Chapter 6: Shadows of Desire

The hospital buzzed with activity, the sharp clatter of nurses’ shoes echoing down the sterile halls, patients being rushed between wards, and doctors exchanging quick words. It was a place that never truly quieted. Yet, in the midst of it all, Dr. Avni Nambiar felt like she was suffocating under a different kind of silence—the one inside her own mind.

Her shift had been long, grueling, and she was drained. But as always, it wasn’t the exhaustion that weighed on her—it was the feeling that something, or someone, was slowly consuming her thoughts. Reyaansh Malhotra. The senior doctor she loved to hate, but lately, the line between hate and something else had begun to blur.

She passed by the break room, where the sound of laughter and idle chatter filled the air. But her attention was stolen by a lone figure standing in the doorway. Reyaansh.

His tall frame leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, his gaze piercing the room, and then settling on her. There was no preamble—just the sharpness of his presence that seemed to freeze everything around her. Despite the bustling noise of the hospital, the world narrowed down to just him and her in that moment.

"Dr. Avni," he said, his voice low, almost a growl. "We need to talk."

She couldn’t breathe. Her heart raced in her chest, a betraying rhythm she hated. "About what?" she asked, trying to mask the tremor in her voice.

"About your performance today," he replied, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. "You missed something crucial in the case. A mistake that could’ve cost a patient’s life."

Her breath caught, but she forced herself to hold his gaze. She wasn’t going to let him get to her—not like this. "Maybe I missed something, Reyaansh," she shot back, her eyes narrowing with irritation. "But you don’t get to act like you’re the only one who knows what they’re doing. We’re all human, even you."

Reyaansh’s gaze darkened, and he moved closer, every step deliberate. The bustling noise of the hospital seemed to fade, leaving only the pounding of her own heart in her ears. He was so close now, his scent—a mix of antiseptic and cologne—surrounding her. The space between them crackled with a tension she couldn’t ignore.

"Human, huh?" Reyaansh’s voice was barely a whisper now, his words sending a shiver down her spine. "I think I could show you just how human I can be. But you’d have to stop thinking you can outsmart me first."

His eyes roamed over her with an intensity that made her pulse quicken. She hated how he made her feel—how he always made her feel like a challenge, something to conquer. But she couldn't deny the pull he had on her, the dark chemistry that was beginning to form between them.

"Stop playing games," Avni replied, trying to keep her voice steady, but failing miserably. The proximity of Reyaansh, his dominance in the room, was overwhelming. It made her feel weak and strong all at once.

Reyaansh leaned in even closer, his breath against her ear now. "Games? No, Dr. Avni. This is more than just games. This is me pushing you, making you realize that you can’t keep pretending we’re not drawn to each other. You’re as much of a puzzle to me as I am to you."

His words hit harder than any critique he’d ever given her. She opened her mouth to respond, but Reyaansh cut her off with a single, almost possessive touch to her arm. The electricity between them crackled.

"You're not ready for what this could be," he murmured.

And with that, he stepped back, the moment hanging between them like a storm waiting to break. His eyes never left hers as he turned and walked away, leaving her standing there, breathless and unsettled.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***