25: birthright

By the time they were done with the arcade it was around midnight. Nila and Tarun had lost terribly to Vijay and Krish in air hockey but Nila made up for it in Whack a Mole and Tarun in the Strong-O-Meter. Vijay got his ego badly bruised when Krish won a dolphin plushie in the claw machine and Tarun a honeybee plushie. When they gifted them to Nila, Vijay refused to move away from the machine and insisted he waste his money on it until he won something.

Nila had first doubled over with laughter over how Vijay kept clinging to the machine like a child when Krish and Tarun tried to pull him away. She thought it was adorable. But when Vijay fisted his hands, the amusement in her face morphed into alarm. In the end, Nila had to draw promises from Krish and Tarun that they'd never bring this against Vijay in the future and discreetly bribed her boyfriend with kisses and hugs to keep him from crashing the glass.

She'd known Vijay was extremely competitive and liked to win. It was the first time she'd witnessed how insolent losing made him.

It was another jagged piece of him that she picked up and put in the jar named after him in her heart.

Nila pretended Vijay's presence didn't melt her bones into molten ivory when he held her as she drove them to the biriyani spot. She prohibited her from thinking about how fucking good it felt when his fingers touched her skin. Nila had never felt this way --- so needy, so desperate, so pliable. Her body obeyed his touch so much it was almost laughable. She was torn between wishing he would touch her again and banishing the thought from her mind permanently. Okay, at least temporarily.

These thoughts were new, foreign and not... good for her at all. They were dangerous.

She needed to exile them from her mind.

The four of them smelled the biriyani from far away before they'd gotten their share of it. It was too hot and Nila hated food when it was piping hot. She was too eager but also too scared to touch it. Nila had no idea how the boys were digging in as if they were blind to the waves of steam rising into the air. She was still blowing on the food, using her fingertip to push the food apart to cool it down.

"How's it?" Tarun asked.

"I haven't eaten yet," she said, annoyed.

"Why?"

"How are you guys able to eat it? It's so hot!"

Krish walked over to the man selling the food and asked for a spoon. The man looked at him as if he was insane.

Vijay said nothing but broke a piece of meat, buried it in a mouthful of the flavoured rice and lifted his hand to her mouth. "Here."

She opened her mouth and Vijay fed her.

Krish came back with a pathetic excuse for a spoon, the brittle wood barely curved in that he couldn't make out which side was the front. When he saw Vijay feeding her, he threw the spoon away. "Biriyani loses its charm when you eat it in a spoon anyway," he said.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Tarun said, smiling softly when Vijay fed her another bite.

And he kept feeding her, taking turns for him alternatively.

She didn't know if the food was actually that good, or if it was the thrill of eating it in the dead of night or if it was because she was eating it out of Vijay's hand. It was the best biriyani she'd had in her life.

They had visited the dessert shop next. Nila understood why it was Tanvi's favourite. The mango ice cream was so creamy, smooth and fresh. Krish said he wasn't an ice cream person, making deep disapproval trace Nila's face. The other three shared the sundae.

"You guys still have some energy?" Tarun asked when they'd paid for the dessert.

Krish shook his head before he even finished the question. "Are you fucking insane? I feel like I'll drop asleep right here from the food coma. Please, let's just go home."

"Weak," Tarun teased for which Krish didn't even bother arguing. He was so done for the day.

When they went back home, Tanvi was asleep on the sofa, a bowl of dried noodle stains and a half-empty can of beer on the table next to her. Tarun didn't say a word. He cleaned it all up and tucked a blanket around his sister.

"Tanvi's room is all yours tonight, Nila," he said. And after a pause, he added, "Or you can share it with Vijay."

Nila choked on the water she was drinking, spurting water all over the floor. Her eyes teared up and her cheeks burnt bright red. Krish patted her back with a smile he was itching to show.

"What happened?" Vijay said, coming out of the washroom, changed into a pair of shorts and a plain white tee. Concern took over his face when he saw Nila's red face. "What---"

"I just suggested you can share Tanvi's room tonight."

Vijay smirked, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Thanks, man. We promise we'll try to be quiet."

"Vijay!" Nila slapped his chest hard and shoved him away, turning redder.

"Ow, I was kidding, silver. It was a joke."

She turned the other side, muttering curses under her breath. Vijay had absolutely no filter. How can he tease her that way, that too in front of his friends?

She walked into Tanvi's room and pulled out her pajamas before heading for a quick shower. Krish and Tarun had gone to bed by the time she came out and the lights were off in the living room. For a moment, her heart sunk at the thought of not seeing her boyfriend before she retired to bed. That's when she found his blurred figure standing on the other side of the glass door to the balcony. Nila opened it slowly and Vijay turned around.

"What's the time?" he asked, his eyes falling to her bare legs for a second before meeting her eyes.

"Two-thirty."

"Are you feeling sleepy?"

"No," she said, tucking herself into his side and wrapping her arms around his torso. "You?"

"No, I can't go to sleep when I'm so happy." He placed his arm on her back.

"Does that mean you're happy now?"

"So fucking much. You have no idea, silver."

She smiled and tightened her arms. "I actually do."

They looked at the view. The garden sparkling white gold from the streetlight, the swings lonely and the slides standing still. Beyond that, she could see dark waters tirelessly crashing against the shore, as if trying to wake up the sleeping sand to resume their play. Vijay exhaled loudly and pulled her close, dipping his head to place a kiss on hers. "Today was perfect."

"It was. I should thank you for that."

"No, I should thank you."

She yawned. "I want to argue but I am too tired."

"Come on," Vijay said, sitting on the cozy chair and pulling her onto his lap. She folded herself on him, fitting perfectly in his arms.

"Tell me if I'm heavy or your legs are turning numb."

"Your job is to sit tight and enjoy the moment. Not worry about me," he said, pressing her closer to him. The warmth of him enveloped her like a heated blanket in a thunderstorm and she let herself sink into it. "I wish I could do this every day with you."

"One day, maybe," she said. Vijay's eyes lit with the promise.

Nila smiled and weaved her fingers through his hair. Vijay's eyes closed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Mhm Mhm."

"Why do you call me silver?"

He opened his eyes at the question.

"I mean, I've grown to love it. But out of all names, why silver?"

"What's the colour of the moon?" he asked.

"White," she said, unsure where this was going except for the fact that her name translated to moon in Tamil.

He shook his head with a smile.

"Not in my world," he said, staring into her eyes. "In my world, the moon is not a dull white. It's gleaming, shining light at a thousand different pathways to a future full of honeyed memories and sugar-crusted laughter. Every day, constantly, it shows me what it feels like to be surrounded by light and happiness. What it feels like to love. If the stars twinkle, my moon shimmers. It tames the fiery sun and soothes its fire. It's the brightest damn thing you'll ever see. In my world, the moon is silver."

Nila bit her lips, trying to contain the flood of emotions. Her eyes watered.

"Damn you," she said, her voice wobbly. She poked his chest. "You have no right—absolutely no right being---"

He caught her finger in his palm. "Just fucking kiss me, silver."

And she did.

Oh, she did.

Nila held his face gently and pressed her lips against his. A shiver ran through her spine when Vijay made a satisfied groan. She pulled away to see his face, memorise it, but he didn't give her more than a second. He pulled her back against him, crushing his lips to hers and kissing her hungrily. So many thoughts ran in her head – Am I doing this right? Is this how a kiss is supposed to be? Does it usually make people light-headed or is it because I'm doing something wrong? What if he thinks I'm a bad kisser? Am I a bad kisser?

But none of those doubts stayed long enough to fuck with her. Because her brain? No fucking more. It didn't stand a chance against the way her heart hammered against her chest and her nerves felt like someone had jammed in a syringe full of something that made her feel like she had never been more alive before but also never more breathless. She weaved both her hands through his hair, letting out a little gasp when Vijay coaxed her lips open to taste her.

He was warm and tasted like mango and vanilla but there was something else more addicting that she chased his kiss like she couldn't imagine getting tired of it. "God, silver," he murmured, finally pulling away and letting her catch her breath. Nila met his eyes, eyes that reflected wonder, worship and soft tender love. "You should be considered fucking illegal."

"Then you'd be a criminal," she said, her voice coming out breathless.

"Not just any criminal. The goddamn luckiest."

Nila had enough of catching her breath. She grabbed his chin and kissed him again, and Vijay let out a sound that made her insides clench. He shifted her so that her legs were on both sides of his thighs and pulled her closer. "I love you," Nila whispered against his lips.

Vijay replied with five searing kisses.

Lips. Cheek. Jaw. Neck. Collarbone.

I. Love. You. Too. Silver.

She framed his face in her hands and traced his jaw with her thumb. "I thought you were a dullhead. When did you become so thoughtful?" she teased.

"I told you, silver. I'm a different person when it comes to you. For you, I'll always want to be better."

"Oh my god, shut up. You're on a roll today, aren't you?"

"Please. This charm simply cannot be turned off," he said, and Nila turned sideways to lay her head against his chest and wrap her arms around him. Vijay played with her hair.

Then suddenly he stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"I want to kiss you again."

Nila burst out laughing but she sobered up after seeing how serious Vijay was. "Not happening, runner boy. It's easy to want more and get carried away when it comes to you."

"Then let's," he said, kissing her neck. When Vijay's teeth scraped against her skin, she felt her toes curling. And she wanted more of that feeling. More. More. More, her body cried. Waves of heat shot through her body as he sponged more kisses down her throat. She realised she had unconsciously bent her head to give him more access.

"No," she said, reality knocking at her. She pushed him away. "I might have just had my first kiss but I know what you're trying to do. I can't go to Farah's wedding reception with love bites decorating my neck."

"Wait—" he propped her up by her hips, his lust-ridden gaze sobering up, "this was your first kiss?"

"Um, yeah? Why?" she asked, her body shrinking. "Was it not—"

Vijay pressed a finger on her lips. "Shhh. None of that," he told her sternly. But he seemed to be thinking about something else. Nila opened her mouth to tell him to stop killing her with the silence when he asked her, "Was it a good first kiss?" The question was barely audible as if he was afraid of a negative answer.

Nila's heart squished inside her chest. She smiled, tilting her head and framing his face with her hands. "What do you think, lover boy?"

Vijay remained silent. Nila leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek. "It was perfect."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, not that I have anything to compare it with."

Vijay made an unhappy sound. "You better don't dream of having anything to compare it with. You're mine and I am selfish. I don't share."

"Mhm Mhm," she said, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest. His fingers carded her hair slowly, his thoughts far away. This moment, this feeling --- Nila wanted to capture it and feel it every single second of her life. She had never felt a sense of contentment and peace like this before. Her eyes fluttered shut.

"Come on, silver. Let's go to bed," Vijay whispered after a while. She hated that they had to move because she'd rather be here all night, all day. Begrudgingly, she removed herself from him and walked into Tanvi's room.

Vijay followed her.

Her eyes widened and she whirled around.

"No fucking way. Get out."

"What? Why?"

"I'm not sharing a bed with you." Vijay had a bad habit of snatching away any semblance of control she had over her body and heart. And she knew he was beginning to understand that.

"I swear I'll behave, silver."

"No."

"Not even harmless cuddling?" he asked.

Her heart melted at the thought and the happy picture that came to her mind. She glanced at the bed and then at him. Part of her was eager to invite him in because she trusted him. Another part of her was warning him away because she didn't trust herself.

"Goodnight, Vijay," she said, getting on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.

He curled his arm around her waist and tugged her close to him. "If you're kicking me out of the room, at least kiss me right," he said, deepening the kiss. Her breath caught in her chest. Her bones liquified again. This—This was exactly why she couldn't share a bed with him. With just a touch, he claimed her body like it was his birthright.

"Goodnight, silver." He pressed a rough kiss on her cheek and pulled away. "Dream of me."

Oh, that she will.

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a/n: ahhhh they kissed! idk why, writing this chapter was such an emotional moment for me. anyways, i had so many little little scenes planned for these two but writing them would take too many chapters. i don't want to bring up the conflict yet but i don't want to keep spoiling you with these lovey-dovey moments either. this aside, what are your predictions for the storm that's waiting for them? curious what you have in mind! also how do you like the book so far? feedback and suggestions are welcome as i'm thinking of starting a round of editing.

thanks and stay magical x