??????

Manav

I conjured all my will to focus on the road but... her hands secured around my shoulders and her head nuzzled in my crook made me want to forget all about the world.

You make all my demons disappear just by your presence, Iti.

With one hand steering the wheel and the other holding her close to me I maneuvered the car in the lot.

I have no idea if she's sleeping or just resting, it's her first time drinking and she truly has no idea what's happening.

I waited a handful of moments looking down at her innocent features, her cheeks tainted with red and her eyes.. the lids painted in a lighter shade of brown.

It was raining torrentially, the water drops splashing hard on the roof of my car.

The very moment my phone rang in the dead silence and she woke up in an instance. Who the fck is it now.

She peeled herself away from me and I wasn't enjoying the sudden emptiness or the lack of warmth thereafter.

"It's still raining! Wow" she rubbed her eyes with the help of her wrist and looked out of the window.

I brought the screen up to look for the callers I'd when a click reverberated from my left. "Iti wait!" but she was long gone, hopping out of the car she jogged towards the centre of the lot standing under the open sky with wide arms.

She likes the rain? The way she's not complaining but actually embraced the rain as it soaked her till the bone in less than a minute. I watch her with rampant breaths while she slowly moves her fingers in her scalp, most of the hair splotched on her face as if they are aware of the wreck that will happen to me if I don't stop looking at her beautiful face.

She twirled once and then pushed away her sandals to move freely.

Do you want her? I crave her.
Can you have her? I wish I could.

Even after the truth unfolds..? I won't be able to bear the look of hate in her eyes.

The demons clog my brain scheming torturous questions against my will. I push past the dark clouds unlatching the door of my car.

She stands there all wet and soaked, as I kill the distance between us her eyes immediately lifted to me. It makes me smile every time I see her struggle to crane her neck due to our height difference.

"Manav ji" and there all my control slipped away. All my demons vanished like they never even existed.

"You're soaked, Iti. Let's go to our room" I tried to hold her wrist but she slipped away shaking her head like a small child.

"Nope" she shouted over the rain. "You'll get sick" I pressed walking in her direction.

"What about you?" the way she said I froze on my spot. My fist clenched and my eyes flicked away from her "I am maybe" for wishing something with you.. anything with you.