"Dhruv!" Manya jolted up from sleep. Her head moving on its own accord because of dizziness. "I don't remember drinking."
"What happened?" Dhruv said. It startled her. Sooner, the events from last night flooded her mind. Tears welled up in her eyes as she wrapped herself in his arms. A sigh of relief escaped their lips. "I am fine."
His warm breath wrapped around her, and in that moment, she said. "What are you doing in my room? And on my bed!"
"Hey! It's ok, he allowed," Dhruv said, while looking over her shoulder, and hesitant for said words.
Manya turned and found Atharv leaned on the door. "Disappointing," he said, and sat beside her. "I would have at least got a few broken bones, and a dislocated shoulder, and scars, which would've taken at least 4 months to heal."
"Thank you for such esteemed praise." She hugged him.
He caressed her hair. "You know I only have you, right?"
She gave him a punch in the stomach for making her cry even more. "Mamu, I never felt scared before. Did you found how did I fainted?"
"It was nothing. Because of a shift in air current. The airflow from the restaurant ventilation diverted towards you."
"Airflow?"
Atharv nodded. "It's not common, but it could happen. Don't stress over it."
"It's not that. I mean, I survived a train fall, but couldn't handle an airflow? Krishna and his karmic methods. Wait—how could you have received such severe injuries from an airflow?"
Atharv smiled. Dhruv was nowhere to be seen. Was it a dream? But. She hesitated to ask Atharv, fearing it would upset him if she showed more interest in her boyfriend, who looked tasty last night but acted foolishly.
"Now freshen up. We have to deal with something more critical," Atharv said.
"What now?" her shoulder slumped. "I am not in a mood to deal with your professional criminals."
Atharv shook his head. "More dangerous. It's his cooking."
"Whose cooking?" she said. Atharv walked out of the room. "Hey! Whose cooking?"
***
The next few months of her life flew by in a glimpse. Dhruv became a member of the swimming team, basketball team and music band. His curiosity to learn from the locals outweighed his old beliefs of a rich guy with fancy language. Manya got stuck as the vice-head of the cultural group because of Raisha, just so they could focus on Dhruv and what he could bring to the event.
Once, she glimpsed Dhruv in her kitchen, sweat highlighting the definition of his muscles and smoke adding to the intensity of his cooking. His eyes met hers.
"Patience rewards all." A smug grin played on his lips.
Manya nodded while drooling.
"What are you doing here? I don't remember allowing you here," Atharv said. Embarrassment filled Manya's and Dhruv's faces. "It was supposed to be just once."
"Sorry sir, I thought, I think, I mean. I wanted to cook food for her. And wanted to be helpful to you."
"Oh," Atharv looked at Manya. "How can I deny such sincerity?"
"No!" Manya said.
"No, I insist," Dhruv said.
"He insists Manya. We should be respectful." Atharv made her boyfriend a house servant.
Once, when Atharv wasn't home. Manya didn't want to miss out on this opportunity. She shoved Dhruv onto the couch, messing up his super focused chores.
"At least let me finish this area," he said.
"I am the owner, and now I want my slave to tend to my needs."
***
Meeting Dhruv's desire for adventure and thirst for knowledge. Their lives became a non-stop adventure, determined to see at least three countries per month. Dhruv, in particular, couldn't contain his admiration for the beauty of nature. His eyes, drinking in every detail, even the tiny ones. It always saddened her. How strict are his parents for taking away his freedom?
"Thank you, Manya. I had never thought that I'll be walking in the place I have only read about in books." He emitted the thrill of a child entering an unknown, beautiful world. Manya shed tears whenever he enjoyed something basic. She gave him all the kisses he could endure.
Dhruv disclosed to her he's an angel and his family lived on a planet far from the solar system. Most of my neighbours also seemed alien. She couldn't believe how his father had brainwashed his children into believing such fantasies. He explained his father held a rather unusual perspective on humanity. His father believed he belonged to a superior class, seeing humans as inferior.
He mentioned that while hiding from his siblings in one of the storage areas; he stumbled upon a romantic novel, about a protagonist who finds her love amidst all the sufferings. His curiosity got the best of him, so he couldn't resist reading it. The book played a crucial role in shaping Dhruv's knowledge of typical human behaviour and relationships.
"If you are an angel, show me your wings," Manya said.
"I would love to, but the moment I unleash them. Our location will be compromised."
Extreme level of brainwashing.
"Forget about it," he said. He corrected her strand of hair behind her ears. "You know, you are just like the protagonist of that book. She also had amnesia."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to. You know what else was common?"
"What?"
"She was beautiful," he leaned closer. "Caring," he gently brushed his thumb against her lips. "Kind-hearted," caressed her lower lip. Wind never felt such strong to her. "And she fought the world for her lover." He cupped her face and leaned in for the kiss. It wasn't her first, but the world around her appeared to be more beautiful—but empty?
An eternal silence gripped her ears. "World bad! Too bad!" a mysterious male voice echoed through her ear.
A sudden jolt of heaviness coursed through her abdomen, causing her to question whether she was about to vomit. Instinctively, she extended her arms to push Dhruv away from incoming vomit, but the slightest contact sent him hurtling into the ocean half a kilometre away. A golden smoke enveloped her arms—disappeared a second later.
There wasn't any person near her or any device capable of speaking this close to her ears. Who was it? Has it something to do with my memory? Am I hallucinating voices now?
Before she could make sense of what happened. Dhruv approached her from behind and laughed for the successful prank. He and his nerd friends has been building an advanced hologram technology and seeing Manya's reaction, it was a big success.
She frowned and left the place. Near the end of the path, Dhruv grabbed her arm. "I am sorry." He pulled her into a hug. "Seeing how you love science fiction and fantasy. I thought this could be exciting, but… I am really sorry. I will never do such pranks, ever…"
He kneeled and reached into his pocket. Her eyes and heartbeat followed his every movement. With a gentle smile, he pulled out a velvet box and opened it to reveal a simple, yet beautiful, ring. Her eyes widened with surprise and joy. With a gentle trembling hand, he slipped the ring onto her finger. Tears streamed down their faces as they embraced each other. "Thank you for showing me the world with you in it," Dhruv said.
***
"Can I take selfie with you?" A girl said.
"Sure," Dhruv said.
Dhruv's performance at the cultural event was exceptional. She never thought he would have singing skills, despite his melodious voice. Manya's recent memory of Dhruv singing her a romantic song diverted her attention from the girls crowding him for a photo. She still got goosebumps when he called her on stage and performed around her. Sooner she pulled her away from the crowd. "Everything has its limit."
While gazing at the sunset from the college rooftop, Manya sensed an eerie vibe in the unusually icy wind.
"You know what scares me most about him?" Dhruv said.
"Who?" Manya said.
"It's his eyes." He described to her as if Atharv's eyes held a hidden world behind them, a world that he found rather frightening. The way Dhruv talked about Atharv and his eyes made her feel uneasy.
"Are you into my mamu?"
He giggled. "What?"
"Yeah, he's that, he's this, he's scary, has intimidating eyes. I know he's cool, but stop. It feels weird to get compared to a man."
He fixed his eyes on hers. "Your eyes are just like his."
She pushed him away. "Just go away!"
He grabbed her closer. "His eyes hold pain and wisdom, but yours. Whenever I look into your eyes. I feel safe. As if your eyes are the essence of love itself."
"I am still confused, even your romance includes mamu."
A light-hearted chuckle escaped from their lips.
The sound of his phone ringing brought an immediate, joyful grin to his face. There was something about his eyes that felt familiar to her.
"Family?"
He nodded. "It's my sister. She said she'll be here in an hour."
"Your sister? The one who helped you escape?"
"The same one."
She was overjoyed. "I want to meet her too! When she's coming? Where are we meeting her?"
"Actually," Dhruv looked cautious, "I already asked her about this before." He grabbed her hands. "And she didn't want you to come with me to meet her."
"Why?"
"Because she despises humans, like our father. But don't worry, she loves me more."
"It's fine." Manya pulled out a chocolate bar. "Give her this from me."
"But I brought this for you."
"And now I want you to give it to her."
"She'll love it."
"What is she like?"
"My sister? She. She resembles you. The first one who made me realise that I am not alone, just like you did when I came here. I really wanted you to meet her, but…"
"It's ok. What if I sneak in?"
"You can't hide from her, and the moment she saw you, she'll kill you."
"Kill me, kill me or figuratively?"
"There's one thing about her—if she loves someone, she can do anything to save him, even if she has to destroy their soul."
Manya pointed at herself. "Soul?"
He kissed her forehead. "Soul." He gave her a ride home and left while struggling to contain his excitement about seeing his sister.
Manya felt a familiar pair of hands on her shoulder while seeing her boyfriend disappearing into the path.
"Is he ok?" Atharv said.
"Yeah, just excited to meet his sister." She wanted to witness his enjoyment with his sister. How would he react after seeing his sister? What would they talk about? Even though his sister seemed amazing, a part of her didn't want him to go. Please be safe.
Atharv gave her shoulder a rub. "He'll be alright."
She giggled, "How? Every time. Like you could read my mind. Just how?"
"What how? After the doctor, I was the first person who held you when you were born."
"Well, this is new. Where were my parents?"
"Your mother was unconscious, naturally."
"Naturally."
"And your father." He started thinking. "Where was he? Oh yes, he was killing aliens."
"Ali… Aliens?" she punched him in the arm. "Are you saying? That he was playing a game on my birth?"
"He didn't have much choice." He pinched her cheeks. "My cute little niece. His teammates were in danger. And what have I taught you?"
"Run to your friends and family when they are in need. But in reality, not in some artificial world!"
He smiled and sat down on the bench, and she snuggled up against him, using his shoulder as a pillow. "Why are man complicated?"
Atharv giggled. "That's first. Why are you worried about him? He's a tough guy, and it pains me to say this. He loves you. Nothing compares to mine, but still."