“It’s gonna be alright, trust me, ‘’ he said. She clenched her fist, drawing her nails into the palm of her hands, as she heard the tub fill up with water gradually. Terrified as she was of water, showers were tormenting enough, but she trusted his words. He placed a kiss on her forehead, “look at me, babe.” She opened her eyes to see his face, her heart- already racing- doubled its speed. He moved his hand to caress her face, while the other untied her hair. She found comfort in resting her head against his palm, while he moved his hand to her neck, tracing it down to her collar and stopped. She nodded in consent, as he unbuttoned her black shirt, one by one. Every bare fragment of her skin was sensitive to his touch. But, her mind was full of chaos - she dreaded stepping into that tub. She dreaded touching the very subject of her fear. But, she wanted it. She wanted him.

There he was, standing metres away from her car, as it pulled up in the Departure driveway. The sight took her breath away, filling her eyes with tears that rolled down her cheeks to the nape of her neck. His eyes remained fixated on hers as she stumbled out of the car and walked right into his arms. She tightened her hands around him as he buried his face in her neck, never wanting to let go, ignoring the inevitability of it. 

The rest of the world blacked out for them. Their bond had faced predictaments at every stage of their lives, yet they stood together today, holding eachother, uncaring about the judgemental world. 

She knew she'd miss completing his sentences, his untimed sarcasm, the sound ohf his guitar as he strummed his finger through the strings, his unconditional love for her. 

She knew him all her life. She loved him all her life. And now, they were parting ways. She looked into his moist, brown eyes for one last time, letting go of him, getting ready to walk away. 

He had changed for her. He had become a better person for her. He loved her too much to let her go, but he knew she loved her dreams more than he loved her. 

Her legs trembled but she gathered all her strength and walked away. All her life she had struggled to be understood and when someone finally did, she had to walk away from him. Every step took her closer to her dreams. And the closer she got, the more it hurt. But she was strong. Strong enough to stand up for what she believed in. Strong enough to face anything that crossed her way. Strong enough to walk away from love. 

She knew he was going to love her against all odds. After all, he was the only one who had endured all her moods, took on her tantrums, stood by her in sickness and in health, and most importantly, loved her through everything. The thought of it made her smile and she turned back to look at him. And as usual, by the telepathic bond they shared, he turned at the same time. She smiled wider and waved at him. This was the perfect goodbye perhaps, but it never really is a goodbye for them. Ever. 

He picks up his bag and turns towards her, signalling that he’d be waiting right outside.. She nods at him, collecting her belongings from the messy table they were both seated at.

As soon as she steps out of the class, she feels his gaze on her and as an automatic response, a smile escapes from her mouth. He smiles back, looking into her eyes, reaching for the deepest corners of her mind while he settles into a huge part of it. Little did he know that that smile of his made her heart skip a beat, making her fall in love with him- a little bit more everyday.. 

Subconsciously, she inserts her hand into her pockets, reaching for her phone. The feeling of a strange anxiety creeps into her mind as she finds her pockets to be flaccid. Knowing his playful nature, she turns to him and demands for her phone. “I don’t have it,” he said, letting out a little smirk from the edge of his mouth. 

The lift arrives and both of them step in, standing right beside each other. His eyes met hers and within a second, she was aware of all his mischievous thoughts. She prevents the lift door from closing and asks the guy standing before them if he wished to go down. He pulls her back into the lift saying- “he doesn’t want to..” - with a hint of annoyance in his coarse, yet pleasant, voice. 

He presses his lips against hers, painting her mind with the most exquisite colors of bliss. “Then give me a kiss,” he said, pulling away from her lips. She advances towards him, as he shuts his dazzling brown doe eyes. Her soft lips touch his warm, rugged skin at the left cheek. His eyes slowly opened as her lips parted from his skin.. 

His deep, wet eyes reflected the love that his heart felt for her, delineating him being reborn with her touch. He utters the words, “I love you. . . A lot,” and rescues her right back.

He pulled her by the wrist, into the aureate sunlight, gazing into her eyes like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. "The darkest brown I've ever seen, most beautiful even," he whispered. His grip loosened around her wrist, the other hand caressing her face.. She stood on her toes, trying to level her lips to his. He smiled, bending down to her, embracing her lips with his, pulling her out of sobriety.

 Her heart was conquered, her lungs, breathless; she was dissolved, completely, in his sweet breath. His lips, wet with wild passion, his eyes, moist with dedication, pulled away from her mouth. She opened her eyes as a sense of urgency took over her body- she felt that he was about to disappear. 

Fade into unreality. Diminish into a lucid dream.

She vulnerably gripped the edge of his shirt, preventing his escape into fantasy, compelling him to stay. 

Sensing her fear, he held her hand in his, murmuring, "Relax. I'm right here. Where will I go without you by my side ?"

She believed his words and let her guard down. 

Probably her worst mistake ever.