SERENDIPITOUS|✓

Chapter 28

'Love is not easy, it's complicated' - with those words the movie ended bringing everyone back to reality, credits rolling on the now black screen.

"But love is so simple,"

The murmur came from beside Radha, too low to be heard by someone who wasn't paying attention, but Radha was, she always did. So stunned, she immediately turned to the source.

"What?" she asked into the dim room, her gaze settled on Krishn beside whom Mahi was sleeping with her head on his shoulder.

Radha chose to ignore that sight for the time being.

All three of them were settled in the living room since the evening. Both, Mr and Mrs Yadav were gone to attend the much-awaited wedding of their relatives while the three of them had decided to stay home and watch a movie, well Mahi had decided and Krishn had just agreed to it, and following the suit, so had Radha.

Krishn had settled first, on the centre couch, saving the seat beside him for Radha. However, before Radha could even take a single step towards him, Mahi's gaze landed on the empty seat and she immediately sat on it making Krishn sigh to himself, not knowing he should call out the girl for it or just let it be. He begrudgingly went with the latter, his gaze directed at Radha full of an unamned yearning.

Radha came and quietly sat on the separate sofa adjacent to the couch not before handing out the popcorns to everyone. She totally missed the apology swimming in Krishn's eyes all with her decision to avoid looking at him until his friend is attached to him.

Krishn, though, couldn't avert his eyes from Radha. Couldn't look away from her innocent face shining bright in the dim room; couldn't look away from her gorgeous eyes shimmering in the dark; couldn't look away from her tresses, spreading a beautiful scent into the air; couldn't look away from that - that bracelet hanging from her dainty wrist; couldn't look away from the anklet adorning her delicate feet. He just couldn't look away from her. He didn't want to.

But there were a lot of things that happened after that, things he didn't want to do and the things he did.

For instance, his 'didn't want to" list included the times when Mahi had tried to feed popcorn to him with her hands and had not so discreetly shifted closer to him as the movie went ahead, playing with the cuff of his sleeve even when he'd try to retract his arm as politely as he could.

His 'did too" list included the instances when his gaze met Radha's more times than the protagonists of the movie did or when his fingers accidentally brushed against hers every time he picked up a popcorn from their shared bowl or when he helped detangling the popcorn from the bracelet when the popcorn, much like himself, refused to let go of the girl. (Girl's bracelet in this case)

He smiled.

"Love is so simple. Don't know why they keep saying it's complicated." Krishn explained, in regards to his previously spoken sentence and ate the single popcorn lying on his lap.

Radha's gaze unintentionally traced the action until his adam's apple bobbed in his throat forcing Radha to come out of her reverie.

"How?" she questioned after a minute and Krishn looked at her smiling, turning his body towards her not before shifting Mahi's head - who was now dozing off - back on to the sofa, gently, of course.

"I don't know, Radhe. . ." Krishn trailed off, looking her in the eyes and Radha bit her lip to hide her smile at the nickname rolling out of Krishn's mouth, (now) which he used almost every time while talking to her.

"I just feel that love is really simple. You can love a person by doing the simplest of the things known to the world."

Radha shifted a bit forward, curiosity getting better of her and prompted, "Like?"

"Like, love can be as lovely as petting a baby calf, and as innocent as a cackling baby. You don't need to do much to love someone. Just, maybe. . . .stay with them, walk with them, talk to them until their sadness fades away, hide their fears into your embrace or just caress their hair until they go into the land of dreams." Krishn said recalling yesterday night's events and chuckled softly to himself.

However when he looked at Radha, he saw her glancing at Mahi with an evident sadness in her eyes and frowning when he followed her gaze, he realised that it stopped at Mahi's hand that was clasping around his forearm.

Something he didn't even notice till now.

He shook his head immediately.

"You're looking in the wrong direction, Radhe," he whispered softly into the tranquillity of the room.

Radha's gaze finally met his at those words, she blinked what seemed to be the tears and smiled.

A sad smile.

"I really hope so. . ."