Niranjan felt uneasy seeing Shlok wiping Aastha's tears. Shlok cupped Aastha's face and both got lost into each other's eyes. Niranjan was breathing heavily seeing the sight in front of him. He clinched the phone he was holding feeling guilty that everything was going against his promise. He was about to enter Shlok's room when Anjali called him telling that someone had come to meet him. But he couldn't just leave letting Aastha and Shlok the way they were. He purposely dropped his phone to the floor to make noise. Shlok immediately withdrew his hands from Aasth'a face as Aastha and he became aware of Niranjan's presence. Niranjan cleared his throat, forced a smile at Aastha and Shlok, and walked away saying, "I will be back in a while..." Aastha and Shlok were embarrassed. Both looked away silently, thinking what next.
Niranjan met the nurse on his way and told her to be in Shlok's room. "Shlok and Aastha will not come closer when the nurse will be around..." he thought as he went to meet his guest. Little did he know that even the nurse was on Aastha and Shlok's side. She came to the room, and seeing Aastha and Shlok there, she went away letting the both spend some more moments together.
Shlok's constant gaze on Aastha was making her nervous.
"Don't look at me like that..." she said looking away from Shlok.
"Why?" asked Shlok coming closer to her.
Aastha was surprised. Aastha's heart was throbbing seeing Shlok so close. But she didn't move away from him. Shlok held her hand again and Aastha gasped feeling his touch. She was looking into those eyes of his that were waiting to tell stories of his heart. Shlok was lost into Aastha's eyes. Without shifting his gaze, Shlok brought Aastha's hands close to his lips and gently kissed them sending a wave of shiver across Aastha's body. Aastha could feel goosebumps all over as she closed her eyes partly biting her lower lip. Shlok kept looking at that innocent face in front of him, simple yet elegant. He looked at that lip caught between her teeth and couldn't hold back his desire any more.
"I want to kiss you..." he wispered.
"Aan?" Aastha opened her eyes in shock after hearing Shlok's words.
She tried to pull back her hands from Shlok's but he tightened the grip pulling her more towards him. He could see Aastha's eyes wide in scare, her eyeballs moving rapidly as she stared back at Shlok in nervousness.
Shlok caressed Aastha's hands with his thumbs saying, "I need to tell you something, Aastha..."
Aastha's heartbeat was racing with every passing moment. "What?" she whispered with shivering lips.
Shlok entangled his fingers into hers and held her hands tightly. Aastha didn't hold his hands in return, she kept her fingers away as she stared at their hands knowing not what to do.
Shlok noticed that. He looked into her eyes again and said, "Aastha... I can't explain what goes on within me when I am with you..."
Aastha listened to Shlok anxiously. She wanted to listen to more from Shlok.
Shlok continued, "Whenever I see you, I can't get my eyes off you... My heart beats faster when you are around..."
Aastha was listening curiously. This was what she too felt. She was excited that Shlok too felt the same way as she did. "And?" she asked waiting for Shlok to speak more.
"When I see you, I feel like holding you and pulling you closer..." he said as he pulled Aastha closer, "And then..."
"And then when you hold me, you feel like never letting me go..." Aastha completed his sentence.
Shlok felt Aastha's fingers gripping his hand tightly. He could see her eyes glow and a faint smile spread across her lips. Shlok couldn't believe all this was actually happening. "How do you know?" he asked in excitement, "How do you know that I feel like never letting you go?"
Aastha's smile brightened as she said, "Because that's exactly what I go through whenever I am with you..."
Shlok couldn't believe she just said that. Shlok freed one of his hands from Aastha's and gently moved his fingers across her cheek. Aastha's heart was thudding loudly, but there was no sign of nervousness now. Shlok looked at the strand of hair kissing her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. He leaned forward towards Aastha. Aastha's grip on Shlok's hand tightened as she felt Shlok's breath over her face. Shlok freed his other hand too and held Aastha's face. He caressed her cheeks with his thumbs as Aastha looked at him with twinkling eyes. Slowly he moved his thumb towards her lips and caressed them with a gentle pressure. "And when I see those lips of yours..." he said in a husky voice, "I feel like kissing you..."
Aastha was silent. Shlok gave a quick peck on her lips and waited for her reaction. Aastha was totally surprised. But she didn't try to move away. She neither pushed Shlok away nor did she tell him to stop. That was enough indication for Shlok that he could go ahead. Shlok tilted his head to reach Aastha's lips. Aastha closed her eyes as Shlok took her lower lip into his mouth. She gasped as Shlok bit her lip gently. They kissed each other passionately. Shlok had his hands over Aastha's back and waist tracing her curves. Aastha's hands were busy pulling Shlok's hair as she kissed Shlok intently. They were lost into their dream world.
"Which game are you playing? I want to play too!!" said a sweet voice from the door.
Aastha opened her eyes suddenly to see Kavya standing at the door looking innocently at them. Aastha pushed Shlok away at once and ran out blushing. Shlok was confused at her sudden reaction. He wanted to kiss her more. Sojal saw Aastha pass by as she reached Shlok's room.
"Tell me chachu, which game was it? I want to play too..." said Kavya getting on Shlok's bed.
Sojal quickly lifted her and kept her down. "Game? What game?" she asked Kavya.
Kavya began explaining "Chachu and Aastha did were playing a..."
Shlok placed his hand on Kavya's mouth before she said anything more. Sojal was confused but ignored. She asked Shlok how he was feeling and they talked general things. Kavya told Shlok, with action, how Aastha and she made the "huge" tower of cards. Shlok kept nodding but his mind was lost in Aastha's thoughts.
*****
Aastha rushed into her room and bolted the door. She was out of this world at the moment. She stood pressing her back against the door. Her breath not yet normal. "Oh my God!! Did he really kiss me?" Aastha was finding it difficult to believe. She pinched herself. "Ouch!" she gave out a cry. And then she realised it was all real.
Aastha was in heaven as she thought about what happened just a few minutes back. She ran to the window feeling the cool breeze. The reflection of the moon in the pool water caught her attention. She looked at the moon and the numerous stars surrounding it. The moon seemed larger to her today. And the stars, they shone brighter. "He kissed me!!" she said in excitement as she danced circling around herself. Standing in front of the mirror, Aastha spoke to herself. "Yes!! It's true! He kissed you, stupid!" she said. Her excitement and happiness knew no bounds. "He feels the same as you feel about him!" she told herself. Looking at her reflection, she touched her lips remembering the kiss. She leaped onto the bed and stuck her face into the pillow, blushing endlessly.
*****
Shlok had somehow managed to keep Kavya quiet. He laid down on the bed after Sojal and Kavya left. He was lying on his back with a hand under his head and the other over his chest, one leg folded. The nurse returned and saw Shlok staring at the ceiling and smiling. "The next time I hold you, I will not leave you... Mark my words!" said Shlok and smiled mischieviously.
The nurse smiled to herself hearing this. "Something seems to have happened between Shlok and Aastha..." she said excited for the couple.
*****
Kavya kept telling about some game to Sojal and Varad. "I want to play that game!" she told her parents.
"What game Kavya?" asked Sojal irritated by Kavya's constant chatter.
"The one which Chachu and Aastha didi were playing.." she replied.
"And how was that?" asked Varad.
"They were sitting very close to each other... Their heads were like this..." she said tilting her head, "And they were eating something together! I wanted to see who ate first... I also want to play!"
Sojal's jaw dropped as she listened to Kavya. She looked at Varad and both burst out laughing.
Kavya was upset seeing her parents laughing at her. "I don't want to talk to you!!" she said in anger and went away.
Varad and Sojal couldn't stop laughing.
*****
Aastha sat by the window looking at the beautiful reflection of the night sky in the pool. She was still drooling over the memory of her first ever kiss. Just then strong wind blew over the water. Aastha's smile faded away looking at the distorted reflection of the moon. A strange fear crept over her. "Why am I feeling that something bad is going to happen?" she wondered.
*****
Anupamaa
Fan Fictions
