"Raman? Raman?!"

Ishita gulps and turns around in circles.

"Please Raman! Come out!"

Ishita cries out loud. She hears the rack beside her shuffle making her flinch back with fear.

"I told you! I told you I'm scared of being Alone!"

Ishita shouts with her voice cracking.

"What if..What if ghost comes? What if he kills me? I swear I'll return back and haunt you day and night!"

Ishita shouts and searches for him.

Suddenly, two hands land on her shoulder making her freeze.

"Boo!"

Ishita screams and Raman bursts into laughter.

"I hate you! I hate you!"

Ishita beats her fists on his hard chest while he continues his laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"Yeah yeah! Laugh! Just laugh!"

Ishita crosses her arms across her chest and pouts sadly.

His laughter dies and he purses up his lips.

"You know?"

"What?" Ishita snaps and glares him.

"There was a child who died here in the lift. He died a very painful death. His spirit roams around here whispering 'Help! Help! Help me!'" Raman says the last sentence in a whisper making Ishita gulp with fear.

"You're kidding right?"

"Believe it or not but I have heard his whisper many times. I even saw him sitting in the corner one time. He had blood red eyes with tears of blood."

Raman says in a dangerous voice.

"No. No. There's nothing like ghost!"

"Yeah whatever you say! I'm going keep those cans in the back of the staff member room. You stay here."

"C..Can I come?"

Raman turns around with a smirk.

"You're afraid?"

"N..No!"

Ishita shakes her head.

"So stay here then."

Ishita gulps and nods confidently.

Soon his figure disappears. Ishita looks around wiggling with her fingers and taps her foot.

There was no sign of Raman even after few minutes.

"Help! Help! Help me!"

Ishita hears the whispers making her jump up.

"I'm locked in this lift."

Another whisper and Ishita's heart begins to beat faster.

"Wh..Who's there?"

"Help me!"

Ishita's eyes water with fear.

"I'm locked"

Then a scream follows the whisper making Ishita fall on the floor, tears spilling down her eyes. She starts shaking.

"Raman!"

Ishita screams and starts crying.

The can castle falls down suddenly and the thunder gets loud.

"Help me! Hahahaha!"

Raman jumps out of his hiding place laughing clutching his stomach.

Ishita looks at him with tears making Raman stop laughing. His eyes soften with concern as Ishita gets up and jumps on him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

She starts shaking with fear.

"Shit!–"

Raman rubs her back to soothe her.

"I'm sorry Ishita. I swear I didn't know you were that scared of ghosts. Ssh! Stop crying sweetheart." Raman cooes her.

"D-Don't do that a-again e-ver! Don't leave me alone..ever again" Ishita loosens her hold on him and breaks the hug. Raman wipes her tears and pulls her into a bear hug.

"Sshh! I'm there with you....Always."

*******

"—and then Subbu fell down horrified."

Ishita laughs clutching her stomach as tears fell down her cheeks due to the continuous laughter. They sat on their specific spot laughing and joking. Raman was telling her one of the Subbu's incidents. Both ended up laughing harder.

Ishita yawns and her eyes become droopy.

"I think we should grab two sleeping bag from the Sleep Well counter!"

"What's the time?"

Ishita asks. Raman looks down at his watch on his wrist.

"Uh, It's 1:40"

"Let's sleep now."

They get up and grab their sleeping bags.

********

The loud of thunder gets loud. Ishita struggles to keep her eyes closed. She looks over at Raman who looked like he was sleeping peacefully.

'What if Amma and Appa are worried for me? Of course they would be! What if they think I died? Ohno! What about Subbu Bhaiya? He would be hell worried!' Ishita's heart sinks as she imagines them searching for her in this heavy rain and her Amma regretting for sending her here.

Tears spill from her eyes and she closes her eyes.

She feels someone shifting next to her.

She opens her eyes to meet his concerns ones.

"Are you crying Ishita? I didn't know my ghost joke scared you so much. I'm sorry. I sweat I'm sorry."

"No. No. I'm not scared. It's just I'm worried for Amma and Appa. What if they get out of the house in this heavy rain searching for me and something happens to them?"

Her innocent eyes melt his heart and he pulls her closer to him, hesitantly.

"Think positively Ishita. Be an optimist. Stop being a pessimist and then see the difference in your thinking!"

Raman wipes her tears by his another hand as his one hand rested under her head. She lays her head on his chest.

"Close your eyes and sleep. I'm awake until you sleep. Don't worry."

Ishita smiles and closes her eyes and soon sleep engulfed her.

********

"Let's play something!"

Ishita suggests jumping around him. They had woken up at 12 PM but due to heavy rain it looked like it's still night. They ate something and then found some jelly bears as their dessert. Raman brings ice cream from the fridge and then they sit down on the floor chatting happily.

"What should we play?"

Raman asks pushing the last spoon of Ice Cream inside his mouth.

"Umm....What about Gun Fight or War?"

She clasps a hand on her mouth.

'Now he would think on a kid. Shit! I just look childish in front of my crush!' Ishita mentally slaps herself.

His blank eyes twinkle with excitement and amusement.

"I love the idea. Many girls of your age think that the game is for kids but I love it! I'm glad you're different!"

Raman grins at her and gets up.

"Let's find the gun in the FunZone!"

Ishita nods happily and gets up following him.

They grab their play guns of the same size and grab 10 shots.

Raman pulls his T shirt over his head leaving him bare chest. Ishita takes her time to ogle at his chest and then gulps at his sexiness.

"Let's begin the match!" Raman commands.

"Aye Aye Captain!" Ishita gives him a salute and takes her position.

She refills her gun and hide behind the rack.

"One. Two. Three. Go!"

Ishita shots at him but he escapes quickly.

"Ohno!" Ishita mutters.

Ishita fills the second shot and starts finding him.

He quietly climbs up on the top of the shelf and shoots at her.

The shot passes near her making her jump up.

She narrows her eyes and quickly shoot him. He ducks his head down and her shot misses.

All her shots go waste as he was smart and clever while playing. As her last shot goes, Ishita starts planning where to hide.

"I'll hide there!" Ishita exclaims silently.

Shot!

The shot lands directly between her forehead making her groan.

"I win! You loose!"

Raman jumps out of his hiding place, laughing.

Ishita pouts.

Raman jumps up and down laughing at her foolishness and then trips. He lands on Ishita making both of them fall down.

"Ow!" Ishita moans with pain as her back collides with the floor.

She opens her eyes feeling his minty breath on her lips. He was just an inch away. If she moves closer, their lips would meet.

Both look into each others eyes with mixed emotions and Ishita moves closer. Their lips almost touching

Grizzle!

The thunder makes them part away with a jerk. They look at each other and smile awkwardly.

'Shit! We would have kissed! This thunder!' Ishita curses.

"Uh...So I win?" Raman asks to remove the awkwardness.

"Yeah. Unfortunately!"

Raman gives a triumphant smile.

"I'm a winner and you are a loser!" Raman teases her.

"What did you say?" Ishita glares at him.

"I said you are a loser!" Raman says laughing at her and runs away.

"How dare you!" Ishita shouts and runs after him.

He climbs up the scattered stuff and throws some at Ishita's feet making her trip.

"Aah!" Ishita screams and falls down on the floor.

Raman's mouth opens when he sees her lying down on the floor unmoving.

"Is...Ishita? You Okay?"

Raman steps down and walks towards her. He bends down and holds her face in his hands.

"Ishita..Open your eyes!"

He shakes her. Ishita's eyes flutter open and she grins at him with a victory look making him realize her prank.

She pushes him and jumps on top of him so that she was strangling him.

She starts tickling him making him laugh.

"Say You are a loser!"

Raman shakes his head laughing.

"Say or I won't stop!"

"I-I am..a..L...Loser!"

He says loudly between his laughs.

"Say Ishita wins!"

"No!"

Ishita tickles him harder.

"Fine! Fine! You're the winner!"

"Great!"

Ishita stops tickling and in a swift moment, she was under him and he above her.

"Now Revenge Time!"

He gives her his famous dimpled grin and starts tickling her.

*****

Raman clears up the mess they created while Ishita washes the plates and cups they used.

After completing everything, they sigh loudly and sit down on the floor.

"When will the storm stop?"

"Maybe by....tomorrow?" Raman answers more like a question.

"Let's do something till then?"

"Okay? Let's play Truth and Dare? Or wait, What about only Truth? We can't play dare right?"

"Okay done? I'll start first." Ishita says raising her one hand before continuing,"Do you..Uh..Like Someone?"

Ishita looks at him with a frown but he looks down and then smiles at her with a pink glow on his cheeks.

"Yes..but she doesn't know about it. I'm not sure if she feels the same way. I've had a crush on her since a long time."

Ishita's heart sinks at his words. Imagining him with someone else makes her heart break into pieces.

"Okay?" Ishita questions.

"Same Question. Do you like someone?"

"Yes. I too have a crush on someone. I'm sure he doesn't feel the same."

His eyes burn all of a sudden.

"Who?"

"Huh?" Ishita asks confused.

"Who's he?"

"Nope. Not gonna tell!"

"Please?"

"I'll tell if you tell." Ishita says with a determined look.

"It's some...someone who is a customer here."

"Oh!"

"Yours?"

"Well.."

"Let me guess. Someone from here? An employee?"

"Yes!"

Raman's heart starts thumping.

"Name?"

"Uh...N..Name..?...S...Sumit!"

Ishita answers quickly and wanted to bang her head on the wall.

"I mean..Yeah..He's like my brother...but I like him not in a sisterly way.."

"Oh." Raman says sadly.

"Do you think the rain might stop tonight? What's the time?"

"It's —uh— 6 PM."

"Oh. The time passes by so fast!" Ishita sighs.

"Yeah with you it looks like the time is running away with the speed of train!" Raman says with a smile.

Few minutes of silence.

His eyes fix on her. She lifts up her gaze and meets his eyes. She moves closer to him making Raman confident enough to pull her even closer.

He looks deep into her eyes. His hands cup her face and hers lock behind his neck. He moves closer and she closes her eyes.

"Open your eyes Ishita. I want your eyes fixed on mine." Raman says huskily.

Ishita opens her eyes and moves closer to him. Their nose touch and they are an inch away from each other.

They move an inch closer.

Their lips finally meet.