Aakrati woke up before the alarm.
Her eyes opened slowly, and for a moment she didn't understand why her heart was already racing.
Then it came back to her.
The trip.
The plans.
The fact that today was their first real day out together.
She grabbed her phone from the bedside table.
5:02 a.m.
She stared at the screen.
"Is this too early?" she whispered into the quiet room.
The curtains were still drawn. The sky outside was barely shifting from black to grey. The world was asleep.
She fell back onto the pillow for two seconds.
Then sat up again.
"Early is better than late."
Her excitement refused to let her lie down again.
She imagined the places, the breakfast, the bungee jumping she had confidently planned the night before. The thought alone made her stomach flutter.
And then—
Arsh.
She paused.
Should I wake him up?
She chewed on her lip.
Would that be invading his privacy?
Her brain tried to act mature.
Her heart said, Go.
"It's not like I haven't woken him up before," she muttered. "It's fine."
Decision made.
She got out of bed quickly, freshened up, tied her slightly damp hair into a loose bun, and slipped into something comfortable. She didn't bother with makeup. The excitement was already enough color on her face.
Within minutes she was standing outside his room.
She knocked.
No response.
She knocked again, slightly louder.
Silence.
She tried the handle.
Locked.
She frowned at the door.
"Well, that's rude."
She stood there thinking.
And then—
Her eyes lifted slowly toward the balconies.
A slow smile spread across her face.
"Oh."
The morning air was cool against her skin as she stepped out onto her balcony. The hotel building was quiet, peaceful, wrapped in soft dawn light.
She climbed carefully onto the railing, balancing with more confidence than caution.
"Why am I like this?" she whispered to herself.
One careful step.
Then another.
And she landed on his balcony with a soft thud.
She froze for a second, listening.
Nothing.
She slid his balcony door open gently and stepped inside.
The room was dim. Curtains half drawn. Golden early sunlight filtering in through the edges.
And there he was.
Sleeping peacefully.
One arm under his head. The blanket half fallen to his waist. Hair slightly messy, face relaxed in a way she rarely saw when he was awake.
He looked younger like this.
Softer.
Unaware.
She stood there longer than she meant to.
Her chest felt tight.
Why does he look this calm?
For a second she considered letting him sleep.
Then the mischievous part of her took over.
She stepped closer to the bed.
Took a breath.
"ARSH!"
He jolted upright immediately.
"What happened?!" he said, eyes wide, looking around as if expecting danger.
Then he saw her.
Standing near his bed, giggling softly.
Hair slightly messy. Eyes sparkling with mischief.
His expression shifted from shock to confusion.
"You… here?" he blinked. "How? Why?"
She crossed her arms proudly.
"Through the balcony."
He stared at her for a full three seconds.
"You jumped?"
She ignored the accusation.
"Get up. Get ready."
He looked at the clock beside him.
5:19 a.m.
He slowly lay back down.
"It's too early," he muttered. "I want to sleep."
Her mouth fell open.
"Excuse me?"
He pulled the blanket up to his chin like a stubborn child.
She walked to the other side of the bed and grabbed the blanket.
"Get up."
"No."
"Arsh."
"No."
She pulled.
He held tighter.
"Leave it!"
"You leave it!"
They tugged back and forth like two kids fighting over territory.
Then suddenly—
He gave one strong pull.
She lost balance completely and fell forward.
Straight onto him.
Before she could even process it, he wrapped the blanket around both of them in one swift movement.
"There," he murmured lazily, voice still thick with sleep."You sleep too," he murmured, wrapping her closer. "This will be the best sleep."
Her brain stopped working.
She was too close.
Way too close.
Her hands were pressed against his chest. She could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her palms.
His face was inches away.
She could see the tiny crease near his eyebrow. The faint shadow of his jawline.
Heat rushed to her ears first.
Then her cheeks.
Then everywhere.
She was absolutely certain she had turned red.
She swallowed.
"Arsh…" she whispered.
He opened one eye slowly.
"What?"
"This time… get up."
He studied her face for a second.
"What will I get if I obey you?"
Her heart flipped.
"What do you want?" she asked softly.
He tilted his head slightly, gaze dropping to her lips for just a fraction of a second before returning to her eyes.
"Don't pretend like you don't know."
The air between them shifted.
Not heavy.
Not uncomfortable.
Just charged.
She hesitated.
Then leaned forward gently.
And pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
It was light.
Warm.
Lingering for half a second longer than she intended.
When she pulled back, his smile was slow and satisfied.
He leaned up slightly and brushed his lips against her cheek in return.
"Good morning," he said quietly.
The tone of his voice made her stomach flutter again.
Then, as if nothing extraordinary had happened, he slipped out from under the blanket.
"I'm getting ready."
She sat there frozen on the edge of the bed.
Her fingers slowly moved to her cheek where he had kissed her.
"I am literally overheating," she whispered to herself.
When they met downstairs later, she was composed again.
Mostly.
He looked fresh, confident, completely normal.
Which annoyed her slightly.
They rented a bike for the day.
She stared at it.
"You will ride this?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
"Is it even your style?"
He stepped closer, lowering his voice slightly.
"You have no idea what my style is."
Her breath caught for half a second.
She rolled her eyes to hide it.
"Okay, mysterious boy."
She climbed onto the bike behind him.
For a moment she didn't know where to hold.
Then the bike moved slightly forward.
Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his waist.
He stilled for a fraction of a second.
Then started the engine properly.
The morning air rushed past them as they rode through nearly empty streets. The sky had turned soft gold now. Shops were just beginning to open. The world felt like it belonged only to them.
She rested her chin lightly against his shoulder.
He smiled without turning back.
Her grip tightened just a little.
The ride felt easy. Natural.
As if they had done this before.
Their first stop was a small breakfast place she had researched the night before.
They laughed over spilled juice.
Shared bites.
Argued about which dish was better.
And then—
"Ready?" he asked, glancing toward the direction of the adventure zone.
She swallowed.
Bungee jumping suddenly felt more real.
"You're not backing out, right?" he teased.
"Never," she replied immediately.
But when they reached the platform and she looked down—
Her confidence wavered.
"That is very high," she whispered.
He stepped closer beside her.
"You planned this," he reminded gently.
She nodded.
Her fingers moved unconsciously toward his hand.
He noticed.
And intertwined his fingers with hers without comment.
"I'm here," he said quietly.
Three simple words.
But they steadied her more than anything else.
She looked at him.
He wasn't laughing now.
Wasn't teasing.
Just watching her.
Present.
"You trust me?" he asked softly.
She didn't hesitate this time.
"Yes."
And somehow, in that single moment—
The jump felt less scary.
Because it wasn't just about falling.
It was about knowing someone would be there when you landed.
And as the countdown began, her heart wasn't racing from fear anymore.
It was racing because she knew—
This wasn't just a trip.
It was the beginning of something neither of them were ready to name yet.
But both were already feeling.