Like a dream

CHAPTER-15 THEN

   We are sitting on the rocks lining the Pocharam lake, enjoying the beauty of the moonlit breezy night. It's drizzling and we hear the patter of tiny rain drops falling on the lake. Nick takes off his sneakers and soaks his feet in the glimmering waters.
     'Icy!' he squeaks as he pulls his feet out quickly and I giggle. He grabs my waist tightly and moves closer to me. I am startled. He has never done this before. He has always been shy and introverted and doesn't like to get cosy in the public. Though people aren't watching us, still we are outdoor. Even though my heart is about to explode in happiness, this new kind of aura is giving me a weird feeling.
    'I couldn't have asked for a better day' Nick says as he looks into my eyes. These hazel green orbs have always been my destiny. I stare at them in awe through the curtain of drizzling rain.
'You are too good for me,Leila!' he says.
       Oh my God! He is doing this again. He has been saying sweet things about me, right from the day we started dating. I don't even know if I am worth it, but I enjoy this attention he is paying me. I love the way he cherishes me and I feel like he is too good for me.
    'You have become a hopeless romantic!' I say as I elbow him playfully and he pretends to wince in pain.
'Lately, you have been weird' I tell him.
'Weird?'
    'You are a lot more cheerful!'
'Is it weird to be cheerful?' he asks me.
     I let out a little laugh. 'You've always been a mysterious guy, who is interested in watching stars and watering plants. You have never expressed anything overtly. That is the Nick I've known!'
      'It's your effect on me!'he says bluntly. 'You make me happier like nobody!'
     I stare at him blankly. I haven't even done much in this relationship. I haven't taken any special efforts to impress him. Yet, he says I make him happy. He doesn't even know how I would be like when I am cranky. Will he still say the same words? I doubt it. But I choose to live in this moment. We love each other, and that's all that matters now. I don't even care if we will still be the same a year from now or a decade from now. All I care is the feelings we share right now. The honest  love right now.
     Nick also stares at me quietly and  intensely. There is an utterly different excitement in the pit of my stomach. My heart is racing and I wonder if his heart beats as fast as mine. My gaze slips lower and I notice how lush his lips look. What am I doing? This isn't right, I try to tell my soul. But my emotions overpower my rational thoughts. My thoughts lose the battle when Nick leans forward. He is so close that I could count the number of rain drops tricking down his angelic face. My breath hitches as he cups my face in his palms. His gaze is warm with compassion. I close my eyes tight as he tucks a few strands of my damp hair covering my eyes, behind my ears. He then runs his finger over my wet lips. I sense his breath becoming irregular as he moves closer to my face. And then I feel his soft wet lips over mine. The next few seconds, I'm not sure about what is happening. All I know is that I had my first kiss with Nick. It was not lascivious but just a gentle chaste kiss. When we finally break our kiss, I am not able to look into his eyes. My heart is still pacing faster and my whole body is trembling.
     'Leila!' I hear my name being called in a familiar deep voice that brings me back to the world.
    'Leila!' Nick calls me again and I look at him. His hazel green eyes are glowing brighter. 'We need to get back to our camp. There may be a downpour soon.'
    I didn't notice when the rain got heavier. I was too caught up in the moment. Nick rises up and grabs my hand, helping me up from the ground. We walk back to our camp, holding hands but not uttering a single word.
    We reach our tent and nobody is seen outside. Nick must have sensed my restlessness, so he says, 'Why don't you go in and change first? I'll wait under the tree.'
I nod and crawl in to the tent and sit there staring into the void as my mind is too scrambled to function properly.
'Leila. Be fast. Rain is getting heavier.' I hear him over the rain.
'Yes' I shriek and change into a large cozy blue sweater and grey sweat pants  before I let him in.
Mumbling a sorry, I get up to wait outside until he gets changed.
'Don't go out. It's raining heavily. You'll get wet again.'
'Ok then, I'll turn to the other side.'
'Why?' he laughs. 'You find me so repulsive? I don't mind you looking at me anyway.' A smirk plays in the corner of his mouth.
'Quit playing and get changed quickly before you catch a cold.' I say crossing my arms quietly trying to hide my nervousness.
He says, 'Yes, ma'am' and removes his t-shirt without a warning and reaches for his backpack to get a new set of clothes. I try not to stare at him but get a few glimpses of his fine toned body, as I set the sleeping bags side by side. Well you see... it was not on purpose. Maybe purely on purpose. But, only maybe.
He goes into his sleeping bag and motions me to get into mine.
'Why in a hurry to sleep? Let's talk for sometime.' I say as I get into my sleeping bag.
Much to my surprise, Nick pulls me into his embrace. And I rest my head on his chest, silently hearing his heart beat, hearing the gentle tapping of the rain drops, hearing our breaths in unison.
' Nick.'
'Hmm'
'Come to think of it, there is only a little I know about you.' I pull back from his embrace and face him. 'I want to know more about you. No... All about you.'
He gives me a small smile with his eyes gleaming full of pure love, the colour of which is hazel green.
'You already know.' he whispers.
I hold his face in my palms and stroke his stubble with my thumb.
'I wanna know your deepest fears, your regrets, your insecurities, share the burden of your sorrows, see your dark side and wanna fall in love with you even more.'
He looks intensly into my eyes. A thunder roars and echoes into every nook and corner of the forest.
'I doubt whether you would still love me the same.' I see a worried frown.
'Don't belittle me.' I kiss his forehead and pull him into a hug.
He returns my hug and the rest of what happened during that rainy night is our little secret.