Chapter 23: Midnight Tension

Kiara's POV

It was well past midnight, and I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling that had settled in my chest. Reyaansh hadn’t come home yet, and although he’d warned me that some nights he’d be late due to work, tonight felt different. The clock ticked louder with each passing minute, and my thoughts began to race. What if something had happened to him? What if he was in danger?

I sat on the edge of our bed, glancing at my phone to see if he had called. No messages, no missed calls. The house was quiet, the only sound being the faint hum of the air conditioning. I tried to keep my mind from wandering, but my worry kept escalating. I couldn’t help it.

Finally, the sound of the front door opening broke the silence. I jumped to my feet, my heart leaping into my throat. I rushed downstairs, barely thinking. I was relieved to hear footsteps approaching, but the moment I saw Reyaansh, my breath caught in my chest. His usually composed demeanor was replaced with an edge of tension, his face hard, his eyes shadowed with something I couldn’t place.

He didn’t say a word as he entered the living room, passing me without even a glance. I followed him closely, my concern growing.

“Reyaansh?” I called out, my voice laced with worry. “Are you okay?”

He stopped in his tracks, his back to me. For a moment, he said nothing. Then, with a deep exhale, he turned slowly.

“I’m fine,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, but there was something in the way he spoke—something in the tightness of his jaw—that told me he was far from okay.

Before I could press him further, he suddenly closed the distance between us, his lips crashing into mine in an unexpected kiss. It was urgent, desperate, and so different from the gentle affection I was used to. My eyes widened in shock as my hands instinctively pushed against his chest, trying to create some distance. But his grip on my waist tightened, his body pressing against mine with a force I hadn’t anticipated.

I couldn’t break free, not even when I tried harder to push him away. The kiss deepened, and all my thoughts scattered, my heart pounding in my chest. I had no idea what was going on, but the raw intensity of the moment was overwhelming. Was he okay? Was something wrong?

Finally, he pulled away, his breathing uneven. He didn’t speak immediately, just stared at me with an intensity that made my pulse race. My mind was in a whirlwind, trying to process the confusion that flooded my senses.

“Reyaansh… what happened?” I asked softly, my voice trembling.

He remained silent for a moment, and I saw the conflict in his eyes. Then, with a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair. “It’s nothing. Just… just a long night.”

But the tension in his voice and the way his hands clenched at his sides told me there was more to the story. I wanted to ask more, to push him for the truth, but the way he looked at me—vulnerable, yet guarded—made me hesitate. Whatever was bothering him, he wasn’t ready to share.

For now, I would have to wait. But the feeling in my gut told me this wasn’t just a simple late night at the office. Something was happening, and I didn’t know if I was ready to face it yet.

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Reyaansh’s silence weighed heavily in the air as we made our way upstairs. I walked slowly behind him, still trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. He seemed like he was in a storm of his own thoughts, his jaw tight, his movements sharp and almost desperate. He didn’t say another word, just led me to our room and closed the door behind us with a soft click.

The moment he turned around, his eyes met mine, dark with an emotion I couldn’t decipher. Without warning, he crossed the room and stood before me, his intense gaze making my breath hitch in my throat. I was still reeling from the kiss downstairs, my mind racing to understand the urgency in his actions, but before I could speak, he pulled me towards him once more.

This time, there was no gentleness. His lips crashed into mine, his kiss hungry and demanding, as if he was trying to devour me whole. His hands were everywhere, urgent and firm, pressing me against him. I was caught off guard, my thoughts swirling in confusion as my hands instinctively went to his chest, trying to push him back, but he was unyielding. The intensity of his kiss made it difficult to think. It was as though he was trying to bury everything into that one moment, as if everything else in the world had disappeared except for us.

I could feel the heat of his body against mine, the tension in the air so thick I could hardly breathe. I wanted to pull away, to ask him again what was going on, but his lips were relentless, coaxing mine open as his hands moved to my back, pulling me even closer. I could feel the rapid thudding of my heart, my senses overwhelmed by the raw need that seemed to radiate from him. This wasn’t the Reyaansh I knew, the calm, controlled man I’d married. No, this was someone else—someone lost in something far deeper than I understood.

As his hands slid down to my waist, pulling me flush against him, the intensity of his touch made my head spin. I couldn’t make sense of it. Why was he like this tonight? What had happened to make him so desperate, so lost in this moment? My thoughts were a blur, but I knew one thing for sure—Reyaansh was carrying something heavy, something he wasn’t ready to share. And right now, he was trying to escape it, to lose himself in me. But as much as I wanted to be there for him, to comfort him, I knew I couldn’t ignore the truth forever.