"Hi!" Aayush greeted as he entered her room. They had been texting an hour ago when he was in his office. She was complaining about how boring her day was going. So he decided to pay her a visit and they decided to have lunch together.

"Please tell me you did buy burger for me?" Taara asked looking at him. She was tired of drinking soups having unexciting vegetable curries and khichdi. She wasn't sick, just a little damaged.

"I told you I am not buying you that." He spoke as he dragged the chair close to her bed.

"Then why even bother coming!" She muttered annoyed. She was craving for some good food.

"Oh, someone's in a bitter mood. Maybe you could use this." He extended his hand holding a paper bag. 

"No, thank you!"

He smiled at her unreasonable stubbornness. "Okay. It was a bournville. Maybe your mother will like it better." No sooner than had he completed saying that then Taara's hand grabbed it. 

"She took half the Hershey's Kisses you brought for ME." Taara muttered peeping inside the papaer bag. Aayush chuckled. 

The housemaid entered the room with a tray laid with food. Taara had convinced the housemaid to not tell her mother that she had a friend over. Sarita, the housemaid had only one condition— that Taara would eat what her mother had cooked for her. Taara had agreed. Sarita had been working in their house for more than seven years now. She was like another family member. 

Taara's eyes widened when she saw the tray laid with two plates. One with a paratha and paneer gravy while other with a simple rotis and ridge gourd curry. Sarita placed the bed table and helped Taara sit comfortably. Taara thanked her while she handed the plate filled with yummy food to Aayush. Aayush thanked her and she left the room. "This is cheating." Taara whispered. 

"Shut up. This is for you. Is she gone?" He whispered. Taara looked beyond his shoulder and nodded. He scooted his chair closer to her bed. "You eat this while I will eat that." Taara's face brightened up. What an idea! She proceeded to take the plate from his hand. "No wait..let me place it on the table..so that if she comes back to check..we are not caught." He whispered while cleverly readjusting the bed table. 

"You're very smart, not the first time is it?." Taara giggled taking her first bite.

"Thank you for the compliment." He smiled proceeding to eat the food that was meant for her. "You better not lie to your mother about my visit." He spoke as they ate.

"This is not spicy." Taara spoke as she chewed. 

"Yeah, cause I instructed the cook to make it yummy but healthy. You're on medication spicy food isn't a good option." He explained.

"Spicy food is good for the heart you know." Taara stated.

"Must be, but the bad effects of spicy food outnumber their benefits. Besides, you certainly cannot have spicy food. Your mother loves you that's why she has been feeding you with all this good food. Coming back to your mother...where is she?"

"College!" Taara answered.

"College?"

"She's a professor." Taara smiled.

"Oh. No wonder." He mused.

"No wonder what?"

"She gives the discipline vibe. And I really don't do well before teachers and professors." He grinned.

Taara smiled. "AVR is scared of professors. Wow." 

Sarita walked in. Taara smiled at her. "Do you want anything?" Aayush simply kept chewing. Sarita obviously couldn't doubt because his plate was placed before Tara and the one from which she had been eating was before him.

"Nothing." Taara pretended to be grumpy. 

"Once you're off medication Didi will make your favorite food." Sarita smiled referring to her mother. 

Taara sighed muttering "whatever". The woman walked out while Aayush held back his smile.

"You're such a drama queen." He whispered. She winked at him.

Once they were done eating Taara sat staring at the TV that was playing some Bollywood songs. From the corner of her eyes she noticed him sitting back on the chair. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts. "Aayush you can leave. I know you have work to do."

"No. I can keep your company." He passed her a smile holding her hand while gazing at her face. He couldn't help but look at the her cheek which was red as the skin had been peeled off. "That must be itching bad right?" He found himself asking.

She sighed. "Yeah..the doctor has prescribed an ointment. She said it will take time for it to get back to normal. Three months or more. There's also a chance that the scar won't fade away for years. I know I look pathetic. Hate seeing the mirror now."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I am just glad that you weren't critically hurt that could threaten your life." His lips drew into a curve while his hand gave her hand a light squeeze.

"I wonder how am I going to go out with this ugly face." Taara muttered as tears formed in her eyes. She looked away trying to wipe them.

Aayush rose from his chair and sat on the bed beside her. His hand reached her left cheek cupping it to make her look at him. He saw the tears that glistened in her eyes. "You're not ugly." He spoke softly, swallowing the lump of emotion in his throat. "The world can go to hell if they can't see your strength to stand up again and face it despite all your scars and pain. Taara, you're stronger than you think you're. Smarter even. You know what matters and what doesn't. You should be happy Taara, that it's just a scar on the surface not a damage to your vital organs that could leave you crippled for life" Saying that he raised his face and pressed his lips against her forehead. Taara shut her eyes and tears slipped down her cheek. 

He pulled away from her and noticed her tears. "Hey," tipped her chin to make her look up. She began sobbing. Something inside him hurt to see her so vulnerable.

 He carefully shifted close to hug her. Before he even made the move she pressed her left cheek against his chest while her hands went around him as she broke into more tears. He made sure he wasn't hurting her wounded elbow. He curved his right arm around and gently rubbed her back. Letting her cry.

Taara pulled back realizing that she had been hugging him. What was worse was that she was crying. She wiped her tears quickly with the back of her palms. She didn't expect their first hug to be like that. But she couldn't be enough grateful for the comfort he gave her. "Sorry." She muttered looking away embarrassed with her vulnerability.

"I enjoyed it." He exclaimed with his voice teasing. The corner of her lips twitched at that. He always found a way to make her smile. She took a deep breath and then turned to look at him. 

"Thank you." She whispered.

He leaned close and Taara's breath hitched. His gaze loitered on her lips. She was nervous suddenly.  He leaned more closer and her body became stiff. Then his lips formed into a smirk and he moved his face sideways kissing her left cheek. She let out the breath that she had been holding. He backed off and got up from the bed sitting back in the chair. Taara smiled at him and a silence fell.

"Are you awkward?" He asked unable to take the silence for more than two minutes.

"Maybe." Taara answered staring at the television.

"Because we hugged?" He asked looking at her. She could feel his gaze on her but refused to look at him.

"Maybe not. Because I cried perhaps. I don't usually.."

"It's okay to be normal sometimes, you know." There, back was his teasing tone.

Her lips formed a smile and she turned to him. "I think you should really get back to work. I don't want to be the reason why The Rathore hotels functioning is affected."

He sighed and then chuckled. "I get it, you want me to leave."

"You're taking the meaning you want to."

"I can stay for some more time."

"Get back to business Mister.  Anyways mom will be here in some time."

"Oh, you're trying to scare me now." He stated amused. 

She laughed heartily. "Oww now my cheeks hurt." She spoke as her laughter faded. He smiled giving her a long look. He got up from his chair. 

"Aayush, Thank you." She said as he turned and looked at the door. 

He smiled and walked to her bed and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Take rest, don't over think and enjoy your holiday." He winked. He turned to leave when he felt her hand hold his wrist. He looked at her hand and then at her. 

"You don't, umm, want a kiss?" She asked staring away into his eyes.

He chuckled. "I don't mind if you want to give me one." He leaned such that his cheek was before her lips. She smiled shyly and pressed her lips gently over his cheek. Her lips lingered a little longer than he expected, he wasn't complaining. Once her lips inched away he turned his head, his gaze meeting hers. In that split second, they both felt their breaths and heartbeats synchronize. There was something more powerful between them than they thought.

The hearts always know way before the mind can even realize.