When Love Bites (published)

Chapter-6

I was waiting at the parking lot with Abhishek and I saw a car pulled up and found Nikita and Kriti coming from it.
Abhishek waved his hand so that they could see us but my eyes were at Kriti only. She was just so beautiful with her blue dress and straight hair.
"Well, we are here" Nikita said.
"You look beautiful" I blurted out, amazed by how gorgeous Kriti looked. I was caught up in eyes breathlessly wide apart, eyes like sunlight shining through whisky. Eyes like flames in cold euphoria, a tight-teethed smile and skin like bright pink seashells. She was intelligent like outer space, full of infinite life. She was like a childhood memory from the age of 3 or 4 that you remember unavoidably vividly, the one you must write down in your journal because you want to keep it forever. She was the kind of mischievousness you must keep to stay sane and insane at the same time. There was more beauty to her, to be discovered throughout my entire lifetime. Every day I found something new that I will love until I die. I couldn't wait to be stained with all of her whirlwinds on my skin. Her sensual essence seduced my soul, leaving me without breath, struggling to find words to describe her. Every day she caused me to pause, to pinch my skin and wonder aloud if she was real or a figment of my imagination.
'Aww...thanks. You look handsome" she said shyly. We were standing close to each other and I could see Abhishek and Nikita nudging each other while holding back their smiles.
"So... let's go" I said to the group and we went to the auditorium. After the opening speech addressed by Head of Department we had our dance. Like every fresher's party that I've seen on the internet.
"I didn't know you can dance too" I said.
"Well, I dance in my free time, you know" she said. We continued to dance on the music. Our eyes met as we danced and I felt like I never wanted this moment to end. But alas, we finished our dance.
While we were eating, Kriti asked if I could keep a secret. I nodded and she whispered to me "I had a crush on you for a while and... I like you". My mind shut down and my heart skipped a beat. My crush had a crush on me. I couldn't believe what I just heard. I felt like I was dreaming.
"Hey? You okay?" Abhishek tapped me from behind.
"Sorry, what?" I asked.
"You look like you have seen a ghost" he said, concerned.
"Oh, it's nothing" I said.
After the party, I and Abhishek headed to my car and I saw Kriti running towards us.
"Can I just talk to you for a moment please?" Kriti asked me.
"I think you should go to our apartment" Abhishek added.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Are you okay with having a talk at your home?" she asked.
"Okay" I replied and she went in my car and I drove to my place.
I opened the door and let her in the house first.
"Sit" I said while I sat on the bean bag.
"So..." I muttered while she sat next to me.
"You look nice today" she said.
"Thanks again" I replied.
She stole her gaze away from me and I asked her: "when did you have a crush on me?"
"I have a crush on you since the first day of our college. It's just that you are handsome and kind of friendly to me" she confessed.
I was surprised by her answer and how she thought of me.
"Wow...I didn't know you thought of me like that. I am actually flattered" I said, blushing.
She giggled and laid her head on my shoulder. I started to blush even more.
"I have a confession to make" I said, taking a deep breath.
"What is it, Karan?" she asked in wonder.
"I...have a crush on you too. You are so cute and kind. You are also witty" I confessed to her. She was shocked by what I said and I continued: "I had a crush on you and I kept it a secret because I didn't know what you would say" I said until I was cut off by her lips pressed onto my cheek. I blushed as the moment went on.
"I guess the feeling is mutual" she said parting her lips from my cheek.
"No...I think it's more than the liking thing" I said.
"You are crazy" she said rolling her eyes.
"I am in love" I clarified.
And just like that the air shifted and we just stared at each other with wide eyes and then again I said "I am in love" yet this time I added a soft "with you"
"Why? Why do you like me? I am scrawny and I am so immature. I don't brush my hair so it kinda just goes crazy like a kid on playground. I get overly excited about things and that's when I start to talk super fast like I am doing right now. And when I am anxious, which is like always, I have a tendency to shut down and just completely isolate which gives people the impression that I don't want their company. Although company is what I want the most. Your company, to be honest. So I find myself thinking that I like you. Maybe you think about me as much as I think about you. Maybe we think about each other at the same time and we don't even know it. But then I remember who I am and who you are. It feels like we are uneven. You are too good for me" she said looking at the roof.
We smiled. That smile which made my heart flutter was a testament of why I fell in love for the first place.
"None of us is too good for each other for we make a perfect pair" I replied.
"What if I fall for you very hard? What are you going to do about it?" she blurted out, cheeks blossoming red.
"Catch you"
I stared deep into her big brown eyes. She smiled at me and cupped my cheeks that were slowly turning red. She slowly leaned in and my heart started to beat so loudly that it felt like it was going to explode.
Her right hand was in my left, our eyes locked and her lips slowly crashed onto mine and I knew that was the beginning of forever. Sparks flew in every direction and the world was slowly disappearing around us along with all of our worries, troubles and problems. She made me feel like none of that mattered. It was a small yet warm kiss. I honestly never knew a kiss so innocent could be so intimate and electrifying. Her lips moved in perfect synchronization, my hands feeling her waist. I pulled her closer and the kiss went deeper and more passionate. Her lips caressed my neck and finally reached near my shoulder where she bit me. I felt her hands on the back of my neck. A smile grew on my face as it started to tickle me and finally we pulled apart.
I never knew how much passion you could feel in just one kiss. How much desire and love two people can put into just one simple gesture of affection. The only downside to experiencing something like that is when you pull away, it leaves you always wanting for more.
I knew it was love when I felt the kiss in two ways-
One brought me to knees, it made me a sinner, an addict looking for my next high, it stirred up every ounce of want in my body. It made me praise her in every way she deserves to be worshipped.
The other, cleared all doubts from my mind. It felt like home and eased the pit in my stomach. I could taste those lips all day and be content with just that.
She knocked everything out, shook me up. That's the thing I went for. When she looked at me and my chest tightened and my hands fumbled their way into each other's. She got into my life, my head. I didn't need anyone and my life was boxes checked. She shredded that paper the first time she kissed me. I was on the ground and now I was flying- I hoped for the things I didn't dare to even dream of.
Loving is such an easy thing to do, because you don't have to try to love someone. When you are in love with someone, it just happens. It's magical, it's beautiful, it's powerful. Love is simple. Love is more than a story, it's more than something you watch on screen or read about. You see her standing at the end of a long aisle and it was never something you wanted until this moment, until her. That's what you risk the entire world for, the thing that makes you disregard fear and safety and the allure of never letting anyone close enough. Because what's the point otherwise? How is this worth anything if your heart isn't in her hands.