Chapter 35 – The Unraveling

The evening campus was quieter than usual. Most students had left after the fest preparations, leaving the old college library nearly deserted. The tall windows let in a dim orange glow of sunset, dust motes dancing in the air.

Poornima sat at one of the wooden tables, stacking her students’ assignments, when the door creaked open. She looked up—and there he was.

Veeresh Raj.

His coat was off, his shirt sleeves rolled, his usual composure unsettled. His jaw was clenched, his eyes darker than she had ever seen them.

“Miss Rai,” he said lowly, almost a whisper. “Are you alright?”

She blinked, confused. “Yes… why wouldn’t I be?”

He stepped closer, the air between them tightening. “Because I saw that group of men near the gates today. They weren’t students. They were… watching you.” His tone was laced with a quiet fury, the kind only a man who cared too much would reveal.

Poornima froze, the weight of his words sinking in. “Watching me?”

“Yes.” His voice cracked with something raw. “I don’t like it. I don’t like anyone looking at you that way.”

She had never seen him this way before—protective, almost possessive, stripped of the cold distance he usually carried. For a long moment, she just stared at him, her lips parting, her breath uneven.

Her silence only fueled the storm inside him. He stepped closer, close enough for her to feel the heat radiating off his body, his eyes locked on hers.

“Why do you do this to me, Poornima?” he whispered, her name on his lips like a confession. “You walk into my life with your simplicity, your strength… and suddenly all my rules don’t matter anymore.”

Her heart pounded. Her fingers trembled against the edge of the table. “Veeresh…” she breathed, his name soft, fragile, breaking in the middle.

That was all it took.

He reached for her, his hand sliding to the back of her neck, pulling her toward him. His lips crashed against hers—fierce, hungry, desperate. It was not careful, not measured, not the professor who commanded with precision. It was the man beneath, stripped of restraint.

Poornima gasped against him, her body tensing for a moment before melting into his. Her hands found his shoulders, clutching his shirt as if anchoring herself to the storm.

The kiss deepened—raw, passionate, aching with everything unsaid. His lips demanded, hers answered, and for a fleeting moment, the world outside ceased to exist. There was only the pounding of hearts, the unspoken truth pouring out through touch.

When he finally pulled away, his forehead rested against hers, his breath heavy, uneven.

“I shouldn’t…” he whispered hoarsely, his eyes still closed. “But God, Poornima… I can’t stop myself.”

Her chest heaved, her lips still trembling from the force of his kiss. She looked up into his eyes—stormy, vulnerable, stripped bare.

“You don’t have to stop,” she whispered back, her voice trembling yet steady with conviction.