Chapter 7 : I think, I'm falling for him.

My beloved bike bounces on the rocky forest trail, flinging me up and down a bit. After I find a spot a few hundred meters from the highway, well hidden behind few tall bushes, I kill the engine and park my bike there. Don't want people stealing her when I'm gone.

I take out my phone, and to my surprise find weak signals still reaching it. I call Sveta and put the phone to my ear. She picks up after the fourth ring, "hey, everything okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Just wanted to check on our cover story one last time," I say to her. I hear her sigh on the other end, "to your parents, we are having a sleepover at my house. To the gang, you are at a relatives, in a village with no cell reception, on a last minute trip," she recites robotically.

I let out a sigh of my own, "don't be like that Sve, please, I'll tell you one day. I promise. You are my best friend, and the one I trust the most. I'm super safe, and not doing anything bad, I promise," I convince her for the hundredth time.

She is silent for a few seconds, then speaks with a hesitant tone, "you have been going back to that abandoned house in the woods, haven't you?" she asks in a low whisper. My breath catches in my throat as my heart starts beating faster. No. No. No. No! I have been so careful!

"Why would you say that?" I ask her, not having the heart to lie to my one ally. "Well, I see the mud and grass stains on your bike tires every monday, oh and on your boots too, and you have been acting weird ever since we came back from there, that day too you disappeared for hours without proper explanation. And I definitely don't buy the whole 'I fell through a trap door' story. You are way too clever and curious to have been so dumb, and I studied every inch and corner of that house for hours that you were gone. There is no space for there to be a trap door. And the most important clue, the necklace you most definitely got from that house, you keep fingering about, almost every moment of everyday, with a distracted smile on your face. Did you meet someone there? Is he a maoist? A naxalite? A hidden tribal man? A misunderstood criminal? A terrorist with a surprising golden heart? An unauthorised refugee? A runaway billionaire? An alien, perhaps? Some mythical bei..." before her imaginary bookworm brain could actually figure it out, I yell out, "Stop! Stop! You are crazy! And stop reading so many books. I'm not romancing any such dangerous people, that's just crazy," I let out a nervous laugh. Technically it's not a lie, Neelah and I are definitely not romantically involved. 'Yet'. A part of me hopes though.

I feel bad for lying to her for so long, so I say, "Yes, I am meeting with a guy. He is great. We are just friends, though. And, yes, for the first time in my life, I've come to like someone. If everything goes well, or if anything goes at all, and if the situation is right, I promise, you'll be the first one to know." I anticipate her reaction, and pull the phone away, just in time to hear her loud excited squeals. A smile forms on my face.

"Okay, Sve, I'll have to go now, he'll be waiting. I'll see you tomorrow evening, please cover for me," with a few final teasing remarks from her, and words of farewell, I hang up, and pull the cotton bag I've prepared for my overnight stay in Amora, onto my shoulders, and begin the trek towards the abandoned house.

Once I reach the beautiful beauty in ruins, forty minutes later, I drop the bag and get about changing. The trek time is shortened after every trip, fortunately. By now, I feel like I can trek this path with my eyes closed. I occasionally even come across rabbits and deers, on good days.

I take out the cyan colored cotton toga dress I made with Sveta's help, and change into it, securing it with my black leather belt. A little bit of my own flavour on the dress. The dress is a surprise. I returned Neelah's mom's dress the very next week after I borrowed it.

Though he didn't ask me to come in disguise, I want to surprise him. Things have shifted a bit in the last two weeks since the day at Asu. We have been holding hands, and flirting a bit. I just feel like today might be a date, with the way he asked me to stay overnight in Amora. Though I am mainly staying to watch the baby turtles hatch at night, imagining this to be a date doesn't hurt. I pull out the  hair band and let my hair down, the way he seems to like it. A shy smile on my way through out.

Once I am satisfied with how I look, I heave the bag onto my shoulder and step my sneaker clad feet through the portal. Just like every other sunday, I find him waiting for me, seated with his back against one pillar of the gazebo, throwing a jute rope ball into the air and catching it.

As soon as his eyes fall on me, they widen and the ball slips from his grasp, and rolls down the gazebo steps. His eyes take me from head to toe, before coming back to lock onto my own gaze. I give him a proud smile, pretty pleased with his approving gaze.

His own lips slowly curls up into a smirk, clearly pleased with himself for having made me dress up. "You look beautiful," he says, slowly gets up and walks towards me. When he is close enough, I look up into his blue eyes, just as he snakes an arm around my waist pulling me against him. My stomach somersaults. He bends down to place a small kiss on my cheek, igniting a blush across my face.

He pulls away with a bright smile, one filled with pure happiness, instantly bringing forth a big happy one of my own. He holds out his hand, and I immediately thread my fingers through his, the action having become a second nature over the last two sundays.

We walk hand in hand in the direction of his house. "Where are we going?" I ask, looking up at him.

"Today is Amora's birthday, meaning elves first moved here and made her our home exactly 712 years ago this day. So, there will be big celebrations through out the islands. In our neighborhood, we have a tradition of coming together to exchange food and drinks, and watch plays, dance performances and live music. We don't have time to watch it all, but the first play is a classic love story, so I thought you'd maybe want to see how we keep ourselves entertained," he explains.

"I love it," I say, giving him an excited smile. Wow! I could have never guessed I'd be able to see such a thing. It would be such a beautiful cultural adventure.

We walk for a few more minutes, keeping ourselves hidden among the trees. Neelah suddenly stops in front a tall tree. We are so close to the other elves. My heart beats faster. I can practically hear the sounds of life a few meters away from me. Children laughing gleefully, chasing each other, woman chatting excitedly, men yelling about preparations. I look at Neelah, my eyes slightly wide. He gives me a reassuring smile and motions at my sneakers. The only part about me that might seem out of character. I silently slip out of it and stuff it in my carry on.

He then motions for me to climb the tree. I silently follow his lead, afraid to make any sound. The tree is thick with green branches. We should be well hidden. When we reach one of the tallest branches, we settle side by side. Neelah moves the branch directly in front of us slightly. I gasp out. The sight in front of me is incredible!

There are about a hundred elves. Men, women, children, all of different skin colors, different physical attributes, different races, all gathered in front a big bamboo stage, two feet tall. Some are sitting on hay stacks, while others are standing, munching on food held in leaves. There is a huge table to a side filled with various foods in different sizes of pots and pans. On the stage is a beautiful dark skinned she elf in a stunning sunset orange full length toga, and a matching hibiscus crown on her head.

I watch mesmerized, as she hosts the show with grace and confidence. I turn my wonder filled eyes towards Neelah at regular intervals, wanting to share my amazement with him. Every time, he just gives me an amused and pleased smile.

Soon the play begins. The actors are as mesmerizing as the hostess. It is a tragically beautiful love story. When Neelah suggests we leave, I pull him back for one more performance. One turns to two to three to then I loose count.

Just before noon, a young stunning she elf, with east Asian facial features and beautiful waist length black hair, gets on the stage and begins singing. Her voice startles me. It most probably is the sweetest voice I've ever heard. I watch her, transfixed, her almond shaped eyes holding a deep passion for her singing. She glides gracefully across the stage in her flowy baby blue knee length toga, held together by a belt made of full white roses. She has a big white rose, tucked in her hair, behind her right ear. She sings in Elvian, much like every other performer, and actor. Though I don't understand a word of what she is singing, I connect with her music.

"Wow! She is amazing," I mutter, still watching her. "Yeah. That is Mi Ra," Neelah says, surprising me. This is the first time he has said anything about a performer, though he must have known most of them.

I turn towards him, "you know her?" I ask. He too turns towards me, "yeah, she is the only friend I have, if you don't count my brother," he says with a light shrug, a smile on his lips. At his words, an irrational feeling of jealousy forms in the pit of my stomach, and suddenly I don't find her that enticing. I look back at her. Still singing, with her eyes closed, in her own world. Oh who am I kidding! She is absolutely stunning. I look beside me, at the equally stunning male elf.

At that moment, he too turns towards me, his smile brightening when he catches me staring at him. His eyes soften, immediately putting my doubts to rest. Yeah, she might be divinely gorgeous, but he is beside me now, right? I give him a bright smile of my own, pushing away my insecurities.

After Mi Ra's performance, everyone disperse for lunch break. We slowly climb down the tree and sneak away. For our own lunch break.

Neelah takes me to a beautiful meadow filled with wild flowers, a lone willow tree stands in the middle. We settle ourselves under the willow tree and start eating, while Neelah explains to me the things I didn't understand in the performances, since they were all in Elvian. I listen to him, hanging onto every word coming from his lips. Seeing my interest, he narrates to me a few more classic stories, and folk lores.

We stay under the willow tree for hours, and right when the sun starts sinking, the brightness of the day slowly seeping away, Neelah's eyes brighten excitedly as he gets up, holding his hand for me to take. "Let's go, now is the perfect time," he tells me, as he practically drags me behind him.

"Perfect time for what?" I ask, trying to keep up with his excited, long strides. He looks at me over his shoulder, and throws me a cheeky wink, stunning me. "You'll see," is his only response. I shake my head at his excitement, as my heart starts beating faster. Whenever he is this excited, the place turns out to be an absolute wonder.

We fast walk through the woods for a few minutes. I soon start to recognise the path, "are we going to the beach? Are the baby turtles coming?" I ask, my own excitement shining through.

"They will come, but not yet, first I have another place to show you," with that, he steers us right, we are now walking parallel to the beach, through the woods.

After a good ten minutes, we finally emerge onto the beach, out of the greenary. The cool evening wind feels amazing on my skin. Neelah finally slows down, and I inhale a lungful of ocean breeze, closing my eyes.

"Look," he says. I open my eyes and follow his gaze to a big gray rock formation protruding out of the island, into the ocean. The top of it covered in algae and weeds. I stare at it, marveling at how beautiful the gray rock looked against the blue ocean. That's when I notice something. The waves aren't crashing against the rock on one side, instead they are flowing right into it. Holy shit! It's a cave.

"Is that a cave?" I ask my amused partner in adventure. "It sure is, and we are going in," he says with a laugh and starts sprinting towards the ocean. A laugh of my own comes bubbling up from my belly, and I run right after him.

We half run, half waddle into the ocean until we are waist deep, and dive right into the waves. I swim pretty well now, if I say so myself. We swim side by side for a good two minutes to reach the mouth of the cave. I stop swimming and stay afloat right in front of the cave's gigantic mouth. Sensing me stop, Neelah too stops a few feet ahead of me. He turns around, and stares at me with an encouraging smile.

He is floating right under the algae covered ten foot high cave entrance, his blue eyes, matching the water around him. The sight is simply breathtaking. I stare at him, imprinting this moment into memory. I want to remember him, just like this, for years to come.

I think, I'm falling for him.

When he holds a hand out, a smile breaks out on my own face, and I swim towards him, taking his hand, intertwining it with mine. Though it's a little difficult to swim with one hand, we take it slow.

As soon as we enter the cave, a coolness washes over us. Right as I begin to wonder why he took us here after the sun has set, my gaze falls onto a sparkle. Then another, then another. The deeper we swim, the more the water begins to sparkle. I break out at the surface, my eyes wide, taking in the cave illuminated with sparkling blobs of blue light. It's all over the place, on the walls, on the cave roof.

I turn my wide eyes towards Neelah, to see him looking at the cave in wonder himself. Well, that's a first. I usually find him looking at me, to gauge my reaction. Guess, even the native elf isn't immune to this sparkling beauty.

"What is this?" I ask, my voice breathless. "Bioluminescent algae," Neelah whispers back, his own voice full of wonder.

I look around again, mesmerized, and find a rocky patch along the cave wall and swim towards it. I heave myself up onto a big rock, and move aside to make space for Neelah. He soon follows suit, and seats himself right beside me, his warm shoulder and arm, touching my cold arms, igniting instant warmth.

I turn around and stare at him, his face only a few inches away from mine, illuminated by the otherworldly blue light. Making his already handsome face divine. He is looking right back at me, his eyes holding an intense emotion. I feel transfixed by him.

But before I could speak, or do some other things to him, I feel a warm liquid flow down my arm. I immediately look down to see an inch long cut on Neelah's upper arm. "Oh shit! You are bleeding! Did you cut yourself against the rocks?" I ask, giving him a worried look.

He just chuckles at me, "don't worry about it. It'll be gone by tomorrow. We elves heal faster," he tells me, with a smirk and a wink. His playfulness erases my worry.

"Oh yeah? What else can you elves do?" I ask, playing along, totally aware of the very small gap between our faces.

"Well, we also see better, and hear better," he says, his voice turning husky, as his eyes turn intense again. This time I am able to put a name to his emotion. Desire. A shiver runs down my spine, my body feeling hot in places I didn't know it could feel that way. The desire in his eyes fuels my courage.

I whisper, in an equally husky voice, "well then, do you hear how fast my heart is beating because of you?" I look at him from under my lashes.

His eyes visibly darken. He takes my right hand, shooting tingles up my arm at his warm touch. The atmosphere around us electric with tension, with passion. He places my right hand, right above his heart, "yes, I can hear your heart, it is beating just as fast as mine is, because of you," he whispers out, right before smashing his lips against mine.

My heart stops for a second, before beating with an uncontrollable vigour, at the feel of his incredibly soft lips against mine. I immediately kiss him back. It starts slow at first, both unsure, but soon, we both get the rhythm of it.

I throw my arms around his neck, pulling him closer, his own arms closes around my waist. The feel of my chest pressed tight against his, doing nothing to quench the already rising desire within me.

I pull his lower lip into my mouth. His other hand comes to cup me behind my neck, regaining control. His lips comes down on my lower lip, as he gently bites it, shooting another tingle down my spine.

Our lips move in sync with each other's. I pour all my affection for him in the movement of my lips. I pull him closer with all the longing I feel towards him. And the most amazing part, he reciprocates each of my action, my every emotion, with equal fervor.

Our lips pull apart, a bit reluctantly, to catch our breaths. But, he doesn't let go, instead he leans his pale forehead against my tan one. I savour this moment, enjoying this closeness between us, closeness beyond the physical. I relish the emotional intimacy I feel in this moment, in the sparkling cave, away from Amora, away from India, away from the whole world, in a cocoon of our own.

There wouldn't be a moment more perfect to tell him what he actually means to me, "I like you, Neelah. I have, for a long time. Heck! I think I'm even falling for you," I tell him, my voice growing soft, vulnerable with each word. I look into the blueness of his eyes, my breath stuck in my throat with anticipation and a little trepidation.

"I am falling for you too, Dheera. Right from the very first moment I laid my eyes on you," he tells me, his eyes full of affection. His words makes my heart burst with joy. I feel like my heart physically expanded. The butterflies return back with a renewed vigor.

We both share a beautiful smile, filled to the brim with affection. As the chillness starts to increase in the cave, we slowly swim out. Circling around each other. Our strokes lighter, our expressions happier, our hearts fuller.