Warning:  The grammar sucks in this chapter.

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Rosie's P.O.V:

It was almost midnight when Karthik's car screeched for a mechanic and came to a halt startling me out of my dream. I felt snappy but looking at the gloomy weather outside and the remote area we were stuck in I realised how satirical this situation was. It could be my sleep-deprived state or the situation which struck up an inspiration.

That dark dusky night,
Dissolved all my worries away,
Walking in the starlight,
I pleaded the moon to stay,
And guide me till the end,
Like a best friend

It was raining heavily as Karthik tried to start the engine, but the engine was hibernating not giving any response. This made him curse out loud as he fell back into his seat and closed his eyes. His chin-length hair fell with him. With fame, Karthik got a glow up. His short hair started growing out and was tied back by headbands, his ears were pierced and his face suddenly became more chiselled as he lost his cute chubby cheeks. The babyface matured in a year and was adorned with stubble.

As for me, I finally turned my long hair into a pixie cut. Got a nose piercing and dyed my hair blue.  It was kinda wild but helped us maintain an image in the music industry.

"We are stuck in here", Karthik groaned as he turned towards me.

I sighed and placed my face on the cool glass. The mist formed on the glass drew my face as I stared at the empty road ahead.

"You know Karthik, sometimes in our lives what we need to do is slow down and look around us. Is this our destination or have we already passed it and haven't realised it until now?" I whispered while writing my name on the foggy glass.

"Wait. What?" He asked in confusion, probably startled by my sudden philosophical words.

"I think we both have come quite far. We should enjoy this moment of ours instead of complaining", I replied hiding the teasing tone in my voice. I knew the last sentence of mine would surely irk him and that was my motive. I suppressed the smirk that was breaking out on my face and with a calm expression closed my eyes.

A second passed, then a minute with no response from him. I was eagerly waiting for his reaction but the delay was making me anxious. Was he crying? I squinted my eyes and from my peripheral vision saw the seat beside me deserted. I turned towards the passenger seat and found it empty as well. That's when my door abruptly unlocked making me scream in shock.

I cocooned myself scared to death as his laugh echoed in the silent car.

"Y-you-u...", He continued while laughing till the rest of his words were unfathomable. I clenched my fist and took a deep breath to calm down the sudden anger that was erupting inside me like a volcano. It was triggered by his goose honk laugh that seemed to be never-ending. It felt as if he would choke at any moment and die because his lung expanded. His shoulders kept shaking and his face was bright red, it made me worried for a second was he having a seizure?

"Are you okay?" I asked in a worried tone as he collapsed on my lap. His clothes were wet because of the rain. The door was open so the spray of water constantly fell on my face.

"You shouted 'mummy' ... Ahhh I can't believe it. You are exactly like the dog in a cartoon I saw, Courage. It was a coward despite the name", He joked in a childish voice. My hands were hovering above his head contemplating whether or not to throw him off my lap.

His shoulders stopped twitching and he wiped his face, staring at me with his annoying eyes. His head was nestled on my lap but the rest of his body was kneeling outside the car getting soaked in the rain. It didn't affect the curve on his lips as he stared at my face lost in thoughts. I would have shaken him out of the stupor if this was something new, the guy constantly blacked out whenever an inspiration sparked inside his brain. Looking at the silly smile that didn't waiver in such an uncomfortable posture confirmed my doubt.

Minutes passed as I kept quiet playing with his hair. Karthik kept staring at me in an awkward posture. His long hair was soft and slightly curly towards the ends, I curled a strand of his hair around my finger and it fell on his eyes like a spring.

My eyes fell on his dark black eyes that were getting wet from the sides because of lack of blinking. I sighed and called his name.

"Karthik"

He blinked and tried to jump off my lap as if his body was on fire.

"Shit! It's wet", He cursed out quickly jumping to the driver's side.

"That's what she said", The words slipped from my mouth without realising and I quickly slapped my palm on my lips.

"Wow...", Karthik whispered from beside me and continued, "I never knew you had such a wild imagination"

I kept quiet feeling awkward as the silence stretched between us.

"Are you crying?" He asked in a serious voice. I kept silent and since my hair was shadowing my face he couldn't judge if the shaking of my shoulders was me laughing or me crying. I kept on laughing silently sniffling in between. It felt so childish all of a sudden. I can't believe a grown adult fell for my trick. He kept on mumbling apologies badmouthing himself. Then the realisation hit me, Karthik had the thought process of a ten-year-old, he acted mature when it was needed but mostly the childish Karthik ruled his mind.

"I am not crying", I confessed turning around laughing loudly at his worried face, I continued "Gosh Karthik you are such a child"

"Am I?" He asked with an expressionless face. I knitted my brows as if trying to process his words and nodded my head.

There was silence from his side. He kept quiet again lost in thoughts, as I settled back on my seat drowsiness hitting me.

"Have you heard the rumours?" Karthik asked, interrupting my dream.  The blurry me that was walking on an endless road halted and then I saw the car glass coming into focus.

"About..?" I enquired while trying to find a more comfortable posture to rest my head and stretch my feet on.

"Us... being a couple?" He answered in a confused tone. This made me open my eyes and turn towards him.

"Announce it on Instagram that we aren't a thing, such rumours aren't good for both of us", I said seriously. It was bad for him mainly, as these rumours could upset his future wife or girlfriend.

"I like the rumour though", He announced making me raise my brows, staring at my confused face he continued.

"Don't you think we both are compatible?", He asked seriously his flicks held back by his hand. His black eyes were staring at me deeply as he waited for my response.

"Wait. Are you proposing?" I asked surprised by his words.

"I don't know... I can't keep it in any longer", He admitted while glaring at his Nike shoes. His eyes were frantic and his hands were restless as he placed them on the seat.

"Karthik, do you like me?" I asked him softly not letting my emotions leak in. My heart was beating loudly, it was hurting for some reason.

"I love you Rosie" He confessed as he turned towards me. His black eyes were like an abyss pulling me in.

"Since when?" The question flew out of my mouth.

"The first day I saw you, thanking the black rose. And then sitting on the stairs when I was rushing for the music class. You were clutching your fingers together. Unwanted emotions kept rising in my heart and I realised that I lost my heart to you", He closed his eyes in embarrassment, " Please don't be angry, this will not affect our friendship. I just had to... "

His voice broke off in the between and he hiccuped. I felt like a hypocrite looking at him, as he emitted the image of the past me.

"Karthik", I called him my eyes sparkling and with a gentle smile, I took him in my embrace. My head rested on his shoulder, I could feel his heart beating loudly and his hot breath on my neck. It was calming, his breathing slowly lulled me to sleep as I finally found the comfort my body was craving for.

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So this is chapter 39. I know it kinda sucked. I will edit it in the future.