Breeze - A Love Air

Chapter 4: Us

Next morning, I heard Zoya's voice. I was half asleep and, with a slight opening of my eye, I saw the time. Boom. It was half past 10. I had overslept, but my mom let me sleep as it was the first day of our Diwali vacation. I had forgotten to inform her about the science project.

I wanted to get up, but the bed was warm and forced me to stay. Since it was just Zoya, and she was used to my sleepy face, I decided to go back to sleep. I heard footsteps approaching my room, and I yelled, "Zoya, let me sleep. Just 5 more minutes." With my eyes shut, I turned around. Surprisingly, she was silent. The Zoya I knew would have brought the whole band to my ears and started singing. But who cares; I just wanted that comfy sleep.

"Ruhiiii... Rihaan... get down; the coffee is getting cold," Zoya yelled from downstairs.

That's it. My sleep vanished. It was him. I opened my eyes awkwardly, and he was standing beside the bed, smiling.

"Finally, the chuhiya is out from hibernation," he said. I didn't want him to see me like that, so I covered my face with a pillow and asked him to stay out for some time. But he refused. He pulled my pillow away and said, "Let me adore you; you can't stop me from that, though."

I blushed and got up, grabbed his arm, and led him outside my room. I locked the door. For the whole time, I was just smiling like anything. I got ready, wore a red kurta, which was his favorite, and put on the stud that we bought yesterday.

"Finally, you're here. Ok, have some breakfast soon and take care. I'm off to your aunt's place," my mom said.

"When will you be back, mom?" I asked.

"I'll let you know that after getting there," mom replied as she waved to the three of us.

So, there were just three of us at home, as my brother and father went to attend some function.

"So, what's the plan? How are we going to start the project?" I asked while grabbing a piece of bread.

"Project? Who said we're going to do the project? We're going to chill, babe. CHILL," Zoya exclaimed.

Chill? But today... if we didn't start today, we'd have to rush. I was saying when Rihaan interrupted, "Yaar, fine, let's just have fun. After all, it's our vacation, and after that, we'll be busy with competitive exam preparations and all. So, let's enjoy some happy moments to act as a booster for the future." He winked at me and said.

I was silenced. Zoya smiled silently and unpacked her bag. She was fully prepared with recent movies, cards, snacks, a gaming console, and art materials.

Until 2 o'clock, we played games. I ordered pizzas and fries for our lunch. After that, we painted for a few minutes. Time passed quickly, and it was 5 o'clock. Zoya had to go home as she had promised her sister for shopping.

"Bye, guys! I'm done with my third wheeling," she laughed and waved.

"Yeah, go. We want some fresh air," Rihaan added.

The day was good. It was like our usual friends' date. The difference was that before, I was always goofy around him, and today, the vibe was different.

"Finally," Rihaan said. I asked what he meant with my eyebrows, and he replied, "Nothing, just like that."

We went inside. The silence said more, and my eyes were fixed on him. He was making coffee, and I sat and watched him. That's what I usually did. He caught my eyes.

"Okay, someone is checking out; I feel shy," he said playfully, covering his face.

It was cute. I laughed. "Ah... mm... let me adore you; you can't stop me from that, though," I mimicked.

His eyes were fixed on mine, and he accidentally burned his finger. "Ouch," he said.

"Stop, stop. Let me see it," I said and brought some ice cubes. "You have to take care; it was hot," I added.

"Not more than this chuhiya," he winked.

I blushed and was about to move away, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him. My heart skipped a beat for a moment.

"Leave me; my mom may arrive," I tried to get up.

"Yeah, yeah, before that, let me see you closer. Your kurta and studs may get offended for not getting the attention for which they are here," he said while tucking some of the hairs that lay on my face behind my ears.

"Oh, you noticed? I thought you didn't," I said while rolling my eyes.

"How could I not? For years, I have been doing things, and this is the first time you got ready for me. How could I miss that?" he replied.

"First time? I don't even know the count, Mister," I pulled away from him and got up from the couch.

He was smiling. "Let's take a picture," he said, taking out his phone. I got our coffee and posed.

Those pictures came out well, and we looked nice together. Then we played with paints. "Okay, come, let's go for a walk," he suggested.

"Done," I nodded. We locked the house, and I knew my mom had a spare key in case she arrived.

We walked across the street. After a few minutes, he held my hand. We walked for a few minutes, just gossiping about our class and teachers. We went to a candy shop and bought some candies. They were favorites for both of us.

"By the way, how's your preparation for getting into Royal College of Art?" he asked suddenly.

"Hmm, maybe good. I don't know whether I can make it," I whispered sadly.

"You can. You're one of the most beautiful artists I've ever known. Wait, not one of the, the only one," he cheered me up.

Yes, it was my only dream then: to get into the top design university across the globe. But now, it's not just the one. I dreamt of our togetherness, the way we live, the way we get lost in each other. The dream of love.

I felt a droplet on my face. The rain had started. Instead of seeking shelter, I wanted to get drenched. I wanted to feel each droplet on my skin. I enjoyed it; how could I not? With him, everything was so beautiful. We enjoyed that late evening. I had been in love for just two days, but it was more than a fantasy.

The days passed like this. We enjoyed our vacation immensely. We worked on projects, went for rides, spent hours talking, painted, played, gossiped, and went for walks. Actually, he had become my habit, and I was his. It felt warm and new each time.

When school reopened, our paths diverged. We both wanted to give each other the necessary space for concentration. Though we were focused, sometimes we just wanted to be together. We went to the lakeside at least once a week, walking and sharing all our experiences.