Tales Of The Heart

Rain

He jogged through the green surface, searching for common escape in this rainy climate as his car retired itself from serving its owner. It was pretty hard to find a mechanic around 12:30 especially at Dhanbad.

His friend, Riddhima—he admire her secretly but was afraid of emptying his heart around her as the fear of receiving rejection and ending up of little friendship kept haunting his soul— accompanied him in the journey.

His eyes, burning from dust irritation, scanned the roads before him and then upward at the atmosphere when as predicted previously, the rain started moistening their skin.

Finding no other means of transportation, they decided to return back inside the car itself.

Riddhima palmed her hands together, shutting the door and caught a quick glance of him. He could trace something uncomfortable in her eyes.

"Kapoor, are you alright?"

She pressed her lips together in a tight smile, "It's nothing to be worried of. I'm just wondering if we could reach home before the climate gets worse, It's already mid—"

"Hope for the best," he interrupted with a sigh. "You're safe with me."

Her eyes twinkled as her lips broke out in the most breathtaking smile he had ever seen. "I know."

Grinning he looked outside through the windows, hiding his blushing face which was absolutely difficult for her to recognise in the darkness but as they say; precautions is better than cure.

The loud roar of the sky compelled him to drew his attention out from his imaginations to the present environment itself. The thunder sounded so violently that it seemed as though the sky itself was being ripped apart or their had been a war among good and evils in the heavens. Vansh knew it was nothing to be afraid of, safe as they were under the car, but he still couldn't help thinking bitterly that Indians downpours had never been quite this raucous. 

Next to him, Riddhima shuddered, pulling her jacket even tighter around her. She shifted near him more, uncomfortably, he noticed.

Fortunate to them, they were covered inside, the rain would have managed nevertheless to soak their clothes since the wind picked up in their direction. 

The thunder sounded again, twice as loud as it had been before, that same awful tearing feeling. 

Riddhima jumped and held swiftly to Vansh's arm. 

"All right, Ms Kapoor?" Worried Vansh called over the noise of the rain.

She didn't respond. She looked quite pale. Raindrops ran down her face like tears. Vansh wanted to give her a warm blanket or something nice to drink or a fire to seek relief by, but he had none of that. He could barely even speak words of encouragement, knowing that they'd be lost to the storm. 

Vansh reached his arms around Riddhima, who accepted the invitation to slide closer. Riddhima completed the embrace so that they were locked in a perpetual hold of each other. 

Vansh would've worried about etiquette had their circumstances not been so dismal. If it was a sunny day or a clear night, certainly, this would be out of the question. But here, now, he seemed to be doing some good, so he resolved not to overthink. 

Riddhima began to say something. Vansh couldn't hear all of it, but he recognised the words "…good friend…some comfort to me…cruel night."

"You ain't deserving of nothing so cruel," Vansh told her, referring to the relentless rain, but also many other facets of their situation as well. 

Thunder thrashed in the sky once more and Riddhima shifted in his hold. She talked again, but this time Vansh couldn’t get a word of it. 

"A bit closer or a bit louder, please, my dear?" 

Riddhima put her head on his shoulder, and speaking near to his ear, said, "Every time I hear that wretched thunder, I start to think it’s something else. Something…dark."

He watched her thoroughly under the darkness.

"You must think me weak," Riddhima continued. "A scared child."

"Never!" Vansh insisted. "You've enough horror to contend with, and this weather sure ain't helping, I'm afraid too, miss. This place, these times, you're so courageous even to be here at all."

"I could say the same for you, Vansh," Riddhima said. Vansh was glad it was too cold and too dark for his blush to become obvious.  

There was another crash above them. Riddhima quickly shut her eyes before the subsequent flash of lightning showed itself. 

Vansh covered her back of the head with his hand and stroked the side of her forehead with his thumb. Riddhima put her hand over his, keeping it there. 

"All right for me to do that?" Vansh asked, before realising it was ridiculous to ask when both of Riddhima's ears were muffled, one by Vansh's hand and the other by his shoulder. 

"Thank you," said Riddhima, separately. Vansh smiled to see her smile.

The storm continued for the rest of the night. Riddhima seemed to relax just slightly, especially once Vansh began to press reassuring kisses to the top of her head every time the thunder sounded.

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The End...