They say that We fall in love three times. The first love, The Intense Love, and The Unconditional Love. My first love happened at the mere age of 15. When I had a crush on this guy in my class. In that moment, I believed he was my true love, and ea...
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We walked in silence, the tension between us palpable yet not uncomfortable. Once we reached the balcony, I gestured towards the seating area and said, "Please, have a seat." He nodded and sat down, his gaze never leaving me. I took a deep breath and joined him, ready to start this unexpected chapter of my life.
"Hii" He greeted me with a smile.
"Hii" I replied, returning the smile.
I cleared my throat, drawing his attention, and introduced myself. "I'm Aakriti Mehra," I said, extending my hand for a handshake. As he accepted it, a shiver ran down my spine—our hands seemed to fit perfectly together.
"Arjun Malhotra," he replied with a broad smile.
Nervousness crept in, and I found myself fidgeting with my dupatta—a habit I fall into when anxious. If not for the dupatta, I'd be twiddling my fingers. I noticed Arjun tapping his foot on the floor, seemingly as nervous as I was. His eyes darted around the balcony, taking in the surroundings.
The silence between us stretched on, a bit unyielding, with each second feeling like it spanned an eternity. My thoughts churned in the quiet, until finally, he cleared his throat, breaking the tension between us and allowing me to release a breath quietly I hadn't realized I was holding till now.
"I wonder if it is our first time meeting someone with marriage in mind."
His voice flowed with an effortless serenity, as if resembling the lingering sunset touching the horizon.
"Yes, this is my first time indeed," I replied. Surprisingly, my voice came out composed, which I'm glad it did, although my eyes are still admiring the floor beneath.
"It's my first time too, though I've been on dates before," he remarked, and I breathed out a small "okay" to which he responded back with a gentle nod when I glanced back up, finally meeting his chocolate-brown orbs, a gentle warmth dancing within them.
In that brief moment, silence enveloped us, so profound that we could hear the gentle rhythm of each other's breath, the environs humming with a quiet peace. His smile is so addictive. After seeing him smile, I don't know when my lips curve into a smile.
I raised my hand, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear as it fell across my face.
"Don't it get troublesome to manage all three formats of teams on your own?'' He had a frown on his face, and I needed to immediately shake my head as an indication to him that he got it wrong.
It made me feel at ease realizing how good he is at holding onto a conversation, he started off where things were again beginning to get awkward for me.
"Umm... No, I think there's a mix-up. I only manage ODI and Test cricket. I was in charge of managing T20s until the 2022 World Cup,''
He nodded, his lips forming a slight 'o' as he kept listening to me.
