"Oh hi, Miss AC," said the shadowy figure.
Aisha recognized him from his voice.
"I can smell—" sniff "Marlboro. You smoke?"
"Yee—" before she could finish her line, the man took the cigarette from her fingers.
"Can we share?"
"You already did."
I'm Ved, by the way," the man said.
"Miss AC is fine, but do you also have a real name?"
Aisha gave him a look and replied with clear irritation,
"Aisha."
The cigarette burned out right then.
"Do you have another one?"
"Yes."
She handed him the whole box.
"Here."
Ved took out a cigarette, held it between his lips, and started searching for a lighter—like he had one.
Aisha leaned forward, clicked hers, and lit the cigarette for him, using one hand to shield the flame from the wind.They were close at this point.
Ved glanced at her face, the lighter's flame flickering between them.
His eyes lingered a second too long.
"You have a... pretty face," he said, then paused.
"And..."
Aisha raised an eyebrow. "And?"
He hesitated.
Looked away for half a second, then back at her.
"...pretty lips."
Aisha blinked. "Oh."
A beat passed.
"Thanks."
She looked down, a little unsure, rubbing her thumb against the edge of the cigarette box.
It was a five-floored building.
Aisha hopped up and sat on the cement tiling of the terrace, legs dangling off the edge.
She lit herself another cigarette.
Ved leaned beside her, watching the smoke rise.
"So why are you here?" he asked.
"To clear my head."
"From what?"
"Academic and family fuck-ups."
"Ah," he said, tilting his head. "Like, you can tal—"
"I don't want to." She cut him off mid-sentence.
"Oof. Don't want to share. That's new."
She glanced at him. "new?!?! What do you mean?"
He smirked. "Usually girls fall for my looks and trauma-dump all over me."
Aisha scoffed. "Don't be delusional. You're not that handsome."
Ved clutched his heart like she stabbed it.
"Wow. Don't be so rude."
they talked
As the second cigarette burned to its end, Aisha flicked the ash away and said "I'm going to head back to my room."
She jumped down from the tiling. Since she wasn't very tall, she had to actually jump to get her legs back on the floor.
But her foot landed wrong—
and in that exact second, her leg twisted,She lost balance.
And before she could even gasp—
Ved caught her.
Arms around her waist. Her hands pressed lightly against his chest.
They were suddenly close. Too close.
Her hair fell forward, brushing his cheek.
Ved slowly reached out, brushing the hair away from her face with his index finger.
His touch lingered—fingertips resting just behind her ear.
Aisha's heart was pounding now.
Loud. Uneven.
They could feel each other's breath.
Warm. Shaky. Close.
Ved's face was moving closer to hers—very slowly.
Like they were North and South poles of a magnet, being pulled together by something neither of them could stop.
Aisha didnot move.
She couldnot.
At that exact moment, Ved's phone rang.
The sharp sound cut through the silence like a blade.
Aisha blinked, the moment breaking.
She quickly pulled herself away from his arms and turned without a word, her steps picking up pace.
She walked fast toward the stairs, not daring to look back.