Once Upon a Time in London

Chapter 36

Present Time; November 2021

My mother embraces me in her arms and I can smell the familiar floral perfume on her. I smile,
"It's good to see you too ma"

She smiles, Pammi aunty encloses me in a hug right after, "Oh, how we've been waiting for you to move back Anjali" she pouts.

I smile, "Well, I'll be here now, no need for me to go back anymore."

Ma pecks my forehead before bidding me goodnight.

I'm almost inside my room when warm arms embrace me from behind.

"Zain" I giggle as he presses his lips to the crook of my neck.

"Congratulations" he breathes the words against my skin.

I lift my hand and run it through his hair, "Thank you" I beam at him.

"So you are staying in London now right? You better not leave" he mumbles.

"Hopefully but I might have to move if I get a job offer from overseas" I smile.

He pouts, "You just graduated and you want to run away from me again, no, I won't let you" he tightens his grip around my waist and nuzzles his cheek against my neck.

I laugh, "Look at you acting like a baby."

"I don't care what you say, I won't let you leave me behind, I'll come with you if you move overseas" he smiles, my skin tickling where his lips are brushing against it.

"My, my, look at you being so clingy" I laugh at his childish antics.

"Well, what if you find someone else" he whispers.

I turn to look at him, his arms loosen from my waist, "Hey, you know that won't happen right, I like you, a lot" I beam at him.

He stares at me before breaking into a smile.

"Oh, do you?" he leans closer all of a sudden, trapping me between his arms as I instinctively lean against the door to my room.

He smirks down at me and it reminds me of another I knew. It feels as if I can't breathe all of a sudden.

Zain must have seen something has changed, "Anjali, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I smile, I'm just tired from the flight", I bend my head underneath his arm as I turn towards my room.

"Alright" Zain kisses the back of my head, "Just let me know if you need anything."

"I will" I whisper back, "Goodnight"

Sleep does not come easily to me that night, I twist and turn around in bed as my heart thrums with a feeling I thought had left a long while back.

Why now, why did I think of him now when I was starting a whole new part of my life.

I dream of broken memories and familiar dimples that night after falling into a restless sleep.

— — — — — — — —

"I do not like roller coasters" I roll my eyes at Zain as he continues laughing.

"Yeah, you looked like you would pass out, look, my arm is already bruising from where you gripped it that hard" he says, pointing to his right forearm.

I give him a look as I shrug, smiling up at him, "Your fault for dragging me up there knowing I didn't want to go."

He smiles, "Good to know there's something Miss. Anjali is scared of."

I poke my tongue out at him, "There's a lot of things I'm scared of but rest assured that is the only weakness I will show you."

I keep walking, only to realise he stopped a few steps behind me when he speaks again, "Doesn't matter, I'll bare myself out to you" he walks towards me, placing a hand tenderly to my cheek, "And maybe, you can do it too then."