Abhigya OS: One Night - Completed!

I would like to dedicate this to Mina Di. She had the initial idea for this story(AT 59 Page 5) I hope I have done justice to essentially your story! Also thank you for the endless support whether it be answering questions(mostly silly) and all the editing that you have done. Also to all the beautiful girls on the AT who have appreciated my work, hope this makes up for my absence.

No intention to copy anyone's work. Please let me know of any similarities and I will acknowledge the Author. Also please leave feedback and positive criticism.

Enjoy!

What she thought as the worst day of her life was finally over.

It always got this way closer to exam time. Her workload tripled and students acted up. Professors got cranky and Murphy's law applied at every instance.

That Friday morning she had missed her alarm, so there was no time for her regular cup of tea; then she missed her bus and had to wait an extra 15 minutes for the next one, which meant she was even more late and to make it worse her sandal broke as she was walking into the college. Good luck was on her side as she had a spare pair in her drawer at work. They did not match what she was wearing, but at that point it was the least of her worries. And to think she had not even started her day.

Her day passed between fending off questions from students as to what the exams would entail and professors asking if she wanted to invigilate their exams. She was too polite to say no, but at the same time quick enough to dodge most of the commitments. She had enough on her plate.

The last thing she wanted to do was go out with her friends that evening, and she thought of many different excuses she could give them for not meeting up. Just as she entered the house she came up with the brilliant plan of saying that she had some essays to check, but the idea fizzled when she saw her friend together with Bulbul waiting in her room to ambush her.

Her bag was taken from her and clothes shoved in her hands. As she debated on whether to change or not she saw her bag being rifled through as though she was smuggling something precious.

Before she could open her mouth, her friend spoke up "No excuses. There are no papers to mark, no notes to check or anything in your diary that needs doing now so you're coming with us. We're going to have a good time and that's final."

"Okay okay! I might just do it. I have had a really bad day and I need to let loose, what better way than spending some quality time with friends." After all it wasn't like she would be able to get out of it.

She changed into more appropriate clothes for a night out with friends but refused to take off her glasses. She was not going through the torture of having irritating lens in the whole night.

They ended up going to a cafe-cum bar that had recently opened up nearby. It was a really nice place during the day and the atmosphere changed with the setting sun for a more clubby feel.

Pragya was not a big drinker, in fact she preferred being the sober one on a night out, but after a day like today, she was all for having a glass attached to her hand all night; after all, if you decided to do something you should do it well.

She walked over to the bar, carving out a spot near the wall that would ensure that when her friends and Bulbul got back from "freshening up" they would have somewhere to stand.

She ordered the first round of drinks for the group, Malibu and Cokes and a shot of Black Sambuca for herself. She loved the liquorice taste of the sambuca but knew it would get to her head if she had a few, but really who cared; it was finally the weekend.

Her shot went down nice and smooth but the girls still weren't back. But she knew the code words well; "freshening up" usually meant giggling in the restrooms, talking about which guys they had passed were hot and which ones were not; there would also be hair flipping, touch ups and making sure dresses were as flattering as they could be. Selfies would also be taken although why one would do that in the toilets was beyond her.

***

He had been watching her for a while now. He noticed that she'd come in with some really loud girls all dolled up, whereas she was dressed down,in a dress that went just past her knees.

The top half till the waist was black and the skirt was in shades of the sunset. The dress showed just the slightest hint of legs that were encased in black strappy heels. In this case the phrase less is more struck true; the less he saw of her the more he liked.

Her hair was flowing down her back in curls that didn't look set and no makeup bar the eyes behind the glasses. She was different unlike the girls he saw often in here, his sister and her friends included.

She was soon joined by her friends who were chattering away. They were all quite pretty, but something about her kept pulling his gaze; he also noticed she'd ordered another drink; a tall glass this time, but whatever it was was different from what her friends were drinking.

***

Her friends wanted to hang out around the bar for a while - another ritual Pragya never quite understood.

They would stand there, scope out the whole place, look for the most crowded place in the bar to go and dance, making sure there was a very attractive group of boys in sight. Bulbul had obviously spotted the perfect place, as another round of drinks were ordered and the group was herded to the centre in the spot deemed perfect. A circle was formed, bags dumped in the middle and what she termed as the "side to side dance" started.

***

Her dancing was a stark contrast to that of her friends, almost uninhibited. She was very much into the music, not caring what she looked like. He quite liked that and was thinking of how he could get to know her.

He went through the different plans in his head and settled on the first one. He convinced his friends to move to the dance floor. He quite enjoyed dancing, but none of his friends did so convincing them to move halfway across the room from the bar was a mission. Now all he had to do was maneuver himself around to dance near her.

He was almost there when the girls decided to go back to the bar to get more drinks. He didn't understand why they couldn't just send one person - why did they all have to go? All his hard work of carefully getting closer was for nothing.

Quickly moving to plan number two, he told his friends he needed to get a drink and without waiting for a reply walked back to the bar. It had gotten even more crowded since they had come in so he had to push through the crowd waiting to be served to get near where her friends were.

She wasn't there. He was sure he'd seen her walking to the bar with her friends but she definitely wasn't with them. He shamelessly listened in on the conversation that the girls were having trying to figure out who she was.

"What do you want to drink? I'm buying!"

"Think the same as before. Malibu and Coke"

" What about Pragya? What was she having?'

"I think she was Black Sambuca with Soda water. Why she drinks that I have no idea, it smells disgusting!"

"She has strange taste. I always tell her no one likes that stuff and to try something different but she seems to love it!"

Hmm so her name is Pragya, nice and she likes Black sambuca, interesting choice. Not many girls liked the lethal spirit. He was trying to get closer to see if he could find out more when someone bumped into him. He turned around and came face to face with her.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to. Someone pushed me from the back."

"No problem. It happens. Its quite crowded in here isn't it?"

"Yes, now if you don't mind can I please get through so I can go to my friends. Thanks."

And then she pushed past him before he had a chance to say mor.

***

He was still watching her.

Did she have something on her face? She did apologise for bumping into him isn't it? The alcohol was clearly muddling up her brain, when she looked back he seemed to be looking at her but not looking, almost as though he was lost in his own thoughts. "Crazy guy" she whispered under her breath.

The debate started as to whether they were going on the dance floor or getting seats. Pragya still wanted to dance so she pulled Bulbul to the dancefloor with her while the others went and found an empty lounge.

***

He sipped his drink while mentally flipping through the many pickup lines he'd used and heard being used to try and talk to her. Then her dancing partner squeezed in beside him to get them more drinks and he got the idea to talk to her for more information about his mystery girl.

"Hey! I'm Abhi."

"Hi. Bulbul."

"Bulbul, nice name. Can I buy you a drink?"

"No thanks. I'm here to get my sister a drink."

"Sister?" He asked glancing at the dance floor to watch that girl, Pragya, still dancing by herself.

"Yep. The girl on the dance floor I am with. That's my sister!"

"Okay let me buy her a drink then? What is she having?"

"No no no I can't let you do that.." "I insist"

"Umm okay she's having sambuca and soda water."

"One Sambuca and soda water and one vodka orange juice."

"Thanks. Appreciate it."

***

"Di! Oh my God that guy at the bar is so cute!"

"Bulbul! I'm not interested. if you find him cute you go talk to him. I just want to dance. I still haven't had enough to drink to forget the day I've had so give me it and shush!"

"But di, he's been watching you for so long now! You should talk to him. He looks totally into you."

"Him? I banged into him. He was trying to chat me up! Probably wanting one of your numbers."

"Diii... You need to chill out. There is no harm in flirting a bit even if nothing comes out of it. Come on di! Go talk to him, you never know you might like him and if nothing else you'll have made a new friend." Saying that Bulbul pushed her towards the bar.

Pragya knew it was futile trying to argue, Bulbul could get very stubborn and wouldn't listen to reason. So she thought she'd go say hi to him, and that way Bulbul would leave her alone.

He probably wanted to talk to one of her friends anyways and didn't have the courage, so he was looking for her to help. It always ended up being like that regardless of where they were - a good looking guy would come up to her, buy her a drink and then grill her about whichever friend they were interested in.

As she was walking towards him, someone else bumped into her. She stumbled right into him, spilling most of her drink on his shirt.

She closed her eyes. Luck was clearly still not on her side, of all the people to bump into, it had to be him! Well, at least that would be a good starting point to the conversation, she thought ruefully.

"Sorry I keep bumping into you. It is one of those days, you know the saying, Anything that can go wrong, will'? Seems like we're both having bad luck, or my bad luck is rubbing off on you; maybe you should stay away from me, that way at least you'll have a decent night. And I'm blabbering, so I'm just going to shut up and not say anything else. By the way I'm Pragya and you are?"

***

He smiled to himself thinking he needed to ply her with a little bit more alcohol for her to be completely carefree. She was still over-using her brain so he decided to order another drink for her, just as she finished telling him to stay away and asking his name. He answered, "Abhi, I mentioned it before and here is another drink for the one that's currently on my shirt."

"Oh no! Your shirt! I'm so sorry. Here let me." Saying that she started dabbing at his shirt with a napkin from the counter.

He felt a strange lightheadedness and had to grab her hand to stop himself from any embarrassment at the bar. "It's too noisy in here, lets go outside so we can talk properly."

Putting an arm round her waist as she clutched her drink in her hand, he walked her out towards the balcony for some fresh air. He'd gotten himself another drink as well to keep her company.

When his hand met her back, he was jolted by shock. Her luscious hair had been covering bare skin - well, almost bare. He saw that there was a strap of fabric running down the center of her back to just below her waist. Considering how modest the dress looked from the front, it was quite a surprise.

And she was totally wrong. He did not want to talk to her about anyone else. "So, Pragya, having a really bad day huh?"

"Yes. You wouldn't believe it even if I told it. Wait, How did you know my name?"

"You mentioned it before...at the bar, when you spilled your drink all over me? By the way nice way to chat up a guy. No other girl would have thought of that. Genius!"

"No, I wasn't trying to chat you up, honestly, someone bumped into me. It's the only thing I hate about coming out, no manners."

"Hmm so you weren't trying to chat me up. Maybe I'm not that attractive anymore. Anyways, you were telling me all about your bad day."

"No no, you're very attractive! Let's see two eyes in the right spot, good height, muscular; you obviously go to the gym; you know a good looking guy - which is why I'm wondering you're talking to me."

"Hey, there is more to me than good looks, which I can actually say about you; you've got beautiful eyes, you're not only pretty but smart, funny and very happy in your own skin, so should I also be wondering why you're still talking to me?"

"You're just saying that because you want to talk to me. You'll probably forget me before we even leave the bar."

"Should we bet on it?Anyways let's forget about that for now. You were telling me about your day?"

She opened up to him then, recounting how her day had been, describing every excruciating detail of the agonizing day she had. Once she'd started sipping on her drink again, she loosened up and laughed at her day and was actually quite fun to talk to, making him feel quite comfortable.

The drink had gotten her over the edge of being tipsy and she had started swaying to the notes floating through the door. "I want to dance, come on lets go dance. I love this song."

Abhi didn't want to go back into the crowd so he took her hand and said, "Let's just dance here instead."

***

Pragya could feel her head starting to spin so she moved closer and leant against him to steady herself. He was so solid, warm, strong and he smelt amazing. She inhaled his scent at the exposed skin where his shirt was unbuttoned.

They swayed to the music together, his arms around her and her head tucked under his chin. Her day was finally getting better.

***

Everytime Abhi tried to move away, Pragya just moved with him and soon they had been that way for close to an hour. He could feel her shivering slightly but she still seemed not inclined to move away from him, so he manouvered them to move towards the inside.

Once inside, however, she seemed to have gotten her wind back and decided that she needed another drink, a quick trip to the loo and some more dancing. He told her to go freshen up and he'd get her a drink and wait at the bar for her.

***

Bulbul came to the toilet as Pragya walked in and excitedly asked how everything was going.

"He's quite nice. Friendly, very chivalrous and he listens Bulbul."

"Di, you're an amazing person, so its hard not to be nice to you."

"I know, but never has any guy spoken to me for so long for me. He seemed really interested in what I was saying, he makes me laugh. Pinch me so I know its not a dream!"

"Di, don't put yourself down. You know it's not true. Guys are intimidated by you because you're so smart. So, are you going to spend more time with him or do you want me to come and rescue you?"

"No he doesn't seem to be dangerous. You know I've gone for those women's defence classes so if need be I'll use those. You have fun and I'll see you at home. Behave and be good."

"I think I'm going to have to give you that talk today, Di. Have fun and call me if you need me to come get you."

***

Keeping one eye on the toilets, he ordered their drinks, watching to make sure she came out okay.

He was playing with her glass when he noticed a geeky looking guy trying to chat her up. She obviously didn't realise; she was too naive for her own good, and deciding he'd have to play knight in shining armour he walked up to them to save her. The geeky guy had seen him and quickly left before he got to her.

"Pragya, Here's your drink. I hope that guy wasn't bothering you."

"Him and bother me? No, he was my ex-student, I think he graduated last year. Nice boy. He used to like this girl in the class below him, but his friends used to tease him so he never ended up asking her out but now that he's finished college, he wanted to know if I had her number. She's a nice girl and I think she liked him as well. I was just telling him to speak to her, so he asked if I could get her number. So cute isn't it?"

"Why did he leave from here when I came then?"

"Oh! That? He thought you were my boyfriend and got worried. He said you looked scary and something about how he didn't want to get beaten up. You and my boyfriend? How funny! Why would you go out with a girl like me? So I was just telling him how I'd just met you a couple of hours ago but he ran away! You're scaring everyone away; the remotest chance of anyone hitting on me has just gone into the negative."

He could not believe her; what she said was funny but here he was trying to hit on her and she was thinking of other people. She was a smart, intelligent woman, how had she not figured that out? What other hints could he give her?

Wishing he could bash his head against the wall, he took hold of her elbow and steered her to the dancefloor. Hand on her hips, hers on his, he pulled her closer back to front and together they moved to the beats. She simply fit into his arms like she was made for him, making him wonder if she felt it.

***

She was enjoying this, the attention, the thoughtfulness and the jealousy. She was normally not very open with people, let alone guys but it felt quite nice having an unknown person shower so much attention on her.

People preferred talking to Bulbul more than her; she was always more reserved and abrupt and the only time she was open with strangers was when she'd been drinking and there had been a lot of that tonight. The fluttering in her stomach had become more consistent and even though it was just for one night, she wanted to feel like she was the only one for him .

On the pretext of being tired, she wanted to get out of the bar, outside, alone so she could actually talk to him. How to convince him that she was tired was a whole different ball game.

She sat down on a lounge, telling him she needed a breather.

The dismay on his face was immediate. She could see that he was thinking that he wanted to spend more time with her but breathers usually led to going home. However, all she did was ask him if he could get her another drink. She gave him some money from her purse but he refused stating that although he respected working women, taking money from them was not chivalrous and he had been brought up better than that.

She sent Bulbul a quick text as he walked away: I'm having a really good time with him. Going to get him to walk me home. Will be nice to spend some quiet time with him. It should be okay isn't it?

Bulbul immediately replied : Are you sure Di? You never let any guy ever walk you home. He's not been mixing anything in your drinks has he?

Pragya: No. He's really nice. Just watch him and tell me what you think.

Out of habit she deleted all her read texts. She only ever saved important ones so there was less to go through on her phone. He walked back,drinks in hand just as she put her phone away and sat down beside her. Concern etched on his face, he asked if she was feeling okay. She told him she was fine and asked him to tell her something about himself.

He told her he was a music producer, explaining "I have always loved music but I have the most horrible singing voice, so this was the next best thing, helping to create the music. I play the guitar as well. I'll play for you sometimes, although sometimes I wish I could sing well. It is amazing though, I get to meet such talented people. Do you have a favorite singer? What kind of music do you like? Do you play any instruments?"

"Don't play any instruments but I do love singing."

They talked more about music and their other interests. He told her that he loved dancing and frequented places like this so he could watch people dance, learn some new moves and have a good time.

She was impressed and asked him to show her some moves and soon enough they had a mini face off going to see who could do more silly dance moves. Out of breath she told him she was going to the ladies and would be back. She caught Bulbul's eye and signalled for her follow.

When Bulbul reached Pragya she squealed, "Di, oh my God! he so likes you. He was so concerned and he didn't want you to leave even to come to the bathroom. And he's been silently fending off some seriously sleazy looking guys who've been trying to get to you."

"Really? God I must have had a lot to drink if I haven't managed to notice that. But what do you think? Safe enough to get him to walk me home?"

"Definitely di. Just keep your phone on you so if need be I can come get you okay."

"Thanks Bulbul." Giving her a hug, Pragya straightened up and walked out towards where he was seated, noticing that he'd been looking in her direction.

A couple more drinks later, her head was spinning and she was no longer in control of what she was saying, but she was definitely very happy and had long forgotten her bad day. And she had wimped out on asking him to walk her home, instead she was going to get a taxi as soon as she walked out the door and go straight home. It was better to end things on a good note.

***

"I think it's time for me to go home. It was nice meeting you."

Abhi felt alarmed that she was planning to walk away from him just like that, and also he could see that she was in no state to be alone. "You can't go home by yourself, you've had a lot to drink. I'll take you home."

"No, no that's okay we live close by I'll just take a taxi."

"I can't let you go by yourself, it's not very safe nowadays, I'll drop you off. Let's go we'll go find your sister and tell her."

"Bulbul? How do you know her? I'm 100% sure I didn't tell you about her. How did you know she was with me? Are you a stalker or something?"

"Pragya, honestly calm down. I met her at the bar earlier,when you were on the dance floor, she told me she was your sister. God, you have a very active imagination. What are you a writer?"

"I read a lot of books. Literature professor you see. So I know all about the tricks men use to lure women.Since the ancient days, men have..."

"Stop. I don't want to know. I'll take you home. I won't do anything. Come on let's go tell your sister so she knows that I'm dropping you and you don't think I'm trying to have my way with you."

He wanted to do quite a lot with her, but he didn't say it. He wanted to see where the attraction would lead, and he had no intention to act on it tonight.

He found Bulbul and her friends sitting with some guys they had obviously started chatting to. Motioning Bulbul to join them, he told her that Pragya had had enough to drink and wanted to go home so he would accompany her.

He missed the glance that she threw to Pragya. Bulbul said she was happy to stay back with the rest of their friend. She called their Dadi to let her know that Pragya was being dropped off by a friend.

Taking Pragya's bag in his hand, Abhi went and collected his jacket from the cloakroom which he draped over her shoulders.

He gotten their address from Bulbul, they lived fairly close by so instead of getting a taxi to take them, he decided to walk her home so that he could spend some more time with her.

They had barely walked out of the club when Pragya complained that her feet hurt and she wanted to take her shoes off. He convinced her that it was not a very good idea as there was all sorts of rubbish on the road, instead he asked her to lean on him and he would help her. Her arms wrapped around his waist and his around hers.

Halfway to her house she stopped suddenly.

"Lets get something to eat!"

"Now? Pragya no place is going to be open at this time of the night! Where are we going to get food?"

"There is this stall, down the alleyway that does amazing bhaji pau and he's usually there till quite late. Come on...It tastes amazing! You'll love it."

"Okay, okay, calm down! You're sure you won't be too late getting home?"

"No, I told you na I want to eat something. Let's go!"

She was right it was amazing considering it was at a stall and quite late at night. She was enjoying just sitting there so he didn't want to rush her. But they had to make a move. The last thing he wanted was Bulbul getting home before her and sending the police after him for her kidnapping.

Getting up he started helping her stand when she softly said "What a perfect night it would be if only..."

"If only what?" he asked curiously.

"If only there was some ice cream. Hot and spicy bhaji pau followed by cold and sweet ice cream. Can you imagine something more perfect that that?"

Where the hell am I going to get ice cream from at this time? Everything is shut, he thought looking around. He realised the best person to ask would be the stall owner, who indeed pointed him to the right direction.

They started walking towards the ice cream parlor with Pragya singing random songs. She had a good voice he mused and would love to tap into that talent. Maybe one day he would but till then he'd buy her ice cream and take her home.

Luckily, they liked the same flavor. He ended up getting two dark chocolate mint cones and handed one to her, knowing full well that the sugar would only make her have a worse headache the next day but he couldn't say no with her in this mood. She couldn't even hold the cone straight and had probably had two small bites before all the ice cream fell.

She looked like she was going to start crying and it took all he had to persuade her that sharing was caring and she should have some of his. The last thing he wanted to do was walk back to the ice cream parlour.

She seemed happy enough to share so they took turns having the ice cream. He let her have the last bite - though she didn't offer it to him anyway.

They had walked almost to the beach, talking about random topics, when she sat on a bench along the esplanade looking up at the sky.

Pragya mused aloud, "It's so beautiful, being able to see the stars, I love the night sky, its gorgeous; simply spectacular; the stars twinkling away; constellations; almost like a blanket of fireflies; small paint splatters on an otherwise black canvas. What do you see when you look up at the stars?"

"Beauty."

"Aaaww aren't you a romantic? What a wonderful way to describe it, beauty."

They sat in silence for awhile, enjoying the cool night air. Then suddenly she said, "Since we're already here can we please do one more thing? Pretty please!"

"What?" He should have known he was going to regret asking her as flung her shoes off and hurriedly walked towards the water. He grabbed her belongings and rushed behind her, not wanting her falling anywhere or going too deep in the water. But he found that she was happy with the water lapping over her feet. He took her phone out of her bag and messaged Bulbul letting her know where they were.

He sat down on the sand, feeling exhausted at how much energy she seemed to have, her high obviously lasted a long while. She walked up and down the beach a couple of times before coming and sitting next to him. Compared to earlier in the night, she was more than happy to keep talking now, but not much made sense to him and he found it hard to follow the conversation. There were no questions so he figured he didn't have to pay close attention to the gibberish. He still managed to smile at parts of her conversation which all seemed to be random facts of some sort.

"...You know Bulbul tells me I'm the worst person when it comes to replying to messages on my phone. Everyone can't be like her you know. Her phone is attached to her like its her life support. True fact - 90% people read texts within 3 minutes for receiving them. I go for hours. She's told me I would never be her I.C.E contact, but I think I am. Why do people need to read messages so urgently? and really if it is that urgent just call. I mean at least nowadays..."

He felt a spatter of drops on his face and thinking it was the sea breeze did not pay any attention, till they became bigger and he realized it was actually rain. He quickly got up and pulled Pragya to her feet, dragging her across the road under the awning of the buildings.

"No! I want to get wet in the rain! I love the rain! So fresh and summer rains are the best!"

"Pragya! Please don't. You'll fall sick. I was meant to take you home almost two hours ago. Let's go. I'll drop you home before something happens and I get blamed."

"No one will blame you Abhi, because I'm not going to see you after tonight so who cares. Come on lets get wet in the rain." She tugged his hand trying to pull him out in the rain but she might as well have been trying to move a rock. It was only when she pleaded with him, that he budged.

Shock had kept his frozen at first. He hadn't even thought of not ever meeting her again and as he was pulled out in the rain, it dawned on him that he didn't want this to by the only time he met her.

"Pragya, did you never want to see me again? Did you want this to be a one night chance meeting?"

"What? You'll forget me tomorrow. Its all the drinking you've been doing. Guys like you never remember girls like me. Maybe if I wore shorter clothes, used more make up, flirted more..."

"Hey, what are you saying? Don't be silly. That was what pulled me towards you in the first place. You're so very different, its refreshing, there is no fakeness in anything you've done the whole night and I'm still here aren't I?"

"Because you're being a gentleman, you said you'd walk me home and that is what you'll do. If nothing else its because I am a girl and somewhere you feel responsible to make sure that I am safe. But it doesn't matter, we should be enjoying the here and now. I've learnt the hard way that looking back or thinking about the future does not get us anywhere. We need to live in the present, so just enjoy!"

She spun around in the rain, jumping in puddles and with her he became a kid again. It had been a while since he'd taken pleasures out of the smaller things in life and getting wet was one of them.

But the weather was getting quite stormy, and soon the rain that had felt wonderful was starting to feel like ice on his skin. He told her they would have to find some shade from the rain before the cold got into their bones, but she wanted to stay out.

Instead of arguing, he just picked her up. He couldn't help noticing just how light she was as he ran to where he'd left all her things. He held on to her even after stepping under the awning. he wanted to hold her close because he just had this time with her, who knew if she would want to meet him again.

"Hey, how did you know?"

"Know What?"

"Running will make you less wet in the rain? Although it served no purpose, you were already wet and don't deny, you were having fun!"

"It was fun. I haven't gotten wet in the rain in the longest time. And what are you anyways a walking talking encyclopedia? All this random information."

"I love reading and I remember funny things."

She was still in his arms and he'd almost forgotten he was carrying her. He felt her heart beat erratically. He said firmly, "We should go, it's getting late."

As he walked her home, he knew deep down that this was not going to end up being a one night chance meeting. He had saved her number on his phone and his on hers just in case, knowing he would do all he could in his power to see her again.

She stopped in a shadow and leant against the wall just before they reached her house. She motioned him to come closer. Placing his hands on either side of her face on the wall, he dipped his head and heard her whisper, "Thank you for such a wonderful night! Who knew that the worst day of my life would turn out to be the best night! I had so much fun and I'll always be grateful for that."

"And I should say thank you too, because I've not had this much fun in a long while." Going with instinct, he bent his head and softly kissed her on the lips.

As he deepened the kiss her hands moved up his chest and around his neck whereas his arms went round her waist to pull her closer to him. He never wanted to let her go but after a few moments, he pulled away. He knew that she wasn't in her complete senses and he didn't want to push her to anything she would regret. So, pecking her lips again he walked her to her gate and watched till she'd gone in and closed the door.

Epilogue

She woke up with the worst headache ever, a dry mouth, clothes that were sticky and hair that looked like a bird's nest. Her glasses sat crooked on her nose and she still had one shoe on. How much did I have to drink?

She had flashes of being handed glass after glass and talking to someone and...walking? And the strangest sensation of having done something life altering and it was there at the back of her mind if only she could grasp it. Her phone beeped indicating she had a message from...Abhi? Who??

That's when the previous night came flooding back - all the talking, the unintentional flirting, dancing in his arms, sharing an ice cream, getting wet in the rain, him carrying her and the kiss - that earth shattering kiss that had left her wanting more. One perfect night.

She smiled and got out of bed, to make herself some lemon juice, with her phone in hand.

*does cartwheels*

sorry proper comment later 😳