Arorhea decided to return the diary because that wasn't what she wanted. That was something Ember wouldn't want either. So, she decided to fulfil the main purpose as to why she was there. She ran towards Ember's room. The door was unlocked. She slowly moved inside. Ember was sleeping.

She moved towards him slowly and looked at him. His eyes were covered by the long bangs covering his forehead and his eyes. She moved his hair away from his forehead and looked at his eyelashes. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Rhea?"
"Did you sleep well?"
"I just went to sleep," He got up and rubbed his eyes.
"You didn't sleep properly last night?" Rhea asked.
"I did but I was still sleepy," He yawned and smiled at her "You came to sleep with me?"
"Hell no!" Rhea got up and looked around "I lost my drawing book," She mumbled.

Ember started laughing "That is so like you,"
"Shut up! It's because you weren't here. I started roaming around and lost it midway"
"Why would you bring a drawing book though?"

"I needed a favour,"
"I'd be glad to be useful to an artist,"
"I want you to teach me what to draw"
"Don't you know how to draw already?"
"I know how to draw, but I can never figure out what exactly to draw. Help me, Ember. Only you can teach me," Rhea looked into his eyes.

Ember chuckled,
"I'll charge,"
"I'll do whatever you want,"
"Whatever?" Ember smirked as he grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. She looked at him, confused.
"Ember?"
"You'll do whatever?" Ember touched the buttons of her shirt.
"Ember-"

"What? You said you'll do whatever I want,"
"I'm not selling my body!" Rhea shouted and slapped his hand. Ember laughed "Yeah, I know," A tall boy with cute laughter, beautiful eyes and a good scent. But, they say he's sick. Where? He looked healthy.

"Ember," Rhea whispered.
"Yes?" Ember whispered back.
"Are you okay?"
"Why won't I be?"
Why wouldn't he tell her the truth?

Ember got down from his bed and stretched his arms "How come you never stink?" Rhea asked.
"I don't know. It's something genetic. I don't stink even I don't bath for a day or two,"
"I wish I were this lucky...Forget I said that,"
"Okay," Ember smiled.
He smiles a lot. His voice seems to have grown deeper too. Ember is changing but in some ways, he is still the same.

He tried to fix his messy hair but then decided to quit it and asked Rhea if she was ready for her first painting class with Sir Ember.
"I think I am,"
"Feel lucky," Ember grabbed a bunch of keys from his closet and walked out of his room. Rhea followed him "I don't give my special classes to anyone,"
"I wonder what kind of teacher you are,"
"You can fall for me,"
"Shut up,"

They continued looking up and the increasing floor numbers on the lift and reached a higher level. Ember took her to another room. The door was locked. Ember walked towards it and started trying all the keys into it while Rhea stood in front of the door. She looked at the old, wooden door.

"How old is this again?" Rhea said as she touched the door. It was covered with dust and cobwebs as if no one hadn't even touched it for ages.
"About six years old,"
"This looks creepy," Suddenly, the door moved a little and made a creaking sound. There was a huge noise inside the room. Rhea moved back but Ember looked unaffected.

"Ember, when was this building built?" She asked.
"About seven years from now"
"And when did you shift in here?"
"When I was eleven, so, five years from now"
"Then, why didn't you meet me sooner?"

"I couldn't," The key turned and the door unlocked. As soon as the door opened, all the dust from above the door plane landed on them and a strong gush of wind almost made Rhea fall. There was a huge glass window in front of them which was now broken. The curtains near that window rolled around due to the strong wind.

"I'll call someone to fix the glass," Ember closed the shutter. Rhea looked at something huge covered with a cloth. She removed the dusty cloth and found a broken piano.

"Ember, what is this room?" She asked. The room was filled with things that were all covered with a cloth.
"Memories,"
"This piano?"
"That's grandma's piano"
"But, why is it in such a bad condition?"

"Dad threw it down from the balcony. Forget that, let me show you something awesome," He opened a door that had stairs going down.
"What's on the other side?" Rhea asked.

"There's only one way to know," Ember smiled. They walked down the stairs and finally found themselves inside a herbarium, with a miniature waterfall beside the stone walls and a small fountain at the centre. The floor was also made with white, peach, pink and black pebbles. There were plants and flowers all around, a canvas was placed just in front of the fountain and a backless, stone chair was kept beside it.

"Where is this?" Rhea asked.
"It's an old herbarium dad got me,"
"Why?"
"For therapy,"
"What therapy?"
"Just some past stuff," Ember didn't seem to be enjoying the conversation. Rhea noticed and decided to stop.

She sat on the stone chair and looked at the canvas.
"You can take some canvas boards from me. I have many,"
"But you?"
"It's okay. I don't paint anymore so they are useless for me anyway,"
"Then, we'll paint together,"
"Next time," Ember smiled "We got only one stand for now,"
"Next time then! Where are the colours?"

"Around you. You've gotta use the natural colours. Crush the flowers and leaves and make the colours," Ember gave an earthen bowl and a stone.
"And what if I need black colour?"
"Black is not a primary colour, you can always make it"
"Can't you just get normal colours?"
"Do you want a normal painting?"
"...No,"
Ember smiled and passed a paintbrush to her "This one should do,"

Rhea looked at the paintbrush "Can I keep it?" She wanted to ask but she couldn't muster enough courage to do so. She made different shades of different colours. It was difficult but fun. After thirty minutes of struggle, the colour was ready. She sat down, ready to paint but her mind went blank.

What should she paint? She started feeling anxious when suddenly she felt Ember standing behind her. He felt warm. She looked at him, his jawline, his scent, the little hair on his neck, his adam's apple,

"I want you to close your eyes" He instructed her softly. His voice was so soothing and relaxing. Without second thoughts, she closed her eyes. As he leaned towards her, his scent got stronger.

"Are you what you want to be?" He asked. His voice felt nice to hear. She didn't want to answer, she just wanted to listen to him.

"You need to think about who you want to be. Picture yourself as someone who has hated herself for her entire life but now when people trust you, you trust yourself,"

Rhea couldn't believe what he was saying. What was he trying to say "Think about how you would have turned out if you missed one of the decisions you made in your life. Think about the colour that could describe those emotions which you feel usually,"

Rhea began imagining "Now, think of the colours you think of when you hear of the word heart- Red? Pink? But have you ever thought golden? Have you ever imagined what colour it is when you feel like you're okay but it's not okay,"

She felt something on her palm "I've put the colours on your palm. Use any of if without looking which colour you're using,"

Rhea picked up the paintbrush and stopped for a while as if she was in deep thought. Meanwhile, Ember covered her eyes with his hands.

"You need to think about the feelings you feel when you want to help someone but you can't. You try changing someone but you start changing yourself. You love a person who makes you hate yourself. But you keep going because all you want is to touch their heart like nobody else before and you want only one thing in return-That healed heart,"

Ember's voice felt nice and so did his presence. It was inspiring and lovely.
"Paint your life, Rhea. Work on you, for you,"

She didn't think anymore. She just painted and that was the key. She just needed to paint without thinking and somehow shape it into something worth loving. A storm of emotions blinded by the light of logic and magic-A place where they co-exist. Ember slowly moved his hands away as she was nearing the end of her painting.

"Open your eyes," He said and she did. She looked at what she had managed to create, it was out of the world, the painting made no sense, but the colours were screaming at her in joy, it was something abstract, she didn't know what it meant, but it reached it, "You need to try something different. If you keep doing what you're doing, you are going to keep getting what you're getting," Ember told her.

She looked at him.
She never wanted to kiss a man so bad, "How did I do this?" She turned towards the painting. Ember bit his lip and smiled "You never know what you can do,"
"It's only possible with you around!"
"That's nice but make it so that you never need me again,"

She remembered what his mother had written in the diary. Now, when he said things like these, it made her heart crumble,
"You need to be independent. I might not always be there for you, you know,"

"Don't ever say that again," She held his hands. He smiled "I won't,"
She picked up the canvas and they walked out of the herbarium. She was lost in her own thoughts and suddenly turned towards him. He raised his eyebrows and smiled,

She smiled back at him.

'Perfect people don't exist, so don't pretend to be one,'

-To be continued

Can't I Touch Your Heart?
Teach Me The Art of Living