17-07-2025, 01:20 PM
Ravi stood a little behind the couple
His mind still ringing with moments from the evening.
Sirisha’s brightness.
Neetu’s laughter, her teasing eyes.
But above all else, the sight of Priya in that saree, how it had ruined him the moment he saw her.
And now, after dinner, there was something different, her posture looser, her gaze softened, her body moving slower as if the richness of the meal had melted her defenses.
The elevator dinged.
They stepped in, all three.
It was a narrow cabin.
Amit stood to the left, Priya in the center, and Ravi, he stood just behind her, pressed back as much as the small space allowed.
But the silk of her saree, the shimmer of her perfume, the sight of her graceful fingers resting near the elevator panel
It was all too close.
“Too much food,” Amit mumbled, rubbing his belly and grinning as he texted someone. “Next time, I skip lunch.”
Priya shifted her weight gently and gave a soft chuckle. “I feel like I’m wrapped in silk and sweets right now.”
Ravi swallowed. The image of her like that, wrapped, warm, glowing, was now seared into him.
She hadn’t spoken much after dessert, but something in her silence had changed.
Her body wasn’t tense around him anymore. Not like before.
She didn’t avoid standing near him. She didn’t shrink away when his breath warmed her shoulder.
And now, in the mirror pane of the elevator wall, Ravi saw himself, tall, eyes wide, and lost, behind her glowing figure.
The elevator hummed downward, floor after floor, and in those few seconds, Ravi saw everything again.
Her delicate shoulder just inches away.
The pleats of the saree tucked below her navel.
The blouse hugging her back like it had been painted on.
The slow, sensuous weight of satisfaction that lingered in the tilt of her head, the way her arms rested easily by her sides,
The way her hips barely moved, almost inviting gravity to hold her.
She stood calm. Regal. Untouchable.
Until, with a quiet breath, she slightly adjusted the fall of her pallu, a motion meant to fix it, but in doing so, she brought her arm slightly back, and her elbow grazed his hand.
Just a whisper of touch.
She didn’t move.
She knew.
The elevator doors opened with a gentle ding.
She stepped out first. Then Amit. Then Ravi.
None of them spoke until they reached 205.
Amit unlocked the door and turned to them with a casual yawn. “I’ll crash in ten minutes.”
Ravi smiled. “Me too.” His voice came a little slower than usual.
Priya said nothing.
But before walking in, she looked back once, just a glance at Ravi, her eyes unreadable.
There was fullness in that glance. Like a secret held behind closed lips. Like the final sweetness of a meal savored too long.
And then, they were inside.
His mind still ringing with moments from the evening.
Sirisha’s brightness.
Neetu’s laughter, her teasing eyes.
But above all else, the sight of Priya in that saree, how it had ruined him the moment he saw her.
And now, after dinner, there was something different, her posture looser, her gaze softened, her body moving slower as if the richness of the meal had melted her defenses.
The elevator dinged.
They stepped in, all three.
It was a narrow cabin.
Amit stood to the left, Priya in the center, and Ravi, he stood just behind her, pressed back as much as the small space allowed.
But the silk of her saree, the shimmer of her perfume, the sight of her graceful fingers resting near the elevator panel
It was all too close.
“Too much food,” Amit mumbled, rubbing his belly and grinning as he texted someone. “Next time, I skip lunch.”
Priya shifted her weight gently and gave a soft chuckle. “I feel like I’m wrapped in silk and sweets right now.”
Ravi swallowed. The image of her like that, wrapped, warm, glowing, was now seared into him.
She hadn’t spoken much after dessert, but something in her silence had changed.
Her body wasn’t tense around him anymore. Not like before.
She didn’t avoid standing near him. She didn’t shrink away when his breath warmed her shoulder.
And now, in the mirror pane of the elevator wall, Ravi saw himself, tall, eyes wide, and lost, behind her glowing figure.
The elevator hummed downward, floor after floor, and in those few seconds, Ravi saw everything again.
Her delicate shoulder just inches away.
The pleats of the saree tucked below her navel.
The blouse hugging her back like it had been painted on.
The slow, sensuous weight of satisfaction that lingered in the tilt of her head, the way her arms rested easily by her sides,
The way her hips barely moved, almost inviting gravity to hold her.
She stood calm. Regal. Untouchable.
Until, with a quiet breath, she slightly adjusted the fall of her pallu, a motion meant to fix it, but in doing so, she brought her arm slightly back, and her elbow grazed his hand.
Just a whisper of touch.
She didn’t move.
She knew.
The elevator doors opened with a gentle ding.
She stepped out first. Then Amit. Then Ravi.
None of them spoke until they reached 205.
Amit unlocked the door and turned to them with a casual yawn. “I’ll crash in ten minutes.”
Ravi smiled. “Me too.” His voice came a little slower than usual.
Priya said nothing.
But before walking in, she looked back once, just a glance at Ravi, her eyes unreadable.
There was fullness in that glance. Like a secret held behind closed lips. Like the final sweetness of a meal savored too long.
And then, they were inside.
-- oOo --
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