THE SECONDS BETWEEN US

Chapter 2 The Demanding Gaze

Isha didn’t think twice. He threw himself sideways, dragging Sunita down behind a concrete pillar just before the bullet ripped through the air where she had been standing a second ago. The whine of the projectile cutting through the artificial silence sounded like screaming metal to Isha’s ears. He felt the surge of energy in his veins churning wildly. He had no time to steady himself.

Sunita panted beneath him, her eyes wide, staring at Isha’s face with a cocktail of pure horror and shock. Their breath came in short, frantic gasps, mingling in the cramped space behind the pillar. The scent of her panic mixed with the smell of concrete dust filled Isha's senses. This was no time for romance, yet he couldn’t ignore how real and warm Sunita’s body felt against his, a solid anchor in the middle of the chaos.

"Stay down," Isha commanded, his voice low and firm.

"What was that? Who are they?" Sunita gripped Isha’s shirt, her knuckles turning white. "Isha, explain this right now! Why did that bullet ... slow down?"

Isha didn't answer. He glanced at the three masked men, still frozen in place. He stomped his foot on the ground, creating a small shockwave that shattered the time-stop entirely. The roar of car tires slamming into the pillar resumed, and the three men in black sprang back into motion at full speed, firing their weapons in rapid succession.

Isha rose to his feet, his hands cutting through the air as if he were parting water. He manipulated the gravity around the hunters, causing them to lose their footing and slam into the wall with a dull thud. One of them tried to stand, but Isha was already there, kicking the electric weapon until it shattered into pieces.

"Don't even think about touching her," Isha hissed. His eyes glowed silver, a sign that he had finally let go of his human restraints.

"Target confirmed! High-level anomaly!" one of the men shouted into his collar mic. He pulled a black dagger from his waist and lunged at Isha with unnatural speed.

Isha parried the strike with his forearm. A burst of unnatural static electricity erupted between them, filling the air with the sharp scent of ozone. He spun, driving his elbow into the man’s jaw before sweeping his legs out from under him. He didn’t intend to kill, but he had to ensure they couldn’t follow.

Sunita stood up, her legs trembling, her eyes glued to Isha’s every move. She watched him move like a shadow, unpredictable and lethal. There was a strange fervor in her gaze, a mix of awe and deep-seated fear for the man she had once considered insignificant.

"Isha!" Sunita screamed as she saw one of the men preparing to pull the trigger of a backup pistol aimed at Isha’s back.

Isha turned, but he was a fraction too slow. He manipulated time again, forcing the bullet to halt just a centimeter from his skin. He sighed, exhaustion beginning to creep into his muscles. He walked toward the man holding the gun and slammed his hand against his chest, releasing a kinetic pulse that sent him flying into the parking garage wall, knocking him unconscious.

Silence returned to the garage, save for the crackling of a burning car engine in the distance. Isha turned to Sunita. He approached her, his steps heavy from the overexertion of his powers. When he reached her, he could no longer hold himself back. He braced his hand against the wall behind her, pinning her between his arms.

"You saw everything," Isha said, his voice raw, his breath hot against her face.

Sunita looked into his eyes, which still shimmered with silver light. Her heart hammered against her ribs. The suffocating tension suddenly shifted. Fear transformed into an explosive attraction. She could feel the heat radiating from him through their clothes.

"You're no ordinary office worker," Sunita whispered, her voice shaking. She didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned in, challenging him with a gaze that demanded answers. "Who are you really, Isha?"

Isha looked at Sunita’s parted lips. The desire he had suppressed for years in that office exploded without warning. He leaned in until their noses nearly touched. Static sparks jumped between them again, more intense this time, making the hair on their arms stand on end.

"I'm something that shouldn't exist," Isha replied, his voice low and gravelly. "And now, you're trapped in my world."

Sunita grabbed Isha’s collar, pulling him closer. "I don't care about the danger," she whispered, her eyes locked onto his. "I want to know everything. Show me what else you can do. Show me who you are when you aren't hiding behind spreadsheets."

The physical contact triggered a chain reaction. The energy Isha had been bottling up overflowed, causing the parking garage lights to explode one by one, plunging them into thick darkness. Only the silver glow from Isha’s eyes illuminated Sunita’s face.

Isha leaned down, kissing her neck as his breath came in ragged gasps. Her skin was soft and burning hot. Sunita let out a soft moan, her head falling back as she felt his touch. The life and death stakes they had just faced had morphed into a physical tension that was just as overwhelming.

"You have no idea what you're asking for, Sunita," Isha whispered, his hand sliding down her waist, pulling her flush against him. "If you step any deeper into this, there’s no coming back."

"Then don't let me back out," Sunita challenged. She gripped his shoulders, demanding more.

Isha could no longer resist the urge. He kissed her lips, rough and full of longing. It was a kiss fueled by desperation, fear, and long-buried passion. Sunita matched his intensity, their hands gripping each other, ignoring the fact that they were standing in a crime scene littered with traces of the anomalous.

In the middle of their kiss, heavy footsteps echoed from the direction of the elevator. Not just one person, but many. Isha broke the kiss, his eyes refocusing on the elevator doors as they began to slide open.

"They’re back," Isha murmured, still breathing hard. "And this time, they brought backup."

Sunita was still panting, her face flushed with a mix of lust and adrenaline. She stared at the opening doors, revealing the silhouettes of a tactical team beginning to surround them from both sides.

Isha took a deep breath, preparing to drain the last of his energy. He turned to Sunita and gripped her hand tightly.

"Close your eyes and don't let go of my hand. No matter what happens, never let go of my hand."

The elevator doors slid wide. Dozens of weapons were leveled right at them. Isha met the hunters' gaze with a cold stare, channeling his energy, prepared to freeze time once more despite the risk of shattering reality itself.

As one of the hunter captains stepped forward and raised a hand to signal the order to fire, Isha felt a sickening jolt within. His power flickered, unstable. For the first time, he wasn't sure if he could warp the flow of time without tearing himself apart in the process.

"Isha," Sunita whispered, her voice cracking as a fresh wave of terror hit her. "They aren't going to stop, are they?"

Isha didn't have time to answer. The captain pulled the trigger. Simultaneously, Isha squeezed his eyes shut, triggering a burst of raw energy that rocked the entire room. The vibration was so violent that the parking garage's concrete foundation began to crack and groan, raining debris down upon them.