Veer's POV

My presence was affecting her. I could see that, clear as a day. And I was enjoying every bit of her attention. The other day, I saw her checking me out. And let's just say, I also flexed a little to show off. She's like an open book, her expressions easy to read. I like the way she turns pink whenever I am in her proximity. 

After hovering around her for days, I have established the fact that she doesn't remember me, which should be a punch in the gut but it wasn't because now, I get a chance to start anew with her.

How would you feel if the girl you've been pining for over 7 years suddenly pops up in front of you? That's exactly what happened to me. She doesn't know how long I have daydreamed about her. Some of those dreams were downright unholy. I always wondered how it would feel to taste those soft and plush lips. Are they as sweet as they appear?

I am not unaware about my looks and I know that women are attracted towards me. That's why I have received a lot of marriage proposals in the past, which I have respectfully declined. How can I marry someone else when all I have ever dreamed about is marrying her? It would be unfair if I decided to marry someone else and couldn't give them my full attention.

My friends came to know about my feelings back at the University and urged me to confess to her. But I didn't. Because I knew that she had a fiancé. She was totally devoted and loyal to him. It was as if she couldn't see anyone else besides him. But that fiancé of her was a total jerk. He didn't appreciate her enough. When I noticed that she was here alone and her fiancé was nowhere in sight, I asked Devika about him. Turns out, he was an asshole who left her all alone when she needed him the most. That fucker. How could he do that to her? I was angry on her behalf. But it sort of worked out for me I guess. Now, I could approach her without having to worry about him.

When we were at Gyanadeep, I also came to know about what happened to her parents. My heart ached for her but I couldn't do anything. We didn't know each other that well. It was not as if I could have run to her to give her a hug. Thinking back on it, maybe I should have. When I heard about what her uncle did to her, I had a strong urge to kill him. But the sane part of my brain decided against it. Besides, she's alright now. She seemed happier and also, she smiled more often. She deserved all the happiness in this world.

Speaking of her, I woke up early this morning because we had to leave for her training session. I was filled with so much giddiness that I couldn't sleep at all. Today, I was going to spend time with her, just the two of us. And there was no one to interrupt us. 

I noticed that we still didn't have a single decent conversation. Firstly, I have to clear this awkward air between us and ease her into having a conversation with me. We talked twice or maybe thrice and every conversation ended with her bolting away from me. Although, it was an adorable sight, I still wanted her to talk to me.

That's why, when she turns up at the gate of the association, looking heavenly as hell in that white and pink saree that I want to kiss her senseless, I decide to go and greet her. I can't act out on my fantasies just yet, I have to rein it in. Her hair was tied in a loose bun which exposed the delicate column of her neck. I was tempted to kiss her neck but I decided against it. I had to make her comfortable around me first and not scare her off with my desires. After that, I can show her that I am the man she needs and I deserve to be with her.

Laxita's POV

As soon as I reached the gate, I spotted that Veer was approaching me. Somehow, the early morning sunshine made his eyes appear even a deeper shade of brown. I didn't even know if that was possible. 

"Are you ready to leave, Laxita?" He winked at me.

Oh my God! He winked at me! As if he already wasn't attractive enough, he went ahead and winked at me. He was looking so fresh early in the morning. And on the other hand, it was me who was looking haggard as hell because I couldn't catch a wink last night. I was so nervous because I was going to be with him the entire day, all alone. I had talked to myself all night and I was ready for the day, or as ready as I could be.

I noticed that it was the first time when he had called me by my name. I liked the way my name rolled off his tongue, it kind of sounded sensual. Wait, what am I thinking?

When I looked at his face, he smiled at me and I could smell that familiar scent - all woodsy and fresh as he was standing so close to me. I wanted to latch myself to him to get a whiff of that intoxicating scent...What was wrong with me? Why was I acting this way? None of those reactions were normal. I have known this man for a few days at most and I was already so attracted to him. I didn't even know that I had a weak spot for handsome men.

"Laxita?" His eyebrows furrowed.

Gosh, he asked me something and instead of answering him, I was staring at him like a creep. Snap out of it, Laxu. Answer him like a normal person would. He would run away in the opposite direction if I kept acting this way.

"Um, yes. Yes. We can leave."

We mounted our horses and started our journey. I was on Megh's back and he was on his horse, Chetan's back. Turns out, that night Chetan was tied to a nearby tree but I failed to notice him because I was so focused on saving Veer's life. When Veer was taken inside the medical room, Devansh noticed that Chetan was missing. After that, the twins headed for the forests immediately to bring him back. He said something about Veer freaking out if Chetan was absent. Apparently, for some reason, Veer called Chetan his first love. Was it strange that I think that it is weird and cute at the same time?

Our destination was the origin of the Kalindi river. It originated from the Vajra mountain range and was surrounded by cliffs which made it a perfect training spot.

On our way, I kept stealing glances at Veer with our horses trotting side by side. He was wearing a dark coloured tunic and a black loincloth, his sword strapped to his back. He really was so handsome. We travelled in silence for a while.

"Do you have something you want to say to me?" He interrupted my thoughts.

"....No"

"You kept staring at me so I assumed you had to say something to me."

"No, I don't."

"There's something that has been on my mind for quite a while...Do I make you uncomfortable?"

I frowned. What was he talking about? "No, you don't make me uncomfortable. Why would you think that?"

"You see, every time you talk to me, you end up running away from me at the end. It's as if you can't wait to get away from me."

"It's not like that. I just take time to open up to new people. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me."

He heaved a sigh of relief and I felt bad for making him feel that way. He was genuinely nice and he didn't deserve my silly behaviour.

"Can I ask you something, Veer?"

He smiled at me and said, "It's the first time you have called me by name - it made me smile as well - "So, what do you want to ask?"

"Why do you go around saying that Chetan is your first love?"

Hearing that, he laughed and it was a beautiful sight. "You would definitely like to know..."

After that, the conversation flew easily. We switched to different topics. Some were mundane and some were interesting. He even made me laugh from his funny anecdotes. 

Now I know why he was everyone's favourite. It was so easy to talk to him. He was a patient listener and didn't even judge me when I told him about my weird antics. In return, he told me about his set of weird antics. Why did I take so long to talk to him? Yeah, I was busy ogling his face and body and didn't pay attention to how he was as a person. He's so nice, no wonder he has received over a hundred marriage proposals.

We took breaks in between our journey, mostly near the streams. The previous awkwardness was gone and we talked about various things. We also spotted a giant tree in the middle of the forest and decided to have our lunch under its shade. Honestly, it was so serene. It seemed as if the scenic beauty of the mountains was calming the soul.

Time flew by so quickly that I didn't even realize that we had reached our destination. It was almost noon by the time we reached the origin of the Kalindi river. It was such a mesmerizing view. The river originated as a waterfall and the water was crystal clear. The place was quiet and secluded, just what I needed. The weather was too hot and we were sweating profusely by the time we reached here. But it was cool out here because of the waterfall and it felt really nice.

I took some rest before proceeding with my training. I decided to warm up a little before using such intense magic. Veer was perched on a rock nearby and gave me an encouraging smile to continue. So, I started with my training.

This impenetrable shield technique was the last technique which I had to learn. In order to become a high-level mage, I had to master both attack and defense magic. The type of mage was determined on the basis of dominant power - which meant that depending upon whatever power was dominant, I would be classified as either attack or defense mage. It was important for me to become a high-level mage because it felt like I was paying homage to my mother. I wanted to tell my parents that I was a mage now. But the biggest obstacle to my goal was this technique.

Despite trying multiple times for several days, I still couldn't do it. Today was no different. I had been trying for a long time but was still unsuccessful. I didn't know what I was doing wrong. Frustrated tears welled up in my eyes. Seeing my condition, Veer left his spot and strode to stand in front of me.

"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down. It's alright." He gently held my shoulders and lifted my chin to look into my eyes.

Somehow, this gesture made me sob even harder. "I can't do it. No matter how many times I try, I am always unsuccessful. What shall I do?"

"Shhh. Calm down. You can do it. I know you can. I believe in you. If there's anyone out there who can do this, it's you." How could he believe me when I didn't even believe in myself.

"How?"

He wiped my tears and gave me a reassuring smile. His different kinds of smiles were quickly becoming my favourite. The look in his eyes calmed me a little.

"I have seen a lot of mages practicing since childhood. And, I noticed that many of them used a trigger to summon shields."

"Trigger? What kind of trigger?"

"A trigger can be anything. A memory or a change in emotions. Some mages use their happiest or maybe the saddest memories to create a shield. They are overwhelmed with emotions which help them to generate a shield. Others can change their emotions quickly. They always have an instinct to protect their comrades so they can summon it easily. I have seen the twins doing it, they always have an instinct to protect each other."

That kind of made sense. So, all I had to do was identify a trigger.

"You know that I can help you, right?"

"Yes..."

"And I know that you won't let me get hurt."

I frowned. I didn't like the direction in which this was going. He left my shoulders and started walking backwards.

"Veer, what are you planning?"

"I trust you and I know that you would save me."

"Veer, stop spouting nonsense. What are you doing?"

"Figuring out your trigger."

With that, he jumped into the waterfall.

"VEER!" I screamed and jumped after him without thinking.

We were falling. But I didn't think much about it and tried to reach him. Mid-way, I held his wrist and summoned a barrier around us. And the, we landed with a huge splash into the water.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that we were floating on the surface of the water. We were alive! I heaved a sigh of relief. My eyes turned towards the man besides me and my relief turned into anger.

"Are you insane? What were you thinking? There are rocks all around this place. What if something happened to you?"

He smiled and said, "Before you yell at me, I want you to take a look around yourself."

I turned to look at my sides and my eyebrows shot to my hairline. There was a shield around us. Is that-

"Impenetrable shield. You're right." Did he read my thoughts?

"But how?"

"Simple. It was just like I told you. Change in emotions. Your emotions changed suddenly from sadness to fear. Not to mention, you had an instinct to protect me."

That sort of made sense. "But what if I had failed? What if I couldn't summon this shield. You would have been gravely injured. And you have recovered just a few days back for crying out loud."

"I told you that I trust you. I know that you won't let me get hurt."

"Why do you trust me so much? Why would you go to such an extent to help me? We only came to know about each other a few days back!"

He just smiled at me and said nothing. 

It was late afternoon, the sun shining upon us. And I was only thinking about one thing - Why did this man have such blind faith in me?

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Hello Lovelies🎀

2500 words! Whew😅

It's a new high for me💃🏻

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