And I Still Don't Know How

Chapter 4

THE DAYS SEEMED TO MOVE FASTER NOW THAT VAMSHIKA AND AARAV WERE ALWAYS TOGETHER. IN THOSE DAYS AARAV SAW HOW PERFECT VAMSHIKA WAS. HE NOTICED HOW FREE SHE WAS WITH THEM FIVE AS COMPARED TO ALL THE OTHERS.
SHE LAUGHED MORE WITH THEM AND WAS HYPER ACTIVE.

ALTHOUGH SHE HAD OTHER  FRIENDS SHE ENTRUSTED THEM MORE THAN ANYONE. ON ONE OCCASSION IN THE MORNING THIER HANDS HAD TOUCHED WHEN THAY TRIED TO GRAB AN APPLE. AARAV FELT A CHILL HE HAD FELT NEVER BEFORE. MAYBE THE REASON WAS THAT THEY NEVER HAD PHYSICAL CONTACT.
THE ONLY EVER TOUCH THEY HAD WAS IN THIER CHILDHOOD WHEN THEY WOULD RUN AROUND TRYING TO CATCH EACH OTHER AND WHEN THEY HAD TO PUSH EACH OTHER IN THE LAKE.

ON ONE FINE DAY WHEN AARAV'S PARENTS WERE OUT OF TOWN A SNAKE HAD MANAGED TO SLITHER IN THIER HOUSE. AARAV WAS IN THE LIVING ROOM WHEN HE HEARD VAMSHIKA SCREAM. HE RAN, PANICK DEFINED ON HIS FACE. WHEN HE OPENED THE BEDROOM DOOR HE FOUND A SNAKE FACING VAMSHIKA. SHE WAS TRYING TO SHOO IT AWAY WITH ALL HER MIGHT BUT WITH NO LUCK. AARAV CALLED THE FOREST DEPRATMENT IN A SWIFT MOMENT AND SAID TO VAMSHIKA " TRY COMING THIS SIDE ". SHE LOOKED AT HIM AS IF HE WERE CRAZY. SHE BIT HER LIPS CONTEMPLATING THE CHANCES AND CALCULATING THE MOVEMENTS OF THE SNAKE.

" IF I GET BITTEN, I'LL MAKE SURE THE SNAKE BITES YOU " SHE SAID THROUGH GRITTED TEETH TO WHICH AARAV STIFLED A LAUGHTER. TO HIM SHE WAS LOOKING LIKE A CHILD TRYING TO OUTRUN SOMETHING AND SCARED ABOUT DOING IT.

VAMSHIKA TOOK A DEEP BREATH AND CALMED HERSELF, SLOWLY MAKING HER WAY AROUND THE SNAKE. THE SNAKE JUST TURNED ITS HEAD AND VAMSHIKA JUMPED INTO AARAV'S ARMS. HE CAUGHT HER JUST TO TIME TO PREVENT THEM FROM FALLING DOWN. VAMSHIKA OPENED HER EYES AND FOUND HERSELF SO CLOSE TO AARAV. SHE NOTICED THE THINGS WHICH WENT USUALLY UNNOTICED. HIS TINY WRINKLES ON THE FOREHEAD. HIS SMALL GLOW IN THOSE HONEY LIKE GOLDEN EYES. HIS MESSY AS FUCK HAIR. AARAV HEART TOOK A VACATION TO THE BAHAMAS PROBABLY BECAUSE HE SWORE HE HEARD HIS HEART STOP. VAMSHIKA WAS LOOKING AT HIM AND HE NOTICED HER SCAN HIS FACE. HE MOUTH WENT DRY AND HIS MIND WAS RACING. HE HAS NEVER THOUGHT VAMSHIKA WOULD HAVE SUCH AN AFFECT ON HIM.

VAMSHIKA, FINALLY TAKING HER EYES OFF OF AARAV'S FACE LOOKED TO THE SIDE TO FIND HIM HOLDING HER TIGHTLY. AS IF, IF HE LET HER GO SHE'LL FALL INTO DEPEEST LAYERS OF EARTH. AND SHE THOUGHT MAYBE SHE WOULD IF AARAV LET HER GO.
SHE WAS DAMN SURE SHE'D DRAG HIM TOO.

AARAV WAS SUCCESSFULLY FAILING TO KEEP INTACT THE BUTTERFLIES IN HIS STOMACH. HE THOUGHT THE SKY WOULD FALL ON HIM IF HE LET GO OF THAT DUSKY SKINNED, BROWN HAIRED, COCO BROWN EYED EARTH TO BEAUTIFUL LADY HE WAS HOLDING. MAYBE IT WOULD. AND MAYBE THEY WOULD BOTH GET CRUSHED DUE TO THE GUILT AARAV WAS FEELING THIS MOMENT. THIS WAS SO WRONG. SHE WAS HIS FRIEND. HE COULD NOT FIND WORDS TO PUT THE FEELING HE HAD IN THE PIT OF HIS STOMACH. HE HAD CAUGHT MIHIKA, SWASTIKA AND SHANAYA FROM FALLING MANY A TIMES. THOSE TIMES HE WANTED TO LET THEM GO AND LAUGH HIS ASS OFF AT THEM.

MAKING THE SNAP OUT OF THEIR THOUGHTS AND INTERNAL STRUGGLES , THE SNAKE'S SLITHER CAUSED THEM TO JUMP APART. THE SNAKE HAD SLITHERED AWAY LIKE IT HAD PLANNED ALL OF THIS. THE MOMENT VAMSHIKA WAS IN AARAV'S ARMS THE SNAKE SLITHERED AWAY. A BIT FAR AWAY THEY COULD HEAR THE BELLS IN THE KRISHNA'S TEMPLE OF THEIR VILLAGE RINGING INDICATING AN AARTI TIME. THEY BOTH LOOKED AT EACH OTHER. TRYING TO DECODE WHAT JUST HAPPENED.

" MAYBE YOU SHOULD CALL THE FOREST DEPARTMENT TO INFORM THEM THE SNAKE WENT AWAY " VAMSHIKA SPOKE AFTER A MOMENT OF SILENCE. AARAV WHO WAS A BIT PRE OCCUPIED WITH VAMSHIKA'S FACE CAME TO HIS SENSES AND NODDED.HE CALLED THEM IMMEDIATELY AND INFORMED THEM ABOUT THE SNAKE'S BACK OUT. VAMSHIKA SAT ON THE BED TRYING TO CALM HERSELF. AARAV LOOKED AT HER AND HE TOOK A STEP BACK AND STORMED TO THE KITCHEN. THE NOISE MADE VAMSHIKA SNAP HER HEAD AND SHE WAS AARAV WITH A GLASS OF WATER APPROACHING HER. HE SAT NEXT TO HER , JUST LEAVING A SPACE ABOUT FIVE FEET AND HANDED HER THE GLASS. SHE TOOK IT IN A CUE AND DOWNED THE WHOLE GLASS. " THANK YOU FOR CATCHING ME OM TIME AND NOT DROPPING ME. I WOULD HAVE DEFINITELY MADE YOU FALL TOO " VAMSHIKA SPOKE. HE LOOKED AT HER AND CHUCKED " WELL I MEAN I DID NOT WANT YOU TO SMASH YOUR HEAD ON THE BED'S EDGE." THEY STAYED SILENT FOR A FEW SECONDS AND BURST INTO A FIT OF LAUGHTER.

BEFORE BED HOWEVER VAMSHIKA SAID AGAIN "SERIOUSLY THOUGH THANK YOU FOR NOT LETTING ME BREAK MY FACE ". AARAV WAVED HER OFF WITH A  " DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO BREAK THAT PRETTY FACE OF YOURS ".

AFTER A MOMENT OF REALISATION AARAV'S WORDS SEEMED TO HIT HIM. VAMSHIKA BLUSHED A BIT AND WENT TO BED A VERY SILENT GOODNIGHT PROCESSING WHAT HE HAD JUST SAID. HE HIMSELF NEEDED TO PROCESS THOSE WORDS. AFTER ALL IT WASN'T ALWAYS THAT YOU MADE A FLIRTATIOUS COMMENT ABOUT YOUR FRIEND.