Dr. Anubhav sat in his apartment, the evening light casting long shadows across the room. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes casually scanning the room. It had been a long day at the hospital, but there was something else on his mind now. Ritika.
He wasn’t sure what it was about her that kept pulling his thoughts back to her. She was a young woman, full of life, sharp, and independent. A great girl. He could see that. But in his mind, there was no room for anything serious. He had never been one for commitments. What they had—what they would have—was simple. Fun, no strings attached. He could enjoy her company, give her a place to stay, cover her expenses. It wasn’t a problem.
She was a complication, yes, but not an impossible one. He had handled women like her before—smart, beautiful, and complicated, but they all had their place in his life.
The doorbell rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. He stood up quickly, adjusting his shirt. He had promised to be there when she needed him, and it was easy to keep that promise.
He opened the door to find Ritika standing there, a tired but determined look on her face. Her eyes met his, and for a moment, neither of them said anything. He noticed how the light caught the subtle contours of her face, how her hair framed her features. She was stunning in her own quiet way.
"Come in," he said, stepping aside.
As she walked in, Dr. Anubhav couldn’t help but think again. She was the kind of woman who could make a man want to give more than he usually would—without even trying. But that wasn’t the plan.
Not for him.
As Ritika stepped inside, the familiar scent of her perfume mixed with the rich aroma of the evening. There was an undeniable charge in the air between them, something unspoken but heavy.
Dr. Anubhav moved closer to her, and for a brief moment, their bodies brushed. The contact was fleeting, but it sparked a warmth that lingered in the room. Ritika's gaze flickered up to meet his, the quiet tension rising. She wasn’t immune to the attraction either, despite the internal battle she fought every time they were near each other.
He looked down at her, his voice lowering in a teasing tone. “Tired?”
She gave him a soft smile, her lips barely curving. “A little.”
Her response was measured, but there was a spark in her eyes that made his heart beat just a bit faster. He reached out, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers grazing her skin. The touch was slow, deliberate, and intimate. She didn’t pull away.
His hand lingered for a second too long, and for a heartbeat, the air between them was thick with unspoken words.
"You know," he murmured, his voice low, almost seductive, "you don’t have to be so serious all the time. Let go a little."
Ritika’s breath hitched, but she didn’t respond. She felt the heat rising in her chest, the attraction that she had been trying to suppress. She was drawn to him, no matter how much she told herself she wasn’t supposed to be.
He moved in a little closer, and his lips almost brushed against her ear as he spoke again, voice gravelly, "I can show you how to forget everything for a while."
Ritika stood still, her heart pounding in her ears. But just as she was about to give in to the moment, Dr. Anubhav pulled back, breaking the tension.
Ritika exhaled softly, a mix of relief and disappointment.
As he stepped away, his thoughts shifted. He couldn’t help but remember something his colleague had said not long ago.
"Why are you doing this, Anubhav?" the colleague had asked. "If you had gotten married at the right time, you'd probably have a daughter her age by now."
The thought made Anubhav laugh out loud. He couldn’t help it. The idea of having a daughter at this stage in his life, someone young enough to be in her twenties—was absurd to him. It was a lighthearted joke, but it stung just a little.
His colleague had meant well, but the thought of being tied down with the responsibilities of marriage and children seemed distant, even laughable. And yet, in that moment, as he glanced at Ritika again, the notion of having someone—anyone—in his life for good did linger for a moment.
He shook his head, dismissing the thought, and chuckled quietly to himself.
"No commitment," he reminded himself, smirking at the irony.
As the evening progressed, the atmosphere in the apartment thickened. Anubhav’s thoughts were clouded with the rising tension between them, the undeniable pull he felt whenever Ritika was near. He had never been one to shy away from what he wanted, and tonight, he felt the overwhelming desire to claim the moment, to take control.
Ritika sat near him on the couch, her body tense, her eyes flickering with an internal struggle. She was trying, in vain, to hold on to some semblance of control, but the way Anubhav’s presence enveloped her, his mere proximity stirring something deep inside her, was breaking down every wall she had built around herself.
Anubhav leaned in closer, his gaze locking onto hers. She was like fire—unpredictable, dangerous, and yet, impossibly alluring. Her sharp wit, her independence, everything about her made her stand out from the rest. She wasn’t like the women he had known. She was different. And that difference made her even more irresistible.
He ran a hand through her hair, fingers grazing the back of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. "You’re mine," he whispered, his voice dark and commanding, but there was something possessive in the way he said it. "Only mine."
Ritika’s breath hitched as she stared up at him, her body betraying her every resistance. She didn’t speak, but her eyes said everything he needed to know. She was torn, her heart battling her mind. Her past, the reasons she had pushed away relationships, clashed with the undeniable chemistry building between them.
Anubhav smirked, the look in his eyes wild with a mix of hunger and something else—something unspoken that even he wasn’t entirely sure of. But whatever it was, it made him want her more. He had never been the type to settle, never one to look for anything more than the fleeting pleasure of a woman’s company. But Ritika... she was a fire.
She burned in a way he hadn’t expected. She consumed him, mind and body, leaving him wanting more.
He wasn’t foolish enough to deny it. She was better than any of the people he had known. His relatives, the few he had left, were nothing but parasites. They saw him for his wealth, his position, wanting to use him at every turn. They had no real connection to him, just eyes on his status. And that was something Anubhav had learned to resent.
Ritika, however, was different. She had her own fire, her own spirit, and that made her all the more captivating. She wasn’t here for his money or his position. She had come into his life on her own terms, and that made her worth everything he was willing to give. He spent on her, not because he had to, but because he wanted to.
She was his—no one else’s.
The intensity between them simmered, but it was clear that Anubhav was in no rush. He would wait for the right moment to make her his, to break down every barrier between them, piece by piece.
As the tension between them reached a boiling point, Anubhav couldn’t hold back anymore. His instincts took over as he moved toward her with a sense of urgency, pulling her closer. There was no turning back now. The chemistry between them had become too strong, too overwhelming to resist.
Ritika’s breath quickened as she felt his presence intensify, the heat of his body pressing against hers. Her pulse raced, a mix of anticipation and uncertainty swirling inside her. Every part of her wanted to pull away, yet every inch of her body screamed to stay.
Anubhav's hands moved over her, exploring, his touch both gentle and demanding. She could feel the electricity in the air, the unspoken desire that had been building between them ever since she first entered his life. It was more than physical. It was a connection—an undeniable force that neither of them could escape.
For a moment, everything felt suspended in time. Their lips met, tentative at first, then deepening with growing intensity. He was in control, but there was something in the way she responded, the way her body leaned into his, that made him realize just how much he had underestimated her power over him.
He pulled back slightly, his forehead resting against hers, breath heavy. “You’re mine,” he murmured, the words a promise, a claim. “Only mine.”
Ritika, unable to find the words, only nodded, her eyes closed as she let herself get lost in the moment.
The world outside faded. There was no room for anything else except the undeniable pull between them. She had tried to resist, tried to keep her emotions in check, but in his arms, the battle was slipping away. She was caught in a whirlwind of feelings—desire, fear, and something else, something deeper, that she couldn’t quite name.
