Judaiyaan [ON HOLD]

La La Land

Mahika opened her eyes suddenly as she felt her face was touched by the sunlight. Half conscious, she looked around her only to find Ruhani sleeping like Cinderella beside her. She had not recovered from her beautiful dream, where they all were still on the ship ready to dock in the Bahamas, because she felt warmth enveloped her heart and mind. But when she saw Darshan’s naked back and wide stretches of shoreline, she realized that she was just coming back from her La–la Land. She could only accept it without having a single opportunity to protest. She was human, after all. The doll of life.

She decided to leave Ruhani alone and came to Darshan. She knew it was him. He had become too familiar for her that she could recognize him just by the way he stood. Straight, with both hands shoved deep in his pockets.

“Good morning,” She said.

Her gentle voice caressed his ear tenderly, making Darshan gasp for a second. As soon as he realized the hands that were wrapping his waist were Mahika’s, he smiled. “A bit too early to wake up, princess. The sun has risen so high.”

Mahika giggled while giving a couple of kisses on Darshan’s back. “You didn’t mean to tease me with this, did you?”

“I didn’t. But if you think I did, then that would be my answer too.” Darshan took Mahika's hands from his waist and looked at her intensely. Miraculously, he felt safe in her eyes. The anxiety he had just faded away. For this reason too, he let himself drown in the deepest sea of soothing love.

“Hmm? Looks like you'll be very affectionate towards me today.” Mahika smiled mischievously while Darshan chuckled, showing off his white teeth. He immediately pulled his head away when Mahika leaned closer to him. She frowned and pouted as soon as he looked back at her.

“Not for public consumption,” Darshan said while putting a strand of hair behind her ear.

“What do you mean by public? There is literally nothing and no one here.”

Darshan pointed at the tent with his chin. “Your fellow lion friend is sleeping there and Samar could come anytime.”

“Don’t mind her, she’s sleeping. And Samar— oh, where is he?” Mahika turned and looked around. She had not seen him since she opened her eyes this morning. She went straight to the shirtless Darshan without thinking about her other friend. She thought she would be damned if the Major somehow disappeared because who would lead them in this La-la Land if it was not him?

Thankfully, Darshan gave her the opposite answer. “He took a walk around, trying to map this area. He said we should know the terrain before going into the real fight.”

The answer made Mahika raise her eyebrows. “Then why aren’t you joining him?”

“He told me to stay here to look after you ladies. He can get rid of anything that jumps on him but would never forgive himself if anything happens to you and his Ruhi. Look, he even left his gun to me.” Darshan looked down to his jacket lying on the ground which Mahika followed. The handgun was hidden safely in there.

“Do you know how to use it?” Mahika asked as she looked back at her man. Darshan just shrugged his shoulders.

“Just point at the enemy, pull the trigger and then bang bang, they die.” He said with his signature laugh: a typical man baritone voice. “Samar and I are practically the same. The difference is he did that in real combat, I did it in my movies.”

Mahika shook her head, could not hold herself not to laugh. For the first time in a few days her heart was delighted. Just by looking at the eyes of the man before her, she could forget what brought her here. She got those feelings back where there was no space for anything other than love. For that reason, she unexpectedly hugged him tightly. She felt more safe in his arms.