When you have a few weeks left to live, the only other tragic thing that can happen to you besides dying is to fall in love.
For Ariha, love means helping her best friend, Aarya, get the boy she has had a crush on since sixth grade. When life is so...
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Glioblastoma. That's what they call my weapon of death.
My parents hid it from me initially. They had their adult reasons to do so. However, it didn't help the reality that I was dying of cancer. Then the doctors gave them hope only to snatch it away shortly afterward, and they had no option but to tell me how close to death I was.
Why am I getting closer to the boy, then? Guess I should've never agreed to join him for a milkshake.
As we roll into the school parking lot, I realize I haven't told Aarya about going out with Rehan yet. I watch him pull out his black motorbike and reconsider telling Aarya about this encounter for once. If we bond well, I can convince him to fall for Aarya. Yes, that's what it has always been about. Rehan and Aarya. My hope at one true love.
"Hey, you can ponder but milkshake first," he states, stalling his bike beside me. His half-helmet covered as much of his messy dark hair as possible, but most of it still spread over his forehead.
I blink, then his arm slid close to mine, causing my skin to prickle. "What are you doing?"
"Keeping you safe." He says, casually tilting his head. Prying my eyes off his curling lips, I look down to find another helmet in his hand. Oh!
"No thanks. I don't need the helmet to keep me safe." I squirm away from him a little. My breathing picks up as he caresses my face with his observant gaze. His eyes take note as I adjust my cap and look straight ahead at the exit gates.
"Fine," he finally says after a long minute as I avoid looking at his charming yet inquisitive face, and he tries his hardest to trace out my demons. He fails, releases a sigh, and turns to the front. "Hop on then, Starfish."
"You can call me Ari." I harden my voice as he angles his neck to watch me over the sloping ledge of his shoulder. The tie around his neck is gone, and his white uniform shirt is now wrapped in a brown bomber jacket.
"Okay, if that's what you like me to address you." He scoffs as if my words offended him for some reason.
I place a hand on his shoulder blades and slide up behind him, adjusting my uniform skirt and keeping my front from bumping into his back. He takes notice and straightens his spine, his muscles going taut with the tension surrounding us. I'm not an expert in scents, but I don't remember smelling something as potent as the scent on him.
From this close behind him, I can see the ends of his hair peeking through the helmet, the smooth skin at the back of his neck, and the crystal studs on his ears. He is too attractive, too much. I squeeze my eyes to keep myself from pinning over him. "Anytime today would be nice."
"Once you settle in." He slides his hands back, molding his fingers around my hands on my thighs and placing them on his shoulders. He glances over his shoulder, midnight eyes earnest. "Now, we are good to go."
