Ishqi pov
The Monday after I angry texted Ahaan, I still went to tutor him. I thought it would be really awkward, and I was right. Ahaan apologized for forcing me to hang out with him while I was on my period...I wasn't on my period. I guess he thought I was PMS-ing, but I didn't want to cause anymore confusion, so I just let it slide.
That day, Vamika told me all about homecoming, how they slow danced to a song together. She said it was the most romantic thing ever. Since then, I haven't had any hammers when I'm around Ahaan, for Vamika's sake.
The two months that followed were bizarre beyond explanation. Ahaan and his friends sit with us all the time at lunch. They invite us to parties, movies, bowling, and a bunch of other activities. I could only guess its because Ahaan was starting to have feelings for Vamika. [author- how dumb can she be....ughhh.....]
As for Carson, its the same case. He's gone totally heads over heels for Vamika. Whenever we went somewhere, he always wanted to pay for Vamika, talk to her, and laugh at anything she says, even if they aren't jokes. I always thought Carson had a very cool demeanour, with bad-boy vibes. However, it had completely changed since he's been crushing on Vamika. He now reminds me of dudes in older films and cartoons, the ones that throw their jacket over a puddle for their love to walk over. In the state that Carson's in, he would probably just lay down over the puddle. Vamika would probably walk over him without noticing and then start running towards Ahaan. She's blinded by Ahaan, she doesn't even notice Carson, or the other girls who are pissed that she's ungrateful for his attention to her.
The twins probably tag along for fun. They seem the most normal compared to Ahaan and Carson, mellow and friendly.
Ahaan started practice for track, but he still wants me to tutor him. I told him I would walk to his house once once he's done with practice, but he insisted I wait and watch him practice. I would refuse, but he bribed me with food. I sit on the bleachers outside, do my homework while eating, and then fall asleep until Ahaan wakes me up. Sometimes, I tutor him for fives minutes, ten tops. Ahaan either tells me he forgot his homework or that he forgot he didn't have any. He figured since I was already with him, that we should hang out, and he drags me with him to run errands. I got curious one day, and rummaged in his bag. during his practice. His homework was already done perfectly beforehand, and he get every question right on his math tests. If I asked him about it, I risked pissing him off for invading his privacy. The last time I saw Ahaan pissed was when I first met him, and I didn't want to relive it.
"Earth to Ishqi!" Esha has her face right in front of mine.
"Huh?" I blink and realize everyone's looking at me.
"Are you coming?" Olivia leans forward on the table, excitement in her eyes.
"Where?" I yawned. I'm used to tuning out my three friends, but with the addition of four more boys, it gets harder to fall asleep during lunch. This was the one day I got close to actually napping.
"To the mountains! Weren't you paying attention?" Olivia sighs,.
"Why?"
"Since we're not doing anything for fall break, we should go hang out together."
"We're gonna stay six nights. We have to go back a day before school starts again," Esha explains.
"Sorry, guys. I'm broke. No way I can afford to stay at a hotel for even one night."
"Don't worry, Carson says he has it covered. His aunt owns the hotel."
Carson sits up at the mention of his name, and glances at Vamika for her reaction. She's too busy eyeing Ahaan's muscles through his shirt to notice.
"You should just go, Ishqi. We do this every year. It'll be exciting since you guys are coming this time," Luke says in between his bites of hamburger.
"Yeah, it'll be fun," Logan chimes in.
Olivia and Esha look at me earnestly, while Vamika is preoccupied with Ahaan's shoulder blades and abs. I steal a few quick glances at Ahaan, our eyes meet, and we both quickly look away. He looks at the ground, as if he's trying to focus on listening in for my answer.
"What the heck, sure. It's not like I have anything better to do. Plus, Ishita's going to be throwing a party for her baseball team. I don't want to be home for it."
"Okay, then it's decided! We're all going. Remember to pack your bag tonight. We're leaving Monday." Olivia is usually very calm, but she's looks animated today.
Ahaan pulls up to the driveway and gets out to put my bag in the trunk. I only brought a backpack, so I didn't really need the help, but Ahaan seems so eager. I walk to the backseat door of the SUV and open it. Carson, Logan, and Luke are seated in the back seats, while Olivia and Esha are sitting in the row behind them. Thank goodness there's eight seats, because being jammed into a car for 2 hours isn't fun.
"Ishqi," Ahaan calls me and opens the passenger door.
"I'll just sit in the back." That seat has to belong to Vamika. Sitting next to Ahaan for two hours would make her day.
Ahaan grabs my wrist and pulls me towards the passenger seat. He corners me into the seat and shut the door, closing the one in the back as well. I'm caught off-guard, and I'm not sure what to do. Before I knew it, Ahaan was reaching over me and buckling me in. My shoulder brushed up against his chest, and my breath became short.
"Geez, pay attention," he scolds and pulls out of the driveway. Our last stop is Vamika's house.
Vamika is already standing outside when we get there. She's dressed nice, even though we're going to be stuck in a car for a couple of hours. It looks like she woke up really early to do her makeup and hair. She's smiling ear-to-ear and goes to open the passenger seat door. Her smile fades and her cheeks burn in embarrassment when she she's I'm already occupying it.
"Hey, Vamika. Sorry, we didn't want to make you wait too long. I hopped in so we get can here faster." I started to climb out of the seat when Ahaan stops me, holding my hand from unbuckling the seat belt.
"Since you're already sitting here, it will be more convenient for Vamika to hop in the back," he smiles, but chills runs down my spine. He has a cold undertone in his voice. Vamika looks shocked and hurt.
"Oh, it's because Vamika gets easily car sick. She can't sit in the back for a long time. Right, Vamika?"
"Oh...yep! I get car sick." Her mood is uplifted again.
Ahaan's grip loosens, but he keeps holding onto my wrist. I wiggle out of it and climb out. Vamika takes the passenger seat, while I inelegantly dive into the back row from the back seat. I didn't want to bother Logan by making him get out and fold down the seat, instead opting to climb over. We start the long car ride, and the car starts to explode in overlapping arguments about what to do in the mountains. I start to fall asleep and can't distinguish who's saying what anymore.
"We can go to the carnival anytime. We have to do something unique in the mountains!"
"It's a Halloween themed carnival!"
"Boring."
"I want to see goats."
"No."
"Why not? We should see goats."
"No."
The conversation starts to fade out into a buzzing sound. Everyone seems to be having fun so far, and even though I couldn't really tell who was talking, I could tell Ahaan hasn't said anything.
After sleeping through the entire car trip, I'm impressed with myself. When I woke up, we were already parked and we're getting our stuff out the back. I slept awkwardly, so now my back hurts.
The hotel we're staying at us actually nice. I was expecting us to surprised by a dingy motel or something. We got a room that had an upstairs section. It was a hallway that led to a bathroom, and two bedrooms, with one of the bedrooms having another bathroom inside. Each bedroom was equipped with a closet, dresser, tv, and a single King-sized bed. At most, each bed could only hold three teens, and sleeping on the floor was not an option. It was hardwood. The downstairs was the same, with a small living room, couch, tv, small balcony, and a kitchen.
"Olivia, Esha, and Vamika can have the bedroom with the bathroom. Luke, Logan, and Carson can have the other bed," Ahaan begins to organize us.
"Where are Ishqi and you going to sleep?" Olivia asks.
"Yeah, dude. We can have four sleep in a bed."
"Ishqi and I will sleep on this couch." He leans on the couch I'm currently laying on. It's roomy, but not enough for two people.
"If you haven't noticed, it won't fit two people," I add.
"It folds out, genius," he replies. He looks happy for someone who has to sleep on a lumpy couch-bed. This is so not going to help my aching back.
"I can sleep on the couch with Ahaan, Ishqi. You should sleep upstairs," Vamika interviens. I'm such an idiot. I didn't even think about the fact that I'm going to have to sleep on a couch-bed thingy with Ahaan, laying next to each other... Even though I don't consent sending my friend to sleep with a dude, okay that sounds weird, it's better than me sleeping with him.
"Okay, thanks." I start to get up, but Ahaan plops down next to me and uses my shoulder as an arm rest.
"I'll sleep down here with Vamika," Carson volunteers. Vamika gives Carson a dirty look for running her plans.
"No, that's wierd. It's better if Ishqi and I sleep here," Ahaan argues.
"How is it not weird with me?" I raised an eyebrow at him. Maybe it's because he doesn't see me as a girl.
"You slept over at my house before," Ahaan explains.
Everyone stops and stares at us wide-eyed. I was planning to bring that with me to the grave. Vamika looks hurt, and Olivia and Esha are completely confused. The boys are grinning. Dirty minded boys.
"No! It's not like that! I accidentally locked myself out of the house. Everyone in my house are deep sleepers. I slept on his carpet. Well, no, I slept on his bed, and Ahaan slept on the carpet."
"Speaking of which, you didn't seem surprised to wake up on the bed. Were you awake when I carried you up?" Ahaan has a devilish smile, and my body starts to turn red from toe to head, the shade traveling up like I'm a giant thermometer.
"You could've stayed with us," Vamika says, with a bit of spite. I can't blame her.
"I-" Ahaan cuts me off.
"Ishqi and I are pals. It's perfectly normal." He leans against me and little more.
"Whatever you say dude. Pals, sure," Carson chuckles.
"We haven't even stayed at your house before," Luke grins.
I'm tongue-tied, not even trying to fully explain the situation. Vamika looks upset, so Olivia and Esha went to unpack with her upstairs. The boys leave too, leaving Ahaan and I on the couch alone downstairs. The shoulder Ahaan is burning hot, even though I'm cold.
"We should go get food. I think there's a restaurant in this place, but I don't know how pricy is it. There's a outlet mall and shopping center nearby. Maybe we can find a pizza shop or something," I glance at Ahaan, his head on my shoulder, fast asleep. I didn't even notice that he moved his arm. I don't drive, but I'm pretty sure it's tiring to drive for two hours.
I try to move his head onto the couch, but it wouldn't budge. Giving up is the only thing I can do since I don't want to wake him up. His hair tickles me cheek, and his sharp jaw presses into my shoulder. I can hear his deeps breaths. I want to see his sleeping face. I bet it's cute. What I'm I thinking? Vamika likes that face. I can't think about it. Ahaan's head shifts and he starts to wake up just as the others start to come back down. I quickly stand up, letting Ahaan's body to fall over.
"Damn, is he asleep?" Carson walks down first.
"I think so," I reply.
"Well, we can leave him. The mall is nearby, so we can walk." Everyone is started to walk out, but I stay a bit behind and check on Ahaan. His face is red and he's breathing hard. I feel his forehead, and it's warmer than its supposed to be.
"You guys go ahead. I think Ahaan's sick." Vamika looks concerned, but hesitant to stay behind. The idea of the meal, is in ticking to her. "It's fine. Just bring back some pizza or something. Something healthier for Ahaan though. Oh, and buy him some medicine."
Vamika looks like she wants to stay, but doesn't.
"Ok, sure," Logan replies. They file out, Vamika the last one to leave.
I turn my attention back to Ahaan, who's starting to sweat, kneeling down beside the couch and start to unzip his jacket. I try to peel it off of him, but he's heavier than I thought. A gentle shake is what I opt for instead.
"Hey, Ahaan. Get up. You're sick. Let me fold out the couch." Ahaan responds with a grunt. I shake him again and he starts to wake up. "Get up real quick." He stand up and walks over to the kitchen table, sitting on one of the chairs.
I get to work, trying to fold out the couch. First, removing the cushion, before pulling a latch that releases the frames. I pull it out and lock it in place. I run upstairs to steal a couple of pillows and a spare blanket in the closest. Ahaan waits patiently, even though he looks like he could really lay back down.
"Here, let me take off your jacket." I starts to peel it away, revealing a sweaty shirt under. It's clinging to his body, revealing his muscles. I awkwardly cough. "Arms up," I instruct, my eyes glued to the ground.
"What?" Ahaan responds in words, after grunting since the others left.
"Just do it." He raises his arms and I start to take off his shirt. "Sleep shirtless. You'll feel better." I keep my eyes on the ground as Ahaan crawls onto the bed and under the blanket.
"Wait here. I'm going to go get some medicine." I check the time and if was only 2pm. The others were probably not going to come back anytime soon once they get caught up in the excitement and fun. I text Esha.
Me: I'm going to get Ahaan's medicine and some food. You guys have fun, and don't feel pressured to come back early.
Esha: Are you sure?
Me: Yep. My dad gave me money before I left, so I'll just run to a store nearby. Have fun.
I find a sandwich shop nearby that sells soups. I buy a chicken noodle to-go along with a grilled cheese sandwich. Luckily, there's a small grocery store around the area, and I buy Advil. When I get back to the hotel room, Ahaan was feeling better already, watching some tv.
"Hungry?"
"Kinda," he smiles at me. I relaxed a bit, relieved to see that he's better. I've never seen him that weak and vulnerable before, so it scared me a bit.
"Got you some soup and Advil." I start taking the items out of the bag. I hand him the continued of soup and a plastic spoon.
"Thanks." Ahaan takes it and starts to eat, though he doesn't look like a soup kind of person. Chicken noodle doesn't excite him. I hold out a half of my sandwich to him.
"Here, have some of mine."
"No, you should eat." I roll my eyes and shove the half into his mouth. Ahaan states at me shocked for a couple of second, before he starts chewing, he probably realized how good to tastes and couldn't refuse it anymore. We sit and eat, Ahaan takes his medicine, and we watch tv until the other get back, around 9.
"Hey, dude. You feeling better?" Luke walks in with a box of pizza.
"We ordered two boxes of pizza and had some leftovers," Logan explains.
"Yeah, I'm feeling better. What did you guys do?"
"We walked around the mall mostly," Esha responds with shopping bags in her hands.
"It wouldn't have been that long if you guys didn't try on everything," Carson chides.
"Whatever, I'm going to bed. Trying on fifty pairs of skinny jeans is hard work." Esha heads upstairs and Olivia follows her. Vamika looks at me with a sad expression before following them too. There's another hour of ruckus while everyone showers. I keep watching tv with Ahaan while a wait.
Once I hear Logan leave the bathroom, I turn to Ahaan. "You should go take a shower first. Don't take too long since you're sick." I turn off the tv.
"Sure." He goes and grabs his pajama and heads for the shower.
While he washes up, I rummage through my backpack for clothes. A basic red t-shirt, some black shorts that go to my mid-thigh, and underwear of course. I debate if I should wear a bra, but I want to sleep comfortable, so I get an additional tank top to wear underneath.
Ahaan leaves the bathroom shirtless, catching me by surprise. He only has on a pair of blue shorts and a small towel draped over his shoulders to catch the drips of water coming from his hair.
"You can use it now," he walks by me shamelessly. With a build like that, I would probably walk around flaunting it too.
My hair was slightly still wet after drying it for five minutes with a towel. I was tired, so I put it in a simple braid and went downstairs. Ahaan was sleeping in the bed, completely under the covers with only his head poking out.
I climbed on as quietly as possible, so I wouldn't wake him. My body was on the edge of the bed, trying to distance myself from Ahaan. He moves and bit, shuffles around, and drapes some of the blanket over me. My back faced towards him, but I wanted to turn around and look at him. I wondered what he looked like sleeping. I wondered if he was still sick. I wondered if he was even sleeping.
Five minutes passed, and I still couldn't sleep. My heart is racing and I feel likes drank a gallon of coffee. I couldn't resist anymore, so I turned to look at Ahaan. In an instant, he pulls me in by my waist towards his body. His arms wrapped around me and his leg hooked mine. His eyes stayed shut the whole time. I barely had time to react, my arm folded up so that my palms were pressing against his bare stomach. He didn't put on a shirt when he went to bed. I gulped so hard, I felt it go down my stomach. I feel like a pervert since I caught myself counting his abs. My face was so close to his his chest, I could smell the soap he used. I'm such a creep, but he smelled like pine trees.
"Ahaan," I whisper, trying to wiggle out of his hold.
"Let's stay like this. I'm cold," he says in a soft tone that melts like butter. My heart flutters before I feel the hammers again. The hammers I haven't felt in the last two months. The hammers I tried so hard to suppress. They came back stronger than before, to the point that my my ribs felt like they were going to shatter any second. It might've been me, but Ahaan's heart felt like it was beating just as hard and fast as mine.
Ahaan loosens his grip on me, and I relax a bit. His body's warm, and he's wrapped around me like an envelope. I could've crawled out of his hold, but I didn't for some reason. My mind was blanking and I couldn't move. I wanted to stay there. It feels like I'm sick, and Ahaan is my soup. Gosh, what am I thinking?
*****
END OF PART 5
I hope this chapter was more exciting than the last. And as always, thanks for reading this far <3. Please vote or comment, so I know whether or not you guys are actually enjoying this story. I try my best to keep things moving, but I don't want the events to feel too rushed.
Next part at 10 votes and 25 comments