Meet me on the roof

CHAPTER 3 - FIRST KISS

AKRITI

AGE: 15

Sahil's soft cries fill the roof. The evening blueish orange sky above us gives me a soothing sense of comfort. His guitar is on the shared edge of our houses. His hands caressing the ribbon that ties my pony, he buries his face more into my chest which by the way has been swollen since I hit puberty at 12, on the contrary he hit adolescence at the age of 13.

He was there when I got my first period. And he has always been there every month. Massaging my tummy, caressing my hair or singing me songs.

We have always been inseparable and from last few years, there have been a lot of changes, we look at each other differently. Our bodies changed, his voice deeper and his height almost half a foot taller than me. He has been getting facial hair but he shaves it away, saying that he doesn't wanna get old yet.

Lier.

I like his facial hair. He looks mature.

I know he is just saying so to keep his sister happy without her having to worry about him being involved with some bimbo. He is pretty and every girl in our class knows it. Many of my friends basically envy us. And most of the time that hurts but Sahil never made me feel that whatever rude that comes out of their mouth is true.

"I don't want to pursue science, I didn't score well in it in 10th grade either. I don't understand what the fuck his problem is."

By 'his' he means his father. Sahil's father is downright the most arrogant man I have ever seen in my life. He doesn't care what his son loves or where he goes. Nothing.

Now, suddenly he enrolled Sahil in the science stream, forcefully. His sister is studying at AIMMS Delhi. She cracked NEET in the first attempt with flying colors.

He expects Sahil to pursue engineering just because he is an intelligent boy. Sahil wants to pursue a music career. He prays on his guitar and treats it like his baby. He sings the songs that I write for him so beautifully that I lose myself in the melodies.

My hand walks into his hair and massage his head adorned with black lush locks of hair, very smooth. Exactly like his music. He sobs more and I feel the wetness of his tears through my blouse on my skin. My hand moves up and down his back in circles to calm him.

"Shh, Bunny, it's okay. I will help you. I will be with you every single time. I am choosing non-medical too. You are gonna be fine. I promise. Okay?"

He just nods his hair and still shudders. My heart aches to see him cry.

My brother chose non medical too and is in NDA. His dream. I dream to be like him. He is the best brother in the whole wide world.

"Come on now look at me and smile." I grab Bunny's cheeks and pull his face so that he can look at me. He pouts and looks so cute. A perfect face with plump lips. Lately, I have been dreaming about his lips a lot. More than a best friend should.

"Smile," I say and smile at him so that he can mimic the smile like people do to a baby.

I wipe his tears with my thumb and smile at him. "Come on, smile."

Then he does smile, a huge happy smile. "You look cute." He says to me and kisses my cheek.

I giggle and feel tickles in my tummy. They come every time he does that. Now it's more than ever.

I screech as he kisses me more and I try to push his head away.

"Stop" I laugh and he moves back to join our foreheads, I scrunch my nose at him and grin wider. He keeps looking into my eyes and something shifts. The surroundings feel more electric and I am hyper-aware about the way we are too close.

Our breaths mingle and our eyes shut. This is too much to bear. His sharp woody smell fills every cell of my body

My thumbs caress his cheek ever so slightly and he pulls us closer, my hands move back and encircle his neck and I practically sit on his lap. His hands enclose my waist and my heart turns beats faster and faster. My eyes snap open.

I want to push him but pull him and smash my lips against him at the same time.

His eyes bore into mine, his forehead feels feverish lying over mine. His lips inhale and exhale more frantically, they move closer to mine and I close my eyes waiting for them to do their magic.

A magic we have no idea about where it will lead us.

Ever so slowly, his nose collides with mine and I inhale, filling myself with him and only him. His lips move closer and mine do too.

What will happen to our friendship if we did this? The question rests in the back of my mind.

The sun is practically drowning behind us and so are we into each other. I could tell.

Then his lips brush mine and my heart skips a million beats. One small brush of lips. A promise of forever. Then he smashes his lips with mine and I gasp. I calm my racing heart and kiss him with equal strength, pouring in every ounce of love I have for him. I kiss him for the very first time and my heart almost bursts into a thousand fireworks.

His lips caress mine with a softness as quiet as my soft toys and a feeling of care that he provides with his sunshine demanor. My Bunny. We have always belonged to each other.

With one last stroke of his delicate lips along mine, he pulls back and I just sit there in his lap, with my arms around his neck. My eyes look into his and I smile so wide that my cheeks almost hurt. He smiles back at me and buries his face in my cheeks that are hot as a potato matching the colour of his beetroot hued ears.

"God, I love you, my Aki." He murmurs against my cheek and plants a lot of kisses there.

"I love you too, Bunny. So much. Now more than ever."

"We kissed." I choke out fearing that this might be the moment where he will break my heart saying this was a mistake.

"We did and I plan on doing this forever and ever." He says and I hug him so tight that tears flow down my eyes and land on his shoulder.

"Are you crying, baby?"

"I am sorry but I love you so much that my heart is filled to the brim. These are happy tears, silly."

"Stop making me blush." He says and hides his face in the crook of my neck. He places a featherlight kiss there yet it still manages to send shivers down my spine.

I chuckle at his antics.

He chuckles back too and I feel everything. The twilight sky and faint noises of aarti from a temple nearby, his breathing and fast beating hearts in our chest. His love feels stronger than anyone's I have ever received before.

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WORD COUNT - 1205