Sensual

by: Eyes-of-Pearl

Rating: T

Disclaimer: ER belongs to its respective owners.

Author's Note & Synopsis: My first Reela fic. I have recently fallen in love with this pairing and this is my attempt to write one. A late night, music, dancing before one thing leads to another as Ray gets a surprise of his life. AU

Sensual

Turning up the volume on the stereo, Dr. Ray Barnett welcomed the barrage of heavy rock tunes. Already, he felt the weariness of the day draining away, as his body immediately responded to the thumps of the bass guitar and drum accompaniment. Of course, it helped that he took a hot shower, changed before crashing on the couch. He was tired and hungry but his exhaustion outweighed his need for food. In other words, it was just too lazy to get up from the couch to grab something to eat. For now, he had the entire apartment to himself as his roommate, Dr. Neela Rasgotra was still on duty at County General Hospital.

They were the 'newbies', medical interns who slaved through the last few years of med school. Now, all they needed to do was survive the round-the-clock demands of working at this Chicago hospital. Then again, it didn't take an expert to figure out that Neela was good at what she did. She was intelligent, and ready to learn, while maintaining a sense of professionalism and compassion. Ray on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He wore rocker-type t-shirts underneath his lab coat, with a various tattoos to match. He looked liked somebody who came straight off the next wannabe-band. The fact that he indeed played in a band didn't exactly give him brownie points to improve his doctor image.

Not only that, the two interns were different, personality wise. Neela was a perfectionist, stubborn and ever-so-proper. He was anything but and it was a source of many arguments between them. In fact, it came as a surprise that he was actually rooming with the Indian doctor, when it seemed that they had nothing to common.

If Ray was truly honest with himself, he would admit that he did like his present living arrangements. It was nice to have someone to ground him once in awhile and telling him off in no pleasant terms that he was acting like an ass. It did not hurt that she was pretty - beautiful in fact with her chocolate-coloured skin complementing her obsidian hair. Soft pouty lips, Ray fantasized the feeling of her body in his arms. At the same time, he had occasionally convinced Neela that there was a life outside the walls of the ER ward.

So absorbed in his thoughts and the blaring music, Ray missed the soft opening of the door and the entrance of Neela herself. She had heard the rock tunes as she was coming up the apartment. 'No doubt the neighbours would have something to say about that in the morning,' she thought.

She nearly melted at the sight of Ray sprawling on the couch. His white sleeveless shirt was pulled up slightly to the top of his navel and he was wearing a pair of shorts with part of his boxers sticking out on top. The silver ring and necklace that he always wore around his neck was visible. He did not notice her yet with his left arm draped partly over his face. She allowed herself to be drawn in by the slowly rising and falling of his chest and abdomen. Neela was a female and she wasn't blind. Ray was good-looking and she blushed at the rare times that he came out of the shower with nothing but his boxers on. She knew that beneath his hard-jock exterior, he was a softy.

Her silent observation was interrupted when the last track on the CD ended and she absentmindedly dropped her keys on the floor. Ray started from the position on the couch. "Neela, I didn't hear you come in."

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, don't worry about it. I was just dozing."

There was an awkward silence until Neela immediately remembered the bag in her hand. "I picked up some food. There's some ice-cream too. I should go put them in the fridge or something."

By then, Ray had gotten up to interrupt her. "Go take a shower, Neela. You look like you need it. I'll take care of the rest."

She nodded, thankful for the chance to clean herself up. Walking into bathroom, she turned to see Ray coming out of the kitchen with a plate in his hand. He was fumbling with the stereo again. Rock music filled the room again, though he turned down the volume somewhat.

Ten minutes later, she emerged again with a pale blue tank top and a pair of drawstring sweat pants. Ray had already fixed her up with a plate of food as she sat down beside him on the couch. It was a comfortable silence filled with the occasional sounds of munching and swallowing to the ceaseless rock music.

It suddenly occurred to Ray that this might not what Neela had in a mind for relaxation. He didn't know whether or not she was into this kind of music. In fact, he thought that a girl liked Neela was probably more into Classical or something that is, for the lack of a better word, more tame. When the song ended, he got up to turn off the stereo.

"Why did you turn it off?"

Surprised, he turned to look at his roommate, "I figure it wasn't the type of music that you listened to."

"How would you know? I never said that."

"But you complained enough about whenever Brett and them were in."

"Correction, I complained about the mess and the half-naked girls that I wake up to in the morning. I am worried about the noise level since there are neighbours around but I didn't say anything about the music."

"So, you like rock?" he asked incredulously.

"You made it sound like it's such a horrible thing. You think I can't appreciate music?"

"I didn't think you'll appreciate my kind of music."

"To say the least, Ray, living with you has diversified my musical interests."

"But, you never mention it before."

"Well in all honesty, there is a lot that you don't know about me. I'm allowed to have some secrets and keep you on your toes, roomie."

As if finding a sudden inspiration, she set down her plate and pulled Ray down onto the couch beside her. She then proceeded to move some of the furniture off to the side to make more room in front of the couch.

"What are you doing?"

"Wait and see," she replied with her back to him as she rummaged through the CD collection.

Putting to new CD into the machine and selecting the last track, she waited for the first chords to strike before she asked, "Ready?" Ray could detect the a hint of self-contained smirk in her question.

"For what," swallowing quickly because he had a feeling that he was setting himself up for something that was way over his head.

"For this," she shifted into a more relaxed position as she consciously isolated each part of her body to release the tension: shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, hips and down to her legs. She stood on the balls of her feet with her right foot slightly ahead of the other. The opposite hand was placed onto her left hip. The music started out slow as her body adopted to the rhythmic beats of cymbals and musical chords.

For awhile, Ray was too shock to process what Neela was doing in front of him. Her sweat pants were riding low and her tank top seemed to shrink one size smaller. It allowed him to better view the undulating movements of her pelvis and abdomen. The music was lively varying in tempo from slow to fast to medium.

For Neela, she started off leisurely. The changing mood and speed allowed her dance movements to become more abandoned and exhilarating. She improvised her hand motions as she gyrated her hips and breasts in the perpetual dance. The movements alternated from hips lifts, to hip circles on her knees, on the floor and while leaning back from her knees. She slid her chest diagonally toward one armpit. Her movements remained completely parallel to the floor before swinging her chest around to the front in a perfect arc on the same side. Then, slowly sliding her chest diagonally toward the opposite armpit, she smoothly finished off a figure eight pattern. She did this three times and Ray thought that he was going to have an aneurysm with the sudden rush of blood clotting his brain.

Neela had been taught the ancient art of oriental dancing when she was young. Now, in the midst of this Chicago apartment, she allowed her suppressed emotions to be projected. Her movements became the medium for self internalization and reflection. The music reached its intense climax, as Neela became one with the predominant beats. Squatting down, she rolled her abdomen in a definite rhythmic pattern

However, Neela was merciless in her movements as she was vaguely aware of her roommate's reaction. She swung her hips around in an arc as she pull herself up smoothly to a horizontal position. Her midnight hair whipping around to the ecstatic beat of music.

The music stopped abruptly, the final note reverberating in the apartment. Neela was out of breath as she reached up to tuck the stray strands of hair behind her ears. Ray fared no matter. The dance had been too hypnotic, too sensual and down right erotic. Through it all, he was aware of the bulge that was growing between his legs. He forced himself to breath deeply, fighting within himself both physically and mentally.

"Neela," he managed to blurt out. His voice came out coarser and huskier than he would have like, betraying the fact that he was on his tether ends of self control.

She was hot. Her blood rushed to different parts of her body after the vigorous dance. She did not analyse herself as she crossed the distance between them. He stood up to meet her partway. His eyes reflected what her dance communicated. She leaned onto him, as she felt the hardened part of his body. In full awareness, she forced herself to look up and face him.

They were polar opposites, drawing each other liked magnets. Their lips crashed as they hungrily devoured each other. His hands buried themselves into her hair, bringing her face closer to his. She fumbled inside his shirt, running her hands down his chest and around his waist. His tongue ran across her mouth and she gladly parted them to allow his entrance. Their tongues danced a different tune as they broke apart for the dire need of oxygen. She did not allow him to leave so easily as she sucked on his bottom lip slowly, painfully. He allowed her that momentary control as he slid his hands from her hair down her back, moulding her curves to his body.

She traced a path from his mouth, across his jaw and down to his neck. He buried his face onto her shoulder to the exposed skin that her thin tank top revealed. She left her mark just slightly adjacent to his carotid pulse and he kindly returned the favour.

Ray was dizzy, from her previous dancing and now, her hands were doing wonders on his chest. She tugged on his shirt and he stepped back a little to allow for it to be pulled over his head. The cold metal from his necklace and ring did little to chill the rising warmth that came with having his wonderful woman in his arms.

He found himself kissing her again, drawing them backwards until he felt the ends of the couch. He lowered them onto the cushions, not once breaking contact. Much later, it was him who pulled away to nibble on her lips. He put his arms on either side of her and stared down upon on chestnut eyes in question. "Neela."

They had reach the peak of desperation. He wanted her. Certain parts of his anatomy reminded him of that, but he wanted her to know that he didn't think of her as some one-night stand. She was more than somebody that he was sharing the rent with. From that little dance in their living room, he knew that she was right. There was a lot to Neela Rasgotra that he didn't know about.

She seemed to understand his ambivalence. The belly dancing portrayed desire and love for music but also the idea that there were many unchartered territories between them. They came to a mutual understanding.

He was still staring down at her but she could see that he was talking deeper breaths. She was unconsciously following his movements. With his feelings sufficiently under control, he pulled himself up again and sat at end of the couch. Neela did likewise and snuggled on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her.

Their feelings were out in the open now and no definite words were needed. After a while, he asked, "So, when did you learn to dance?"

"When I was a little girl ..."

"Do you do it very often?" The sudden image of Neela dancing for another guy made him jealous and his hold on her tightened.

Sensing his change in mood, she looked up to kiss him chastely on the cheeks and said, "I haven't dance for a long time."

"Good, I don't want you dancing anymore," sounding relieved.

"What!"

"Except for me that is," he added cheekily.

She sat up and punched his arm slightly, "Ray!"

"Hey, you can't deny my good utter looks."

"And, you can't resist my body."

He became sombre, "You're more than just a pretty face, Neela and I know that I give you a hard time sometimes. Give me a chance the real you, 'k."

Slightly touched and giddy by his sincerity, she could not help but tease, "Oh shut up, Ray."

She kissed him softly, giving him permission to his earlier request. The contact was light but sensual and they remained this way for the rest of the night.

The End

AN: Ok, nothing explicit, but I hope that the implications were clear enough to convey the emotions between them. Let me know what you think by leaving a review.