Snow Fight ~ AY One Shot

Ashi shivered and pulled the collar of her jacket up round her chin. The snow was falling down about her in ever-bigger flakes, coating the walkway in a shimmery white. She felt chilled to her core. Rubbing her hands together she stopped by the railings and gazed down at the murky waters of the Thames, wondering if she would ever feel warm again. A month, a whole damned month she had been stuck in London and it just had to be during the coldest winter for 20 years. It's just my luck, she thought ruefully, following the descent of one particularly fat flake into the water. Trust Mama to bring me here for some stupid outdoor location. I told her I didn't want to come, that I would be fine in India. I had my friends with me, they were all I needed. But no, Mama will never see anything from my point of view.

Sighing she reflected on the events that had led Sonia to take her to London: how she had fallen so madly in love with Yuvi, believing he loved her too, and then the horrible day her eyes had been opened to the cruel truth. He had just been using her. Everything he had told her had been lies, calculating lies. All the time he had been with her he had really been trying to make Latika jealous. She closed her eyes and fought back the bitter tears that stung her eyes as she recalled the day she had decided to surprise him and hid in his wardrobe, intending to jump out on him when he came into his room, but when he had arrived Latika had been with him. The sweet words she had whispered to him and the kisses she had caressed him with still made her stomach churn and her heart pierce. How could he have done this to her? He had denied it of course; had told her Latika had come onto him, but she knew when she had been duped.

Her heartache had been immense. She never showed her tears to the outside world, but for days together she had sat, holed up in her room, tears streaking her pale cheeks. Sonia had not been able to stand seeing her beloved Mummum waste away; she had known that if she did not remove her from the scenes of her pain then she would never recover. This was why she had refused to listen to Ashi's objections when she told her she was taking her with her on her outdoor shoot in London. She knew it wasn't what her daughter wanted, but she had also known it was what she needed to recover. But Ashi hadn't recovered. As she watched the green-brown water flowing beneath the bridge she saw nothing but the same murkiness ahead of her. There was nothing to live for. All her hopes and dreams had been centred on one thing and they had all been snatched away from her.

Lost in her thoughts she was oblivious to all around her; she wasn't even conscious of the snow lining her skin anymore. It was not until she felt something hard and cold hit the back of her head that she snapped back to the present. Jolting, she snapped her head up and drops of ice slithered down the back of her neck and under her jumper, making her shudder. It was then she realised that some kid must have thrown a snowball at her again. Normally the devilish side of her would have revelled at the chance for a snowball fight, but today, in this frame of mind, it was like a red rag to a bull, and her eyebrows drew into a tight scowl. Anger rising like a flame inside her, she spun round, ready to give the kid a piece of her mind, but as soon as her eyes alighted on her attacker the words died on her lips and she froze, her entire body convulsing with a violent tremor of shock.

No, she thought frantically, heart beginning to race, it couldn't be; it had to be an illusion, her mind had become so benumbed by the cold that it was conjuring up things that weren't really there. That face staring back at her through the curtain of snowflakes was not the one she thought it was. Those were not the same sparkling brown eyes she always drowned in, that was not the same devastating grin that always made her heart flutter, but even as she told herself this she felt a familiar rush of excitement inside her. No one else could look at her with that devilish glee and no one else could ever make her pulse skip a beat; no one but him. Her breath caught in her throat and without realising it she gripped the railing behind her as if she were about to fall down.

"Hey Wacko!"

Yuvi flashed another wicked grin at her, his eyes dancing with mischief. If she had wanted to believe in her illusion theory before now she could no longer accept it – there could be no mistake that deep and velvety voice.

"Tum yahan kya kare ho?" she managed to demand, but she was conscious of the slight quaver in her voice. "I have enough tensions without dealing with you!" she added, drawing herself upright and pouring all her energy into being angry with him.

She scowled fiercely at him, but he only grinned more widely at her, enjoying the flush of red her temper had brought to her cheeks.

"I came for a winter holiday," he said casually. "Why? Is there some rule that I can't?"

"Well enjoy your holiday, but please, mujhe mat bother karo," she snapped at him. "I don't have time to waste on single-celled life forms."

So saying she sent him a glare and started to stalk away. Yuvi was not going to let her escape so easily, however. He had travelled all this way to see her and now that he had found her he was not going to let her storm out of his life again. The next thing Ashi knew another snowball went careering into her back, nearly knocking her off her feet. She stumbled forward, her foot sliding on a patch of ice, and only her quick reflexes allowed her to reach out and grab the railing before she tumbled to the ground. Incensed she straightened herself and spun back to face him, eyes aflame with anger.

"Right!" she cried. "You asked for it!"

"I didn't do anything," he protested, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yuvraj Dev, watch out, coz Anvesha Bannerjee Ray won't spare you!" she threatened.

Stooping, she gathered a large amount of snow between her hands and made a large ball out of it. Raising her arm, she launched it at him with all the force of her fury, but he saw it coming and easily side stepped it. The snowball dived through the air and smashed into an old lady tottering along the walkway. Yuvi's face lit up with glee and he turned to Ashi with a wicked laugh. She shot him a spiteful glare, feeling like murdering him. The old woman had stopped and was shouting at Ashi for assaulting her. Cringing, Ashi apologised, conscious the whole time of Yuvi's exulting stare on her.

"You psycho!" she yelled at him when the old lady had started on her way again. "Look what you made me do!"

"What?" he replied with a shrug. "I didn't make you hit the defenceless old woman. Look sweetheart, I know you have anger management issues, but seriously, what had she ever done to you?"

Ashi drew in a sharp breath, really feeling as if she could commit murder there and then. Her eyes flashed as she narrowed them fiercely at him.

"Psycho, tumhare wajah se maine uss old lady hit kiya and now I won't spare you!"

She darted forward towards him, and with a delighted chuckle he sprung away. Chasing him through the snow, she shouted curses out to him, determined that before the ice claimed one of her limbs she would break him to pieces. As she went she gathered clumps of snow and threw them at him, but infuriatingly they kept missing him. By the time they reached the park she was so incensed that her whole face had turned red. Enjoying her passion, Yuvi deliberately slowed his pace and turning to face her, walked slowly backwards, holding out his hands as a shield in front of him, eyes daring her to throw the snowball she held aloft in her hands.

"Wacko, calm down," he told her. "They will seriously lock you up for grievous bodily harm if you carry on throwing those things at everything that moves. I am sure you killed a squirrel back there."

"The only thing that's going to get killed today is you Yuvraj Dev," she declared. "You dare to mess with Anvesha Bannerjee Ray, you pay the price for it."

She advanced closer to him, eyes drawn into a menacing glare, waiting for the perfect chance to hurl the snowball at him. She was aiming for his face – there was nothing she wanted more in that moment than to see that infuriating grin obliterated by lumps of ice. Yuvi saw the intent in her eyes and bided his time. He knew exactly what he was going to do, and as she tensed the muscles in her arms in anticipation of throwing, he got ready to spring forward. At the exact same moment that she launched the snowball he darted towards her, catching her arm in an iron grip. The movement was so sudden it took her by surprise and she lost her balance, and as she fell she reached out with her free hand and grabbed him, pulling him down with her.

At first she was too stunned by her fall to realise what had happened. It was only when she felt a thrill go through her veins that she realised he had fell along with her. Her heart skipped a beat and as she lifted her eyes she found him gazing down at her, those dark eyes intently reading her face. He was so close to her that his breath was fanning across her face, making her skin tingle, and before she could stop the thought from darting through her mind she realised that she just had to move a little and their lips would touch. Colour rose to her cheeks, a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance, but she could not tear her eyes from his; she was trapped in his gaze, drowning in those eyes as she had done many times before.

Yuvi gazed back at her, searching her eyes for any sign of those feelings that he knew she still treasured deep inside. He was sure that she could not deny the pull of her heart for long; all he needed was this one chance to explain to her, to make her see that he had never liked Latika, that what she had seen was not how reality was. Latika had tried to force herself on him, and Ashi had read the situation all wrong. How do I make her see that she is my heart and soul and I could never betray my heart, he wondered? He was so intent on these reflections that he did not notice her stealthily gathering snow in her right hand. It was not until the cold icicles started to drip through his curls that he realised what she had done. She let out a gleeful laugh and pushed him off her, jumping to her feet, eyes glowing like an over-excited child.

"Wacko!" he cried, jumping up too and shaking his head. Ice was trickling into his ears and running down the back of his neck.

"Revenge is sweet!" Ashi declared, grinning triumphantly at him.

"You will regret this," he told her, lifting a finger and pointing it at her.

"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do?" she demanded, fisting her hands on her hips and arching her brows daringly at him.

He stared at her for no more than a second, and then, without saying a word, he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her towards him. She had no time to react before his lips were on hers, and by then she had no wish to resist anymore. Sighing she gave in to the kiss. It was what she had been craving for so many weeks now; she could not deny her feelings anymore. When he pulled back there was a pleading expression in his dark eyes and he searched her face anxiously, hoping to see some sign that she had forgiven him.

"Ashi please believe me sweetheart, whatever you saw wasn't true," he told her. "How could I even think of cheating on you when you are my life? You are the only good thing I have; I would be mad to let you go. Please forgive me sweetheart."

He leaned his head on her forehead, his lips touching her hair, breathing deeply in her scent, which was like oxygen to him. She felt his lips caress her locks and her heart melted. All the love she had tried to bury within her was too strong to withhold and it broke free of the feeble barriers, sweeping over her in one enormous wave. Reaching up, she placed her hands on either side of his face and stared earnestly into his eyes, amazed to see tears glistening in them.

"Yuvi," she said softly. "Don't say anything else."

"But.." he began to protest.

"No," she cut him off, placing a finger against his lips. "I don't want to hear anything."

She paused, glancing down for a second to steady herself; she was shaking all of a sudden and it left her stunned. When she looked up again a wide smile split her lips and her eyes sparkled with mischief.

"I just want you to kiss me again," she told him.

His eyes flashed with surprise and then a delighted grin spread across his face before he pulled her towards him again. With the snow falling about them, resting amongst the strands of their hair and dusting their faces with pearly flakes, they lost themselves in each other again, oblivious to everything, even to the snow.