Just Wanna Be With You

Chapter 17 - I Love You Back

This one’s dedicated to Ruchita for being just you and always being so honest. This chapter is all the more better because of your insights. Love you girl.

-Shruts

Chapter 17: I LOVE YOU BACK

 

This was love at first sight, love everlasting: a feeling unknown, unhoped for, unexpected--in so far as it could be a matter of conscious awareness; it took entire possession of him, and he understood, with joyous amazement, that this was for life. ~ Thomas Mann

 

***

She knocked the door anxiously. She was wearing a black tank-top and a beige knee-length trouser. She had a black unchained jacket on. She was tapping her foot impatiently. The door was opened by a guy in a white vest and a black trouser. He was very sleepy. He hardly could stand straight. He looked up at her and he was surprised. He ushered her in and excused himself for a minute and came back after washing his face.

***

AHAAN’S POV:

What was she doing here? What had happened? I went out and she looked cross. I went over to her and held her by the hand. She jerked it off and looked at me irritably.

“How can you sleep so peacefully? I have been tossing like crazy just cursing myself. And you are sleeping here.”

“What happened?” I asked. She was acting so bewildered. She wasn’t angry because she wasn’t shouting. Normally if she were angry she raised her voice but today it was different. She was very soft but very annoyed.

“What happened? Ughh! You say, I love you to me and when I don’t say anything back you don’t feel anything at all and then just fall asleep. I have wanted to say it for ages and then you just had to say it then. And she had to fall then too and then I couldn’t say it, when I wanted to so badly. I have been thinking about it all this while and you were sleeping.”

I couldn’t let her talk anymore. I went over and grabbed her. I had to kiss her. She melted under my touch. And here I was thinking she didn’t love me. She had to fight with me over this too. She really was unique. I couldn’t let go of her. I kissed her now more passionately than I ever had. She finally pushed me a little and then hugged me.

“I love you too.” She said softly.

I kissed the top of her head and said, “I love you more. I thought you didn’t feel the same way yet. And I did feel bad. Had been feeling bad all the way back. You said it now. Don’t beat yourself about it. I guess it was worth making me wait for.” She just smiled.

She didn’t let go of me. I led her to the couch.

“I am sorry I didn’t say it sooner. I thought of calling you but it just didn’t feel right.”

“It’s ok Kavya.” I said. I was holding her in my arms now. She was so warm. I could stay like this forever.

I had this lingering doubt since the afternoon which I had to ask. “Why did you ask about Isha today?”

“I just wanted to know what happened. I pretty much ignored you throughout after our subjects changed and our different schedules did help. But I remember seeing you once with her. I was walking back home and I saw you guys in the parking and I knew you liked her. It was visible. So I wondered what went wrong.”

“Actually when I started dating her everything was working out fine. It was more than a year before I noticed we both had changed completely. And then we were just dragging it along till college got over. The first thing she did the day we left was break up with me. I was happy too. But I guess she thinks she got the upper hand. I never really cared. I left in a month’s time after graduation and came back just this year. She met me at the re-union too,” he replied.

“So what did you say?” Kavya asked.

“Nothing, I was busy looking for you,” I said. She smiled again.

“Really?”She asked innocently.

“I was. You looked so sexy in that maroon top; I couldn’t keep my eyes off you.”

“You remember what I wore? Too much.” She said smiling. She looked so happy.

“I remember everything about that night. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you.”

She wasn’t looking at me anymore. She snuggled into me. I lifted her face with my finger and realised that she was resisting.

“Kavya?”

She carefully opened her eyes. She looked into my eyes and looked away. What was happening? Why was she acting like this? I kept looking at her.

“Stop looking at me like that. My stomach is doing somersaults now. I already am the darkest shade of red and my heart can’t seem to stop beating,” she said softly.

I still kept gazing at her. She was amazing. I turned her face towards me and kissed her.

As we broke apart, she grinned and said,” And now you take my breath away.”

I had to kiss her again. She was so sincere and beautiful. She snuggled into my chest. I whispered into her ear,” You can hear my heart too, right?”

She nodded.

“Pounding,” I said.

She went red. I traced my finger on her cheeks.

“Thanks for coming into my life, “she whispered

“You too, love,” I replied.

We kept talking for a while before she fell asleep in my arms. She looked even more adorable now. I held her tight. I so wasn’t letting her go.