Under the Mistletoe - MaNan

Part 5

Even after coming inside, he didn't let go of my hand.

"I've liked you ever since the beginning of last year, Nandini. Our eye contacts, they weren't random," he confessed.

It would be an understatement to say I felt giddy. There was a rush of hormones surging through each vein in my body; almost to a state of pure ecstasy.

We reached the basement, and I pulled my hand away from his in a jerk as I walked away. I could almost feel him smirking behind me as a small smile erupted on my face.

He grabbed the macaroni pie from Alya's car, and we both headed back upstairs after warming it in the dorm's oven for a bit. We began talking to each other more comfortably in the meanwhile. From complaining about our courses, to our favourite thing to do on campus. I felt interested in every little thing that had to do with him. And by the questions he was asking, it really felt like he was interested in knowing everything about me as well. Or maybe I was just reading too much into everything.

After reaching his room, we all sat down to eat while watching a movie that Dhruv had set up on his laptop. I was seated on a couch beside Manik with Cabir on the other side of me, whereas the others were on Dhruv's bed.

Although the movie we were watching was one of my favourites, I couldn't help but pay more attention to something else, or rather, a specific someone.

My hands were on my side, and slowly but surely, I felt his hand slipping into mine, intertwining his fingers with mine. I turned to look at him, but he seemed to be focusing solely on the movie. I found it hard to avert my gaze from him, but when I finally was able to, I felt his thumb making circles on the top of my hand. It felt oddly comforting to have him by my side, especially considering that I had been imagining such a scenario since so long now.

I leaned further back in the couch, going as close to him as I could without making it too obvious. In response, he turned himself so my back rested on his chest. It felt perfect; almost ethereal to a point.

I didn't need to look at him to feel him smiling into my hair. Placing a kiss there, he hugged me from the sides. And to think today was the first time we actually spoke to one another. It was rather intriguing to feel the tranquility seeping through the air. I suppose this is why we didn't need words to realize the connection between us; our feelings spoke for us. Strings of syllables could not even begin to express what I felt; it was indescribable.