45. EXPLORE

Taliya savored the warmth of the tea, feeling a subtle calmness spread through her body. The storm outside had calmed to a drizzle, and the room felt oddly cozy with the soft light and the gentle murmuring of rain. Yet, beneath the surface, a strange tension simmered, unnoticed at first.

As they sipped their tea in silence, Taliya began to feel an unexpected heat building within her. It was a slow, creeping warmth that started in her chest and spread outward, leaving a faint flush on her cheeks. She shifted uncomfortably, wondering if it was just the warmth of the tea or something more.

Murad, seated across from her, seemed to be experiencing something similar. His normally calm demeanor was disrupted by a furrow in his brow, and he kept adjusting his position, looking increasingly unsettled. The air between them grew thick, and Taliya's heart started to pound harder, not from attraction or anticipation, but from a rising sense of unease.

Taliya blinked, trying to shake off the odd sensations. Her skin felt too tight, her breath coming in shallow bursts. A sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, and she set her cup down, staring at Murad with growing concern. His face was flushed, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Murad," she whispered, her voice tinged with fear. "Do you feel... strange?"

Murad looked up at her, eyes wide with alarm. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he gripped the edge of the desk, knuckles white. Taliya watched as his breathing became erratic, his gaze unfocused. Panic surged through her as she realized something was terribly wrong.

Before she could react, Murad's eyes met hers, filled with a desperate, almost primal intensity. He leaned forward, a low groan escaping his lips. Taliya's breath hitched as he loomed over her, his presence suddenly overwhelming and suffocating. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, mingling with her own.

"No, no, no," Taliya whispered, shaking her head as she tried to back away. But there was nowhere to go, nowhere to escape the confines of the small room. Her heart raced faster, a wild, terrified rhythm in her chest. She felt trapped, cornered, her worst fears coming to life.

Murad's hand reached out, trembling, as if trying to hold himself back. But his eyes were clouded with something dark and unfamiliar, a look she had never seen before. He was close now, too close. The air around them seemed to crackle with an oppressive heat, and Taliya's vision blurred.

Suddenly, she was no longer in her room. The walls around her transformed into a stark, cold corridor. Her mind plunged into a series of horrifying flashbacks—memories she had buried deep within her. Faces loomed out of the shadows, voices whispering cruel words, hands reaching for her in the dark. The terror, the helplessness, the shame—they all came rushing back, engulfing her in a wave of panic.

"No!" she gasped, her voice choked with fear. She pushed at Murad's chest, desperately trying to create distance. The touch of his hands felt like a prison, a reminder of past traumas she had fought so hard to forget.

Murad's expression shifted, confusion and concern flickering in his eyes as he seemed to struggle against the invisible force that compelled him. He blinked, shaking his head as if trying to clear a fog. "Taliya... I..."

Taliya's chest tightened, her breaths shallow and rapid. The heat was unbearable, suffocating. Her vision swam, the room spinning around her. "What... what's happening?" she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. "The tea... something's wrong with the tea."

As the realization dawned on both of them, a cold dread settled in the pit of Taliya's stomach. They had been drugged. But by whom? And why?

Murad's grip on her arm loosened, and he stumbled back, horrified by his own actions. "I didn't... I would never... Taliya, I'm so sorry," he choked out signing harshly with his hands, his voice thick with guilt and desperation. He collapsed into the chair, holding his head in his hands, trying to fight off the effects of the drug.

Taliya's own fear battled with a strange compassion for him. He wasn't himself—this wasn't him. But the fear and confusion overwhelmed her, her past traumas bleeding into the present. She needed to get out, to escape, but her legs felt like lead, and her mind was a chaotic swirl of memories and terror.

She stumbled toward the door, each step a monumental effort. Her vision blurred with tears, and she could barely make out Murad's agonized expression as she reached for the handle. But her hand slipped, weak and trembling. She couldn't leave him like this, but she couldn't stay either.

As her world started to fade, she felt a strong hand gently grasp her arm, steadying her. She looked up, meeting Murad's eyes, now clear and filled with a deep, raw remorse. "Taliya, we have to stay calm," he signed, his eyes strained but resolute. "We need to figure this out."

His words were like a lifeline, pulling her back from the brink of panic. She nodded weakly, trying to focus. They needed help, they needed to get out of this situation. But most of all, they needed to understand who had done this to them, and why.

As the drug's effects continued to cloud their minds, one thing became clear: they were not safe, and the walls of Taliya's room had become a cage, trapping them in a nightmare they couldn't wake from.

Slowly, Murad grazed her cheeks making her look at him with her eyes clouded with the drugs affect.

"No," she panted trying to get her hold  tightened on his hand but it was too much for her.

"Just be quiet..." he signed with his free and gently dipped his head in the junction of her neck. She gasped on his cold face touching her bare face. Her fingers tightening on his arms as he grazed her neck with his tongue.

Cold rain poured down heavily chilling the weather as Murad explored her neck with his tongue making butterflies swarm around her guts as she gasped for air on his deed.