Chapter 14

Naina sat in her room, still processing the nerve chilling moment she just had with him. He was way too close to her, he was making her feel things and she didn't want to feel them.

It wasn't that she wasn't new to getting butterflies around him, she's used to that. She would get them everytime he'd sing and she would be there - the only difference was that he never noticed her then.

But it's different now. It had been different since they locked eyes at the auditorium, and it had definitely been different since that night.

That damned night.

But the worst thing was - She could feel his lips on hers still as well.

She walked back to the her dorm room after finishing studying in the library that day. She was there for almost 9 hours. Once she was done, she gathered her stuff and herself, arranged her sweatshirt and opened her hair to free it from the messy bun it was in, then she headed off.

Walking down the campus, she put on her AirPods and got lost in the tunes of her favourite songs and her favorite actor. She was smiling to herself, picturing SRK in the music video of his song - Janam Janam.

And as if the universe was on cue to her feels, the rain added its touch, by sprinkling its showers. Naina looked up, smiling to herself and her surroundings. This is what made her happy.

Rain. Music. Silence.

I can't go home right now, she thought to herself, It's too beautiful to go home.

Looking around, she settled herself finding a nearby fountain, around a grassy area. She sat on the ground and felt the breeze hit her, along with the drops of water coming from above.

As she closed her eyes, her mind's train took off. Starting from the beginning of the year, her penultimate year. She thought of how her summer was eventful: a successful 2 month internship with one of the most prestigious hospitals in the country.

Then, she thought of how her friend group got a little bigger when she started this year. It wasn't just the usual Meera and Ananya. Now it had Ishaan as well, Riya too. It was growing.

And then, she thought of him.

How she had seen him on the first day of the second semester of her first year. How she had spent the first semester hearing his name everywhere but didn't know who it was. She found his Instagram but didn't have the guts to follow him.

Then, her mind went to that.

The Kiss.

That damned kiss which changed everything. She shouldn't think about it but she couldn't stop as well. She needed to have this introspection. He was right. She needed to stop pretending like it didn't happen, because it very clearly did.

But what she can do.... Is pretend that it didn't matter. It didn't matter.

I can do that, she thought to herself, I mean, it's probably happened to him many times before. This is common in parties. You're only panicking because it happened to you for the first time.

Yes, that's what I'll do. She decided. Her eyes opened with a little confidence gleaming in them. She knew her next steps, because, a future with Ayaan Malhotra was as good as dreaming. It was like entering waters in which she couldn't stand.

While she looked around, she felt a soft sound next to her. Turning towards the source of the noise, Naina felt the small paw of a puppy brush her hand. Smiling, she held the puppy in her hand and started to play with him.

"Hi baby." She gleamed at the puppy. Animals gave her a motherly feeling, something she loved. She loved the feeling of nurturing animals.

As she sat playing with the puppy, she was unaware that a pair of eyes were watching her intently, as if she were a puzzle waiting to be figured. He moved towards her, his hand coming out of his jeans pocket as he admired the view in front of him. He came closer and as he made himself comfortable on the grass next to her.

Naina, startled by the sudden noise of a leaf crunching due to someone's feet, looked up to see the one person who gets her heart racing.

Ayaan.

He looked calm, yet his eyes were oozing a bunch of emotions, unknown to her. He was looking at her like there was nothing else. Sitting himself down, his hand came out of his hand pocket and gently caressed the puppy in her hand.

Naina's breath had become uneven. She spent 3 years in this university so far and barely saw or bumped into this guy. She had hoped that after that kiss, the same would happen, especially now that she needed it even more. But her bad luck, he just had to be around her more now.

"What's his name?" Ayaan's sudden voice caught her off guard. His eyes were piercing into hers.

Naina hesitated, words not able to come out of her mouth, "I...I don't... I don't know."

He looked at her. Her nervous figure. The way her eyes were moving around constantly, unable to meet his. Her hands clutching onto her puppy. His voice deepened as he leaned a little closer, "Name him then."

Naina was not accustomed to being this close to someone, unless it was an animal. This was new. She had a crush on him and she knew that him approaching her constantly wasn't helping. She needed to be brave, so she did of the one thing that would give her a small, yet sufficient,  confidence boost.

Her fingers clutched her sweatshirt, as if adding a protective shield before going to war, "I'll think about one later."

Ayaan's lips tugged into a small smile. It wasn't the flirty smile he used to give girls. No. It was genuine. The smile of being content of where he was. The smile of peace. His hand slightly brushed against hers, giving him the same tingling sensation he had gotten when he last held her at that party.

"Why do you always stay in sweatshirts? Why don't you dress like you did at the party?" He suddenly asked her, his eyes looking at her.

She was caught off guard, "W...What? Uh, because I don't.... I'm not comfortable in them."

"And why is that?" He inquired, genuinely interested in her answers.

Naina looked at him. He was looking at her like he was going to write an exam on her,going "Why do you care?"

"Maybe because, it's about you." Ayaan's deep husky voice echoed in her ears. It was as if he was talking to her soul, not just to her ears.

"I.... I don't know. I just don't like them. I prefer wearing sweatshirts." She replied hesitantly, hoping that this conversation would end quickly.

"Naina," Ayaan said softly, almost as if he were whispering, He came closer to her, a bit too close to her. His eyes briefly went on her lips as she parted them in nervousness, "You make it very hard to resist you."

Her eyes widened at the his casual approach to these words, "I.... I'll need to go."

She got up hastily and he lazily got up as well. Her hand still held the puppy so she bent down and let him sit on the ground before getting back up. As she turned, she gasped seeing him standing closer to her than usual. Her eyes were fixed on his but the nervousness was visible.

He looked at her. He had stood this close to her before when they kissed, but this time, it was different. He was able to take in all her features.

She had a small mole on her left side under her lips, very faint. Her eyes were light brown but they almost looked like caramel, making her hair. She had a small mole on the side of her neck as well. Her lips were filled with a little pink lipgloss.

"Wh...What?" Naina tried to keep her cool, ignoring the flaming heat spreading through her body at his mere presence.

"Like I said, you make it hard to resist you." He shrugged his shoulders casually, "Can't help it."

"I.... I need to go." She tried to say and then stepped back and turned around to leave but was pulled back as her arm was held by his hand, clutching hers tightly and pulling her to him.

"Not so fast." She heard his voice, low and rough, against her ear, "We need to talk."

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