Ahanshika
Midnight wasn't supposed to be dangerous.
Apparently, I hadn't read the fine print.
I was buried in my laptop, fingers flying across spreadsheets, designs, and deadlines. A new project had landed today, and I refused to let it swallow me whole. My room was dark and quiet except for the soft hum of my laptop and the occasional frustrated sigh escaping my lips.
For once, I was in the zone.
Focused. Productive. Safe.
Then came the sound.
Tap. Tap.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
The balcony.
The one connecting my room to Ihaan's.
I froze.
Don't look.
Don't look.
Don't look.
Of course, I looked.
And there he was.
Leaning lazily against the railing, arms crossed, wearing that smug, infuriatingly perfect smile that made me want to throw both my laptop and him out the window.
Ihaan Ibrahim Sheikh.
He didn't knock. Didn't hesitate. He simply stepped onto my balcony like it belonged to him.
"You really should lock this, Ikaa," he said casually. "Or at least warn me before I come through."
"Ihaan!" I hissed, snapping my laptop shut so fast it almost slid off the desk. "It's midnight. What are you even doing here?"
He shrugged, strolling inside my room like he owned it.
"Couldn't sleep."
His grin sharpened.
"Maybe because my flower didn't even look at me all day. Do you know what kind of torture that is for me?"
My flower.
That nickname made something ache deep in my chest.
I hated that it still affected me.
"You're impossible," I muttered, shoving my papers into a folder, trying to hide the slight tremble in my hands.
"Impossible?"
He leaned against my desk, suddenly much closer than he had any right to be. Close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his body.
"Sweetheart, you ignored me at the office, refused to sit beside me at dinner. Tell me something... did I suddenly become invisible?"
I bit the inside of my cheek.
If I answered, he'd twist it into bragging rights.
I should have known better.
Because Ihaan never lets anything go.
And in the blink of an eye, he was standing right in front of me.
Too close.
My breath caught when he bent slightly, trapping me between his chest and the desk behind me.
"Don't play games with me, Ikaa," he murmured softly. "I can't handle being ignored. Not by you."
I lifted my chin, forcing confidence into my voice.
"Then maybe you should learn."
He laughed.
Low. Husky. Dangerous.
The kind of laugh that made your body betray your brain.
"Learn?" His eyes darkened with amusement. "You think I'm the type of man who can learn to live without you? Cute joke, flower."
Before I could react, his lips were on mine.
Quick.
Stolen.
My knees nearly gave out.
"Ihaan!" I gasped, shoving him away.
But he caught my wrists midair, his grip firm and unyielding, pulling me closer until the edge of the desk pressed into my thighs.
His smile widened.
"There you are," he murmured. "My fierceΒ Ikaa."
"Let me go," I snapped, twisting in his hold.
He didn't budge.
"Why?" he asked quietly. "So you can keep pretending you don't care? Keep ignoring me like I don't exist?"
His forehead brushed mine.
"Not happening, flower."
God.
His scent wrapped around me. Soap, faint cologne, and something that was just... him.
I hated how it made me shiver.
"Go bother your favourite colleague," I shot back. "Why are you here harassing me?"
His smirk disappeared.
His eyes darkened instantly.
A storm gathering.
"So that's it," he said slowly. "You're jealous."
"I'm not," I snapped immediately.
"Yes, you are," he replied, the smirk returning, sharper this time. "And you're even cuter when you're jealous."
"I said I'm not!"
I shoved him again.
Big mistake.
His grip tightened, pinning me more firmly against the desk.
"Don't lie to me, Ikaa."
His lips brushed my ear. His breath was hot.
Dangerous.
He lightly bit my earlobe.
"I know you too well."
A tremor ran through me.
I hated how easily he could do this.
"You ignored me all day... for something this small?" he murmured.
His lips found mine again, slower this time. Teasing. Patient.
Infuriating.
"Now you need punishment, baby."
"Ihaan..." My voice came out weaker than I intended.
"Yes, baby?" he asked innocently, though the wicked grin on his face ruined the act.
"This is too much," I whispered, turning my face away. "You're crossing the line again."
He stilled.
For a moment, the room went quiet except for our breathing.
Then he chuckled softly near my ear.
"Crossing the line?" he murmured. "Sweetheart... with you, I erased that line a long time ago."
My heart pounded wildly.
My brain screamed at me to push him away.
But my traitorous body was already melting against him.
"You're mine, Ikaa," he whispered, each word heavy and certain. "And I don't share. Not with anyone. Not even your projects."
Finally, his grip softened.
His thumb brushed gently over my wrist, the sudden tenderness stealing the air from my lungs.
"Stop ignoring me," he said quietly, his gaze locked onto mine.
"Or next time, I won't just come through the balcony."
His voice dropped into something dangerously calm.
"I'll carry you out with me."
I couldn't even find words.
And then his mouth was on mine again.
Not quick.
Not playful.
Not stolen.
Deep. Hungry. Possessive.
The kind of kiss that says you belong to me, whether you admit it or not.
And standing there, trapped between his body and the desk, I realized something terrifying.
With Ihaan Ibrahim Sheikh, there was no middle ground.
He had already chosen everything.
And somewhere deep down...
I think I had to.
Ihaan x Ahanshika-β‘
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