“What are you doing over here?” Faizal inquired on seeing the first-aid in my hands.

I shook my head and got inside, “I am here to change your dressing.” I walked towards the bed.

“You shouldn’t!” He objected as he attempted to sit on the bed.

“Stop acting weird, Faizal.” I groaned; I wasn’t appreciating his distance behavior. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nivi, you need to be in your room at this hour.”

“I am not allowing you alone, Jiju has to go for his duty, I am staying behind…” I paused, “and its not the first time…”

“People are having bad ideas about you…”

“It doesn’t matter,” I interrupted. I wasn’t in a mood to discuss about the conversation. It was done and closed for me. I had stopped bothering myself with the opinions of others!

“But it matters to me,” he grunted. “I can’t allow such thoughts about…”

“I get it!” I passed him a reassuring smile. “I understand, you won’t want such news getting to your family. I get that someone is waiting for your return and she have dreamt a future with you.”

“What?” Faizal stared at me in utter disbelief. “This isn’t about me but you…” he shook his head. “I can’t bear those nonsense against you. She can’t point a finger on your character no matter if she is part of your family. I was feeling the need to…” his jaw clenched as if he was attempting hard to calm his anger down.

I grabbed a seat beside him, as I allowed him to process the feeling budging within him. “Does she always do that to you?” He inquired, his orbs searching for the answers in my orbs. “Why you never mentioned it to me?”

“I always uttered that I disliked my relatives, and they no longer matter to me. I have tolerated them for my parents.” I sighed, “now… turn…” I instructed, “we need to clean your wounds and dress them up.”

“I don’t think it necessary…” he attempted to slide it off.

“Jiju had clearly mentioned it to me that I need to clean and dress it up, if I want those wounds to heal.”

“Are you so desperate to throw me out of your house?” He joked yet it hit my heart straight. If only I could! I would have made him stay beside me for the rest of my life. I would never allow him to leave but things weren’t in my hands. He had a life of his own, his family!

I kept quite gesturing him to turn. Though I had stayed for the night with him but never cleaned his wounds, Jiju used to do it. There was awkwardness absorbing in the room. “Nivi, I can do it myself…” he attempted to take the cotton from my hand. “I am aware, you’re not comfortable with this.” He mumbled.

“But your hands can’t reach on their own,” I objected. “You won’t be able to glance at it as well,” I reasoned out. “Please… Faiz… I want to help,” the nervousness was visible in my voice.

Faizal stared at my orbs for a minute longer as he gave a slight nod and turned so his back was facing me, he withdrew his shirt, slowly. He still had hard time flexing those muscles. In between his groans and huff, he managed to withdrew the shirt off his body. As his muscular back came into view, I had anxiety and nervousness kicking in. I was clearly uncomfortable at the moment yet I forced my mind to focus on the work at hand.

The bandage around his wound was coated with a layer of light red, I sighed. “You still bleed!” I observed as I attempted to remove the old-bandage cloth.

“Usually, I don’t!” He commented, “but today… I had the pressure around that area.”

“As you were stubborn to go to office,” I sighed as I concentrated on cleaning those wounds. It no-longer was deep! Unlike the day, I had seen those fresh-wounds. Those deep-cuts! At that moment the amount of blood flowing from it had made me anxious. It was much better!

“I had to,” I could hear him almost-pout. A smile spread on my lip at the thought of it. “You know the reason behind me travelling so far from my home-town. If I had stayed a day back my all hard-work would have ended into a waste of time.” He sighed as he attempted to glance at my face.

“You don’t need to justify your actions to me,” I mumbled avoiding to glance at him. I was mad at him for acting stubborn. To going out there when he was aware about the risk, he was putting on himself. I wasn’t able to stay at peace from the moment he walked out of the house until I had glanced at him.

“I want to justify it to you,” he whispered. “I had often asked you not to care so much about me. Always lied to you that I was fine even when I wasn’t!” I hummed in response, “but I feel the need to justify my actions because you care…” He passed a smile, “I am aware about those restless hours and yet your stubborn heart who won’t allow you to drop a message.”

“Stop it!” I hit him on his elbow, “you can’t read me like that!”

He chuckled, “so do you..."

•••

Days were flying by, Faizal had gone back to his lodge. Those wounds had healed! He was back to normal. Situation around the country had got back to normal though the seeds of hate were still in those hearts. My parents’ behavior around Faizal had changed, they had whole-heartily accepted him as my friend.

“So many things had happened!” Siddhi screamed from the screen. “And I had no idea about it?” She was shouting making me to giggle and wear an earphone as mom glanced at me from the corner of her eyes. I was disturbing her TV show. But she was the one who wanted me to receive the video-call in front of her and not in my room.

“I didn’t want to trouble you about it.” I explained, “I wanted to tell you once everything was clear.”

“Fine,” Siddhi though disappointed but faked a smile at me. “I also wanted to be there. You both might have enjoyed a month together,” she pouted. “Didn’t you miss me?”

“I did!”

“Don’t lie,” she glared at me. “If you had, you would have called me once.” She was glaring at me. “Where is he now?” She inquired, “I want to see you both sharing the same screen.” There was twinkle in her orbs, something that I always wanted to see in those orbs. She was getting excited at the thought of us but why?

“He isn’t here,” I shrugged my shoulder.

“Did he say something?” She was staring at me with her curious orbs, “I so wanted to have this conversation with you as a person but I am so excited to know about it that I can’t hold my tongue back.”

“Excited about what?” I inquired, “is there something which I have no clue about but you do?” I raised a brow in question.

“Oh!” Her face screamed that she felt guilty for opening her mouth. Her orbs widen in realization as she faked a smile at me. “Seems like I…”

“Did a blunder?” I raised my brow in question as I somehow excused myself from mom’s loud noise of the ongoing television show. “Now, I want to know,” I was determined to get it out of her.

“It is not my right to blurt it out,” she passed a sheepish smile. “Hadn’t bhai mentioned anything unusual? Like some random plans?” Her orbs were staring at me with hope.

“Not anything that I remember,” I shrugged my shoulder.

The conversation did end up but Siddhi’s words didn’t leave my brain. What was she suggesting? Had Faizal planned something but what? My heart was suggesting but my brain was adamant to deny.

•••

I had walked out of the building. Mondays were always exhausting! I huffed in annoyance as Faizal came into view, he had a sweet-smile playing on his lips. It had turned into a routine, he used to drop me at work and pick me up. And to avoid any problem he used scooty which was of Shruti’s.

“I am getting used to your presence,” I confessed as I stood before him. “I would hate travelling in bus if you keep spoiling me like this,” I mumbled remembering that he soon would leave to his city.

“You might not have to travel in bus,” he suggested as he moved behind the seat. “If you learn to drive it." He eyed me to sit in front, I glared at him.

“You’re aware about my fear,” I mumbled in annoyance. “I can’t drive! I will hit something or someone.”

“You won’t!” He assured, “I want you to drive,” he pressed. “Travelling in public transport at late hours isn’t safe,” he confessed.

“Faiz…” I was pleading him with those innocent-cute-pleading orbs which I was sure always worked on him.

“Nivi,” he sighed as if he was attempting hard to act strong. “I want you to learn it for your safety, I can’t always be there to protect you and upon knowing your unusual working hours, I don’t want to end up stressing if you reached home or not.”

I stared at him, what was wrong with him? He was changing, I could feel it but I was scared of voicing it out what if he hides himself again?

“Do you trust me?” His orbs were staring at me in hope.

“You know, I do.” I pouted, “but you can’t emotionally-blackmail me about it.”

He chuckled as his face soften while he shook his head. “I am not emotionally-blackmailing you. I am just fulfilling one of your wishes?” I stared at him in confusion while he winked at me.

“What wish?”

“And then you claim that I have weak memory,” he rolled his orbs at me. I was staring at him with utter-confusion, I wasn’t understanding a word uttered by him.

“Now, get on it. We are getting late!”
Finally, giving in I sat on the Scooty. My heart was accelerating loudly. I was hell-scared. “Calm down, Gudiya…” As if sensing my anxiety, Faizal mumbled in my ears. His warm breath around my sensitive ears were becoming the source to distract me from the real problem.

“What if I murder someone?” I voiced my concern. I won’t ever be able to forgive myself if I ended up harming someone.

“I am by your side; I won’t let anything like that happen.” He promised as he brought the engine to life. His hands closed to mine as his chest was touching my back, we weren’t ever in such a close proximity and I doubted if I could concentrate when butterflies were dancing in my stomach.

“Don’t put much pressure in the accelerator at the beginning as we will start slow as you don’t appreciate speed,” he smiled. “Over here,” his hands were wrapped around me as he directed to the brake. “Your finger should be wrapped around it as you can reach to it easily if the emergency arrives.” He paused, “calm down…. Breath…” I could feel his gaze but I avoided glancing at him rather concentrating on the road before me. “Just enjoy it rather stressing yourself up, I am here.”

I closed my orbs as I allowed myself to calm-down. I smiled as I felt those cold winds around me, Faizal’s hands were wrapped around mine. He was doing all the work, while I was just observing.

“This isn’t that bad!” I commented.

“Yep,” Faizal had a bored tone so I turned to glance at his face. “While waiting on signal one needs to,” he eyed his feet. I felt embarrassed as I kept my feet on the ground. “Not doing a single work and claiming it isn’t that bad.”

“I am enjoying just listening to your words.” I mumbled as I suppressed a giggle. “When you’re by my side, I have nothing to fear.” Unintentionally, I leaned to his chest as he instructed me to raise my legs back on the Scooty as he speeded the Scooty and we were playing with the winds.

I adored bike rides more than cars. Bikes made me feel as if I was free, and as I was driving it, I did felt as if I had wings on. I was flying in the sky! “You’re enjoying it!” Faizal commented, it was rather a small whisper in my ears. I felt as if a shiver ran down my spine.

I nodded not having the courage to glance at him. “That’s why I wanted you to learn, you won’t regret learning to ride a scooty.” He assured as I attempted to hold the handle with much confidence.

“Don’t…” I screamed as he withdrew his hands from the handle.

“Calm down, trust yourself.” He whispered those encouraging words. He had no clue what his proximity was doing to me. There was anxiety of driving but the nervousness of the closeness with Faizal, was over-riding the anxiousness.

“Don’t be so close, I am not able to concentrate.” I mumbled out of embarrassment. He surely could hear to my beating-nervous heart.

“What?” Faizal inquired in confusion. “Not be so close to you?” He was shouting over the loud blowing winds. He laughed as those words registered in his brain. “You’re going to kill me with your innocence,” he mumbled as I felt a kiss on my cheek. My heart almost stopped beating, what on the earth, was that? Did he just?

“Concentrate…” Faizal muttered as he grabbed the handle, “we don’t want to end up into the hospital.” He muttered in-between his chuckle, knowing exactly what he was doing.