Too much traffic between us

A Sweet Mistake

The tension in the air was thick as Vidisha sat at her desk, staring at the mountain of reports stacked in front of her. The chaos of the past few days had left her with little time to process everything that was happening around her, and now it was all catching up. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see the flames licking at the sky, the chaos of the fire scenes replaying in her mind like a twisted movie.

But it wasn’t just the fires that haunted her. It was Raunak—the way he looked at her, the way he made her feel. The moment they had shared at the station, where she had let down her guard and leaned into him, kept replaying in her mind like a siren call. She had never been so aware of her own feelings, so vulnerable with someone else.

She had to talk to him. To figure this out before it became something neither of them could control. But every time she thought about confronting him, her resolve wavered. What if it was a mistake? What if they ruined everything by crossing that line?

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. She looked up to see Raunak standing in the doorway, his expression serious, his eyes searching hers.

“Can we talk?” he asked, his voice low.

Vidisha nodded, motioning for him to come in. She pushed aside the reports, suddenly unable to focus on anything but him. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, a muscle in his jaw tightening as he studied her.

“I heard about the fire today,” he said, his tone laced with concern. “You shouldn’t be taking these risks alone.”

“I’m fine,” Vidisha replied, perhaps a little too defensively. “I can handle it.”

“I know you can,” Raunak said, his voice softening. “But you don’t have to do it alone. You can talk to me, Vidisha.”

The sincerity in his voice made her heart race. “I know, but—”

“But what? You’re worried about what this is?” he interrupted, stepping closer to her. “You’re scared.”

Vidisha held his gaze, feeling the weight of his words. “It’s not just us, Raunak. There’s an arsonist out there, and I’m responsible for my team. I can’t let my personal life get in the way of that.”

“Your personal life? Is that what this is to you? Just personal?” Raunak stepped closer, his eyes intense. “Because to me, it feels like more than that.”

The distance between them shrank, and Vidisha could feel the heat radiating from his body. The air around them crackled with an electric tension that sent her heart racing. She took a shaky breath, trying to collect her thoughts.

“It’s complicated,” she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. “What if we make a mistake?”

Raunak reached for her hand, his touch warm and grounding. “What if we don’t?”

The question hung between them, and Vidisha’s resolve began to crumble. She could see it in his eyes—an invitation, a challenge, a desire that mirrored her own. The moment felt charged, heavy with unspoken words and possibilities.

“Vidisha…” Raunak said, and the way he said her name sent a shiver down her spine.

In that instant, she felt her walls coming down, and she knew she couldn’t hold back any longer. She stepped closer, their bodies nearly touching, the heat radiating off him mingling with her own. Raunak’s eyes searched hers, and she saw a mixture of hope and hesitation reflected back.

Before she could second-guess herself, she closed the gap between them, leaning in and pressing her lips against his. The kiss was tentative at first, filled with the weight of everything unspoken between them. But as Raunak responded, deepening the kiss, everything else faded away—the fires, the danger, the chaos.

It was just them.

Every nerve in her body came alive, a rush of warmth flooding her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Raunak’s hands found her waist, holding her tightly as if he feared she might slip away. The world around them ceased to exist, and all that mattered was this moment—this connection they shared.

But then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the kiss broke. Vidisha pulled back, breathless, her heart pounding in her chest. The reality of what they had just done hit her like a freight train, and she felt a rush of panic.

“What did we just do?” she gasped, her mind racing.

Raunak looked equally stunned, a mix of emotions crossing his face—happiness, confusion, fear. “I…I don’t know.”

“I shouldn’t have done that,” Vidisha said, stepping back, her heart racing with regret. “We can’t do this right now.”

“Why not?” Raunak pressed, searching her eyes. “This isn’t just some mistake, Vidisha. We feel something for each other.”

“I know, but we’re in the middle of a crisis!” she exclaimed, the frustration spilling out of her. “We have to focus on the investigation, on stopping this arsonist. We can’t afford to get distracted by this…this thing between us!”

Raunak’s expression shifted, hurt flickering across his features. “So, that’s it? You want to pretend this doesn’t mean anything?”

“No! That’s not what I’m saying!” she insisted, her heart sinking as she realized how harsh her words sounded. “I just… I don’t know how to navigate this right now.”

Raunak ran a hand through his hair, clearly torn. “I just thought… I thought we were on the same page.”

“We are!” Vidisha said, her voice softening. “But it’s complicated, and I’m scared. Scared of what it means for us, for our jobs, for everything.”

He looked at her, and she could see the understanding in his eyes, the way he was wrestling with his own feelings. “Then we figure it out together,” he said gently. “I don’t want to hide this. I want to be with you, Vidisha.”

The vulnerability in his voice was almost too much to bear. But the weight of their situation loomed over them, an ever-present reminder that their personal lives were intertwined with danger.

“I just don’t want to risk it all,” she said quietly. “Not when we’re so close to catching this guy.”

Raunak nodded, though his expression was still pained. “Okay. But we can’t pretend that we don’t feel this. We can take it slow, figure things out as we go.”

Vidisha hesitated, her heart torn. She wanted to lean into this, to embrace the feelings growing between them, but the fear of losing everything they had worked for held her back.

“Let’s focus on the investigation for now,” she said reluctantly, forcing a smile. “We’ll deal with…this later.”

Raunak let out a small sigh, a mixture of relief and disappointment. “Alright. But I’m not giving up on us.”

She watched as he turned to leave, the air between them heavy with unspoken words and lingering emotions. They were both caught in a web of chaos, and the last thing she wanted was for her heart to be at risk.

But as she returned to her reports, her mind was clouded with thoughts of him—the way he made her feel alive, the way he challenged her. They were on a collision course, and she knew that no matter how hard she tried to keep things separate, the impact was coming, and it would change everything.