A Flight of Love

Chapter 4 - Up in the Air

"What?" Akshara couldn't believe her ears. It was his first kiss too? And he didn't regret it?! Why did hearing that make her feel elated? A few moments ago, she has been searing in anger and regret that he may have been repulsed by their kiss. But now, everything was different. It felt different. So she wasn't a bad kisser?!

"You heard me," Abhimanyu replied casually, and then added, "I don't like repeating myself twice."

Arrogant much? "Excuse me? Who do you think you are? First you kiss me out of the blue and then claim it was because I was having a panic attack, which thank you by the way, but what is all this arrogance for?! The kiss wasn't that good. I'm sure my next one would be better."

Take that. 1-0 Akshara. If he could be arrogant then she could be equally petty.

Abhimanyu let out a restrained laugh. Akshara stared at him in confusion. Why wasn't he getting angry? Feeling upset? Wasn't his ego hurt?

"What? What's so funny? Why are you laughing? Did I crack a joke or something?"

"Actually yes, quite a funny one at that."

"Oh really? And what was it?" Akshara asked, folding her arms around her chest.

"That you're next kiss would be better. You may have been my first kiss but I'm very confident in my abilities that I'm the best kiss you'll ever have." Abhimanyu claimed, matter of factly.

"And which school of Pompous Jerkhood do you get your superiority complex degree? No, please. Do tell, so I know to avoid all men who graduated from there."

"Don't make me kiss you again to prove my point."

"Ha! Point? And what point would that be? You have no point to prove. You are just an a—"

Abhimanyu puts his hand around Akshara's head pulling it towards him in a slight forceful movement before crushing his lips against Akshara's. He had meant for it to be a chaste kiss, just something to annoy her with, but once his lips touched hers, all he could do was let go and feel. Her lips were a bit rough, probably from the earlier kiss but yet the perfect amount of soft.

His tongue pushed against her teeth, wanting access to hers and this time there was no defense from her side. The moment his tongue pressed against her teeth, Akshara's mouth willingly opened up and let him gain access to hers.

Akshara's hands automatically moved to hold Abhimanyu's neck, roughly pulling him towards her. She needed more. She wanted more. Abhimanyu's hands roamed around her back, gently rubbing small circles on her back. If the previous kiss had been a small taste test, then this one was definitely an appetizer.

After what must have felt like a long time, Abhimanyu gently let go of Akshara and moved away from her. They both let out laboured breaths and avoided facing each other.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Before Akshara could gather her thoughts about what had just happened, the seatbelt sign came on and the plane started to shake. Turbulence. Again, just what she needed. It was no wonder she hated traveling in planes. It was a flying death trap.

"This is your captain speaking. The seatbelt sign has been turned on because we are in for some very rough and long turbulence as there is a storm brewing over the Atlantic Ocean. Please stay seated and hopefully we should be out of these rough waters soon."

Oh great. Just what he needed. Turbulence. Abhimanyu looked over at the stranger whom he has ended up kissing not once but twice only to see that she was starting to turn pale. Was she having another panic attack? No, Abhimanyu, you can't kiss her again, no matter how much you actually want to. It's practically assault at this point.

"Hey, are you okay?" He placed his hand on hers without thinking.

Akshara pulls her hand away from Abhimanyu, and wraps it around her torso, gently rocking herself back and forth as the plane started to shake a little more than usual and the turbulence started to intensify.

"Are you okay? Are you having another panic attack?" Abhimanyu couldn't help himself from gently tucking one lose strand of hair away behind her ear from Akshara's face. Automatically, like an action reflex, all he wanted to do was see all of her. Feel all of her.

"I...I...don't....like...turbulence....," Akshara confesses amidst the chattering and clamping of her teeth.

Afraid. She was afraid. "There is nothing to be scared of. It's just a small storm that we are passing over. It'll be over soon."

Akshara shook her head in denial. "No. We're all going to die."

Abhimanyu gently places his hands over Akshara's torso and brings her hands which were wrapped tightly around her to the front so that he was holding onto her hands in her lap. Her hands were calmly and getting cold. He gently rubbed her hands with his to create some friction and dole out some warmth.

"Is this your first time flying?"

"N...no," Akshara replied hesitantly.

"Is this your first time flying in turbulence?"

Akshara shook her head.

"Is this your first time flying in turbulence? Yes or no?" He tried again. He needed to get her to keep talking.

"No."

"Okay, good. Then how do you know we're all going to die? You've flown in turbulence before and see, you're still alive!"

"No. We are. All. Going. To. Die." Akshara claimed between laboured deep breaths.

"How do you know we're going to die?"

"How...d...do...you...know...w...we...are..not...?"

"No, we're not!"

"Yes...we...are!"

"How?" Abhimanyu felt childish but having her talk about it was better than her sulking in her own thoughts and making this more difficult than it was.

"Because...my parents died this way. And now I'm going to die too!"

"What? What do you mean?"

Tears started to roll down Akshara's eyes as she flashed back to when she had been 12 and her father, Kartik Goenka had gone on a business trip like he always did, but this time. And her mother, Naira Goenka had sought it to be the first time to tag along and do some birthday shopping for Akshu's 13th birthday. But they never returned, only their dead, unidentifiable bodies did.

"My...parents, they flew out in his private jet for a business meeting. My mom went along to shop for my 13th birthday. It was supposed to be a day trip. Just a quick in and out. But they never came back. Only the news of their death did. On my 13th birthday. A day of celebration turned into a year of mourning. We were told that the storm winds had been too strong and the captain lost control of the aircraft and it eventually crashed. Ever since then, I've been afraid of planes."

Akshara's silent tears turned into loud sobs. He wasn't aware that a girl like her was masking her pain behind a loud, carefree and obnoxious demeanor. Now he really did feel like an asshole for the way he behaved with her.

"Shhh, it's okay..." Abhimanyu gently pulled Akshara toward him and placed both his arms around her, shielding her from any noise of the turbulence. It wasn't much but he was going to protect her as much as he could.

He felt Akshara sobbing into curve of his chest, from fear of dying or from the grim memories of her parents death; he didn't know. But all that mattered for him now was her. He gently patted and rubbed her back in consolidation.

"Just focus on my voice. It's going to be okay. Main hoon na. I'm here for you. Just focus on my voice. Nothing else. Shhh..."

Akshara closed her eyes and let the warmth of the strangers hug engulf her. It was at that moment that she felt peace. Safe. Secure.

Abhimanyu continued to gently and softly run his fingers down her back when he realized that she had begun to relax. Her staunch posture was now lax. He smiled to himself and nuzzled his face into her hair. This, the two of them, wrapped around each other —it felt good. It felt like home.

Just as Akshara and Abhimanyu were starting to get comfortable with each other, the seatbelt sign turned off.