Deewana

Chapter 21: Walkie-Talkie

"Heaven for you?" Muskaan raises her eyebrow as they walk out of Aarav's office to get lunch. Aarav smiles as he caresses her hand.

"Yep, heaven. Like when Roshni told Surya she loved him. It was heaven." 

Muskaan looks up, "who?"
A gasp leaves Aarav's lips and he stares down at his love, "Roshni and Surya! From Ishq ki Kahani! It's literally my favourite book, rooh! How could you forget?"

Muskaan playfully rolls her eyes when Aarav begins to describe the entire plot to her. A plot she had heard thousands of times now. Smiling to herself, she cuddles closer. 

"And she organised a date on the terrace for them. She set up a picnic with all his favourites and they were sitting under the night sky, admiring it, then in the middle of their date, she leaned over and whispered the three magic words in his ear. It was so magical!"

Listening to him talk about the moment, and hearing the pure joy in his voice, Muskaan can't help but feel joy herself. It does sound like a dream and every bit of her being now wants to make it a reality. A reality that her Deewana and her would spend the rest of their days dreaming about. She peeks up at Aarav as they walk down the road. His eyes sparkle with joy, his hair gently flies in the soft wind and his skin glows under the sun. 

She smiles before looking down at their joined hands, how perfect it is. How perfect he is. And how perfect she feels with him. Maybe this is what love feels like. Maybe this is love.

Looking up at him, she watches him. Feeling her eyes on him, he looks down and gives her a huge grin. Sighing to herself she feels all her questions about her feelings fade away. She is in love. 

"Aarav, when did you know you were in love with me?" 

The question brings a smile to the man's face, and a dreamy sigh leaves his lips as his mind wanders back to that moment. The sight of him brings peace to Muskaan. The smile on his face, that is lighting up his eyes and the subtle red blush on the tip of his nose and ears. She loves the way he peers down at her. She feels her feet grow little wings and rise above the ground in this moment as she waits for an answer.

"It was the day after your eighteenth birthday. I was sitting on the balcony of my room and thinking back about the day and I was thinking about you. Just then you called and I don't know what it was about that one phone call that I just couldn't stop thinking about you. You consumed my thoughts that night and I just felt myself slip away from my fingers."

Leaning down, he pecks her cold nose. "And I didn't even mind. That was the moment. Standing on my balcony, alone on a clear night, with no moon but the sky filled with twinkling lights was when I realised you owned me. That I was yours. That I loved you." 

Muskaan smiles as she steps into the cosy cafe for lunch. She can see an eighteen-year-old Aarav standing on his balcony and falling in love. But it's surreal to her that the woman he fell in love with is her. Giggling at the thought, she presses a kiss on his cheek before taking a seat. Their lunch is filled with giggles, kisses and smiles. The two can't seem to keep their hands or eyes off each other. And the entire cafe can feel the sweet romance filling the air. 

A couple walking past Aarav and Muskaan cuddle closer, clearly feeling the love filling the air. However, their lunch getaway is short and soon Muskaan drops her Deewana back at his work before leaving. 

Usually, she feels a hole in her chest when they part, but today it's different. She feels excited. Because she knows why she felt the way she did. The hole was filled. The unexplainable pull was explained. The hell inside her was now pure heaven. The wall she built was miles away and the demons she trapped in it were never going to get to her. Smiling to herself she drives to the local supermarket.