Anika
"Wh-what do you wanna talk about?"
Shaurya shrugs, leaning his perfectly tanned shoulders back. There seems to be a tense expression on his face, as his uneasy eyes land on me. "It's just a very important discussion. I mean, it's been on my mind for a while, I just..." he takes a deep breath. "I need to talk to you about it and it would be nice it was by the sunset."
I look at him confusingly, furrowing my eyebrows. "Yeah, I mean I guess we could." What could be so urgent, though?
He starts to get up, brushing off some excess sand off of his skin. Then, he offers me his hand, suggesting me to grab it. I sigh, grasping his warm hand as he pulls me up. This wouldn't be the first time he grabbed my hand, but it definitely is a very wonderful feeling. Electricity shoots inside of my veins, making my heart pump a beat faster.
I make eye contact with Em and Ty. Their heads nod off towards Shaurya and I, which probably means that they're asking me where I'm going off with him. I mouth at them, 'be right back.'
Then, I look back at Shaurya who slightly smiles at me, dimples creasing his soft cheek. "Ready to go?" he murmurs.
"Yup," a smile grows on my lips. Then, he starts to lead me across the beach. People are too engrossed in other conversations to notice that the party's own host is leaving the campfire with some girl he's been talking to for a month. And I mean, I guess that's a good thing because people would start catcalling and hollering obscene phrases towards us.
I don't think Shaurya and I would prefer that, especially me.
The waves are crashing against the sand in such a calm and peaceful manner. Shaurya and I reached to the point where the water would reach to our toes, lightly tickling them and immediately running away. I notice the gorgeous sunset with beautiful contrast colors of red, fading to an orange and ending with a yellow hue. Sunsets are ultimately the most amazing things I have ever laid my eyes on.
"Wow," I breathe out. "The view's so gorgeous."
We start to sit down against the soft, wet sand as Shaurya sighs to himself. I feel his beautiful eyes turning to me from my side view, him staring at me so.... sexily. My face warms as he replies, "Yeah, tell me about it."
Something tells me he wasn't only talking about the sunset.
I nervously chuckle. "Anyways..." turning my head towards him, I clear my throat. "Now can you tell me what you urgently want to talk about?"
"Oh, yeah," he grins, looking down at his feet. His thigh touches mine, our faces inches away and if I moved any closer to him then we would be... kissing. "I'll tell you now."
An uneasy expression is placed on his face, as he runs his hands along his arms very anxiously. "My... my parents are getting a divorce."
"Wait... what?" I mutter. "H-how come?"
Who knew that the guy with the most perfect family would be having internal family issues. And I know it's a very cliche thing, to think a rich family would be having no personal family problems of their own... but isn't that what everyone thinks?
Shaurya shrugs, closing his eyes. "I never told you this, but my mom met up with me at this cafe almost a couple of weeks ago. She told me that she and my father are divorcing, and Iâ" he takes a deep breath, opening his eyes and looking at me intently. "I'm scared, honestly. And that's not the only thing that's been on my mind."
He runs his fingers through his hair and presses his lips together in a thin line. "She also wanted me to move to Seattle with her, once they've divorced."
Wait... what?
"And part of me wants to, so I don't have to deal with my father anymore... but the other part of me doesn't because I have a life here. I have friends here, friends that I don't wanna leave." He looks at me and sighs. "Especially you."
My heart flutters as he says that, but it soon dispersed as I realize that he may be going to Seattle with his mom. I mean, he's gonna be gone. And I don't think I can handle that because he has made me feel so free and alive compared to my other years of college.
"Oh," I mutter, tucking a few strands of hair behind my ear. "So... are you going to move to Seattle?"
"I-I don't know," he stutters. "I seriously don't know."
A few moments of silence wafts in the air. Then, I blurt out, "When exactly are you supposed to make your decision?"
He takes a deep breath, contemplating to himself. "I'm not sure about that either. I guess once they've made their mind up about the divorce?"
"Okay," I breathe out. Then, I cock my head to the side. "How exactly do you feel about the divorce? Have you been expecting it?"
He thinks to himself, nervously biting his lip. "Yeah. I guess I have been expecting it. I've seen it coming, you know. They've been fighting a lot, and it's just been really awkward between them lately. But I didn't expect the actual divorce news to arrive this early. I thought it would extend for a while."
"Yeah, I get that," I reply. "But, hey, it's gonna be okay. Don't worry or stress about it too much, just do whatever makes you happy," I reassure him. My hand lands on his arm as I rub it. A slight smile appears on his mouth. "Thanks," he murmurs. "I appreciate it."
"Don't mention it," I shrug.
Finally, it is quiet between us, for a minute at least. And I honestly don't think it's an awkward silence; I think of it as a silence that speaks loudly, a silence that doesn't need any words or noises or actions in it. This silence absorbs the energy between Shaurya and I, am energy that is well needed.
The cold water reaches in and out, touching our toes very lightly. My eyes wander above, all the way to the ocean and then to the sky. The sun is blood red as it rests above the horizon, and birds fly in front of it as they fly to different destinations.
Somehow, without any self control of mine, my eyes wander over to Shaurya. I expect his eyes to be concentrated on the sunset too, but instead they're fixated on... me. His eyes run through my body as they reach my face. He takes a deep breath and his mouth opens, as if he's longing to say something, but then it immediately closes.
Then, he leans a little closer towards me, his upper body diagonal to mine. His arm is behind my back as he looks at me even more passionately then before.
He pushes his luscious dark hair back, his muscles accentuated. "Look, Anika, I..." The way my name rolls off of his tongue so elegantly makes me smile on the inside. Shaurya holds eye contact with me as he speaks. "I'm just gonna say it and not beat around the bush."
What more does he want to tell me?
His tan skin gleams against the sun, his muscles flexing as he leans back, displaying his fresh set of abs formed on his stomach. I try so hard not to fixate my eyes on his muscles and melt-worthy abs that I wanna run my fingers across andâ
Snap out of it, Anika!
I look directly at Shaurya, who looks at me uneasy. Then, he says, "I-I like you, Anika."
I swear my heart stopped for a second as those words escaped from his mouth. He... likes me? As in has actual feelings for me?
Shaurya Roy likes me, Anika Desai?
"You..." I croak out, but then I immediately clear my throat. "You do?"
"Yeah," he breathes out, chuckling. "I do. I have ever since I laid eyes on you at that party, where we first met." My expressions are completely blank and I feel his eyes widening, as if he regretted saying that. "I-I know it sounds really corny, but it's the truth. You're... you're different. In a good way. So much more different than the other girls I know, and you're so inspiring and strong."
My heart beats erratically against my chest. Is that what he thinks of me? I always thought he was a player, or some sort of womanizer that played with other girl's hearts. Part of me wants to believe him, I do, but... he has to prove to me that he's worth it.
"You really feel that way for me?" I ponder, sitting up. "Yeah, I do!" he sits up as well. "I swear, Anika. And I know what you're thinking," he pauses. "That I'm a player and I'm just going to play with your feelings and break your heart eventually, and trust me, that is not what I intend to do."
His desperate eyes continue to look at me suggestively, dying to hear some sort of reply or answer from me. I take a deep breath and purse my lips together. "Well, you want to know something else?"
Here we go...
"What?" he immediately replies.
I bite on my lip, feeling as if my heart's going to beat out of my chest, considering the pace it's going at. Then, I gulp and blurt out, "I like you, too."
Oh, God...
His eyes widen, a smile placed on his lips. "Really?" he rasps out.
"Yeah, I do," I beam. "You've taught me so many things, Shaurya. You've taught me to be strong, inspiring, all those things you described me as. I was never those things before."
"That's not true," he interrupts. "You were always those things."
I take a deep breath. "No, you don't even know. I had almost no personality before I met you. I was nose deep in my studies, always engaged in them, even though I didn't even want to. Yet it was mainly because of my father forcing me to get good grades and do something I don't want to do, but you've made me realize that my true passion is writing, it always has been."
"I'm..." he thinks to himself. "I'm glad," he whispers. "And same goes for you. I mean, my father wants me to be a businessman, which you already know I don't want to be that whatsoever. I have no intentions in doing anything that relates to the business field. But ever since you walked into my life, you've made me realize that becoming an artist is what I've always been wanting to pursue in life. I always knew I loved drawing and creating drawings, but I never truly knew that I wanted to... pursue in it," he finishes off.
"I'm happy you realized that," I assure him. "It's really difficult to realize those type of things. But now that you have, it'll be easier to roam through life in an easy path."
"Yeah," he breathes out. Then, he looks at me and sighs. "I don't know why I'm complaining about my life all the time. You're the one that's been through the worst and is still stronger than me."
"Don't say that," I lightly chuckle. "It doesn't matter what extent our problems travel to, but they're still problems," I exemplify.
"I know," he moans. "You know what? It's official. Life. Sucks."
I burst out in laughter, throwing my head back. "Tell me about it."
He joins in as well, his eyes scrunched close and his mouth wide open. Shaurya and I laugh hysterically as he starts to get up, dusting all the sand off his body. "Come with me!"
"Where?" I wheeze, clutching my stomach, as I continue to laugh.
"Just trust me," his laughter dies out but there's still a broad playful grin on him. I suck on my lip and get up. "Okay, where are we goingâ"
Shaurya starts to sprint off towards the water, and looks back at me. "Last one is the rotten egg!"
"Oh, you did not!" I yelp. Then, I start to run off into the water, the cold, ticklish water run through my toes as it splashes in and out and in and out and in and out.
Shaurya is already deep into the water, his torso the only visible thing appearing. His upper body gleams against the setting sun, and he suddenly dips his head into the water. He throws his head back, droplets of water coming from his hair. His hand runs through his hair as he looks at me. Damn, but he should definitely be a Calvin Klein model.
My swimming suit starts to cling to my body now that it's semi wet. The cold water reaches to my waist as I start to shiver, but I shake that off because the excitement is starting to get to me. He grins at me and gestures for me to come towards him. "Hey, look what I found!"
Excitedly, I sprint through the water and reply, "What is it? What did you findâ"
I gasp as Shaurya suddenly splashes water towards me. Spluttering, I run my fingers on my eyelids, shutting my eyes close. "What the hell, Shaurya?" I gasp.
His face drops as he immediately starts to apologize, coming towards me. "Oh, God... I'm so sorry! I guess I got carried away. But damn, I feel so bad! Are you okay? Did anything get in your eyeâ"
He is suddenly interrupted as I splash water on him too. He gasps, running his arm across his face as a mischievous smile grows on my face. "Two can play at this game," I smirk.
"Uh huh?" Shaurya chuckles, grinning at me. "Let's see who would win, though." He winks and suddenly splashes a huge rift of water towards me. Gasping and spluttering, I do the same at him as we cackle like idiots.
"Stop!" I burst out in laughing as I continue to splash him. "Never!" he chuckles, continuing to splash all over me.
What I am noticing, though, is that we seem to get closer and closer to each other, physically. His torso is touching mine, as our splashing starts to slowly die down. My eyes land on his as a sly smile appears on his lips, and he then stops his splashing, mainly because he's found another activity to do... stare at me.
And not just stare at me, but he's staring at me as if he wants to devour me in, mentally. Get to know me even further, be a part of my life and do... things to me. My heart pulsates against my chest as I gulp, realizing that he's starting to lean in towards me.
My hands are placed on his biceps which I can barely place my fingers around because they are just that muscular. I look down and see that there is no space between our torsos and then I look up and notice that our faces are literally an inch apart.
But my God, Shaurya's features are extremely perfect. His bright brown eyes that gleam. His dimple that always appears whenever he smiles. And his pink lips... his very kissable lips...
"Anika..." he breathes out. Damn, his voice sounds so husky and deep when his mouth is literally inches from mine. It makes my insides burn with ravenous passion, wanting to devour him piece by piece and to never let him go, to always let him be mine. His voice also growls with such hunger as well that it makes my cheeks turn red.
"Shh," I mutter, looking up at him. "Don't say anything." I tip toe to his lips and he smiles, nodding his head. Then, without any hesitation, he leans in even further and kisses me.
Not going to lie, kissing is a very scary and risky concept itself. It shouldn't be solid and compact, slipping no tongue whatsoever and being just a small peck. But it also shouldn't be sloppy and gross like having too much tongue and slobbering everywhere.
But this kiss... it's so perfect.
Maybe I'm just saying this because it's my first kiss or maybe I'm saying this because I genuinely feel like this kiss is perfect in so many ways. Firstly, the emotions you feel with a kiss are very important. You should feel fireworks exploding inside of yourself, a fiesta happening, like everything that's happening outside of this kiss should just pause and nothing should stop this specific kiss itself.
Secondly, the passion coming with the kiss is also very essential. There should be touching involved, slight moaning, and perfect usage of tongue. There should be a fire sparking, igniting, fusing, specifically in each other's hearts.
And all of those things I've mentioned... they're happening right now between Shaurya and I.
His lips are so soft against mine. The way they mend and pull and push into mine satisfies and astonishes me. And of course I expect him to be good at this because he's kissed so many girls. But I'm surprised I'm doing so good at this. When he slipped his tongue inside of my mouth, I reacted so perfectly by taking hold of his tongue by my tongue and swirling it inside of his mouth, roaming free and wild.
A slight moan escaped from his mouth, which obviously meant that he liked it. So, I decided to make him feel even better by grabbing his body tightly. I was already grabbing his biceps, so I decided to be risky by running my fingers through his collarbone and traveling down to his stomach, running my fingers through his abs which I so very desired to do.
While I was doing that, he grabbed hold of my waist. There is a few naked spots from my swimming suit, so he grabbed hold of that, holding me tightly and never letting me go. And the other hand was running up the back of my thigh under water, as it slowly went upâ
Oh.
I took a deep breath as his lips continued to kiss me so passionately, as his hands ran through me so effortlessly that I decided to do the same.
And what was so perfect about this situation was the setting. I mean, kissing the guy you like in the ocean while the sun sets and it's just you guys? How perfect could it get?
I place both of my hands on the under side of Shaurya's jawline, feeling the sharp curves of it. He hugs me tightly, as my legs slowly start to wrap around him. Our mouths, though, are moving so wildly against each other. My tongue swarms into his mouth as he slyly bites my lip, smiling against my lips. A shy grin grows on me as I grab hold of his face, push it against mine with such power and take a deep breath.
What I may have forgot to mention about kissing is that it takes up a huge amount of breaths. Even making out for just a few minutes is enough to make you breathless for a very long time. I don't know whether it's just the amount of energy it takes or what we're feeling internally from all the kissing, but it does require a few breaks here and there.
But we just pull apart from each other. Not because the kissing was horrible or we felt as if we made a mistake, but we just wanted to take in what the actual hell happened. I mean... I kissed Shaurya Roy! Son of a billionaire businessman and possibly the hottest guy to walk on campus!
But it's not his status that truly matters. It's what we've shared between us. Which is this... great feeling and passion otherwise known as kissing.
No one says anything to each other for at least a minute because we're too busy smiling at each other, taking in what just happened. I continue to smile at Shaurya, holding on to him so tightly, but suddenly his expression becomes serious. He still hugs me tight, but his facial expression changes.
What happened all of a sudden?
I anxiously wait for some sort of reply from him. Suddenly, he clears his throat and speaks up.
"Run away with me."
*
A/N:
Ladies and gentlemen, the chapter you guys have all been waiting for ;)
Hope you guys liked the chapter! And ahh... SHAURYA AND ANIKA KISSED!! Trust me I'm just as happy as you guys are. It was about time these two lovebirds kissed :)
Also whoa whoa WAIT. what the actual hell was that bomb Shaurya dropped on Anika at the end?
Well, I guess you guys are gonna have to stay tuned for the next chapter to find out hehe.
- Ru <3