Chapter 23 #2
“One thing you need to know about being human, Aashiq…” I do the shuffle, and then the wave.
“It’s that getting hurt is possible no matter what you do.
You could walk across the street and get hit by a car.
You could step onto an elevator and have it plunge all the way to the bottom.
You could burn yourself making tea.” I do a little spin.
“My point is anything you do can result in pain. But do you stop going out? Do you stop living?” I pause, then turn to face him.
He comes screeching to a stop and stares expectantly at me.
A grin spreads on my cheeks. “You more than anyone has taught me there’s more to life than just the four walls of your office and your living room.
” I run a hand through my now-damp hair.
“I mean, I wake up at five a.m. now and go for runs . I get to see how beautiful the sunrise is and remember to be thankful I get to see it because not everybody does. I cook a good breakfast and a hearty dinner, and it’s not even a disaster!
I take walks in the evening after work and enjoy it.
” I throw my arms out to the side as snow continues to flurry around me.
“I even think to be grateful for the snow , which I would never have thought last year.” I slowly lower my arms. “I see the world and all of its shades so differently now, and that’s because of you. ”
Aashiq blinks a couple of times. His eyes glisten, but then he smiles. “Okay, okay,” he relents. He holds out a hand. “But would you please come down from the fountain? You’re making me uneasy. I swear you’re going to twist your ankle.”
I huff but place my palm on top of his. He wraps his fingers around me, and just as he pulls me forward, I slap my other hand onto his wrist and yank back with all my strength.
I don’t know why I thought he would instinctively jump up onto the ledge, but of course he doesn’t—instead, his shins hit the sides of the fountain.
He pitches forward, flailing, and at the last second, he slings his arms around my torso.
Unfortunately, that does nothing to stop him from falling, and he continues onward.
My hands smack on top of his shoulder blades, and in a mess of entangled limbs, we fall into the fountain together.
The water may appear the same as Aashiq’s eyes, but it definitely doesn’t have any of his warmth.
The freezing temperature sinks right into my bones and seeps through my many layers of clothing.
Pain scatters along my nerves; it’s like a million tiny knives pricking my skin.
The water turns the material of my jacket heavy, sinking me into the shallow pool.
Also keeping me plastered to the floor is Aashiq, whose body covers my own.
By some miracle, neither of us hit our heads on the concrete, so besides the frigid breeze and the water bringing our body heat down, we’re fine.
Aashiq finally gains his bearing and realizes he’s on top of me.
The last time we were this close was the first time he woke me up to go for a run, but back then we were still separated by my blanket.
This time, I can feel all of him, and even though I’m submerged in cold water, a searing heat flares through my chest.
Aashiq blinks a couple of times, but he makes no move to get up.
His eyes flicker down to my lips, and my stomach clenches at the action.
He shivers, though I don’t think it has anything to do with the temperature.
A tenderness I’ve never seen before sweeps across his face, and for some reason it breaks my heart.
I’m sure he’s never looked at any other woman like this (because he’s obviously never had the opportunity to), but I’m also sure I’ve never been looked at by a man like this before.
Like he can’t quite believe I’m real, even though he’s the one who technically isn’t.
He leans in, and with each inch closer, my throat tightens up.
Just as I think, Screw it, I’ll do this myself , and move to close the gap between us, Aashiq abruptly sits up. He gets off me, and immediately I miss his warmth. I lie there for a second as he rests his back against the body of the fountain, then place my hands on the floor.
Something rough and slippery digs into my palms, and after a second of trying to push myself up into a sitting position, I realize it’s coins, tossed by people who believe in magic.
I push all the way until I’m upright. The spray from the birdbath sprinkles onto my head.
I shift to the side to avoid the falling water, then finally manage a glance at Aashiq.
He keeps his gaze firmly in front of him.
Red fills his cheeks, the shift in color recognizable even in the dark.
He wraps his arms around his knees, locking his fingers together.
His shoulders shiver, and I know he must be extremely uncomfortable because he doesn’t like the cold.
After a second of us sitting in silence, Aashiq sucks in a deep breath.
When he turns back to me, it’s with his regular smile, though I can see the way he struggles to keep it up.
Even though I’m usually happy to see his smile, this time it slices my heart.
“I told you,” he says, his tone easygoing even though his teeth chatter. “You could get hurt.”
I swallow thickly. “Yeah. You were right.”
A tense moment passes, but then I plaster on a smirk of my own. I cup some water into my palm, then splash it in his direction. “But I still know how to have fun!”
The tense line in Aashiq’s shoulders relaxes, and his face melts into something more natural.
He tosses water back at me, and I giggle as I flip around and pull myself to my feet.
I hear him emerge from the water behind me, but I’ve already started running around the fountain.
I pause briefly to grab some snow, figuring my hands can’t get colder than they already are, and I make it into a ball before twisting my torso and tossing it toward him.
“Agh!” Aashiq exclaims, and my laughter grows stronger as I keep running.
I peek behind me to see how close he is, but to my surprise he’s no longer chasing after me.
I frown and barely have the time to turn back around before Aashiq’s arms slink around my waist. He lifts me up, my feet dangling in the air.
A sharp breeze slips through my soaked shoes, nipping at my toes.
“Ahh!” I yell, but I’m laughing too hard to be upset. I squirm in his grip and turn so my arm presses into his ribs.
“Have you had enough?” he puffs.
I bend forward and snatch more snow in my hands.
I twist around, then reach up and smoosh it against his cheek.
Aashiq flinches and abruptly lets me go.
“Never!” I cackle. I stumble back, grabbing onto the birdbath to maintain my balance.
Once I’m steady, I take off, and we begin our back-and-forth again.
I swear I hear the tune of “I’ll Be There for You” buzzing in my head, and either I’m imagining it or Aashiq is using his powers to do this for me, but I think it’s on track to becoming my favorite song ever.
And even though I’m soaking wet, even though my skin has gone so numb I’m not sure if the feeling will ever return, and even though I’m developing complicated feelings for a person with whom it can never work out, it’s in this moment I finally start to realize what it means to have fun.