ZAISHA

We were done eating pizza and it was time for campfire.

After Shubman lit the fire, all of us sat around it, and engaged ourselves in a conversation.

Everyone, but me.

I was busy gazing at the stars. Nothing is as beautiful and mesmerising as stars. They make the night sky look so beautiful.

"Guys, it's already 1:30, and we need to wake up at 6 if we want to go trekking in the morning. So, I'm going to sleep. Goodnight." Riya said, walking into the tent.

"Goodnight." I said, glancing at her.

Everyone left after a few minutes and it was just me and the stars.

Or maybe not.

"You aren't sleeping?" Abhay asked, sitting next to me.

"Can't miss this beauty now, can I?" I asked, smiling at the stars.

"Exactly. Can't miss this beauty." He said, and from the corner of my eye, I saw him looking at me.

I looked at him with an eye brow raised and he shook his head; smiling.

"Why're you so attracted to stars?" He asked me.

"Well... long story." I chuckled.

"Both of us got time." He shrugged.

I looked at him and smiled.

"So, back in Ludhiana when I was a kid, daadu and I always star gazed after dinner. We'd sit under the stars on the terrace, look at the them and talk. He'd always show me which star daadi was, and she was always the brightest star in the sky." I chuckled.

"Even after we moved to Delhi, daadu and I still sat under the stars and video called. Things were different and happy back then." I smiled.

"Where's your daadu now?" He questioned.

"Coma. It's been a year." I shrugged.

"Oh. He'll recover, Aish." Abhay said, putting an arm around my shoulder and pulling me close.

"I know, he will. He has to, he's got no other choice. I've been waiting for a year now, not letting him go so easily." I chuckled.

"It's just hard sometimes." I stated.

Abhay nodded as if asking me to go on.

"Daadu was someone I shared everything to. He was my human diary. He knew everything, point to point happening in my life. He was my first bestfriend. He was the person I first drank with. He knew who my first crush was, about my first boyfriend, my first date, when I had my first kiss. Heck! He even knows about you being my crush." I laughed.

"It's hard that I can't share things with him anymore. I mean, if he wasn't in coma, he would've been the first person to wish me on my birthday and the first person to know that I met you." I chuckled.

"I always star gaze at night. Even if it's just for five minutes, it's okay, I do it anyway. It reminds me of daadu." I smiled.

"See! That's daadi." I laughed, pointing at the brightest star in the sky.

Abhay chuckled looking up at the sky.

"You're a pure soul, Aish." He stated, looking at me.

I said nothing but smiled at him.

He took his hand off my shoulder and held my hands.

And suddenly I could feel my heart beat fastening. I felt it running in a race it could never finish.

"You know Aish," Abhay started.

All I did was nod my head.

"Sometimes someone comes into your life and changes everything. Raises the standards, makes you laugh, and makes you feel like you. There's something about that person you can't put into words and even though you're not with them, you don't want to let them go." He said.

Where is he going with this?

Why is my heart beating so fast?

"Aish, the first time I met you, it wasn't love at first sight. Infact it was far from love. My love for you formed gradually. Your personality, your voice, your hair, your eyes, your witty comments, your humor, the way you look away and smile. Gradually, it all came clear to me."

He stopped for a second and looked into my eyes saying the next line.

"You were exactly what I was looking for."

What.. is he... saying?

This cannot be happening!

Please no.

"You know when you fall for someone, at first you don't even know it's happening. It all just starts from a simple 'hello', and you never would have guessed that it would lead to this. Your mind starts to concentrate on that one person and nothing else. Whenever you see, talk to, or are even near to that special someone, those butterflies and that smile appear as your problems seem to disappear. Everything they say or do makes you smile. You just have that happy feeling inside again. It's a good feeling." He said, looking into my eyes.

"Abhay........" I started, but couldn't end.

WHAT DO I SAY? THIS CAN'T HAPPEN.

"You really have no idea that I'm so terribly in love with you." He said.

All I could do was look at him; shocked, surprised and with so many emotions.

There are so many emotions running inside my mind right now.

He looked into my eyes and then at my lips. He leaned in, and I was so shocked to even move. When his lips were just about to touch mine, Dhriti called me out.

"Aishi! Your phone." Dhriti said, walking out of the tent, rubbing her eyes.

I jumped away from Abhay.

I looked into his eyes before walking towards Dhriti.

What the fuck just happened?

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Translations-

~ Daadu- Grandfather

~ Daadi- Grandmother