Ananya was standing in front of her home, still lost in the thoughts of Nikhil Nair and the mystery that surrounded him when Nikhil walks towards her calling for her.

"Let's go?" Nikhil waved his hand in front of her, calling her again, making her come out of her thoughts with his wave.

"Yeah, sure! Let's go," Ananya couldn't shrug her thoughts away yet puts them aside for a few minutes.

Nikhil nods making his towards his alongside Ananya and opens the car door for her, "Welcome to the ride!" He grins dramatically inviting her to the front seat.

Ananya smiles at his drama and sits inside the car. Nikhil grins more, locks the door, and jogs to his side with a spring in his step.

A few minutes passed in silence since he started driving.

"Do you like Music? Should I turn the player on?" He turns towards her asking if she'd like some music. He always turns the music player on while driving the car.

Ananya nods in agreement, she too likes music — some soft music while driving, "Sure. Why not?"

Nikhil turns the music player on and the song played on it is perfect for him.

A thousand years by Christina Perri!

He smiles as soon as the music hits him and Ananya observes him from the corner of her eyes.

The day we met,

Frozen I held my breath

"Aah. How true it is!" Nikhil doesn't say it aloud remembering the first time he saw Ananya. He was thunderstruck for a moment and had to hold his breath. Not wanting to release it and blink his eyes. As if she's a dream! And if he blinks and releases his breath, she might disappear and he'd be back to the real world.

It was the season of fall and the temperature was mildly cold. He was here after his sister's marriage and had come to stay with her for a few days. He thought his visit to his sister's home would be fun but it turned out a bit boring two days later. He had nothing to do other than sit and watch TV after the routine in the house was completed while his sister and brother-in-law romanced when they thought he wasn't noticing.

He had left them alone and come out for a walk. He needed some tranquility for a while and he know he'd find that in the library. He changed his direction. As he walked towards Library, he know he had half of the female attention on him. Even with the complete nerd look on him, he managed to grab the kind of attention — admiration for his looks. He was in a white pullover and black jeans with spectacles on — for the headache. His hair was messy and the little waves of air did nothing but mess his hair more, he looked a mess, an exquisite mess. He hoped to get something on medicine to sit and read quietly as he reached the library.

He was standing in front of a rack searching for his kind of books, he finds nothing and turns around — only to bump into a beautiful woman in a cream pullover and black jeans.

"I'm sorry," the woman in front of him muttered and looked at him for a second. He caught her beautifully expressive eyes. He was frozen! He had to hold his breath and had his eyes glued to her hazel nuts, it was brown and he could see a hint of grey and green flickering a little and before he could observe her, she walked away concentrating back on the book in her hand. A single second of eye contact did nothing to her while the very same second took his breath away.

Dhak Dhak

Dhak Dhak

He realized his heart beat faster than it was supposed to. He could hear his own heartbeats. Such was the effect she left on him. He was so lost in her that he didn't even realize when she had disappeared right in front of his eyes. She was nowhere to be seen.

Ananya who had put her thoughts aside a few minutes becomes more curious and couldn't stop herself from asking him, "Nikhil?"

Nikhil comes out from his dreamland listening to Ananya, "Yeah, Ananya?"

"Do you know me before?" she narrows her gaze at him, turning her face towards him, and Nikhil stiffens in his seat.

"Be honest!" she warns.

Nikhil sighs not having any other option than to reveal it. It isn't like he'd hide it from her forever, he planned to tell her someday. It's just that he isn't sure of that ...someday.

"Yeah!"

"Where and why don't I remember?" Ananya wonders trying to recall where she met him but comes up with nothing.

"Six years ago, in California, US," he replied remembering the day again.

Right from the start,

I knew that I'd found a home for my heart

The lyrics in the song were so apt to him. Six years ago he saw her in California when he was just 19, and from the second he saw her, right from the start, she had captured his heart, making a home in there and he didn't even get to know her.

"Six years ago? Where exactly?" She was 20 then and it was the same year Nazriya had died. She was in the final year of her bachelor's course. Ananya tries to remember going back to the year.

Alas!

She doesn't have any idea.

Beats fast

Colors and promises

His heart was never in control when she was in front of him, there wasn't any difference in his emotions. He felt the same six years ago, and as the years passed, his emotions got only stronger and more intense. He never thought he'd see her again, let alone talk.

The hope was still there, lying in the corner of his heart.

She was just a dream he dreamt of all these six years. With her in his dreams, it was all colors and promises. But it was just a dream! And when his dream was sitting beside him asking him when he met her — his anchor, his heart raced in anticipation, how'd she react knowing when they met? Nonetheless, he replies, "California State Library, on the 23rd of November!"

"Oh. You remember the day even?" Ananya wondered. Is she that special or his memory power is marvelous?

Nikhil chuckles listening to her, "I couldn't just forget the day my heart found its home!"

How to be brave?

How can I love when I'm afraid to fall

That was the day he found his home — Ananya. He knows her name now. But six years ago, his heart only found her in its whole, the girl he saw for the first name and didn't even know the name of.

As soon as he realized she has disappeared, he started searching for her. Completely forgetting the purpose of his visit. He came for finding tranquility and instead ended up in mess. A beautiful mess. He wasn't someone to follow around as soon as he was attracted to someone. This was different. Gorgeously different. He wasn't in his senses anymore. He was away from the feeling of love, not deliberately though. He just didn't fall in love.

As he was strolling around looking for a gorgeous woman in cream and black, he found her sitting in one corner and reading something. He immediately took a random book from the rack standing beside him and walked towards her, sitting opposite her.

Wanting to talk somehow and anyhow. Only that he couldn't. As if his tongue had no bone — true, though! The tongue has no bone. He was desperate to talk and somehow cleared his throat. But the beautiful woman was lost in her world to notice anything around her. He opened his mouth to talk and closed it a second later. Not really brave enough to make a move. He's afraid he'd fall — fail; if he tried. How can he love when he's afraid to fall?

...and she walked away!

But watching you stand alone?

All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

His heart wasn't at peace watching her walk away and he follows her from behind, as he saw her giving her library pass and lending the book. He had matched her steps, closely behind.

While she stood in the corner, all alone and her eyes distant with something akin to pain in her eyes. All of his inhibitions go away.

One step closer

I have died every day waiting for you

...and he walked towards her! One more step closer and he'd stand beside her. A Picture Perfect! Alas! Luck wasn't on his side as he watched her hop on a bike just then, who had come to pick her up. And he had been waiting since then with her crawling into his dreams slowly. Heartless Dreams they were, killing him from within yet giving him a reason to hope and dream for more.

The day he saw her in the restaurant, he know his wait has been answered again.

Ananya stayed silent while he was recalling the first meeting, not knowing how to answer him. His heart found its home in her. It was not a proposal yet wasn't less than that. He had revealed what his heart had felt for her or had been feeling for six years. Ananya was impressed yet couldn't decipher what was the feeling she has been feeling listening to him recalling the day.

She was indeed special to him. She can see it in his eyes, pouring out pure love and adoration.

If it was any other girl, she'd have jumped — in happiness. But Ananya —she was different. She stayed silent. She doesn't know what it means, for all her life, she had closed her heart losing the persons she loved. She had built her heart with iron walls around it.

Can Nikhil melt it? Only time can reveal that.

"Sorry. I couldn't recall that day," Ananya apologizes. There was this guy who had remembered her for all six years, just because his eyes met hers for a second. For her, it was just a second. A random one she didn't remember.

Before the song could get complete, they reached the Library and Nikhil had parked the car aside.

"Let's go," he walks with her entering the Library.

"So that is how you know I like borrowing the books?" Ananya guesses, wanting to conform, and that would happen if she'd heard from his mouth.

Nikhil just shrugs, not yet ready to tell her more. If he'd, she'd run away from him. He couldn't afford that.

"Here's the pass. Take whatever book you want," he presses his pass on her palms. If there were more people around them, they would have thought the husband was so loving and caring to give his credit card away.

Alas! They weren't the couple...yet!

"Thanks," Ananya smiles walking away with his pass and looking around for the books she'd like to take home.

Nikhil was giving her privacy, sitting in one of the chairs and reading a Magazine as Ananya searched around the racks.

Half an hour later, when he was engrossed in reading another Magazine, he saw her walking towards him with three books in her hand and they walk to the counter.

...

"Mama?" Sia had woken up a few minutes before and was screaming for his Mama from then while Nitya tried to calm her daughter down.

Alas! Her words went in vain.

Her daughter is too stubborn sometimes and when she said he went out, she started screaming for him more, "I want Mama. Mama. Mama. Mama. Mama."

In the end, her words were just mere whispers. The little girl wasn't crying. She was furious, angry, and all red fuming.

Her dearest Mama had forgotten her. Didn't wake her up while going out which he always does. They're used to going for walks and breathing in the fresh air.

But today, her Mama had forgotten her little Darling and went alone, leaving her.

"He'll come soon, baby! Chup chaap baito aur Cartoon dekho," Nitya chided her daughter. Her little daughter was sitting on the bed, with a cute angry emoji pillow in her hand, glaring at the photo on her bedside.

("He'll come soon, baby! Sit silently and watch Cartoon,")

A photo with her Mama — in which she was three years old and he had her in his arms, kissing her cheeks.

"You watch it! Sia will not watch Cartoon," she counters back at her mother, frowning and fuming.

"You're gone, my little Brother!" Nitya chuckles muttering watching her seething daughter.

...

They have come back in silence, both lost in their own thoughts and now standing in front of Ananya's home.

"Thanks for this, Nikhil!" Ananya thanked him again before making her way into her home.

Nikhil looks at her as she was walking away, his intense gaze shooting daggers into her body. As if she felt it, she stopped herself from going and turned behind, "Do you like to have some Coffee?"

Nikhil denies not wanting to make her uncomfortable if she's asking him as a formality.

"No, Ananya! That's fine. I'll get going."

"Please, you've helped me a lot. For the sake of it, have just a cup of coffee with me," she requests. She genuinely wanted to have a coffee with him and hoped he'd agree.

"Okay," he answers, smiling, and walks with her inside her house.

Well! That was some kind of progress. If Ananya had offered him tea the first time, it was for the formality because they were colleagues and recently turned out neighbors. If she's offering him a coffee for the second time, it was because she wanted to! Not because it was a formality for her. Nope! She isn't doing it for the sake of it.

She wanted to show him her gratitude!

Not because she had to!

...and that was great progress!

Iron's gonna melt for sure but slowly!

To be continued..,

P.S. I've updated my schedule about the story updates and it's posted on the announcement board. Check it out once.

HD will be updated on Wednesday and Sunday from now on.

Let me know what you think about the update.

How was their first meet?

The song will complete with time just as Ananya would fall in love with Nikhil with time.

Patience and just wait as the time passes. Until then you can listen to the song.

It's a beautiful one! You'd love it.

The video is below. Watch it!

https://youtu.be/NZGHXy1IAHM

Regards,
polymath_land
22/12/2022