Samaira's POV

I walk in a complete trance. What just happened? What did he mean when he told me that I was beautiful? Every nerve of my body is pulsating. I am not sure why? I gulp and climb up the stairs. My breathing is uneven and I could feel the air coming and leaving my lungs. This is new and alien feeling.

My heart beats frantically as I remember the way he looked at me when he woke up some time earlier. He held me in an arresting gaze, wanting to connect with me. It's like I caught a glimpse of an artist within him. The passionate and hypnotic artist. Shit! Was he implying physical...? I can't even spell it out. How can he think of that? We are strangers. I only know his name, beyond that he is a mystery. And it should be like that. I have work to do. No. I have a lot of work to do. He needs to leave first thing in the morning. I know how my parents would react if they find out I am living with a stranger under one roof. This is not going to work.

I sigh and reach for my bed. For the first time in forever, I don't bother to set the bed. I lie where Josh slept some time back. I take a tentative breath and his scent hits my nostrils. Damn! It's not helping. This bed smells like him. I move out of bed and remove the sheet. I take another one and set my bed just the way I like it. Now, it's fine, I tell myself and lie on it. I close my eyes and try to meditate. But all I see is a new man standing and looking at me with those green seductive eyes. He thinks I am beautiful. Ha! I can't remember the last time I heard it. Still, he was here and he telling me that I am beautiful awakened a woman within me. For a long time, I have only been a mother who was looking out for her boy. But now, I felt like a woman again, I clutch the cover of my sheet to my chest and look at the door. He is somewhere outside. A man. A handsome man who thinks I am beautiful.

I jump up in another second. I need a distraction. Thank god, I lied to him about being married. Now he too can keep his thoughts to himself. Tomorrow will be a normal day. He will leave and I will finish my assignment in peace. I take my tab from the bedside table and go through the to-do list for tomorrow.

Electrician check, painting check, flooring check... only remained is a landscape designer for the front garden. I needed to fix a meeting with him. If Sameer comes tomorrow, I will ask him about the ideas he had for the garden and if anything else he wanted in the garden, I enter the idea and set a reminder for morning ten. Sameer is definitely going to show up tomorrow. He needs to come. Yes, he needs to come and take away Josh Hudson, the musician!

I stop my urge to Google him and set aside the tab. I again slump back to bed, closing my eyes and fighting back the scent of Josh Hudson registered in my brain.

Just as I begin to doze off, a shout wakes me in panic. What the hell? Is it Josh? I scramble out of bed and run in the direction of Josh's room down the hall from mine. There are a couple of temporary lights illuminating area in white light. Just as I reach for the handle, Josh opens the door and jumps out.

He clutches my waist and pulls me away from the door shutting it with a bang. "Don't go in there!" he pants and pins me to the wall.

The panic I felt a second earlier replaced by that alien feeling. I held my breath and watch his face mere an inch away from mine. Even though there are small beads of perspiration on his forehead, he looks all the more... how should I put it...attractive. Yes. He looks attractive from this close vicinity. I should ask him what happened in his room. But I am just mute, reveling in the intimacy of our bodies.

His ashen face now is replaced by hard features and heavy breathing. He looks me in the eyes through his brown lashes and simply doesn't move away. His lips hover over mine, while his eyes take in my face, all of it can gather. His hands are still on my waist, clasped in firm touch. His breathing is now mingled in mine. All I want to do in that moment is just reach out and feels his skin over mine. Maybe just close the inch distance and crash in his arms and savor the warmth. I am more curious than I care to admit. Then, he mumbles something.

"Snake in there," he says and watches my lips.

Did he just say snake? "What?" I exclaim and fidget, finally realizing that he was invading my personal space.

He moves away in a blink and runs his hand through his hair. "Yeah. There is a snake, a yellowish one. Not long. But I am not taking any risk."

"How?" I ask, but my thought wanders around the lost physical contact with the handsome stranger.

"How would I know?" he protests. "There are big holes in the wall which your guy didn't fix."

"Shit!" I covered my mouth with my hand.

"You wouldn't believe me," he shakes his head and stands to lean against the wall. "I am not going in there." This time his determination is as clear as the sky.

"What time is it anyway?" I ask and set my hair. I must look like a mess.

"It's only one thirty," he informs and I notice that he doesn't look like he woke up from sleep.

"You didn't sleep?" I ask before I could stop myself, especially when there was a moment we had in the dining room.

"Jet lag!" he exclaims and taps his feet. "I think we shouldn't stand here and wait for the snake to follow us out. We wouldn't want that, now do we?" The sarcasm was not lost on me.

Well, I have seen a lot of snakes and other weird small creatures around here. Most of my teenage years went about hiking to Bombay point and capturing birds and creatures through a Kodak camera. But when it comes to reptiles, I am scared as the next person. The village near my parents' house always sighted snakes, even the boys of the villages knew which about poisonous snakes and they fearlessly captured them. I couldn't even stand near a captured snake. Coming back to present, the snake Josh described was a non-poisonous snake, as far as I recall. But I am not going to take any chance. My room probably is the safest as it has been ready and free of holes.

Without making any comment, I walk towards my room. How can we make it not so obvious? As if staying under one roof was not enough of a situation, we have stayed in one room. After all the awkward moments we shared in one day, this could top it. As I reach the door, I turn to look. Josh is still standing where I left him.

"I don't want to embarrass you anymore," he says.

"What other options do you have?" I ask wanting an answer to solve the problem.

"I mean, you are married and it would be inappropriate of me to impose on you," he argues and takes one step forward.

"That's really considerate of you," I sigh out of relief. At least now I know, he doesn't have any intention of taking advantage of the situation.

I turn to enter my room but stay put in the place. What if the snake is actually poisonous? What if something happens to him? I will be responsible. "Nobody needs to know..." I say facing the door.

"Only if you are okay with it," he replies in a calmer voice. "I wouldn't speak of it. Anyways I will move out in the morning as soon as Sameer arrives."

"Okay, then," I gulp and open the door fully.

"Thank you," he says and comes straight in. "If you want I will just sleep on the chair."

"No need. Sleep on the other side of the bed," I said and without commenting any further went down and lied on the left side of the bed and threw covers over me. One more moment of awkwardness will drive me out of this house and into the woods.

**Comment on Somi's Situation! already started to write the next update. Expect a new chapter before Monday!**