Srishti found her breathing accelerating, she couldn't decide whether she should step away from him or stay in the same position because he surely made no move to get away.

"Srishti. Where. Were. You?" He punctuated every word as he pressed himself more close to her and her breath hitched.

"I─I.. Sahil ─" She squealed when she was spun around suddenly and her back came in contact with the door of the fridge. She gulped as he leaned over and rested both his hands on either side of her head.

"You what?" He gave her a cold look and she suddenly felt annoyed by his behaviour.

"What is your problem, Sahil? Why do you care if I go anywhere?" She said irritated and he said nothing, just stared at her.

"You have a child to look after, don't go wandering around leaving him alone here." She looked at him with hurt swimming in her eyes as he said that.

"So you think I don't take proper care of my son? Who am I, Sahil? A nanny? Don't I have a life of my own?" She whispered in a broken voice and for a mere second she found his eyes softening but maybe she was just imagining.

"You very well know I didn't mean that." He stated and she glared at him.

"Then what did you mean, Sahil? Please explain it to me. Every time I try to be happy, you make sure to ruin that by saying something harsh or making me feel like a nobody. I can't live like this, Sahil." She sounded tired in the end as she closed her eyes and her shoulders slumped.

Few seconds passed by and they stayed in the same position saying nothing. Srishti knew he was there because she could feel his presence.

Her breath hitched when she felt his fingers caressing her left cheek but she didn't open her eyes. She didn't want to look into those cold yet intimidating eyes.

She felt him leaning closer until she felt his breath on her lips and she couldn't just stand there anymore.

"Sahil." She blurted out feeling out of breath and his eyes went up to hers. She opened her eyes and stared at him and all he could think was his lips on hers instead of stepping away.

He brushed his lips on hers and waited for her to push him away but when her fingers clutched his tshirt, he knew what she wanted.

Without waiting for another second he pressed his lips on hers and pushed his body close to her. Srishti couldn't understand why she didn't push him away but in that moment she knew, she wanted this as much as he did.

The kiss which had started slow turned into a passionate one as Sahil titled his head and deepened it, with his fingers caressing her nape. Srishti moaned into the kiss, pushing herself close, almost pressing her frame to his as her hands encircled around his neck.

They parted away for the much needed oxygen but didn't completely let go of each other. She was still clinging to him and he was still holding her from her waist.

"Sahil," She breathed out and he replied nothing waiting for her to continue.

"What was this?" She questioned looking at him and his eyes zeroed on her swollen lips.

"A kiss." He replied hoarsely and if she had been sane in that moment, she would've definitely rolled her eyes.

"Sahil, why did you ─"

"Shutup"

"Excuse me?" She asked taken aback by his rude behaviour. He was still controlling himself but she wasn't helping by looking at him like that and pouting her lips.

"Why are you ─"

"I said shutup." And with that his lips descended on hers yet again, silencing her and she responded immediately.

They broke apart this time due to Ayaansh's cries and both of them ran towards the room. Sahil switched on the lights and Srishti went towards his crib.

"Aww what happened baby? Were you scared?" She cooed as she picked him up and Ayaansh immediately rested his head on her shoulder. She swayed for a few minutes, humming softly and caressing his back until he was calm.

Sahil came forward and stood beside her, staring at the duo whereas she chose to ignore his presence. He realized she was tired as well by the way her eyes drooped and she rested her head on Ayaansh's.

"I'll take it from here. You can go change and eat something before going to bed." Sahil suggested and she turned to him. He took Ayaansh from her arms who didn't mind and settled himself in his father's arms as well.

She sighed and left from there not wanting to argue. When she looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes went on to her lips which looked swollen and her cheeks reddened.

Why did he kiss her? And most importantly why did she kiss him back? Was she developing any feelings towards him?

Her eyes widened at that and she found herself panicking at the thought. She couldn't have feelings for him. No. No. No. How stupid was she? Knowing he was never going to reciprocate, how can she even survive through this?

No.

She wasn't going to fall for him.

Taking a deep breath, she washed her face before leaving the bathroom. When she took in the view before her, a smile formed on her face.

Sahil slept on the bed with Ayaansh sleeping on top of him with his mouth slightly hung open. She chuckled lightly before taking her phone and clicking a picture of the duo.

Her smile then dropped looking at Sahil and she was immediately reminded of the moment they had shared in the kitchen. Biting her lip, she went towards them and tried to carefully take Ayaansh from his hold without waking him up but as soon as she touched him, his eyes flew open.

"What are you doing?" He questioned sleepily staring at her and she pursed her lips.

"Let me put Ayaansh in his crib so you both can sleep properly." She whispered and he nodded removing his hands for her to pick him up. She placed Ayaansh in the crib and kissed his forehead before turning back towards Sahil.

Much to her surprise he wasn't sleeping and staring at her causing her to fumble.

"Ah─I will─I'm going to eat something." She stuttered and left immediately to avoid him. She was surely going to return after he's asleep.

More than forty five minutes passed and Srishti thought of checking on him. She closed the book she had been reading and got up to leave. As she opened the door and peeked in, she found him sleeping peacefully which made her sigh in relief.

Quietly she sneaked in and settled on the bed, facing the other side. Just before she slipped into darkness, she felt arms around her waist and a body being pressed to hers from behind.

────────

The next morning she woke up alone on the bed and the crib was also empty. She yawned getting out of the bed and took a bath before she went in the living room.

Sahil was all ready in his suit and what surprised her was that Ayaansh was all ready as well. What was going on?

"Srishti, you're up. I have the meeting today and I'm taking both of you there. So get ready fast." He ordered and she stared at him with a blank expression for few seconds. Would she ready get bored at home or at his meeting?

Of course his meeting.

She quickly got ready in a western wear because she surely wasn't going to go for a salwar suit in Germany. Not that she would be embarrassed in wearing it but she rarely wore jeans, so then why not?

When she stood infront of Sahil, he couldn't help but stare at her. She knew he was staring but instead of getting uncomfortable she just went to pick Ayaansh.

"You know we're going for my business meet." He commented and she raised her eyebrows in question. He pointed at her outfit and she rolled her eyes.

"I'll just roam around with my baby." She smiled at Ayaansh who grinned back.

He looked at the mother-son duo who were now twinning and shook his head. So now he was the odd one out.

They left for his meet and on the way Sahil couldn't help but steal glances of Srishti. He couldn't get the moment they shared last night out of his mind. He tried hard to make himself believe that it was just a moment of desire or maybe a mistake but nothing worked.

The way their kiss had escalated from a light brush to a full passionate one, he knew he would've gone further if not interrupted. But would she? Did she regret it already?

She had avoided him after the kiss and to the extent that she came into the room after he pretended to sleep. After she settled beside him, as if his body had its own mind, he scooted closer to her and his arms encircled around her waist.

Lets just say he had the best sleep of his life in that night.

When they reached the place, Srishti realized it was a cafe which definitely was a high-class one.

"Am I supposed to sit beside you while you discuss your deal?" Srishti asked as they entered inside and she looked around. The cafe named The Barn was a Veteran cafe with city views from floor-to ceiling windows and a high terrace.

"You don't want to?" He asked and she smiled sheepishly.

"Well you'll have to sit beside me throughout." He declared and she scowled at him and Ayaansh who had been watching his mother, tried to mimic her. He ended up looking the cutest making Sahil chuckle and Srishti giggle.

Few minutes later, when the person with whom Sahil was going to deal with, arrived, Srishti couldn't help but gape at him in shock.

"Good morning, Mr. Malhotra ─oh! Hey, we meet again." He exclaimed with a grin and Sahil arched one eyebrow at Srishti who wanted nothing more than to hide away from his gaze.

"So I see you've met my wife, Mr. Saxena." Sahil chipped in when he saw Srishti trying to avoid him.

"Wife? She's married?" The surprise and shock in his tone was visible as he stared at her.

"With a child, if you can't see." Sahil added sarcastically and Srishti glared at him. He was already starting to dislike the man and when he heard him whisper a 'Damn!' to himself, he was back to his cold self.

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