"I thought you hated hugs" , I voiced out as he wrapped his arms ever so gently around me.
"I still do, but hugs from you are an exception", he pulled me closer, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Intrigued, I slightly tilted my head...
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If there was one thing Prisha had learned lately, it was that heartbreak made you creative. Possibly a little unhinged too—but creative nonetheless.
She stared at the rose on her dressing table—the same one she had delivered to Veer yesterday but had been rejected. He hadn't taken it, but he hadn't crushed it either. That had to mean something, right?
She kept telling herself it did. That somewhere beneath all that broody silence and veiled anger, Veer still cared. Sahil had called the night before, his voice low and cautious. "He seemed pissed... but not done. You might still have a shot—just gotta play this right."
Right. As if there was a manual for winning back the man whose heart you'd once held and then stomped all over with your own fear.
So here Prisha was, sitting cross-legged on her bed, a teddy bear in her lap, an almost finished glue stick in hand, trying to stick a red felt heart to its paw like she was some love-struck third grader crafting a Valentine. The stuffed toy stared up at her with glassy, innocent eyes, blissfully unaware it was about to become a pawn in Operation: Win Veer Back. The bear looked as ridiculous as Prisha felt.
"Kabir!" she called out, waving the glue like a torch. "Glue's dried out. Toss me the new one? It's in the drawer beside you."
Kabir sat on the bean bag near her desk, unboxing his precious new Hot Wheels—two cars she had practically bribed him with yesterday. The boy's enthusiasm was boundless as he tore into the package with wide-eyed glee.
"Busy," he muttered, his attention fully on the car. "This one has flames on the side. Limited edition, do you even know how rare this is?"
"Glue, Kabir. I'm emotionally invested in this bear right now."
With an exaggerated sigh, Kabir tossed the tube at her like he was doing her the biggest favor in the world. "I still think this teddy idea is as ridiculous as your idea of sticking post-its all over his office cabin."
"You said the same about the rose."
"And I was right. Didn't work, did it?"
Prisha ignored him, pressing the heart against the bear's stitched paw with determination.
