As it was

IN YOUR ARMS

"Because I feel the same way."

Abhi's face lit up as I've never seen before. Happiness etching through his features. I may not have said directly that I like him but it was enough. His hands tightened on mine.

I am known to be awkward in sensitive situations. I laugh during serious situations, I stop working when someone shares their emotional story, and most importantly I deflect the situation when I blush.

And now I was blushing like crazy. So I did the stupid thing that I always do in situations like these. I deflected it.

"Can you open a window or something? This room is so stuffy, I'm sweating like crazy." I fanned myself.

Abhi smiled a knowing smile. "Yeah sure" he got from the floor but the smile never left his face.

He knows. Of course, he knows.

Abhi strutted towards a shelf that was stacked against a window. The moment he neared the shelves he broke into a fit of sneezes. His whole body was racked with sneezes.

"Cover your nose, Abhi!" I jumped up from the floor and grabbed my scarf. I folded it into a triangle shape and tied it around his nose so that only his nose was covered. His eyes burned into me the whole time but I didn't dare to meet them with mine. Goosebumps spread across my body under his gaze.

After I tied the scarf around his face, his attention turned from me to the shelf. His hands grabbed the wood and shoved it against it. Even though the shelf was stacked with papers, one pushed against it and it slid across the floor revealing a dusty window. Abhi unlatched it and opened the double doors of the window.

The cool night air swam against my hair and filled the dark room. Darkness had descended on the earth. The crescent moon had illuminated the sky and our surroundings. I found my eyes finding him. He removed the scarf from his face and took in a lung full of air. The view beneath the window was breathtaking. We were on the third floor now. The buildings beyond us have started flicking on lights. Vehicles zoom past on the road and chattering pedestrians. It was a beautiful sight.

The cut on his eyebrow was visible now in the moonlight. It's gonna leave a scar I'm sure. I grabbed the scarf from his hands and pressed it against his eyebrow, the sudden action startling him.

"The cut is bleeding. I didn't see it till now in the dark." I pressed it against the wound.

He winced. The pain passes through his features.

"Does it hurt badly?" I ask

"A little bit"

"If only I had my bag. I had band-aids in there. It might not help much but it could stop the bleeding."

Abhi smiled. "I think I'm gonna be okay." His arms came around my waist as he pulled me into his chest.

"Abhi..."

"What? I can't hug my girlfriend now?" he teased.

I sank against him. His words. Girlfriend

I know it might seem corny that a guy calling me his girlfriend is enough to make me melt. But as the eldest child in an Indian household, where every single person in my life has expected me to be the role model even though none even bothered to ask if I need help, and a father who exists in my life like a shadow - useless, A guy risking his life to protecting me from goons and calling me his girlfriend as if his life depended on it was my validation.

I wanted to be cherished and babied my whole life but all my life all I got was orders, ultimatums, and 'I expected better from you' s.

Tears sprang in my eyes as I relished in his embrace. It is true what people say, a hug can sometimes cure a lot even more than medicine. My arms went around him as I buried my face in his chest. His uneven breath and quickening heartbeat were music to my ears. One of his hands came up and went behind my head, stroking my hair.