' To The Stars...With Love '

"Hi. Will you be free this evening? " He texted her.

For the first time in his life, he was restless for her reply. Frequently checking the time on his watch. His eyes were exercising between the watch dial to the mobile screen to the mobile watch. 

"What is she doing? It's already five minutes, and the message is still unseen." He murmured. His state of restlessness doubled.

"Advik beta, relax. You don't even reply to her for hours. It's just 5 min. She must be busy." His inner him calmed him down.

His Mobile screen flashed with a new message. He, without reading the notification, opened it.

"Your internet pack will expire tonight at midnight. Recharge now to enjoy continuous service. Thank you. " The message read and mounted his BP to blast the meter board.

In anger, he deleted the text,

"Shall I die without internet for one night? This service provider is so annoying. Huh.." 

His phone rang, Ahaana calling...

He, within no time, swiped the green bottom up, but in excitement, he pressed the red one at the very next moment.

"Oh, God! What the hell am I doing." He screamed and dialled her number. 

"Hi. Sorry, I cut your call by mistake." 

"It's okay. I can understand. I read your message. Is everything fine? Is there anything I can do for you? I'm free for you always. You know it. Right? " She firmly spoke.

" All good. Just wanted to meet you. It's been a long time, since we haven't met. So, I thought to catch you up. What say? " he questioned.

" Oh. That's cool. We'll meet. Place and time?" She asked

"I think... " he paused. 

"What do you think, Advik? Say." She asked.

"No, no. Let it be. Let's go for a short ride this evening. Pick me up from the place where we met for the first time." His voice lowered in fear of hearing no from her.

She couldn't watch him but felt the sound of his hesitation. Who can feel it more than she does?

That's true. The way she loves him is practically an illusion, but she does it relentlessly. She is well aware of his no-feelings-for-her, but still, it hardly matters. From first sight to every sight, from always to forever, he acquires her soul with all his rights imposed. Maybe he does not know her feelings. Maybe he does not want to know. Maybe he doesn't believe her love for him.

"Suddenly, he texted to meet me. What happened ?" Her mind was puzzled.

"Hey, Ahaana. Are you there? Silent? " his tone disturbed her thoughts.

"Nothing. See you, then." She hung up the phone.

Millions of questions and no-answers were playing hide and seek. She was happy to meet him after a very long time, but she was nervous to hear from him.

"Has his marriage been fixed? Shall he give me his wedding invitation?" A sudden unexpected question struck her mind, and she sat down on the chair. 

A few minutes later,

" It's okay. I love him that much to let him go with any girl of his choice. He is beyond it. " She smiled, hiding everything that hurt her heart. Maybe she was hiding her tears, too. Because the reality was more cruel than it. 

" Ahaana, here is your report. Treatment will start tomorrow. "Dr Mishra sat down on the chair nearby in tension and tears.

"Uncle, don't worry. I'm fine."She consoled him. 

In the evening, she reached the decided place, he was there waiting for her. 

"Hii. " He smiled, not taking his eyes off her.

She took off the helmet and stared at him. A different glow on his face, she noticed. Inside, she assumed everything.

"He is in love. His eyes express it. Or else, he is going to marry." Her heartbeats increased.

"Hii. You're looking more handsome. After a long time." She managed to say this amid all her assumptions.

"Wait. I know what is running inside your head. Before assuming, ask me once." He conveyed.

"There is nothing like what you're thinking. I'm not going to marry so soon. " He added.

"What! How could he know? Did he learn to mind-read? " She exclaimed to herself.

" I'm a bit tired today. Please, drive." She gave the key to him.

He started the scooter.

"You can hold my waist. I don't mind." He teased, making her blush.

"I play the safe side. Just by seeing you, my heart jumps outside. If I hold you, I may get a heart attack." She flirted, knowing it was cliche-ridden.

He smiled, and she captured him through the mirror. 

Even today, his smile is her greatest weakness. She drops to zero with his one smile. 

After 25 minutes, he stopped the scooter near a house.

"Ahaana, sorry. But, I brought you to my house without your consent, but I wanted to bring you here. " He lowered his voice and waited for her reaction with a tilted face in anticipation.

She was confused about what to reply. 

"But.." 

"No, but... Please come in." He insisted.

"Advik, I can't believe you brought me to your home to meet your family after three years of our friendship." Her eyes sparkled.

"Wait. There is no one in the house now. So, Miss, Ahaana, you should feel afraid of being with me alone in a room. You and I are alone together. You know what I mean." he winked.

"Mr Advik, you know me. Better, you have to save yourself from me." She smiled.

"Okay, my Don. Please, come inside. " He laughed.

He unlocked the door and entered the room, switching the lights on.

"Ahaana, relax. feel comfortable and sit there. You know me, I'm an innocent, sweet kid." He said, trying to make a cute baby face.

"Pagal." She smiled.

"I'll be right back in 2 min." He left inside, leaving her assumptions unsolved, and she took a 360-degree view of his living room. That photo frame above the sofa drew her attention, and she moved to have a closer look at it. That photo was taken by her when they had met for the first time, and he liked that candid of him. She was a bit happy that he framed it in his living room, where he generally spends most of his time rehearsing songs. 

"Ahaana, come inside. To my room. " He voiced from the other room.

She stepped forward. She was not nervous. She was not afraid of it either. The only reason was she had an unbroken faith in him from always.

"Advik, Where are you? " She asked. 

"Yeah. Coming from the kitchen. Wait there." He reciprocated.

She moved to the kitchen instead of his room.

He was wearing the kitchen gown and holding a cone and was trying to write something on a cake kept on the table.

She was astonished to see all this.

"Advik, what? What are you doing here?" 

"I, too, don't know. Perhaps I messed up everything as I had with my feelings." He made a puppy face.

Oh God! He was adorable. How can someone stop herself from falling in love with him? He has everything one can die for. Look, at this point, his face reflected the innocence of a 5-year-old kid who stole ice cream from the refrigerator at midnight. 

"Okay. Relax. Let me help you. " She walked towards him, and unfortunately, her feet slipped on the watered floor. Fortunately, he caught her up by her waist. 

In the sudden rush and fear of hitting on the ground, she hugged him tightly. His eyes widened, and she closed her eyes.

Her hands were around his neck, and his right hand was around her waist. He tightened his left palm in confusion about whether to clutch around or not. After a few seconds, 

"Ahaana, it's okay. You're not on the ground."

She opened her eyes and realized the hug. 

She, with uneasiness, distanced her body from his. He released her waist.

"Sorry. I was afraid of..." She lowered her eyelids and placed the hairs laid on her right cheek to take behind her ear. 

Minute of silence, shyness, awkwardness, and confusion.

Her eyes parked on the cake, and she could not believe what she had read.

"Welcome, Ahaan.

In my life,

And to our home." 

Her eyes filled with tears, and she got choked in her throat, probably in disbelief. It's a fairytale dream that they speak of in fiction.

Advik felt her state of mind and started,

"May I hold your hand?"

She nodded yes.

He held her hand and continued,

"It's not that it's all of a sudden, but I gathered the courage to confess it. Maybe I was running away from all the feelings you had injected within me. And, see, I eventually got trapped in that web. No one can escape when love arrives, you have told it. You fell for me at first sight, and I fell for you very late. Then, I realized, with you, I believe in love. Maybe, for you, from you, to you, and of you, love redefines its meaning in my life. 

I was unromantic, but you turned the "unlove " bottom to "love." You never convinced me to love you back, but I couldn't avoid the skipped beats of my heart when you swiped right into it. I'm reserved and be my mind-reader. Not a wealthy life, we'll have a worthy life together. I'm sorry for the "all-the-waiting-for-3-year." But, make me yours at this moment and take it for the rest of our life. I don't know how to love. Please, teach me to love Ahaana. Write to us, and let me page into it for life and next. "

She was feeling all his words like a dream, a mirage. He elucidated a love chapter just like an author penning down the ocean of emotions. 

"If a reserved person like me mouthed all these dramatic lines in one go, just imagine Ahaana how much you drove me crazy with your weirdness, simplicity, selflessness, and honesty. " Advik came closer to her, leaning a bit towards. His husky voice sent a shiver down her spine. She looked up at his eyes. Their eyes glued, and they disobeyed them to depart. 

A ringtone disturbed their moment, and she turned a little mile to the other side.

Ignoring everything, he stepped towards her. He gently grabbed her waist from the backside with his left hand. She leaned her head a little on his left shoulder, closing her eyes. That moment, his touch, their bodies, and the sparkle of that instant: she forgot the bitter reality waiting for her at the doorstep. 

His lips touched her bare neck behind her ear. She turned towards him in nervousness, their bodies clutched with a zero-inch gap in between. 

They listened to their heartbeats and the warmth of their breathing amalgamated. That moment of silence was comforting, and none of them wished to move. They caught the time to stop there. 

The whole welcome cake dropped its temperature to a semi-liquid level, and their love made them melt. 

Breaking the ice, Aadvik whispered in her ears,

" Ahaana, we have a full life together. I won't make you uncomfortable by forcing anything you're not comfortable with. " 

A drop of tear tasted salty and dissolved in her lips. She hugged him tighter. 

"Make me yours before my departure, at least once, for a second, for a minute, for an hour, or a day. If I'm having a dream at this point, don't wake me. Let me." She vocalized.

He didn't get her unuttered words in between those lines. He just hugged her the tightest in reciprocity.

|| After Six Months ||

He was sitting near her hospital bed holding her palm while she was sleeping. He was unable to cry because she would not see him broken. He pretended to be strong just to assure her. 

She opened her eyes, 

"Advik, listen."

"Hmm." He brought his ears near her mouth.

"Take me in your arms." She requested.

He slipped beside her, stretching his left arm beneath her neck, and took her head on. He shifted himself towards her, keeping her face on his chest. He was crying but with invisible tears. 

"You can't hide your tears. Your heartbeats expressed it. Cry. Don't hold on." She slowly told. He broke down with tears hugging her tight.

"Don't leave. Please, stay. Don't make me lifeless." His tears knew no bounds.

"You know, I can die thousands of deaths to be in your arms. Don't worry, we'll have a full life in the next life. "

He dragged her closer. 

"Hey. May I say something?" She whispered in a fumbled voice.

He nodded yes without words.

"I'm in my paradise now, your arms. I won't complain to God for this short life. He has given me your love for seven births. I love you till forever. Don't let anything fade your smile. I live in it. " 

Her voice disappeared and vanished. Her body collapsed on his chest.

He sensed her soul departing, stopping her heartbeats, and leaving her body in his arms.

Their story had no happy ending because there is indeed no ending in love that the universe writes for us. She made her way to the star with love and became the brightest star in the sky of his life, which turned his life into a paradise.