Lost | ✓

Chapter 28. Kiss

🎶 Bolna

Published on 27.07.2022

| AUTHOR'S POV |

"So you want to tell me that your brother booked bus tickets? Being a billionaire and having a reputation and all, he would like to travel in bus?" Inaaya questions, amusement dripping in her tone as they got seated towards the back of the air-conditioned bus which was taking them to Tarkarli.

"Ahh yes," Ayansh pauses when Inaaya raises an eyebrow at him. "No- I mean no, I mean- I mean Sarya- ," he snaps his fingers, "Sarya, yeah. She's the one who loves to travel in buses and trains. She likes to lead a low-key, normal life like most people rather than being constantly associated with the advantages that come with belonging to the privileged higher section of the society. She- ," he halts, gulping inaudibly when he finds her staring with a bored look. "Do I even make sense?" He mumbles.

Inaaya's face splits into a small smile and she shakes her head, turning her face and looking outside through the window, gazing at the lonely night sky. It was a long journey of almost eleven hours. They would reach the place around 10 am in the morning. She lied to her brother, told him that she was going with her friends, Alisha and Nikita. Her friends knew the truth though. Her brother knows Ayansh, trusts him as well but not well enough to let his only sister go all alone for a weekend with him under the pretext of friends. Her mother would've agreed if she had asked her, she's cool that way. And her father, she doesn't want to do anything with him so his opinion doesn't matter.

But she doesn't regret any of it. She doesn't regret for lying to her family, there's no guilt she feels for hiding things, for doing what makes her happy, for choosing hope over every other fear.

"I know I'm a little dumb and stupid but not as much as you think." She speaks, a playful smile etched on her face, her fingers drawing random patterns on the glass window. She knew Ayansh was lying, she knew it the moment he mentioned scuba diving. She did believe in coincidences but she knew where they ended. Ayansh watches her from the corner of his eyes, confused. Her side profile illuminated by the neon blue lights in the bus casting a soft glow, making her look enticing . His fingers itched to brush away a lone strand of hair framing her face and tickling her skin. "I know you read my wishlist when you found my notepad that day."

Ayansh stills, and when she turns her face to look at him, he averts his attention to his clasped hands. He can feel her gaze on him and it's unsettling.

"Is that the reason you agreed to teach me how to ride a bike?"

The somber tone of her voice, laced with vulnerability and doubt forces him to look up at her. It might be a simple question with an answer 'yes' or 'no' which shouldn't make much of a difference but he knows it's not. So much relies on his reply. He understands because he relates to her. She doesn't want to feel as if he was simply granting her a wish, taking some pity on her. She doesn't want to know that he did that only with the sole intention of fulfilling her wish. That would make all the time spent together irrelevant, all the moments made together insignificant. Did he read her wishlist? Yes. Did he agree because of it? Probably yes. But what if he hadn't read the wishlist?

Ayansh's fingers move on its own accord, tucking the stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I would've agreed irrespective of me reading your wishlist."

Inaaya blinks. The sentence of a few words were enough to cause a tumultuous wave of emotions rattling her insides, replacing every doubt and fear. She turns her head towards the window again, unable to look into his eyes anymore. His answer is a huge relief. At this point, every word, every gesture, every action of his just strengthens her belief. She doesn't know when she came this far but she hopes she isn't signing up for a heartbreak. Because God help her she's way too deep and has no idea when did that happen.