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|Tere chale jaane ke dar se seham jaati hoon main, tujhe khone ke dar se bikhar jaati hoon main, phir na jane kab yeh haseen shaam kahi ghum ho jaaye|

by medicallymessedup

•present•

"There's a big difference between hearing a story and wanting to read it." She framed her sweet and sour memories in words, "My survival doesn't depend on someone's remark, Aryan." She exacted, "It's awful? Yes. It's demoralizing? Yes. It hurts? Yes." She smiled through her age-old dilemma, "But it's not my identity."

Aryan was astonished for a minute after aiding to whatever Ruchi asserted. As he seemed closer to formulating the conclusion of knowing the mystery behind her persona a little better just when her concealed musings tilted a new chapter from the incomplete book and for him to realize that there was still a lot left to be known and seen. She was indeed an unraveled journey he was looking forward to voyeur.

Aryan wanted to tease her for her philosophic enlightenment but the query in his tone came out more curious than anger, "Are you kidding me, Baby? Two days ago you weren't scared of snow leopards. You Ms. Ruchi made it run away when I was a minute close to hyperventilating from a panic attack and then you start to shiver even if a stranger speaks to you in a loud voice." He pointed out. "Everyday I get to learn something new about you and everything about you never fails to amaze me."

"What more unpleasant could an animal be in front of materialistic humans?" A forlorn eclipse fell over her countenance, "You know who is the most dangerous animal?" Ruchi entreated while parting her lips to exhaling a trembling breath. "We humans."

"These poor animals are voiceless spectators. They only tend to hunt out to earn their survival to keep up with their position in the trophic level but we humans don't have an end to our hunger. We just keep on hurting each other all the time. Any animal attacks you only when it has no choice but we humans..." She trailed off, "We do not need any reason to become the reason for the pain of others. We are so self-absorbed that our steps don't halt even for doing something sinistrous because all we seek is our own benefit."

Aryan's gaze couldn't waver away from the way her eyes screamed to narrate a story that her lips ceased. It twisted a nerve in him which didn't exist until now. He could sense an oracle cloaking the skeletons in the cupboard.

"Human race scares me more." Her voice broke into a whisper trying to push away the heaviness gripping her chest. She knew her memories were timeless and unforgettable, still the token of pain it brought each time was disheartening.

Aryan who had been listening to her with patience while letting her consume the whole time in the world had foreseen the loneliness encompassing the free bird in Ruchi. He had always been bad at consoling and in this moment he did what his instincts guided him to do. He held her crossed hands and delved her petite frame into his arms, catching her by surprise. Ruchi stiffened within his embrace for a brief moment, her heart galloped in joy and she was afraid if he would be able to hear its unusual pace.

"Oh, Baby. My Little Baby !" He mumbled, his breathy voice rumbling against her.

Ruchi inhaled deeply in order to calm her antsy inhibitions, hesitating before sliding her arms around him to reciprocate the one-sided hug.

Having never been around many men other than her cousins and friends, she felt trepidatious and disoriented standing in the embrace of the man she'd come to trust during the last two days, or even before she consciously acknowledged. A strange fever of tranquility engulfed her by putting the constant ache in her heart to rest for a while.

Letting go of a sigh and strings of worry, she closed her eyes, lounging her head on his broad shoulders. The woodsy smell surrounding him was oddly comforting, puzzling her mind. Aryan rested his one hand on the small of her back, and the other one was winded in her hairs, soothing her. The brief contact comatosed her troubles. Nothing romantic, but it felt intimate. How could she feel so comfortable around him when she had always hesitated to allow anyone into her personal space?

"You talk like someone in their seventies, Baby. Your parents must be having a hard time acting and bearing up to your philosophical standards."

Ruchi wished that her parents had some time to hear out her rants, maybe they'd spare time to look out for her worries once in a while. Her own aspirations clawed at her thoughts, tightening the hold she had on him, allowing a lone tear to roll down her cheeks which she wiped quickly with the back of her hands scared to be caught by him.

When they pulled away which seemed like eternity to her, she tried to smile at his flamboyant face.

"I suggest we should shop for ourselves. I'm sure these clothes are stinging by now coping with our adventures." Aryan said, making her chuckle.

"Sure, you can go until then I can wait for you here." She deemed.

"Why? You would need something for yourself too. Come along with me, Baby!" He argued.

"I don't have money, Aryan." Ruchi imparted, "And I'm good. I don't need anything."

"I have enough money that could suffice our needs." He rejoined, "Let's go now."

"Try to understand, Aryan. I can't." Ruchi tried to protest but he looked at her with a resolute glare, "I don't want to be a burden on you. You're already paying for the room and now this additional expense-"

"Cut whatever shit that's coming up on your mind, Baby!" He corroborated, "I'm not asking you for a return and we are going anyway so stop cribbing." He shut her up handsomely and dragged them to almost every shop until Aryan was satisfied counting both of their bags.

They returned back to the hotel and checked in to the room without any hindrance this time but Aryan was bent on wandering outside for a while more so after freshening up they once again ventured out.

They came across a golgappa vendor which instantly made both of their minds rejuvenate. "Aye, how many gol-gappe can you eat at once?"

[Golgappa — It consists of crispy fried, hollow balls of dough filled with boiled potatoes, onions, chickpeas, tamarind, and mint chutney, and sprinkled with chaat masala, and chili powder. They are accompanied by a bowl of sour-spicy liquid that is poured into each individual gol gappa while eating. The specialty of gol gappa lies in the way it’s savored: the whole stuffed and filled gol gappa has to be popped into one’s mouth without spilling. Gol gappa offers a myriad of flavors ranging from sour, spicy, and sweet. The tanginess comes from the spicy-sour liquid they’re filled with as well as the yogurt dip.]

"I have a promising capability." Ruchi exclaimed proudly, "But will you be able to eat Mr. Mallik? It's too spicy unlike your regular food." She teased him. "You'll have to lose."

"Calls for a competition to prove you then!" Aryan challenged her. "C'mon!"

"I'm already in, Mr. Mallik." Ruchi returned his gesture ready to defeat him. "Bring it on!!"

"Glad to know that something actually makes you happy." He thought as both of them tasted the first serving savoring it like the first time.

"You..yo..u. are..going..to..lose, I have never lost a comp...competition..." Ruchi told smugly, tucking her chin out, with gol-gappe already stuffed in her mouth.

"We'll..se..see.." Aryan replied with his mouth filled.

Both of them were shoving the snack one after the other though the chillies were burning their throat but neither of them dared to back down from the competition.

Aryan's eyes flickered at Ruchi whose eyes were watering but still she wasn't ready to withdraw. Something strong stirred into him and he raised his hands in surrender.

"I can't have more. I'm done."

"Yay!" She grinned at him, "I knew you could never defeat me. I have never lost." She laughed through her overwhelming tears.

Aryan passed her a few tissues urging her to wipe her running nose which she gave a deaf ear showing her tongue out to him. Her free-spirited aura sent an invite to once again scribble his punctured dreams.

'Baby, you look cute.' Aryan's messed up thoughts spoke aloud.

'There's a lot more attributes I had been feeding in the memory disk appropriate for a girl since you're born, master. Grow up, master!' His brainie chided.

'My girl deserves the best.' He replied back by receiving soccer's from brainie.

'Are you in love?'

'Oh yea- Noo!!' He screamed.

'Oh yess! Master is in love...My master is in love!!' Brainie cooed, shipping out louder and banging his head.

'Shut up!!' Aryan groaned, earning a weird look from the vendor who was handing him the return amount.

He searched around for Ruchi whom he saw returning towards him a while later and her sight alone palmed his worries.

"Where the hell did you disappear, Baby?" He shot at her. "I informed you, Aryan."

She lied missing his apparent stare because she had been discreetly drinking glasses of water to cool down her burning mouth and it wasn't helping but she wasn't willing to admit it in front of him.

Aryan's eyes scanned the area while shaking his head at her childish excuse instead of letting out the reason for her discomfort. He stopped at another shop which would be of some help, "I want to have buttermilk. It's burning my throat." He announced.

"Sure!" Ruchi nodded meekly following his lead knowing that he had caught her act.

She looked somewhat better to Aryan who was already searching for a doctor's advice online sensing her discomfort. The unease trapped through his nerves slid after he saw her genuinely beaming at him.

Was it her amicable personality, generous nature or something else drawing him to her like a moth does to a flame.

Aryan went inside the shop to pay for their drinks while Ruchi relaxed. She was quite thankful to Aryan and for his mood swings along the complementary buttermilk. Although he was quite good at competing, she wanted to rejoice in her victory. She had been on the verge of passing out due to chillies if it had not been for Aryan to stop.

'That's so sweet of you, Mr. Mallik.' She found herself mumbling to no one but herself.

"You're very lucky." The voice startled her, "Your husband loves you so much." A woman who was standing next to her prompted.

Aryan was not her husband but she couldn't deny it for their safety's sake. A hidden voice inside her wished for an inch of their lie would've been true but the truth had always been crystal. They hadn't even talked once for years being obvious to each other's presence but their forced togetherness had changed their equations for good.

Ruchi and Aryan returned back later to the hotel, fully exhausted and wanting nothing more than retiring to bed. Ruchi proposed, "You can sleep on the bed, I will take the couch."

"You won't be able to sleep on that thing." Aryan said, keeping away his watch and wallet on the nightstand.

"I am smaller than you in size and that couch won't be able to take your weight." She elucidated, knowing that he was not able to sleep properly for the last two nights.

"Let's share the bed then." Aryan suggested making Ruchi glare at him as he corrected himself, "I mean you stay on your side and I'll remain on mine."

"It's fine. I'll manage over there." She replied simply ignoring his idea.

"You can't sleep on the bed unless you can't control yourself when a handsome young dude is beside you." He whistled, "Is that the case, Baby?"

"Shut up!" Ruchi bellowed and narrowed her eyes on him.

"I didn't know about my popularity until now. Oh my God!" Aryan pouted while fanning his hair, "She can't sleep because of me."

"Flatter your ego with somebody else. I'm very well capable of not falling into your charms." Ruchi glowered, covering herself with the blanket after building a border of pillows between them. "You do not interest me, Mr. Mallik!!"

"Baby, can't wait to lose her mind on me. I had got her crazy. She dreams about me!! Whoa!!" He cried, producing weird sounds angering her. She hit on his back threatening him to utter another word again and she'll beat him before she slipped into a much-needed slumber.

Ruchi's head felt light and she didn't have a heart to get up from the cozy bed or from the sleep she was craving for years. She felt like a plushie bear who was getting warmed against a heater during hibernation.

'It felt so..soo..good.' Her body sighed in delight.

The bed pulled her closer and she voluntarily wrapped her arms around the pillow getting familiar with the ease it provided but only met a hard but rewarding chest.

What the hell?

She forcefully opened her eyes with a jerk to witness the most embarrassing situation from the era. She was curled up into Aryan. Freaking Aryan!

She glared at the pillows which weren't anymore between them. Did they get legs overnight that they were scattered on the floor all around and she was cuddling him?

Accidental Cudd-It was accidental.

She revised it and with much difficulty moved out from his bulky hold. She woke Aryan up after getting ready and putting great efforts being familiar with his fondness for the word 'early'.

They checked out of the hotel after having their breakfast and reached the railway station in a cab from where they could catch a train as the landslide cleared out.

Aryan bought them the tickets and they boarded the train to Delhi. They had to wait because there was still time for the train to leave. He was humming some retro tunes at her side while Ruchi was waiting for the train to start and leave the station when the couple sitting opposite to them caught their attention.

"Phone!!" They both shouted in horror, startling the co-passengers who glared at them pissed.

"I didn't once inform my home or my friends that we are safe and would be returning soon." Ruchi blabbered.

"Dad would kill me and Mom wouldn't be able to stop him from disowning me this time." Aryan wheezed.

"We shopped for everything but a charger." She murmured, "Damn! We're so stupid!!"

"Let me make a call from the local phone here." Aryan vocalized and got on his feet.

"The train will depart anytime." Ruchi tried to stop him, worried that he might miss the train. He handed her his card and just carried some change with him. "Please, don't go, Aryan!!"

"It's really urgent, Baby!!" He interpreted, "I'll return with you to Delhi. Don't worry, I'll be back after making a call." He assured her like a child in denial.

"Aryan, please!"

"Baby, I'll never leave you." He remarked.

"Aryan—" She muttered in a sense of foreboding.

"Promise!" He mouthed before walking down the train while she kept glancing at the direction he went or everyone who got inside and out of the compartment gate.

'C'mon Aryan.'

'Come back!'

'Please get inside the train faster.'

Ruchi chanted checking every then and now for him as he took his own good time.

The whistle of the train brought her heartbeats to fasten every then and now. She rushed towards the exit gate of the compartment where people were bustling inside of the slowly moving train and unconsciously making her tears fall down furiously. She didn't care about the funny looks the people threw at her but she was least bothered about their judgment knowing about her priority.

She decided to climb down from the train like a maniac but was pulled back on time by a dramatic force.

"Have you gone nuts, Ruchi? What were you trying to do-" Aryan's angry voice rang into her ears.

"Are you mad?" She yelled back, "I asked you not to go, you stupid!! Why don't you listen to me? Why did you go then, maniac? The train has started moving without you. I was so afraid, stupid. You were gone..Aryan!!" She blindly started hitting him on his chest but he caught her arms pulling her against his body calming down her violent sobs. "What would I have done without you, Aryan!! Why didn't you think about me before abandoning me? Huh!?" She demanded.

She wept into his chest unable to hold back her emotions anymore. She was scared. Not scared but she felt endangered. Her heart was terrified and leaping out when he didn't make it on time. Aryan's sudden absence had turned her irrational and hopeless for a few minutes.

Aryan's lips stretched into a wide but heartfelt smile as he softly pecked her forehead to silence her wrecked whimpers, swallowing his heart in guilt and an age-old emotion he had left behind with her.

"I was here only. I promised you." He croaked with a suspended yearning, "Do you think I can leave you, Baby?" His voice was oddly reviving her deranged feelings.

"Of Course not." She replied while her eyes burned with a fresh batch of tears, "Won't I beat the shit out of you Mr. Mallik?" She reprimanded. "Don't you ever think of leaving me like that again. I would've died if you had not returned, Aryan." She whisper-yelled when he dragged her in their cabin still laughing to conceal the rampant swing of exuberance streaming through his existence.

"You're a big dumbledore. You dork!" Ruchi swore animatedly, "I will kill you for once and all if you try to scare me off again, like that." She threatened him furiously.

"You can't. You won't." Aryan solicited, "I won't let you either, Baby!" He grinned, kissing the crown of her head and later stuffing his mouth with gum bears offering her too which she chewed on angrily.

Ruchi looked at his radiating face which made something in her move drastically. It felt as if she was looking at her entire life. The grip of his presence was magical just like his actions. He was like a pleasant morning that soaked in the exhaustion of the upcoming day, he was the full moon night that she could gaze without being tired and a shower of rain on the barren land of hers that longed for a drop of love. He was a mirage that she would make her a nomad in an unending desert.

In a single moment, Ruchi was able to sense the fear of losing someone, so dear to her heart. Her life seemed to slip out of her hands when he didn't return. His leaving was an incision of the pain she couldn't endure.

Quite late but now she was finally able to figure out what she had in her heart for him.

He wasn't just an infatuation that could fade over months but a sun whose livid rays contributed to permit her respiration in a world full of toxicants.

And...she couldn't hide it anymore.

Because..

She loved him.

She loved him more than anything else in this world.

Lots of Love,

ANKITA