I open my eyes, rubbing them softly. Light pours through the windows which I left open out of laziness. Clothes from last night lay muddled on the floor as a fresh gust of wind brushes into my room.

Suddenly, all the memories come to my mind. Matsya - kissing her, talking to her, her past and then Amir. Amir with his threats that he can easily carry out. For a moment, while thinking of Matsya and her smiles, my heart starts to thump until I remember Amir.

My heart starts hammering again and I lean up, out of my white blankets. I immediately trail to the door, wondering if Matsya already woke up or not. Either way, I slowly get up, ensuring that I won't make a noise.

"Morning," Matsya comments. I rub my eyes again and Matsya watches me with curious eyes. She leans over my kitchen counter, twirling a spoon in her hand as she leans over a bowl of cereal.

I gaze downwards, my eyebrows raising when I spot my shirt on her. It's an old shirt, the bright red of it is fading to a more softer color. Despite its age, Matsya looks better than I've ever looked in it.

Her hair lies behind her in a last minute bun, most of the strands falling to fall around her face. It takes me a moment to trail down to her legs which are completely bare. "Are you not wearing pants?" I ask, my voice sounding raspy as I yawn.

"What does it look like?" Matsya rolls her eyes before taking another bite of her cereal. Her elbows are leaning on the green counter and she chews the cereal slowly.

"That you have nice legs?" I absently answer, looking them up and down before turning my gaze to the door.

"Thanks but wrong answer," she laughs. I smile slightly at the familiarity of her laugh and she follows my gaze towards the door. When I turn my sight back to her, her expression has become more firm. "He's not coming back. He doesn't break promises."

"I'm leaving," I blurt out. Matsya looks at me with widen eyes and I run my hands down my messy hair. "Today. As soon as six pm hits, I'm leaving to some hotel or something. Amir would happy right? After all, I'll be out of his way and I'll be safer -"

"How? If you leave, Diego will get suspicious on why you left on such a short notice -"

"Ask Amir to write another status," I comment, my voice emotionless. I turn around, biting down on my lip. The words sound so rude and so much like Amir. Perhaps the only way to avoid Amir is to speak like him.

I take a step foward, only to look back at Matsya. She's calmly swirling the cereal around, her eyes looking lost and sad. It's as if someone sucked the life out of her. The twinkle in he eyes, the ones she had for the whole night has vanished and the way she looks so lost while staring at something like milk broke my heart.

Despite watching this, I look back towards the door and take another step foward. "I'm going to the shower," I inform her, my words harsh as I can get them to be.

My own words feel like broken glass to myself. Why am I being so rude to her? Despite all the happiness she brought yesterday? It's as if the threat of Amir keeps looming over, terrifying my each step. If he wanted me to ignore Matsya, I will. My life, Diego's and Tina's aren't worth more than the butterflies in my stomach when I see Matsya.

I've never hated someone as much as I hated him. How can he make me choose? Over people I care about?

As I open the door towards my room, I glance near the window. It shows the city, nothing compared to what Matsya and I saw yesterday. However, it still flips my stomach over with memories.

□

I open the door hesitantly. It's been a few hours since our last conversation. Ever since that, I've been avoiding Matsya. Instead of talking to me what to do next, she was watching a movie while I pretended to be doing work.

In reality, I was planning my get away. Everything had to perfect. They can't doubt a single thing about me. It's for the better. "Nirvaan?" Matsya calls out my name, her eyes shifting from the tv to me.

"Hey." I walk closer to her, shoving my hands in my pockets. I couldn't help myself. There's literally nothing I can say to her without getting terrified or talking about Amir. And honestly, I'll rather pretend I don't have any problems and ignore Amir until this whole issue dies down.

I sit beside her on the couch. On the television, Kajol desperately runs after a train. Matsya absent mindedly watches, her eyes trailing to me every few seconds later. The only reason why I foul tell is because I was doing the same. I keep finding myself looking at her, wanting to say something other than taking secret glances at her.

And the thing is, I don't even want to talk about Amir. I want to talk about the world. About kissing her again, about anything but Amir. I want to laugh with her, talk about my brother, about her and my childhood - but it seems so impossible.

Perhaps if we met somewhere else without our pasts being alive, it could happen. Without our pasts trailing after us, blocking every single hope we have for the future, I might have . . . Become friends with her?

Really good friends.

Just good pals.

That kiss sometimes.

I shake my head and rub my eyes. The movie's end credits roll on and Matsya turns off the TV. "Hey," she says. Her eyes meets mine and I take a sharp intake of breath. It's just the way her eyes are, they remind me of everything that happened last night and everything that can't happen in the future.

I clear my throat  "I wasn't kidding about running away -"

"Amir won't let you. It's too fishy," Matsya interrupts.

"It's better for me. Why are you so against it? It'll take me away from your possessive freak of a boyfriend -"

"He isn't my boyfriend," Matsya comments, her eyes darkening. "And it's for your better that you don't run away. It'll just rise suspicions."

"For you. How can you be so ridiculously selfish? I'm telling you an option that would save my life and you're worried about your perfect facade to slip and cause everyone to question their trance for you!" I angrily rant, my eyes darkening along with her. I lean my elbows on my knees, resting my head on my hands as I sigh.

"I am selfish. I'm ridiculously selfish for not wanting the only . . .," Matsya trails off. She stands up, her legs still bare. I barely saw as she was covering her legs with a blue blanket (which now lays idle on her seat).

"Only what?" I comment, standing up now. All the anger in me has vanished, only to be replaced with confusion. Instead of replying, she takes another step foward. "Matsya."

Finally, she turns around at the sound of her name. Her hair flicks in the air, twirling along with her body. Pools of tears seems to be covering her pitch black eyes and she just simply shakes her head. "How do I explain it?" she mutters. "Leave it, you won't understand."

I take a step foward, moving closer to her. Her eyes are still emotionless. On instinct, I take in one of her hands. "Is it like when you just -"

"Get butterflies in your stomach for no reason?" Matsya pitches in. I nod, my eyes widening. "Or when you get happy just from your name being called out by me?"

"Or when you just wished you met each other somewhere more simple. Somewhere without Amir," I carry on, our eyes meeting each other's. Butterflies didn't justify the feeling in my stomach anymore. It's as if some gigantic butterfly is beating instead of my heart, thumping to get out.

"Without pasts."

I let go off her hands, taking a step back. "It's impossible," I warn, my mind trailing off her lips. Our whole relationship is just danger. It's impossible. It shouldn't even be happening. "I'm sorry."

Another step back. My heart thuds dangerously, wanting me to take a step foward and kiss her again. To hug her, to sit her down and talk about everything and to ask her if she wants to break into another rooftop as I watch her eyes. My eyes don't linger off them and each time I watch them, it breaks my heart further.

But it can't happen. Because if it does, I'll just fall more in love with her. With Matsya. With the person who has made my life so much more dangerous, who took away everything safe and placed knives on it yet made me smile.

I turn around, averting my eyes off Matsya as I head out of here. My heart thumps in my ears, warning me that I'll never ever find someone like Matsya again. Someone who gives me so many thrills and gives this bland life some color.

I'll never get anyone else who understands me so much. "Nirvaan," Matsya calls, causing this traitor of a heart to flip over. Within a moment I turn around and make my decision. I walk back her, wrapping my arms around her back as I inhale her scent. 

I choose Matsya.

□

How was the chapter? Did Nirvaan make the right choice?

And if he did, what are your predictions for the future?

ALSO PLEASE LOOK AT THE NOTE INFRONT OF THE STORY. Why? Because I added gifs to represent the cast XD

I have a new story out! It's called Pyaar Koi Khel Nai Hai (Love is No Game). Check it out if you have time!

Vote?

- Maya