Obsessive Flames of Love

08:00 PM, 29th September

“Ah, this couple’s draft was going to be more complicated than intended.” Her tired eyes were tearing up with a steady focus on the movement of ink and brush.

“However, this design will look amazing on Ameera and Advik.” A ridiculous smile crept upon her lips. “Oh, shit! They’re going to kill me if they ever heard it.”

Paused the paint and stared at the bright full moon when the breeze hit her, which made her well-set hair into a mess when the icy chills swept across her body.

“What if… they paired up…?” A loud giggle escaped her lips when her curved brows leveled, “hell will break loose when they somehow miraculously ended up together.”

“Speak of the devil, where were they? It’s been weeks since we hang out!” With that, a pout settled on her pinkish lips.

After a minute, “Let me break their peace.” Grabbed her mobile and about to dial Advik when her phone vibrated. It’s Riaan. Her eyes glowed by seeing his name.

“Hey, Riaan.” Tanvi said in her usual chirpy tone.

“Hi, Tanvi.” He said in a sulky tone as if the world collapsed.

Hearing that, she frowned, “Hmm… What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

With a squint, she gulped hard while thinking, “Um… I… I mean, it sounds different.”

“Actually, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you in the first place.” Riaan said in his depressed tone which made her even more morried.

“What?” Her eyes popped out hearing that. “He’s a little weird today.” She exclaimed.

“I felt empty, Tanvi.”

“Why you’re suddenly feeling like that?” She couldn’t help but question him in an attempt to know what’s bothering him?

“Usually, I’ll be alone today, but I just wanted to share it with you.” There’s a hidden sadness laced in his insides which made her soft and a soft sigh escaped her lips.

“Okay. But, why will you be alone today?”

“I just don’t want others to see my grief.”

Words stuck in her throat. She stood up from the couch and strode to the balcony to feel the air, “then… were you comfortable with me?”

Silence danced between them. “Um… Never mind, I shouldn’t have asked you that. It just… slipped out.” She hit her forehead in mortifying herself out.

“I’m comfortable enough to share my dark secret with you.” He blurted in a heavy tone.

Hearing that, she didn’t understand how to react and waited for him to continue.

“Fifteen years ago, my dad left us and went away. It’s today.” His voice trembled with the rush of emotions and is deliberately trying to suppress them.

“Oh!” She gasped, but words weren’t coming out of her mouth. “What am I supposed to say? Ugh! I’m the dumbest.” She cussed while scratching her head.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Riaan.” She said wholeheartedly and asked in a soft voice, “how are you feeling now?”

“How will I? Don’t you know?”

The unexpected question caught her, “omg! I know we became close, but how can I predict his mood now? It seems perplexing to me.” She pondered when he snapped her back.

“I’m sorry, Tanvi. I’ll call you later.”

“Hey, wait.” She added in a hurry, concern danced in her tone.

“Huh?”

“Don’t get offended. I’m… I… sort of don’t know how to deal with such sensitive issues.”

“So?”

“I remained silent not to cause you further pain. Like, just in case if I said some wrong words… it will drive you further into your wounds.”

“You won’t, Tanvi.”

Listening to his words, she felt content and questioned, “How do you know?”

“Because I understand you. I know you, I know who you are.”

Her body quivered listening to it, breath became tough to her as if her chest tightened with a stroke. Millions of thoughts came attacking her mind, and she was about to lose herself and hung up.

“no! I shouldn’t behave like a dick.” Something troubled in her and retaliated her mind.

“He trusted me and opened up to me. I’m not supposed to act like this.” Bit her lips and fought with her inner self while her fists clenched into a tight grip, “I must stand on my ground now.”

“I shouldn’t let him down.” Took a heavy breath, while her hands fisted into a tight grip, though her nails were digging deep into her skin, “you can do it.” Her inner voice pushed her.

“Yes, Riaan. I’m glad that you believed me.”

“Of course, Tanvi, I do. There’s no need to be thankful in that.”

Again, it hit her. Leaned on the wall and took the support of it to withstand on her foot.

“This won’t go like this. I must make him normal.”

“Riaan.” She said in a low, yet melodious voice as if she’s feeling his pain.

“Hmm.”

A dull tone from him disturbed her. “Tell me, what did you do today?”

“Nothing much. Stayed in the room and drowned in my sorrows.”

“Come on, Riaan. We all know that some things weren’t under our control.”

“Yes.” He gulped down his grief hardly, but she heard it.

“You are a great man, Riaan. Just let it go. I know it’s tough, but you need to.”

“I’m trying for the past so many years. Yet, I can’t.” He squeezed shut his eyes in an attempt to wipe off the turmoil.

“Okay, now, be a good boy and listen to me.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You know what happened today…?”

“What?”

“We did all the crazy stuff in the office and created a big mess for them to clean up.”

Curiosity kicked in him. He asked in an avid tone, “care to share?”

“I’d love to.”

“I’m all ears.”

“We went shopping in the middle of work, go to the bar in the afternoon, and danced until we forcefully dragged our bodies out…..”

“That sounds great!”

“Yep. I know.”Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

“Oh my… oh my… don’t boast yourself, okay?”

“Someone’s feeling jealous, huh?”

“Hehe!! It’s not very funny.”

“Glad, you smiled, though it’s creepy.”

“You got me then.”

…