"What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?" he asked.

Ugh. Why does he want to know my name? To tell the world what I accidentally did?
Fine. I'll just give him my first name. What's he going to do with that?

"Um... Shraddha," I replied, keeping my eyes anywhere but on him.

"Shraddha," he repeated slowly.

I glanced up at him. His expression looked thoughtful. Curious.

"Yeah," I nodded. "And you are?" I added, hoping he'd at least return the courtesy.

"Karan," he said casually, leaning against the wall.

"Karan? You're Indian?" I blurted out.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Why do you sound so surprised?"

"You don't... look Indian," I admitted.

He smirked. "You don't either."

"Well, I was born and raised here," I explained quickly. "I'm usually good at spotting Indians though. That's why I was surprised."

"Mhm," he said, a teasing grin forming. "Maybe you were too busy checking me out."

My eyes widened. "What? No!" I protested, even though I absolutely had been staring earlier. "Why would I che—"

Suddenly, the emergency light flickered and went out.

Darkness swallowed us whole.

"Oh my God!" I screamed before I could stop myself.

My chest tightened instantly. "This can't be happening," I whispered. "I'm scared of the dark."

"It's okay," Karan said, his voice steadier now. "Someone probably heard the alarm."

His words helped a little. Just a little.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" a voice called from outside.

"Yes! Oh my God, yes!" I shouted, relief flooding through me. "Please help us!"

"Who's us?" the voice asked.

"Does it matter?" I snapped, panic creeping back in. "We're stuck in this elevator with no lights!"

Frustration bubbled up inside me and I kicked the wall without thinking.

Karan moved quickly in front of me. I felt his presence before I could see him.

"Stop," he said firmly. "You're going to hurt yourself."

His hands came to my waist, steadying me.

"What are you doing?" I protested, trying to pull away.

"Just stay still," he said sharply.

"There are two of us in here," he called toward the intercom. "Has someone been sent?"

"Yes, sir. A mechanic is on the way," the voice replied. "The elevator is between the tenth and eleventh floors. You'll be released on eleven. Please stay calm."

"Thank you," Karan answered.

But he still hadn't let go.

"Can you let me go?" I hissed. "I'm not going to do anything."

"If I let you go, you're going to panic again," he said. "I don't want you getting hurt."

His voice wasn't angry anymore. It was controlled. Protective.

"Are you sure that's the only reason you're holding me?" I shot back, half irritated, half flustered.

He exhaled slowly. "You overthink a lot, don't you?"

Before I could respond, he shifted slightly closer.

And then everything changed.

His hand came up to my cheek, hesitating for a split second—almost like he was giving me time to pull away.

I didn't.

His lips met mine.

It wasn't rushed.

It was intense. Confident. Unexpected.

For a moment, my mind went completely blank. I felt the warmth of him, the steady grip at my waist, the faint scent of his cologne. My fingers moved on their own, clutching the front of his shirt.

I should have stopped him.

I didn't.

The kiss deepened, and my knees felt weak. I had never been kissed like this before. Not like this. Not with this kind of certainty.

When he finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard.

He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

And that small gesture shook me even more than the first one.

Wait.

I just kissed a stranger.

Reality slammed into me.

"Let go of me," I said quietly, suddenly aware of everything.

He stepped back immediately.

I stumbled until my back hit the wall. Thank God it was dark. He couldn't see how red my face probably was.

"Shraddha... I was just trying to calm you," he began.

"Don't," I cut him off. "You can't just kiss someone like that."

"You kissed me back," he said evenly.

I opened my mouth to argue... but he wasn't wrong.

"You weren't exactly pushing me away."

"You didn't give me much space to think!" I snapped. "You can't just do that."

Silence fell between us.

Thick. Tense.

I crossed a line.

But so did he.

And the worst part?

I didn't regret it as much as I should have.

Ugh.

I am so done with myself.

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Hello again :)

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please DM me any suggestions :)

Damn. That moment between Shraddha and Karan though!!

Please comment and vote!! It will help and encourage me to write more.

I think it's a long chapter but there's a reason why it's long. You just have to keep reading to find out.

Lots of love XOXO