The sky is a conspiracy of stars

13) Close-up

I stir a little on the bed. It feels uncomfortable and it feels like there is another person behind me, but I am way too sleepy to notice that.

Wait a second.

Is it a man?

I turn around and find a shirtless Darshan sleeping on the bed beside me.

Fuck.

Did that happen what I think that happened?

There are nearly 5-8 people more in the room. On my side of the bed, I see Sriya and some random guy sleeping peacefully.

I feel like crying.

“What happened?”, I hear a muffled voice from beside me.

He stirs in his sleep and then wakes up with a jolt.

He looks at me from top to bottom and pushes me down and then, puts the cover over me.

What is he doing?

Moments later he joins me under the blanket and wraps his arms over my waist.

I am just confused.

I feel the silky cloth over me, so I am pretty sure that I haven't gone that far... But, did anything ever happen?

I see him smile at me. Not too big. Not too small. But a smile. He inched closer and leaned on to his elbows and neared my earlobes.

“Don't worry. Nothing ever happened between us”, he whispered. I feel his warm breath linger on my skin and it tingles me.

He draws his forefinger close and draws random figures on my cheek bones and down on my neckbones.

I hear shifting outside, and I want to peek a glance, but he stops me and hovers over me, pinning both my hands to either sides.

“Let them leave”, he whispers in my ears and then there is some more shifting outside.

Through the thin fabric of the bedsheet, I can see the boy who tried to rape me, Krish outside.

The thought alone brings shivers down my spine and tears brim at the bottom of my eyes.

He looks in the direction I am looking and sighs out. He falls on me and before I know, he hugs me.

“I didn't even invite him. He came with Shiv”, is all he manages to say.

My breath seems to hitch in my throat and only Sriya is left behind.

She comes towards us and yanks the bedsheet off us.

“I knew it. There was no sex in here”, she rolled her eyes and looks at me.

“What happened?”, she asked next as Darshan didn't move a muscle and we didn't change our positions.

Darshan leaves me and side-hugs me all along as I sob softly into his chest. This feels so homely and soft. I couldn't feel like this for years. A moment later I feel an extra hand wrap around my neck and I see Sriya, looking at me. She gave my hand a gentle squeeze and ruffled my hair.

I don't know for how long I had been crying, but as soon as I stopped, she asked me, “What was this all about?”

“Krish had once tried to rape her. And yesterday he was in the party”, he says curtly as if it's burning his cells to utter those words.

Sriya however gasps at the revelation and looks at me, sympathetically.

“I am so sorry... I didn't know that... But, Darshan, if you knew, you aren't the type to stay quiet... Why didn't you break his bone?”, Sriya asked him.

He just runs a hand through his hair.

“I just have something to discuss with the Dean”, he says with a small frown.

“You are ready to go to that extent?”, Sriya asked with a short, satisfied smile.

“Yes, I am”, he frowns a little wide.

I am just left clueless.

“By the way, why did you open your shirt last night?”, Sriya questioned him.

“Got a dare”, he shrugs as he puts on his watch.

“And why did you sleep beside her?”, she further questioned.

Okay, maybe now I understand that she is teasing him.

“So that nobody else gets a chaaannnccceee”, he drags the last part, slowly as if he wasn't supposed to reveal that.

I just look blankly at him.

“I mean... She is so gullible... And, even if she is in trouble, she won't ask for help... So I didn't want her to get into any kind of trouble”, he stammers explaining himself.

“Ahha... I know, I know. Why bother explaining Mr. Raval? You didn't like to give explanations, did you?”, she smirks at him and he curses at her under his breath.

Come to think of it, I actually remembered his name and didn't call him Mr. Casanova... Not for once.

“Why don't you just get out?”, he snarls at her as he perfects his hair.

I don't think I will be able to handle the drama, so I go to the bathroom to have a shower.

As the warm liquid runs through my skin, I remember, I don't actually have any of my clothes rn.

Fuck.

I can't wear the dress I wore last night because I just put it up to dry.

I don't have anything to wear, for real. And, Sriya has left too, Mr. Casanova's courtesy.

Yes he is a Casanova when he adds to my trouble.

Nervously, I wrap a towel around my body and take a peek outside.

No one.

Perfect.

I wish luck could be perfect too.

Just as I step outside, he comes in the cabin.

We stare at each other for a while.

I just shriek and flop down and he turns around.

“Y—You idiot! Where are your clothes?”, he asks me, his cheeks flushed red.

Of all, he must know that my clothes are up for laundry. I will get them by Wednesday.

He turns around sighing loud and then goes to his closet and brings out a blue button up and wraps it around me.

I feel too shy to look up, but he lifts my chin up and stares at me.

“Just keep looking up into my eyes”, he says and I feel the soft towel brush against my legs as it falls down and it's then that I realize what he exactly is doing.

My mouth just hangs open.

“Don't give any reaction and keep looking into my eyes... Or I won't be able to control myself from looking down”, he says and I process his actions.

He slowly skims roughly at the buttons and passes them through the loop.

His face twists into an uncomfortable scowl at times when his finger lightly brush on my breasts.

I don't know what to do.

I am just too mesmerized by his brown marbled eyes that I can't seem to focus on anything else.

Finally, he reaches the second last button which hangs over my lower part.

He realizes it soon enough and lets go of the shirt.

“Button that up... I will go, call Sriya soon”, he says.

He should have just done that at first... But, I can't help feeling so satisfied only by the closeness between us.

// So,maybe many of you don't know but I like to have one or two chapters written in draft while I post... So it's taking up time to wrap up each chapter... But, last night, I finally got an idea and didn't have to struggle any more... So I am here. Love y'all//