Chapter 33. I love you

🎶 Thodi Der

Published on 30.09.2022

| AUTHOR'S POV |

The next day was traditional day at her college.

Inaaya had opted for a yellow and silver lehanga embellished in sequins with short sleeves opposed to her friends wearing sarees. She kept her neck bare and adorned her ears with floral long silver earrings and a similar bracelet on her wrist. She let her hair loose in soft curls and her look was complete with light makeup.

But she was hardly present at the ocassion.

All she was waiting was for the clock to strike seven so that she could leave the event and meet the guy who said he would wait for her outside the college. She clapped and hooted when Nikita won the best dressed woman and hummed along when a guy played guitar and a girl sang. She laughed at Alisha's jokes and rolled her eyes when someone tried to flirt with her. Yet nothing helped the uneasy feeling within her that made her feel cold and had her heart beating erratically. She constantly fidgeted with her bracelet, glanced at the time in her phone and got annoyed for the time was moving too slow for her liking.

Ayansh was going to leave for LA tomorrow and although it was just a matter of few days, he would return on 14th, she couldn't help or explain the restlessness she felt. As if on cue, her phone pinged and she was quick to check the message.

6:55 pm

I'm outside.

An involuntary smile spread across her face and she waved her friends goodbye before making her way out of the auditorium and entering the elevator. After what felt like an eternity, she reached the ground floor. Carrying her lehanga as elegantly as possible, she strode towards the main gate, the silhouette of his back making her walk faster.

He turned around.

Like he could simply sense her coming closer. And that made her halt in her steps, her breath catching in her throat. A grin curves up his lips at her sight, looking so bright and dazzling against the dark of the night encasing them. She smiled, a soft one as she walked towards him, her heart beating in a calm and steady manner and he gazed at her with a sombre, enamored look, blinking slowly and taking a deep sigh when she reached him. He leaned forward to say something but she immediately took a step back making him frown and motioned towards the security guards who tried to avoid looking at them.

Ayansh's face flushed, his hand going to the nape of his neck and his lips thinning into a straight line. Inaaya chuckled quietly and beckoned him to walk towards the car. No sooner did they reach the car than she flung herself on him, her arms going around his torso and even though he was used to her sudden hugs, they never failed to reel him back.

"What happened?" His hands come around her waist, over her dupatta, making sure not to touch her skin so as not to make her uncomfortable even unintentionally.

Inaaya feels the tension uncoiling from her shoulders at the familiarity of the warmth he radiated and she felt herself relax. She shakes her head against the crook of his neck. "Nothing. I was just feeling a little weird." She replied, unable to put her feelings into words and felt him chuckle against her hair.

"I've something to brighten up your mood." Ayansh pulls away from the hug, his hands dangling loosely around her hips. "There's a wedding happening nearby." His eyes glimmer.

Inaaya's eyebrows pinch together in confusion. She thinks for a moment and then looks at him strangely. She brings the back of her palm to his forehead and he cranes his head away, eyeing her with a similar look. "Are you drunk or are you sick?"

"Neither." He answers, feeling slightly offended.

"Don't tell me you want to get married right now." She says in horror.

His eyes widen instinctively before he falls into laughter, causing her to frown in annoyance. "I mean," he chuckles and lowers his voice, "you do look as beautiful as a bride or maybe if you were the bride, you would've been the prettiest of them all and I would love to whisk you away right now but I don't think you would appreciate that." He pauses to stare at the way she tries to keep a straight face, clenching her jaw to contain the bashful smile from spilling across her lips and then flicks her nose. "I was talking about gatecrashing the wedding." He adds, mischievously.

Inaaya looks at him for a hint of humour. "No."

"Yes." He mouths and nods.

Her mouth opens and closes like a fish and he laughs.

"It was there in your bucket list." He waggles his eyebrows suggestively.

"And you really want to go forward with it?" She shakes her head in disbelief. "You? Someone who doesn't like to take risks and isn't a fan of adventures really wants to gatecrash a random wedding for me?"

Ayansh throws her an annoyed look. "Don't make me change my mind." He warns and she giggles.

Inaaya loops her hands around his neck, thankful that he had parked his car in a secluded corner, away from the public eye. "Aren't you the cutest?" She teases, grinning.

He rolls his eyes, swatting her hand away and opening the passenger door. "Get in the car."

Without any resistance, she gets inside after blowing him a dramatic air kiss.

Ayansh had an extra blazer in his car which he puts above his white shirt after parking his car at the venue.

Inaaya squints her eyes when she holds his hand and takes a step ahead but he doesn't move. "What?" She arches a brow. "Let's go."

He watches her anxiously. "I did say we should do it in enthusiasm but I'm not very sure about it at the moment." He gulps. "There are many people out there." He points towards the group of people which included the band and adults and children and few elders as well, dancing and clapping. "If we get caught, we're in big trouble. What if our parents come to know?"

Inaaya throws him a pointed look. "Ayansh," she says calmly, "there are many people which is precisely the very reason we should go in right now and not delay. It's like the universe urging and manifesting for us to have a little fun in life. So stop overthinking." She doesn't give him any moment to reconsider as she interlinks their fingers and starts to drag him towards the crowd.

Clandestinely, she pushes her way through the people, taking Ayansh with her and aligns themselves somewhere in the middle, camouflaging with the ones who were giggling and cheering and moving their hands, their eyes on the joyous groom above the horse and the merry children who were dancing in the front.

The universe was definitely with them because soon enough, the kids who were dragging the adults to join for dancing, started pulling them in too despite not knowing anything about them. Inaaya, who seemed to be high on the euphoria of living one of her fantasies, readily let herself be dragged while Ayansh gently refused them.

Ayansh watched, first in nervousness and then, in amusement the way she danced a little in her lehanga, laughing with unknown people, swaying and glancing at him occassionally and doing some subtle, playful gestures. He couldn't resist capturing few moments and recording it in his phone for keeps.

She had him captivated, literally and he wanted to stay in her captive for the rest of his life. She brightened his day and consumed his night and he had no qualms about it for she was hope and wonder, beginnings and blessing, beauty and love, all wrapped in one.

They explored the place once they were in.

Inaaya and Ayansh didn't waste any time to get themselves acquainted with everything that the wedding had to offer especially when it came to food. The venue was decently crowded which Inaaya appreciated since that meant they could easily avoid attention but Ayansh hated it since too many people made him a little too jittery.

"Breathe." Inaaya murmurs. "Nobody knows us here. Don't worry and loosen up. We can go and enjoy the wedding if you want. There are a lot of empty seats." She adds, looking at him with understanding, their hands intertwined.

"I thought you wanted to enjoy the food." He points out, glancing around.

She chuckles. "I do. Trust me, majority of the people don't care about the wedding as much they care about the food." She adjusts her dupatta which was touching the ground. "But if you want, we can simply go and take a seat in some corner and enjoy the food later when the crowd here lessens."

Ayansh sighs and takes her clutch from her hand. "Since, we're here I think it would be disrespectful if we don't even give the couple a little attention." He says thoughtfully. "But we can do that after having some pani puris." He adds, noticing her craving since she had eyed the pani puri corner the most from the time they were here.

Inaaya smiles at him warmly as they walk towards the corner and ask the vendor for a plate of pani puris. Like a happy kid, she puts the first one in her mouth, her cheeks puffing out, letting the flavours explode when she bites on it and then gestures with her fingers to Ayansh that it's quite yummy. She pushes the second one in his mouth against his wish and regret fills her when he starts fanning his mouth due to the spiciness and she starts asking for water from the vendor. After taking a few large gulps of water, Ayansh breathes out in relief and eyes Inaaya who mutters a "sorry" holding one of her ear. He laughs and shakes his head at her and she scrunches her nose up in embarrassment and guilt.

"It's okay." He blinks at her, dabbing at his mouth with his handkerchief and asks the vendor for more pani puris for her and less spicy ones for him.

After having a good amount of pani puris, they make their way towards the hall where the wedding was being held and take seats in the corner of the middle row.

She crosses her legs while he stares at her and her movements with a lazy smile and besotted look in his eyes. Inaaya waggles her eyebrows in question.

His smile simply widens and he leans near her ear. "Tum pehle bhi itni khoobsurat thi ya wakt ne kiya kuch haseen sitam?" (Were you always this beautiful or is it the the great injustice of time?) He whispers in a husky voice and moves back as she looks taken aback. Crimson creeps from her neck to her cheeks and she blushes, a small laugh escaping her and his eyes twinkle in satisfaction. He loved that he could affect her in ways no other person ever could.

"You and your love for this movie is... " She trails off, not finding any word to complete the sentence and shakes her head animatedly and he chuckles at her disastrous pretense.

"I render you speechless." He smirks, bumping his shoulder with hers and earning a slap on his arm in return.

"Idiot." She grits out.

"Only yours." He laughs.

"It looks like a love marriage." Inaaya says after a few minutes, eyeing the couple at the mandap which was beautifully decorated with colourful flowers, glitters, lights and other materials.

Ayansh hums in agreement. "I have this strong urge to marry you right now." He says after a moment of silence, looking ahead.

Obviously, they weren't going to do it but he knew he could be honest about all the bizzare thoughts that made their way in his mind. Over months, they had reached that comfort level where they would share the stupidest of thoughts and flirt and annoy each other with cheesy lines and it was heartening.

She turns her head at him and looks at him solemnly. "Jokes apart but.... are you sure about me?" The uncertainty and fear lacing her tone makes him face her in slight worry.

"It might be early," he starts, "but I'm damn sure about you. It's you or no-one else." He says sincerely.

Inaaya looks at the pair ahead, a smile coming on her face as they laugh on something and she leans closer to Ayansh. "Good." She says with an air of attitude. "You better keep your word and never dare to break my heart or trust or I'll hunt you down and scream till your eardrums rupture and break your bones."

Ayansh couldn't help but laugh at her threats even though a twinge of guilt and regret hits him. "You better do it." He mumbles.

They watch as the couple take vows and Ayansh's hand engulfs Inaaya's subconsciously. A heavy emotion that she couldn't decode or explain manages to slither its way within her and she tightens her hold on his hand. It felt uncannily intimate to witness a wedding, a couple making promises, listening to the pandit explaining their meaning whilst she sat with a guy beside her, holding his hand. The sanctity of the moment overwhelmed her and she looks at him as the world around her blurs away.

He looked focussed, immersed in the moment and she felt she could resonate with the wave of emotions that coursed through him since she felt them all too. Her throat closes in, a deep unexplainable feeling of melancholy tugging and making her chest squeeze painfully. He was there with her, beside her and yet it felt he was slipping away. It was terrifying and she couldn't shake that feeling off, the feeling that had been bothering her the whole day.

Maybe it was the same feeling of fear or the force of the moment or the overwhelming emotions that finally compel her to say the words even though they already knew them. It was obvious.

"I love you."

The words reach him, startle him and it takes him a long moment before his gaze meet hers in a dwindling second, her lips parting away as she sucks in a breath and a tear slides across her cheek. He stares unblinkingly, unmovingly. It was amazing how something that wasn't even surprising, that had been so obvious still managed to stun them.

Ayansh doesn't say a word. He doesn't know if he's even breathing or if he could even feel his heartbeats. It felt like everything had taken a pause, the world stopped spinning, the time stopped moving and he just froze. He watches as her shoulders slump and she links their arms together before leaning her head over his shoulder like always.

And just like that, the world starts moving again.

His fingers dart out to entangle with hers and his body relaxes.

"I didn't say it because I wanted you to say it back." Inaaya let's out a nervous chuckle. "I just- I just felt like saying it." She sighs. "You don't have to say it back just because I said it. Don't feel pressurized. I mean, even I didn't have to say it because we both already know it. Feelings are mutuals, aren't they? I mean obviously- ," she stops rambling when she feels his thumb brushing the underside of her wrist and she knows his answer even though he didn't announce them in words.

"I'll miss you." She says, swallowing back a lump, not understanding why an impending three day distance from him was making her feel so heavy and disturbed and sad.

There's a moment of silence before he whispers back. "I'll miss you too."

***

Oh god, I was actually waiting eagerly to reach this part of the story and write this chapter; basically the next few chapters starting from this. I'm so excited haha!