"His world was filled with darkness and demons but from the time you are with him, it is more of rainbows and angels."
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Aahana's heart warmed hearing those three words, so simple yet so deep and meaningful that she couldn't resist snaking her arms around his neck, pulling him for a tight hug.
He tensed but surprisingly, hugged her back.
The unusual glow of the bar bathed them in a soft yellow and red light as they stood there wrapped in each other's arms, their clothes being the only thing separating them.
She could feel the heat of his body radiating against her in waves, overwhelming her senses. She smiled against his neck and placed a light kiss there before pulling away slightly to look at his face.
His eyes were closed as she expected and he was breathing heavily. She rubbed his arm comfortingly and after few minutes he let out a sigh and opened his eyes.
"You okay?"
He nodded, his eyes drifting across the crowd and widening when he saw Jay and Dinesh saunter in their direction.
His grip on her waist tightened subconsciously as he looked at her, panic flashing in his eyes.
"I can't dance."
"Don't worry. I won't let them force you."
He relaxed and realizing how close they were, he took a few steps back and cleared his throat. A light blush crept his neck but thankfully the light was too dim to make it obvious.
"Guys? Why aren't you dancing?" Dinesh asked in bafflement, his body moving side to side to the tune of music.
"Actually," Aahana glanced at Atharva and back at them. "We are leaving."
"What? Already?" Jay whined in protest. "It's just one dance. How can you not take advantage of this sex god?" His eyes traveling down Atharva's body with a dreamy look.
"Shut up Jay and stop calling him that." Aahana glared at him in disapproval.
"Okay fine but at least let's drink and see who wins." Jay was trying to pull his best puppy dog look and if not others, it surely melted Dinesh and he smiled at Jay, pecking his lips.
Aahana wanted to say no to his silly idea but seeing the two of them stare at her with hope shining in their eyes, she just couldn't. "Okay Fine. But not too many because once Jay drinks, he goes bat shit crazy and don't even mention his morning hangovers. They are the worst. You wouldn't want to face that side of him."
Dinesh nodded and shuddered slightly. "Oh, don't remind me."
They sat back and ordered their drinks. It was only a few glasses in the starting but soon turned to countless ones, each going down their throat like water in no time. Even Atharva agreed to be a part of it.
By the time they were done, they had no idea who won. All they knew was they were drunk off their asses and were having a hard time standing on their two legs without kissing the floor as they stumbled out of the bar and onto the warm summer night.
The Moon and gazillions of stars danced in the canvas of the midnight blue sky. It looked beautiful.
Aahana felt her head spin and she held onto Atharva as they waved goodbye to Jay and Dinesh and went their separate ways.
Atharva was extremely careful while driving, going as slow as possible since he didn't want to crash his precious car, plus he couldn't drive fast when Aahana kept making weird noises every now and then, throughout the ride and he was afraid she would throw up.
They finally reached home and helped each other to get into their rooms without passing out already.
Aahana smiled slightly at Atharva as she walked past his door to her room but stilled when his arms cocooned around her in a gentle yet firm grip, keeping her impossibly close to him.
At first, Aahana thought it was the drink in her system that made her go out of her mind and imagine crazy stuff. She blinked rapidly and instantly knew she wasn't dreaming with open eyes.
It was the first time he was holding her, willingly, melting her from the searing warmth of his touch. His head rested in the crook of her neck and she could feel his hot breath ruffle the tiny hair on her nape, rippling tingles down her spine. Slowly and hesitantly, his teeth grazed her soft skin and his tongue danced around, moving higher to her ear and then he bit down on her earlobe. She trembled and closed her eyes, a small noise escaping her parted lips in contentment.
"Stay with me." He whispered, his voice hoarse and faint.
An unknown emotion stirred within her and clogged her throat, and she could barely speak. Nodding in response, she turned around to face him, her arms winding around his neck as she leaned her head against his chest. She swore she could hear the loud thumping & drumming of his heart against his ribcage, just like hers, a poetic rhythm.
Despite their drunkenness, they were conscious as they lay beside each other that night.
"Aahana?"
"Hmm?"
"Happy birthday."
Aahana turned to his side and giggled. "My birthday is over."
"I know but I hadn't wished you. So it wasn't over."
Aahana smiled broadly and scooted closer to him. "Thank you."
Atharva attempted a smile her way but it looked more like a grimace and Aahana couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter.
"Oh my god." She gasped, choking on air. "What was that?"
He glared at her through dazed eyes. "It's called smiling."
"That was a smile?"
"What?" he muttered defiantly. "I always smile at people this way."
"It is so fake," she blurted out and clamped a hand over her mouth, wide-eyed.
He turned away from her, facing the wall. "Shut up, and sleep."
"Okay , sorry. Try again." She moved further closer and pressed herself to his back and stretched the corner of his lips with her fingers gently.
He slapped her hand away and closed his eyes. "Good night."
"Noooo." She whined and flicked his nose. "Come on, smile. For me?"
Atharva groaned and turned towards her. She was almost lying on top of him now, her right leg tangled with his and her raven hair splayed across his clothed chest as she stared at him hopefully through the curtains of her eyelashes.
And then,
He smiled.
It wasn't a full-blown smile, rather just a slight twitch of his lips, faintly noticeable. But she knew it was there and she felt a tug at her heart because he had made an effort for her. It was a small gesture but he was moving on and that was all it took for her to smile back at him.
"Good night, Atharva."
And it wasn't long before they both fell asleep, holding each other, in the arms of a beautiful dream.
