Lingering Closeness

"Listen. Ria called. She wanted to say..uhh... That's over. "

Varun chuckles in a broken tone before saying, "When did it even begin? "

Natasha sighs before walking up to him. 

He looks down before he says, "I should have seen the signs. Right?"

Natasha says nothing and sits down.

Away. 

Like always. 

Varun looks up at her as he says, "I mean. There were these little signs that screamed we were doomed. Still.. "

Natasha whispers, "Still the hope kept you up? "

Varun nods before saying, "I am sorry. You were supposed to rest. "

Nat shakes her head and walks upto her fridge to take Pepsi out. 

He looks on silently as she poured both of them a glass of cold Pepsi and a tumbler of ice. 

She quickly gestured for him to drink fast. 

He watched a bit amused before gulping the cold liquid fast. 

She did the same. 

They sat quietly when Nat spoke up, "Hope screws us all."

Varun watches her as she says those words. 

A bit surprised, he listens further as she spoke, "This evil hope lets us believe that we can probably get whatever we want. But we don't."

Varun says," Screw Hope! "

Nat clinks her glass with him as she says, "Screw Hope."

*******

Natasha sat in her office while hoping Varun might bring her the same coffee he had been bringing for six months. 

She could see he was over his girlfriend.

Her string of thoughts was interrupted by the man in question. 

Varun smiled and said, "Here is the coffee".

Natasha excitedly took her share of caffeine and seem to be lost in its aroma. 

Varun laughed quietly before she could notice it. It was as if Varun had memorized this look. 

Natasha had always been a colleague but her stance for him and her know-it-all-yet-i-care attitude had won him a friend. A very dear friend. He didn't intend to lose her. 

Varun adjusted his glasses as he asked, "Have you asked Sid out? "

He knew about her crush. 

Natasha rolled her eyes before saying, "I am not going to do that. "

Varun frowned. Was this girl nervous or not interested?

He asked, "Why? "

Natasha spoke, "Because he isn't my type I discovered. He doesn't like music."

He winced before saying, "Oh. "

Natasha moodily nodded before settling back at her work. 

Varun went off to his own. 

But at lunch break, he couldn't resist before asking Natasha, "Wanna go to our spot"

Natasha instantly replied, "Hell yeah"

He smiled again.

****

Varun watched from afar. Natasha was dancing to her own tunes. It was as if she didn't care what the world thought of her.  

Natasha could see that Varun glanced at her time to time. He didn't speak much but she appreciated that he intended to care for her. Every time Natasha spoke, it seemed as if Varun had eyes for her only. This feeling made her heart flutter. 

Varun smiled as they both caught on each other staring before Natasha gestured him to join her. As song switched to their favourite one, Varun walked slowly and Natasha couldn't help but feel like the girl in a typical romcom.  As both grooved to the tunes and shared a playful smile, they both stared right into each other eyes. 

Something had shifted between them. 

As they danced nearer, their hearts seemed to beat erratically. 

They didn't realise when the song ended. 

It was the rhymes of the rain that they were dancing to. 

They only realised the moment when the rains seemed to drench them, forcing them apart. 

****

Varun couldn't shake this feeling.

He stood in front of the mirror staring at himself. 

He wasn't like this. 

What changed him? 

His mind and heart seemed to chant the name 'Natasha'.

He seemed to lean on the wall staring at the picture they both took together. He definitely looked happy with her.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen or dated the most beautiful woman. But there was this feeling that he could never take his eyes off her.

He unconsciously smiled as he remembered their fights, imperfect moments as well as the beautiful moments they made together. 

He had decided what he wanted. 

*****

Life liked to throw different feelings at Natasha. 

She couldn't deny this strong feeling Now. 

As the playlist played from her favorite album DDLJ,her mind seemed to agree that she had lost her heart to him.

The thought made her smile as well as made her fear. 

She didn't know if he felt the same way. 

Afraid if the feelings would cause their friendship to break, she wanted to hide her feelings. 

But now it was becoming increasingly difficult to withhold her feelings from the person who was so close to her. 

She sighed and instead waited for Varun. 

******

Natasha watched the dark sky from the window. She heard Varun's footsteps and turned towards him. 

She could see that he was calm but his hands seemed to be fidget. 

Why was he nervous? 

She watched his eyes wander everywhere except her. 

She knew something wasn't right. 

She asked, a bit afraid," Varun?"

Varun gulped and he looked at her. 

Her eyes were tired from work but she still seemed to want to hear from him. 

Varun looked away again. He couldn't believe he thought he could let her go. 

It had hardly been a day since he realised his feelings. 

Natasha asked again, her voice low, "Varun, what is the matter? "

Varun shook his head and spoke, "Nothing. "

Natasha stood in front of him and her heart seemed to bear no more as she said in a broken tone, "You didn't look at me the whole day. You are still not looking at me. Is this over? "

Varun looked alarmed and felt guilty before blurting, "The truth is that I think about you every day."

Natasha watched as her eyes widened. 

He made her sit on the chair while her curious eyes watched him. 

He held her hands as he settled on his knees and spoke, "Natasha, I didn't look at you because I knew that one look at you would mean that I wouldn't be able to hold this feeling anymore. Not because I want to put an end on both of us. "

Natasha seemed a bit relief and watched him continue as he spoke, staring at her, "You know, we have been so good friends that it took me too long to realise what you meant to me. It was this lingering thought of yours always before I finally realised that I am falling for you. I don't know how you feel about this but I am willing to wait. I mean even if you don't like me it's fine, but I.."

Natasha had tears by the end before she laughed at his lines and hugged him. 



She whispered in his ears the words she never imagined herself speaking to Varun, her closest yet special friend, "I like you too. "

They couldn't contain the smiles as their hands seemed to hold and the eyes seemed to be stuck at each other.