it's okay if it's you | ishman ✓

CH: 22

ishan wakes to shubman staring at him with a concerned look. he sits up groggily, stretching the stiffness out of his arms.

“has it been eighteen hours?” his voice croaks.

shubman shakes his head, leaning in closer to run his fingers through ishan’s fluffy bedhead. 

“slept alright?” he asks.

ishan nods, kneading his temples that seem to hurt. “i think i dreamt about you.”

shubman bites down a smile. “yeah? what were we doing?”

“when did i say we were doing anything?”

shubman shrugs innocently. he shifts his fingers to gently stroke ishan’s cheeks, remembering how they were tear stained last night.

“i should probably shave,” ishan mutters, scratching his stubble.

he looks up to shubman with his big doe eyes, scrunching his nose up a little. “do i look better without it?”

shubman is too busy fighting the overwhelming sense of fondness that fills him to answer. he mentally debates if he should just skip breakfast and snuggle under the covers with ishan. 

“what you staring for, wanna fight?”

shubman lets out a heavy sigh, wrapping his arms around ishan- who is taken aback by the hug, he pats shubman’s arm hesitantly. “damn, you don’t have to be emotional about it. i won’t shave, okay?”

shubman chuckles, hugging him closer. “scoot over,” he says, getting back into the bed.

ishan tilts his head, confused. “are you feeling alright?”

shubman grins. “i will, if you let me cuddle you.”

ishan snorts. “when did you ever need my permission for that?” 

shubman wraps his arms around ishan giddily, pulling him against his chest. ishan whines at the clinginess but doesn’t push him away.

if his heart was thumping loud against his ribs, ishan doesn’t say anything about it. 

“how was your date?” he asks instead, in a soft voice.

“do you want to know about it?” 

ishan looks up to him, not responding. shubman smiles, ruffling his hair. “it was fine, she kept asking about you. oh, and she’s seeing someone.”

ishan’s eyes widen, he ignores the sense of relief that washes over him. “no way, why didn’t she tell me?”

“did you tell her what you were upto?” shubman teases, wiggling his eyebrows.

ishan rolls his eyes in an effort to appear nonchalant. “fair enough.”

“i thought she liked you,” he adds.

“you have zero observational skills,” shubman remarks.

ishan takes offense to that. “you’re saying that? you?” 

‘two whole years and couldn’t tell i was in love with you,’ he thinks to himself.

“one whole month and you can’t tell i’m in love with you,” shubman says.

ishan gets scared for a moment, thinking he spoke his thought out loud. but then he realizes what shubman said.

“you’re what?” 

shubman opens his mouth to say something but then his phone rings. he picks it up, looking that it's from his mother.

all the gears turn in ishan’s mind, forcing him to contemplate if he heard right. shubman is in love? like in love, love? with him?