Touch My Heart
"Hold her"
Whispers. More of them. Hot breaths. Tickling his skin at the neck.
Goosebumps. Closing eyelids. Tightening embrace.
A moan. A crumpling of his collar.
He forgot when he stopped muting the voice in his head. He never noticed when he followed his heart...
He never realized his arms were around her now, holding her securely to his chest.
He never realized when their breaths mingled, when her shivering hand secured around his neck, stable now.
"Arnav" he could've missed the mumble, as low as it was, but he didn't.
As a response, he pulled her closer into his protective embrace, his palm cradling her head.
"Hmm?"
"Am I still alive?" the broken whispers in her throaty voice made him smile, as he pressed his cheek over her head.
"Hmm"
"Are you sure?"
He couldn't help the widened smile of his, even as his nose grazed the softness of her hair.
"Positive"
Silence.
There was only silence that blanketed around them in that cold night.
He felt a moment and knew she was trying to peep from his embrace.
"Don't"
He was late already, as she looked down to find the silvery fog beneath her feet, and the dangling of the carriage of the ferris wheel only made her give a soft moan before burying her face further into his chest, holding his jacket on the either side of her face, shielding herself.
His laughter wafted through the air even as he felt a punch in his stomach, cutting it short.
"Ouch. Khushi!"
"Youaren'tsupposedtolaugh" the words were rushing and her tone was shivering. What triggered it, he wondered, cold, fear or anger?
"Speak in English" his teasing words made her snap her big round eyes at him, and he knew the reason for the chill in her voice. Cold of course, and if it has to be mentioned, starting of irritation.
"You aren't supposed to laugh". If it were someone else, they would not have read the simmering irritation in her soft voice. But he wasn't just anyone. Five years of knowing each other, he read her like an open book. He knew her, with her madness, with her idiocy, with her stupidity, with her naivet, he knew her with everything that is truly her.
He hence was not surprised when she held his arm and dragged him for the Ferris wheel ride when some of their friends had made fun of her.
He knew the reason for her rash decision of having a Ferris wheel ride despite of her fear for heights. He knew she hated when people made fun of her fears. More than Acrophobia she suffered from being impulsive.
He never questioned hence when she dragged him along with her for the ride. He knew he was the only one whom she trusted her fears, insecurities, even with her stubbornness with.
All her dare devil act disappeared into thin air few minutes back. Ever since the Ferris wheel stopped with them hanging in the middle of the air, with the land so many feet beneath them, with them practically able to see three quarters of the city, she was all but hiding herself entirely into his being. His mouth itched to say "Told you so" but bit his tongue. He didn't wish for another punch anyway.
"You're going to get me a brand new shirt for crumpling my John Players"
"Get lost you ahhh" her words were brutally cut with a sudden movement. They slipped to a corner, and his hands instinctively moved towards her, as he whispered soothing words to her, even as he could feel the cold air brushing past his neck, and could feel her weight which pushed him towards the edge, making their carriage tilt dangerously. He held onto her, closing his eyes, and pulled himself away from the corner with his fist around the iron rod of the carriage.
A screech, a movement, a gulp of fear, a mumble of his name, a violent skip of his heartbeat fearing any harm touching her, an embrace protecting her, his lips praying for her safety, they spent the next forty seconds only to open their eyes to clamour and crowd, staring at them worried and curious.
They stepped out of the carriage, his arms still around her, her tears still not dried, the shiver of her hands still intact.
A gentle squeeze he gave to her hand, a warm look he passed her way, his encircling hand around her waist which spoke of protectiveness was all that she needed to know she was alright.
Later that evening, when they were walking in the fair with her chatting with the rest of their friends and him following them silently from afar, he looked at the hair that was curled up around his shirt button and smiled.
That stupid little girl left another reminder of her with him today.
Another reminder that would accelerate his heartbeats, another reminder of the craziest thing that ever happened to him. Her.
He smiled as he saw her biting into a cotton candy totally unaware of his accelerated heartbeats, and his stares that followed her.
How blissfully unaware she was. That stupid little girl.
---
Missed me anyone? Merry Christmas and a Happy New year people.
7