This is a very random idea that popped into my mind and is the result of complete and utter boredom, so pardon me for any mistakes made. I hope you enjoy the read. Do let me know what you felt about this, constructive criticism is always welcome.😳
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UNDER THE STARS
He was starting to lose his mind. It had to be that or he had suddenly developed supersonic hearing. He silently wished for it to be the latter because it'd be cool but soon brushed off such thoughts and decided to get back to the stack of files that lay before him, demanding his attention.
"Chal beta Karthik, lag ja kaam pe." He was determined to finish all his pending work even if it meant pulling off an all-nighter.
As he sat on his bed, flipping through the pages of a file, he heard that giggle again. It wasn't just another giggle, it was 'her', he was sure of it. He'd never fail to recognize the sound of her laughter. But why was he hearing her voice at such an unearthly hour? He thought. Was it because he was missing her and was yearning for a chance to meet her? The work load had increased by leaps and bounds at the office and he found himself with more and more work each day, leaving little to no time at his hands to spare. And sadly, that meant no visits to the Singhania household for the time being. Even Mishti's repeated complaints and threats couldn't get him to spare a few minutes of breather and visit her.
It had to be his imagination, or why would he start to hear her laughter in the middle of the night out of nowhere? He was missing her and his mind was playing tricks on him.
"Pull yourself together and focus on your work." He said out loud, in an attempt to coax himself into immersing into work. The sooner he completed this, the sooner he'd get to meet her, his Naira, the girl he had fallen hopelessly in love with over the past few months. She was his boss's daughter and he stayed with her maternal grandparent as a house-guest. What had he been thinking? Well clearly, he hadn't been thinking. He could picture a thousand different scenarios where all this would blow up in his face and come back to bite him but he loved her and it couldn't be undone now.
"Maybe I need to get a cup of coffee and start fresh" He figured and made his way towards the kitchen. Passing by the balcony, the scene he witnessed made him freeze in his tracks. There she was, Naira, sitting on a rug, gazing at the starlit sky in amazement. He rubbed his eyes repeatedly, to make sense of what he was seeing. Was it actually her sitting there or was it his brain tricking him again? "Only one way to find out." He said and started walking towards her with bated breaths.
On reaching a safe distance, he gingerly touched Naira's shoulder causing her to scream a little. It was only after realizing that it was Karthik and not a wandering ghost, did she stop her screaming.
"What were you thinking, sneaking up after on me like that?" Naira demanded, with her hands on her chest, trying to normalize her breathing
"I didn't mean to scare you" Karthik replied, apologetically.
"Consider that a job well done." Her tone reaked of sarcasm.
"I'm sorry but it was fun seeing you scream your heart out."
He didn't foresee the repercussion of his statement and was greeted with a small punch to his right hand by Naira. "Ouch!" he shrieked, "That hurt"
"It was meant to" She announced nonchalantly
"So what are you doing here?" Karthik questioned, "I didn't know you were visiting"
"It was honestly a last minute thing, just felt like spending the night here. I just arrived a couple of hours ago."
"So it was her, he had indeed heard her laughter around the house" he thought.
Seeing no response from him, Naira snapped her fingers to bring him out of his reverie. "Karthik?!" She prodded
"Yeah" He said, "Want some company?"
Naira patted the side beside her, signaling him to make himself comfortable, which he obliged.
"So, what are we doing?" He asked
"Just look up and get lost in the beauty of these stars." Naira said dreamily
Her innocence tugged the right strings of his heart and he couldn't help but thank his gods for the luck he had chanced upon.
The sky was an inky canopy of darkness, freckled with tiny diamonds, sparkling their way into hearts. Some were dull, merely flickering into existence every now and then but there was an adequate amount of shimmering stars to illuminate the dark. At that dead hour when the whole world stood still, hushed in sleep, Karthik and Naira sat there, gazing at those little diamonds of hope.
"It's breathtakingly beautiful, isn't it?" Naira asked, her gaze still affixed on the stars
"It is." Said Karthik, darting his eyes towards her. "The most beautiful thing I have ever seen."
If only Naira could see, that for Karthik, everything else ranked below her.
"You know Karthik, stars have always fascinated me. When I was at Hrishikesh and felt homesick, I would stare at the stars for hours together and it made me feel so much at ease. The thought of these tiny stars, cutting through the darkness of the night sky, filled my heart with hope."
Sitting under the starlit sky with Naira by his side, made Karthik's heart explode with joy. Just sitting there, listening to her speak about stars, with a new twinkle in her eyes, made him fall more and more in love with her, a task that seemed impossible to him. He found himself admiring Naira more than the beautiful night sky.
"Karthik?" Naira called out
"Huh-yes?" He said, darting his eyes, away from her and towards the stars
"Do you know the tale of the star-crossed lovers?"
"No idea." Admitted Karthik
Naira began," Two of the brightest stars in the sky are Altair and Vega. It is said that they were deeply in love but separated forever by the celestial Milky Way."
"That sounds sad."
"It is. But once every year, on the 7th day of the 7th month, all the magpies in the world fly up and create a bridge with their wings over the Milky Way, so that Vega can cross over to other side and the lovers can be together for a single day."
"Wow", mouthed Karthik
Naira says tilting her head towards Karthik,"It makes me wonder if I'll ever experience love that strong."
"Something tells me that one day you will." He smiles. "You know what will make this star gazing experience even better? A hot cup of coffee. I'll go get us some."
"Wait, I'll come help you with that." Naira offers
"Ladies first," He bows down a little making way for her, causing her to smile a little
Before going in to help Naira with the coffee, he looks up at the night sky with a lopsided grin on his face and thanks the universe for helping him find his Vega.
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