12:35 am

Seeing the time on my phone, I turned and tossed in my bed for the zillionth time. When that didn't work, I sat up and fluffed my pillows. Lying back and feeling slightly satisfied, I closed my eyes and pulled the covers to my chin. However, instantly, as if on cue, the memories from the dance a few hours before came back; gnawing at the back of my mind.

Jeric Medina's—Can't help falling in love; started playing. I kept staring straight ahead in shock and slowly turned to him when he called out my name. His face was inscrutable, as he extended his hand out to me. My gaze drifted to his outstretched hand but didn't seek it. In a split second, he grabbed my hand and cautiously started pulling me down the stairs. The spotlight fixated on us the entire time.

He brought me to the middle of the dance floor and I watched him stupefied when he turned to face me, never letting go of my hand.

"I'll lead. Just follow me." Saying this, he took my other hand and placed it on his shoulder, whilst he held me with his free hand on the small of my back. I gave out a slight gasp at this and gaped at him wide-eyed through this whole scenario; like some idiot, incapable of forming any thoughts.

This was all going too fast for me. I could hear my beating heart and wondered if he could too; but my eyes could only see his deep green eyes, which never left mine for a single second as he swayed elegantly, his body in tune with the slow music, guiding me alongside. I could feel my face heating up and looked away for a split second only; but then he caught me off guard and spinned me around. When I returned, his arms were wrapped around my waist. My whole being was captivated by his intense gaze whilst my hands fell flat against his chest. His body was pressed against mine and there was barely any room to breathe, when he inched his face even closer. My mouth fell open, but I forgot to breathe. I had a vague sense that he had stopped moving, but my mind didn't seem to register that. It could only see that penetrating gaze, which seemed to be spying on my deepest, darkest secrets and baring them open, caressingly...

ARGH!! Stop brain—STOP!! Stop acting like some stupid teenage going through puberty!!

I groaned out loud and smashed my face into the pillow. And repeated this, until I felt I was calm enough to stop.

Sighing, I opened my eyes but didn't budge from my position.

He still hadn't returned after that. I thought, turning on my back and staring up at the ceiling.

If I stayed here any longer, I would start thinking about him again. Thinking that, I made my way outside to the courtyard and stopped to take in the beauty of this ethnic Haveli spread over acres. Closing my eyes, I tried to absorb the serenity of this place that was engulfed in darkness and silence.

My eyes snapped open when my body started visibly shaking with cold. So, pulling my cardigan close to my body, I made a futile attempt at warding off the cold before making my way around the courtyard. I didn't even need to consciously think about where I was going. Despite the fact that I had only been 12 when I last visited, my heart remembered it all.

Blowing into my hands, I silently regarded the beginning of it all. It was here, I met him years later after his mother's funeral. Somehow, I had recognised him right away; despite being only 4, when I had last seen him. It was one of those memories that stayed with you forever. To this day, it was still so fresh and alive in my mind.

I was 9 that year.

"I am next! Me!" I jumped up and down in excitement as I watched Harris bhai jump down from the tree. Awestruck, I inched closer to the big 'banyan' tree, but was pushed down by Fayaz.

"Go play house with the girls! You are a nuisance here." He shouted close to my face. That jerk was almost 5 years older than me.

Tears burned my eyes, as I watched him with trembling lips; but I still managed to get up, whilst rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand and glaring at him through tears.

"Hey! Watch it—!" Harris bhai had come to my rescue and reprimanded him. Fayaz was his paternal cousin and we all had gathered here for summer break. Before they could fight, the maid had come out to call everyone for lunch.

"Let's go Zaira. He is stupid. Don't mind him." Harris bhai said after grabbing my hand and pulling me away, alongside him. Yet, I kept glancing back to watch the tree fading in my vision. As soon as we had got back to the lounge, I waited for an opportunity to leave and then ran as fast as I could back to the tree.

Clutching at my knees, I tried gasping for air for a few moments before I was able to start working my way up the tree. However, all I could manage were splinters on my hands. Still not willing to give up, I continued, but without much success.

"You are not doing it right." I was clutching to the tree with my both hands and legs like a baby koala and had to turn my face to the other side to look at the source of voice.

He was standing with his feet slightly apart; one hand stuffed in his jeans pockets while he clutched at a book with his free hand. Just then, my grip loosened and I fell on my back with an oomph. Within a split second, he had rushed to my side. My eyes snapped open to find him bent over me; worry etched over his face as he tried helping me up.

"Are you—alright?" His voice was skeptic, as he inspected me, from head to toe. I gave him a toothy grin from ear to ear and dusted the front of my frock before informing him of my wellbeing.

"Yes!" I knew it was him. He was all anyone could talk about. It was one thing after the other. Rayyan this—Rayyan that—And although I hadn't met him until today, but maybe it was the built up curiosity that made me so excited to finally get to meet him. Or maybe some unknown pull, drawing me closer to him.

He gave me a narrowed look before turning away with a doubtful nod. I stared after him, standing there, clutching at the hem of my dress. Normally, I had a shy disposition. However, sometimes, I would become more bold and outspoken than any other kid my age. I was weird.

"Rayyan!" I called out his name accidentally and immediately covered my mouth in astonishment.

Darn it, Zaira! You are not supposed to know him!

At my voice, he abruptly stopped in his tracks before slowly turning around to give me a skeptic look. Seeing him, make his way towards me, I quickly pulled away my hands and managed to shoot him an awkward grin. He cocked his brow at this.

"Yes?" He asked simply. For a moment, I was caught off guard at his response but quickly managed to recover.

"Ummm... can you tell me what exactly am I doing wrong...?"  I asked awkwardly, rocking back and forth on my tiptoes, with my hands clasped behind my back. A few moments passed but his face remained passive. Suddenly, he came closer and extended me his book. I watched it for a second before grabbing it skittishly. Just then, he moved past me to the tree. I turned around to find him demonstrating it for me.

"Here, watch me." He remarked quietly and I did—Mesmerised; as he skilfully showed and explained it to me. All the while, I couldn't help but wonder as to why was I so attracted to him?

I tried once and a few more times, as he helped me along. When finally I seemed to have grasped a sense of it, I craned my neck to meet his gaze, enthusiastically.

"Rayyan!! I got it!" I screamed, even before I had managed to reach the top or became fully stable. Next thing I know, my feet had slipped and I was grabbing at air, while falling some 6 feet down. However, instead of contacting the hard ground, I had crashed on something that was definitely not ground and which had screamed out a groan.

I remained frozen in my place for a few more moments, in shock and finally moved away at the sound of his agonising groan.

"Oh... Lord..." I quacked out at the sight. His face was scrunched up in pain when he tried getting up, clutching at his stomach. I could only gape at him petrified.

"Why didn't you move away!?" I screamed, at which he gave me a narrowed look. Or maybe, that was because of the pain. He watched me for another second and instead of saying anything he picked up his book and started to walk away, limping.

I watched him hobble  for a few moments, until my senses finally kicked in and I ran to his side. Passing an arm around his back, I tried to help him walk but he stopped in his tracks to brush me away.

"Don't touch me." They were only words, but I felt like he had slapped me.

I remember, how anxious and scared, I had felt after that. Not of Rayyan, but of the fact that he might hate me now.

Thinking about my silliness, a smile found its way across my face and I shifted closer to the tree.

Okay, how was it done again?

It took me a few attempts to make something of the climb, but just when I thought I was getting a hang of it, I was interrupted.

"If you do that, you will fall again." He had just completed his sentence, when I turned to my side to catch a glimpse of him—and BAM!

I didn't grab at thin air this time. Nor was there any fear. My mind just went blank.

However, I never crashed.

I stayed like that with my eyes shut tightly and hands clenched into tiny fists, for what seemed like an eternity. But when he didn't let go even after a while had passed, I slowly pried my eyes open, only to find him staring right back at me, with that same passive expression of his.

"I should start charging you for this." He remarked lazily and waited for my response, which never came. I could only look up at him in a daze.

When he finally did let me go, I instinctively clutched at his shirt. It was then that I realised, that my legs had gone jelly.

Immediately, his hands went ahead to grab at my waist protectively, so that we stood like that staring at each other. I could only see those deep green eyes, which pulled me into them every time I met his gaze. I couldn't help but wonder if the world had frozen around us.

When I finally blinked, the trance broke and I turned my eyes down in shame. I began pulling away to find him reluctant to budge. My chest felt constricted and I was beginning to find it hard to breathe. Cautiously, I turned my eyes up to look at him and felt myself taking in a sharp breath at his unwavering gaze. My whole body felt hot under his penetrating watch and I tried to push away, only to have him tightening his hold around me, as he pulled me closer to his chest with a jerk.

I gawked him startled with my heart thumping against my chest loudly. My gaze flickering across his face, in anticipation of the unknown; when he pulled free his one hand and brought it close to my face.

Instinctively, I had shut my eyes. I was unable to form any coherent thoughts over the sound of my quickening heartbeat and the shudders running throughout my entire body. All I could feel was the heat radiating from the skin of my face, all the way to the tips of my earlobes.

This was like a slow torture.

And then finally, I felt the light brush of his thumb against my cheeks as he pushed back a stray strand of hair behind my ear; sending electric tingles all through my body. I felt a sharp gasp escaping my lips at his touch and had to gulp, to be able to breathe again.

Slowly, I opened my eyes to find his soft gaze on me; his hand lightly cupping the side of my face. Before I could think any further, he inched even closer to my face—until I could feel his hot breath against my lips.

Despite myself, my lips parted in surprise at the gentle graze of his thumb against the corner of my mouth, while I couldn't do anything to look away from his heated gaze on my face.

"Ra—" That was all I could manage and his gaze shifted back to my eyes. I inhaled a sharp breath at this. My heart hammering painfully against my chest, until the look in his eyes changed and he pulled away abruptly.

My chest heaved from the lack of oxygen, as I stood there watching him for barely another second, before I sprinted for the main house, never stopping to look back.

Running back to my room, I quickly shut the door before bolting it and slumping down against it. Pressing a shaky hand to my thumping heart, I desperately tried to erase the memory of those hazel green orbs, without any success.

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