couldn't help but blush and look down again, but quickly gathered her composure. "Are you up for lunch? I didn't get a chance to eat at Di's place,"

"Sure. McDonald's or Burger King?"

"What do you have here?"

He played with his cup for a few moments before answering, as if the question was very hard. "Maybe some rice and some kind of pulses."

"It all sounds fantastic. Any ghee?"

Little more than usual quantity of rice along with some water to boil on the oven. He put some turn dale into a vessel to cook. Ditiya sat at the table and watched him and talked to him while he cooked.

Half an hour after eating, she stood up to leave. "I want to see you again, Ditiya."

"Why? And don't tell me it's because you want to see me again."

"It feels good to see you after such a long time. I have missed you, and you look beautiful. So would you come back here tomorrow night?"

"I'll make us a real dinner." Dhruv hated the begging tone in his voice.

"Sounds okay to me." The thought of sharing Dhruv's dinner table with him made her immediately happy.

Then jokingly she told him "Could you make something gourmet for dinner"

"Gourmet?" He raised his eyebrows in wry amusement and smiled put at the corner of his lips.

'I know I have expensive tastes," she said, flashing her frankest smile at him

"Being around me will spoil your expensive tastes."

"You're very wrong, Dhruv. You're hardly a cheap man to get."

"Really? Now, what about it? Will you come back here tomorrow for dinner?"

"I don't have a car,"

"I can pick you up at seven."

"In the evening?"

"I think that's when most normal people start thinking about dinner."

.......

Next day seven o'clock finally came, Dhruv drove to his brother's house and picked Ditiya up, and then drove his apartment.

He turned the key and they entered his flat.

It was neater than she remembered from the previous day. They pizza cartoon and beer bottles were gone. The coffee table was clean. The sofa was clean too.

No empty cereal boxes lined the counter. The room smelled clean.

She looked up at him and smiled a warm affectionate smile.

"Dinner is ready in the dining room." He told her, his cheeks slightly flushed. Twining his own fingers in with Ditiya's, he took her to the kitchen.

The table was beautifully set with a white tablecloth and candles burning in polished, silver candlesticks "I should have worn a proper evening gown," she said glancing at her daily-wear jeans and Nike sneakers.

Dhruv smiled. "You'd look good in anything,"

Ditiya knew she blushed.

The meal his baingan bharta, and his amazing dal, with a tadka of onion and tomatoes and basmati rice had her taste buds screaming for more.

"Now, let's have some masala chai," The two smiled as having masala tea was shared a secret that only they knew and did not want to get out. Then suddenly Ditiya wanted his mesmerizing eyes, glowing and brown as some melting chocolate. She'd wanted to drown. She wanted his scruff and hair. God damn it! Ditiya wanted him. She was nearly choking with how badly she wanted it, and it was not fair. She knew Dhruv had good intentions, but he was just being plain cruel to her.

Ditiya stayed back, leaning against the opposite counter as Dhruv filled the kettle. Dhruv was talking about something - a new restaurant? The score of India test cricket series? Ditiya had no idea. She imagined she was looking a bit like a predator, leering at Dhruv while he reached into the cupboard to pull out cups. Dhruv turned to look at her, eyebrow raised.

"What?" Ditiya asked through a dry throat.

"I asked to do you still like one spoon sugar in your tea?"

"Bloody hell, Dhruv," she said, groaning. She marched to him and then holding on to his collar, she pulled him down to kiss him. He was confused for the briefest moment, but then his lips relaxed against hers and he kissed her back.

"Ditz, you know we shouldn't..." Dhruv said as he hovered above her. The heat in his body flared again, burning down the length of his frame, ignoring the want for her that he had learned to ignore for years.

"I know," Ditiya said as she placed her hands against his skin. He shivered slightly, her touch arousing goosebumps instantly.

"We're not being very responsible." His breath warmed her face as his eyes searched hers.

"We will stop whenever you want?" Ditiya smiled and Jacob lowered his lips to her ear

"Okay... that's nice." His tongue ran a line from her earlobe down her neck as she swallowed hard, lifting her chin as a welcoming invitation. Dhruv kissed her neck and let his tongue glide along her chin, cresting the bone of her jaw until his lips were pressing against hers with barely enough pressure to feel then. His lips nuzzled her neck. "I missed you so much" He turned her in his arms and kissed her lips again softly, then her cheek, gliding his mouth back on her neck while he held her snugly.

Ditiya sighed soundlessly. Her body instinctively responded to him, a faint warmth beginning to spread through it. "Let's go to bed," she whispered against his chest.

"It's too early," he joked. "I was to make some tea."

Ditiya raised her head, her eyes laughing at him. "Tea?"

He slid his body away from hers. "Don't you want some?"

"I just told you what I want," she said, her voice low and seductive, her head cocked to one side as she smiled down at him.

He turned off the gas oven; he scooped her up and carried her into his bedroom, where soft lamplight gave the room a warm, yellow glow.

He laid her down on the bed and kissed her deeply. Then he wrenched himself away and started removing his clothes.

His pulse slammed like crazy as he shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it on the floor. Ditiya's gaze followed every move as he took off his white undershirt over his head, his stomach didn't show abs, but it was flat as could be. He reached for the snap on his jeans.

Hunger flamed in her eyes as he stripped off his pants and shoes and finally, naked, knelt beside her hip.

"I've missed you," she whispered this time, her fingers skimming slowly up the length of his thigh, and then circling over his hip before trailing across the tightly clenched muscles of his testicles

"Missed you," she repeated on a breathy sigh, and finally brushed her fingertips along the throbbing length of his erection

His hand then slowly made its way to her side, caressing her along the way, and finally unbuttoned her shirt, which hung loosely over the shoulder to reveal a breast as she slowly pressed her mouth to all the places her fingers had been. Her lips trailed fire along with his thigh, his hip, and the taut, quivering muscles of his belly, when she finally caressed the tip of his penis with a slow stroke of her tongue and damn near blinded him

He sucked in a harsh breath, let his head fall back, and knotted his hands in the silk of her hair then he lost himself in the sweet, wet caress of her lips. Let her enfold him in sensation with the delicate tip of her tongue and the hot, fluid suction of her mouth.

He loved her. He loved her smile, the way she gasped; he loved her laugh and the way she touched him. Out of her mind. She sat up and kissed him again wanting him to love her the way she wanted to love him, He returned her kiss and ran his fingers between the elastic of her panties and her skin, She shivered all over from his touch and took them off.

They gently explored each other's bodies before he crawled on top of her. He reminded her that if she needed him to stop, he would.

Ditiya heart pounded as he spread her legs with his and pushed his length around the outer area of her vagina. He sucked in her breath.

"Ditz, are you ok? Tell me if I am hurting you, please. My Ditiya, I love you." He stopped what he was doing and pushed her hair off her forehead. Dhruv looked at her and Ditiya, the faint glow from the streetlight made it possible for him to see her face clearly.

She didn't have the words she wanted to say to Dhruv. The only thing she could do was pull him close and kiss him realizing that she never trusted men she dated as much as she trusted Dhruv.

He carefully spread her legs apart with his and talked to her softly to reassure her that he loved every moment with her and he would always be in love with her. Dhruv reached into the nightstand beside the bed and pulled out a condom, and let her put the condom on him.

When he pushed himself into her, she felt it sting for a moment and she let go and put her arms around him, letting him make love to her. She had kind of forgotten what a beautiful thing it was to make love to Dhruv.

***One of the most difficult things as a writer I can do is write about two people having sex.

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LET ME KNOW HOW YOU FEEL..... MY STORY IS COMING TO AN END :(