Running down my throat, the liquid was bitter. Its sharp tang stung my throat and I almost spit it out again.

"Gah!" my voice was unusually high pitched and I glanced around embarrassed but no one had noticed. The room was dim, smelled strongly of alcohol and a mass of sweaty bodies were pushing their way through. Why was I in this 'den' in the first place?

Vir chuckled, "That is what curiosity does to the cat."

"I just wanted to know what it tastes like..." I looked up at him, flushed with embarrassment.

"Sure, now you  know!" He shrugged and laughed again.

"How can you drink something like that?"

"It is a process Kathy, At first you have to tell yourself that you like it and eventually you start enjoying it. The feeling of happiness... no thoughts.. like a flightless bird...", the drink was already taking its effect given he was one philosophical drunk.

"Sure", I gave him a sour look and looked around, " this party is boring."

"What did you expect? Blue fantasy?" Another chuckle, " as much as I am willing to let you experiment, drugs isn't an item on my to-do list".

" That is not what I mean."

Soon the music started, metal and rock, crazy blue lights lighting up the horizon. Vir's unreasonable laughter was inaudible and I found myself sitting there vacantly, thinking of a different evening. The feel of cool sand under my toe, my cotton dress fluttering in the air, the soft call of a voice, his voice and the lazy note of a guitar drifting in the air. It was just a figment of my imagination but the more I thought about it, the less I desired to be here on a seat listening to some international DJ.

I glanced at Vir but his gaze was already waning, fixed with a vacant expression on someone behind me. I turned around. There stood Hiya, alone. Hair thrown loose and hands in the air, moving to the rhythm of the music. She was so unlike the goodie-two-shoes president we always saw.

"You should go to her." I found myself saying.

"What?" His gaze snapped back to me instantly.

"Hiya, go to her." And then i was pulling him out of the chair and pushing him towards her.

"What about you? I don't want you to be alone." He said but his gaze was fixed on her.

"It's okay. I am leaving anyways." Within seconds I was up and gone.

I did turn around once. Vir stood next to Hiya, his hands nervously messing his hair as he tried to talk to her. I felt a cynical smile creep up as I traversed the beach. Why was there a twitch in my heart, a feeling mixed with a bit of sadness... but it was nothing intense, so who cares

The beach was,thankfully, silent. All the party goers had decided to concentrate in the concert while the vast expanse of beach was left to the vacant murmur of the rushing waters. The cool sand under my feet, my batman PJs which definitely did not flutter in the night breeze... and a soft voice... His voice .. wait, what?

"It was so nice to be here sister." He was saying.  His back was towards me but I could see his broad shoulders, the raven hair which were now almost reaching his shoulder and a leather jacket clading his lean form. Yes, it was definitely him.

"You can come back any time you want,child. It has been so long since we last saw you. We all miss you, I miss you." A lady standing infront of him was saying. She was short, stout, her hair was covered in a white cloth and around her neck was a cross. She was a nun.

" You have been really sweet to me, sister. I will be back tomorrow. Good night." He bows deeply in reverence and turns. Our gaze meets and Ved freezes. Behind him stood a small church leading to which are 50 stairs guarded by a bougainvillea covered gate.

My eyes flicker from him to the board put up against the gate- ST. MARY'S CHURCH AND ORPHANAGE.

He starts moving again, faster and I try to keep up with him, which was a very hard task.

"What were you doing there?" I finally ask.

"What do people usually do in church, Kathy?" His voice is strained.

"Umm..." I glance up at him innocently, " Pray?"

"Bingo! Right answer. I am surprised at your intelligence." His blue gaze finally fix on me and I flinch. They contain anger, defiance and something else which I can't quite place.

"Well", I persist in a small voice, "you two sounded like you know each other."

He shrugged, "You read too much into gestures."

The fire in his eyes is subdued now and I watch him grow amused with every ticking second. 

"What?!" I snap, irritated.

"Your hair- they look like a crazy nest right now.Did you comb them before leaving your room?"

"Ah", I run a hand through my hair as I replay the sequence of sneaking out with Vir, never did the thought of checking my appearance enter the realm of my conscious memory.

He chuckled, " It is okay. You look very cute like this."

I felt my face heat up. Was I blushing? Oh my, did I actually had the capacity to blush? I looked at him again.

He was studying me and then he suddenly blushed, as if only just realizing what he had said.

"It is hot", he said fanning his shirt and I could not agree more, although I was sure moments ago the air has felt pleasant.

"Yes. Let us have ice cream?" I suggested eyeing a stall in the distance.

"I am surprised that they have stalls opened up this late." He looked at his watch, it was 1 in the morning.

It was quite late and I would have never been out this late in my own city but here i was, sitting on a bench, eating ice cream with a boy I factually knew nothing about.

"Butter scotch", I hummed in approval, " how did you know it was my favorite."

"Well", he paused, "it is my favorite so.." he trailed off, glancing at me.

"Right", i nodded staring at his Chocolate cornetto before meeting his eyes.

It felt like those blues were mocking me, enjoying a secret joke and I found myself thinking about the one time I had decided to empty Dave's refrigerator of all the Butter scotch ice cream and had instead ended up having at all over my face and hands. Dave and Vir had had a good laugh at my expense but surely Ved won't know about it, would he?

"You are very unusual, Ved" I found myself saying before I could stop mself and then I stammered, " I_I m_mean in a good way."

"Vedant."

"What?"

"My official name is Vedant. Teachers call me Ved ... maybe because it is just convenient." He shrugged.

"I never knew.. I just presumed.."

"Maybe there are a lot of thing you don't know about me", he caught my gaze and i could not look away. The aquamarine seemed dark and restless as the ocean it reflected and I was hopelessly captivated.

"Such as?"

"Such as..." he cleared his throat, " i am sorry for today."

"I should be sorry for almost hitting you on the head. Why are you sorry?"

His gaze hardened and somehow, i just knew that he had read my eyes today on the knoll, he knew of the directionless storm which brew in me.

"You must understand Kathy that feelings are like mirrors, a mere reflection of the source. A mirror might even mistake itself for the source but acting on these feelings is dangerous, very dangerous."

I stared at him wide eyed, wondering if even he was a philosophical drunk like Vir.

His sudden laugh startled me.

"I was trying to act really deep and mysterious here, tell me it worked."

"Not really, I just thought you were drunk."

He chuckled, "Everything is so straightforward in your life. Come on then; let us get back to the hotel."

"Hey hey hey!" But i was stopping him, " look! there is a shooting star. Would you make a wish?"

"No. This is so cheesy, absolutely not!" He sounded resolute.

"Oh come on", I whined, "just one wish, be a sport!"

He mock glared at me before proclaiming, "Fine. I wish for rains."

"Rains?" I raise a skeptic eyebrow.

"Yes Rains up on the 60th floor where lightening plays ballet. Now let's go back to the hotel. " He holds my hand and starts walking again.

However his words triggered a memory. Cold drops and warm arms around me and a soft voice in my ear. The haunting in the rain...

Could it be him? Was he the one whose warmth engulfed me that memorable day?

He turns to look at me again. A dark silhouette against the bright beach lights and somehow I find myself blushing at the thought of his arms encircling my waist, his voice murmuring in my ear......

What on Earth is wrong with me?!

A/U- I have updated..finally! I hope the next chapter will come up soon (hides face behind the curtain). To all those people who are reading this chapter, thank you for following this story's journey, you all are wonderful and down right lovely. May you all never run out of ice cream and chocolate supplies.. I am very sorry for the delay... enjoy!