Firecracker

xiv | stars

KEY (POV's)
sahana / veer

Despite what Veer promised her, Sahana couldn't help but feel like a walking bundle of nerves. Her stomach was doing a complex gymnastic routine, unresponsive to the smell of delicious brewed coffee which usually calmed her mind. She pinned her eyes on a teenager explaining the fancy coffee concoctions to her grandparents, her eyes brimming with prayer that they will find the drinks worth the price. Sahana wasn't someone who makes it early to a meeting. She liked to be on the dot. Not this time. This time she needed a couple minutes to practice basic routines such as breathing and standing still. But Sahana had a feeling that no amount of practice can make her prepared to meet Veer, because he was going to walk in and steal her breath anyway.

Veer was fucking nervous. He spent half an hour kicking himself for sounding so arrogant and confident in the chat. He was going to meet the love of his life and what if she didn't find him as interesting as he seemed online? What if she decided he was a waste of time? Not that he'd give up but that would crush him. Unlike his father, he didn't have such a strong 'every cloud has a silver lining' outlook. Hoping his hair hadn't betrayed him, he walked inside the mall. It was the first time he paused to acknowledge the Starbucks that welcomed him. He wondered if it was a joke on her part to meet him at a coffee shop and searched for her.

And there she was, his little firecracker.

Sahana's heart fluttered when she caught the pair of eyes she'd been looking into for weeks. Except now, there wasn't a screen between them. His lips parted when his eyes landed on her, his feet pausing a few steps in front of her. White shirt, a button popped open, sleeves rolled up, loosely tucked into a pair of light blue jeans. Raven black curls carefully arranged by the breeze like he was the favoured child of the Gods. A neat stubble lining his jaw. She didn't have to say a thing; the group of college girls who were passing by lusting over him like he was a 60 percent flat off deal in Sephora was every confirmation she needed. And they didn't even know that he was funny and charming and kind. Oh, she'd be a fucking fool if she ever let him go.

Orange and white cotton kurta that was so fucking thin that he could see the outline of what she's wearing inside from the light-up sign next to her. Faded blue jeans that was too big on her, almost covering her toes that were peeking out from her heels. Golden hoops dancing out of the thin bunches of silky hair that had unraveled from the messy bun stuffed in a golden claw clip. Sahana was a fucking dream. The picture of her on the website was too professional, too forced. In front of him was a completely different woman who wore winged eyeliner and pink lip gloss, wielding her candid beauty like a weapon she didn't know she had. When he stepped closer, she wasn't getting any taller. Her head reached just up to his shoulder. Veer could pull her and tuck her under his chin perfectly. Like she was made for him.

Veer smelled like a forest, something like pinewood, fern and musk. Sahana wanted to breathe him in, let that heady scent send her into an alternate universe that promised happy endings and sweet nothings. She wanted to say something clever, something that would be par with the reputation she had built online. But all that came out was, "Do you go to the gym?

He couldn't help but laugh. Veer noticed the blush creeping up her face once she registered the question that slipped her curious mouth. "Yes, I do. Would you like to join me sometime?" he whispered into her ears, leaning in and getting a whiff of her coconut and berry shampoo. That did the trick. Sahana laughed, her dainty fingers running over her cheeks and then resting on her forehead. Her eyes locked on his and then, she said, "Well, don't you want a hug? The real thing this time?"