Unexpected

He takes a step towards me, and finally his fingers touch my cheek. The electricity that soars from that one single touch is so intense that I close my eyes. He traces a searing trail down my cheek, and this time, it doesn't end there. His thumb comes ahead to press a delicate indentation at the centre of my bottom lip.

I'm somewhere between melting into a puddle and burning into fine cinders.

"I want you to hear me out, close and careful, Daylight.", my eyes rise at his will and I'm staring into his hypnotising orbs, my lips slightly parted.

"Nothing about you can ever be foul or dark. You're the brightest light I've ever seen. And to me, you'll always be that.", the intensity in his eyes turn warm from burning, as his other hand comes up to hold my hand that's not clutching the tissue.

His hold on me is so reassuring.

"It'll be okay, Daylight. Whatever it is."

____________

Iksha and Rudra meet by the surreal Hollingworth Lake, and with her job paying well and his business flourishing in absolute grandeur it may be just the perfect time for the sparks to fly the way they do.

But, there are a few tiny problems. Iksha isn't just the overachiever girl with a pretty face to match her elegance. Her own demons haunt her worse than the darkness of the world probably could. Rudra isn't just the tall, dark and handsome CEO that women would love to chase. He comes bearing the baggage of a past which hides secrets dark enough to make him feel shame.

And their love isn't the healthy slow burn. It's the fire that they jump into, and before they know it, they're drowning into it. Times faster than the society recommends. Bringing into their equation factors that aren't really ideal components of an Indian romance.

Can they manage to stay afloat after throwing themselves off the cliff? Can their love become their ultimate life jacket when the most unexpected waves hit them hard?
______________

[[Trigger Warning: Themes of self-harm and self-hatred. ]]