Arylie FF: I'm Happy Here With You

twenty three ~ castles & dreams

and the rains came down

and the stars fell from the sky

it always seems those castles and dreams

fade with the morning light

... ... ...

Aryan must have moved faster than he could think, on instinct because he slid across the treehouse and was just in time to grab her hand. She had managed to hold onto the edge but her hand was slipping on the very second when he held her wrist, then pulled her up to hold her more securely.

"Imlie! You are okay, you are okay!"

"I'm okay but not for long!"

"I've got you, let me pull you up."

But it was easier said than done. He practically had no leverage and was only holding her one hand that too was slipping. Her palms were sweaty and she was wincing, feeling lightheaded from both the incident and the strain of hanging like that. He looked around, trying to find anything that could help him get her back up to the treehouse without having to leave her hand. But there was nothing, and nothing to even give his feet the necessary support to stay in place. He could feel that he himself was slipping slowly with the force of her weight and gravity. He was already lying as flat as possible on the wooden floor, he could feel the uneven edge of the broken treehouse and the nails that failed to hold the railing cutting into the skin of his arms.

"ABP, I'm scared," she said in a small voice. He felt like being punched in the guts. He knew very well how hard it was for her to admit this. Like him, she also presented a brave front all the time.

"No, Im. Don't be scared. I'm right here. I won't let you fall, listen I'm going to pull you up as much as I can. Try to grab my shoulder with your other hand, okay?"

"My hand will dislocate if you pull me like that!" Imlie protested.

"I'll be careful and we don't have much of a choice either darling, please. We are running out of time. We have to try. Ready?"

She let out an almost quiet hum of yes and he pulled her by the hand, using as much force as he dared. She flailed her other hand, trying to hold onto him. It took a few tries but she finally managed, her nails digging into his shoulder.

Once she could hold onto his shoulder properly, she used that as a leverage to hoist herself up further, following his directions.

"That's it darling, you are doing it," he encouraged as he managed to slip a hand under her arms, keeping the hold on her other hand tight and secure. "Now carefully hold my other shoulder with your other hand."

"But then I have to leave your hand?" Imlie asked, worried. "I'll fall the moment I do that. I can't keep the balance of my weight only on your shoulders, ABP! If you miss, I'll go down."

"I won't let anything happen to you. Trust me. I got you," he reassured, desperately wanting to hold her back in his arms, wipe the tears that he knew was flowing but couldn't quite see from this angle. "Ready, Imlie? On three okay? One, two, three!"

"Jai sita Maiyaa ki!" she exclaimed as she let go of his hand and quickly grabbed his other shoulder too. Now she was hanging with both her hands grasping his shoulders, she felt like she was floating, completely on the mercy of the air. He moved faster than she had anticipated though and in one microsecond he had placed both his hands under her arms, holding her up like one would pick up a child. But she knew he wouldn't be able to hold the position for long. She'll slip again.