Tera Mera Pyaar

| Chura Lia |

Le liya dil,hai mera dil

hai dil le kar mujhko na behlana..

Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko..

*Continued from last chapter*

As birds chirped in the distance and the sun rose on the horizon, Meerab and Murtasim stood staring at each other, lost in each other's eyes, navigating a sea of emotions behind those shimmering orbs.

A gentle breeze blew causing a strand of her hair to fly across her face. As she blinked, Murtasim reached up and with the gentlest touch, removed the stray strand from her face. The tips of his fingers glided across her skin with a featherlight touch as he tucked the strand behind her ear, never breaking eye contact as they continued to get lost in each other's eyes.

Then, as if it had a mind of its own, his hand curled and his knuckles softly caressed her cheek, feeling the soft, supple and snowy skin beneath his artistic fingers before he cupped her face and leaned further. Their noses brushed again, time seemed to have stopped and the world around them seemed to have faded, leaving just the two of them.

Their heads tilted and breaths mingled as they leaned in further. Meerab's heart sped up and with every breath she took, it seemed to beat faster and faster and she was convinced that he could hear it beating inside her chest just like she could hear it drumming inside her ears.

The birds in the distance provided a beautiful sound, a nature's orchestra that felt like the perfect background sound for this moment.

Lost in the moment and enchanted by each other, neither of them realised when Murtasim's free hand had curled around her waist and pressed her closer to him as their foreheads touched. His hot breath fell on her cheek and she closed her eyes, unable to move, unable to think.

What is happening? What am I doing? What are we doing? I have known this man for all of two days, i barely know anything about him. And yet here I am, alone on a hill with him. Again. And I'm about to have my first kiss. The realisation dawned upon her suddenly as her hand rested on his chest, feeling the gentle thud of his heart underneath.

I'm about to have my first kiss...the thought made her gasp. It was short and barely audible, one that made Murtasim swallow a groan as he rubbed his nose against hers and whisper her name, "Meerab..."

"Mair..." she whispered back, feeling her heartbeat go feral with each breath.

Why does this feel so right?

Murtasim's breath, however, hitched as the name left her lips. His eyes remained closed, foreheads and noses remained touching but his breath had now caught in his throat as he suddenly remembered the lie he had told her upon hearing his fake name.

They barely knew each other, and whatever he'd told her about himself had so far been a lie. His name was not Mair and he certainly was not a stable boy at the palace. He was Murtasim Khan, the soon-to-be Nawab of Roshan Nagar with a passion for art but that was exactly the part of his life that he was afraid to reveal. The harsh opinions, the untrue allegations, all of it came crashing down on him, settling like a weight on his heart.

"Meerab I..." he gulped the truth stuck at the tip of his tongue, waiting to be told yet it never came out, even when he told himself he should just drop the act and tell her everything. Then she could decided for herself if she wanted him in her life or not. That should be her decision, a mutual decision, not one sided on his part. But it never happened. The words remained stuck in his throat. And just then, the loud chime of the clock tower rang through the air, abruptly shattering yet another  moment.