Hope

chapter 5-Her

Her eyes turned towards her left helplessly and settled upon complicated soul.

His eyes however far from her way.

On fire.

What did he find so fascinating in fire?

She looked at the crackling fire again and couldn't stop her next words.

"When I see it, it reminds me of hell in this small heaven."

Somehow he knew what she was talking about.

"Are you well accustomed to hell?"

His question made her think for sometime. She struggled to pull a contrast between this world and outer world.

"The hell I'm accustomed to is different. Has it's own norms."

She looked up at the walls surrounding them and found only one small window that portrayed nothing but darkness outside.

"The hell I came from is like a fog," her eyes stuck into that small portal of darkness trying to revive its memory to understand it better," a thick fog."

Seemingly satisfied by the definition of it, she returned her gaze to him and rested there.

"A kind of fog that overshadows all the light as a protective blanket over you but doesn't let you see anything in return."

He turned and studied her eyes that were now lost in his," as in pure darkness." She mumbled.

"Hell has different levels like heaven."
His intelligent eyes explained and she believed in him.

She liked to believe in him.

"Are you well accustomed to heaven?"

Her eyes smiled at his, searching for the trace of smile on his lips but he seemed to regard her question which wasn't bad either if not smile, she thought.

"Depends upon the definition of heaven in our hearts."

"What is the definition of heaven in your heart?" Her question leapt towards him impatiently.

A trait he was now well aware of.

"A ground underneath, these mountains holding my cottage in place,a blanket overhead covering my secrets and a ball of shine blessing me with light."

She was translating his words and he was translating her expressions.

"Is that all you care for?" She asked confused but he captured a glimpse of pleasant surprise through his practiced eyes.

"That's my definition of heaven."

She looked down at her lap and unconsciously gripped the shawl securely in between her fingers. She spread it properly around herself.

Still not satisfied.

Her knitted eyebrows raised upward again, now with something troubling underneath.

"Then how would you define me?"

Her question caught him off guard and his pupils dilated.

The warmth of his attention left her and her insides whined at the gesture and almost leapt towards him to get his attention back.

She regained control.

His attention was trained back on fire but this time, not fully.

"You are not to be defined by anybody. You are already defined."

"Already defined?"

"Yes."

This displeased her. Was this simply because he didn't want to think about her?

"So you say you are unable to define me?" A challenge emerged on her pursed lips.

He felt it and gave her his attention.

She freed her gaze from his prison.

Why was she acting desperate? She panicked inwardly.

Is he mad now?

"Yes." His voice pushed its way through the thick walls of her clouding thoughts.

"Huh?" So he is mad?

"I can't define you."

Oh!

She blushed but the shadows of fire dancing on her cheeks disfigured the rising heat on her skin.

"Can you atleast define us humans?"

"Yes." His voice held amused smile in it and her eager eyes trained on his lips that stayed passive.

"Oneness."

"Oneness?" Confusion took its toll over her previous blush.

His every cell now seemed to be trained on her if she wasn't wrong.

"We are one." He confirmed.

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