"You're my happy place."
- Naira talking to her junk food.
...
I pick up four cushions in my hand, leaving the drenched ones as it is when Zubair appears in the room.
"Oh Naira, you're still awake. Come play with us," Zubair says, eyeing the cushions in my hand.
I smile sheepishly and put them back in their original position... the couch. I'll just take them with me after the game.
"What are you playing?" I ask.
I'm always down for a game. All you have to do is ask.
Hehe.
"Dumb Charades," he says, ushering me inside Sasha and Emily's bedroom.
"Yay, you're going to be on our team!" Emily exclaims, pulling me down on the bed.
Whoa, girl!
I shift closer to Sasha.
Cole whispers a word in Emily's ear which makes her glare at him. "How am I supposed to act that?"
He grins. "It is easy! You've always been terrible at this game, Em." He kisses her cheek.
She rolls her eyes and directs her attention towards me and Sasha. She gives us a thumbs up, indicating she's ready and lifts up her hand.
"Five letters..."
"Hand..."
"Five is the name of the movie!"
"Five words!" Emily nods her head at me and gives me a thumbs up again.
She lifts up four fingers and I say, "Fourth word."
She nods and pretends to lick something off her fingers. Then she makes eye contact with Sasha and swipes her tongue over her lips.
"Are you trying to seduce her?" Zubair raises his eyebrow and chuckles.
"Noooo!" Emily shrieks, glaring at him.
"Cheating. You can't say anything," Cole says, grinning widely.
She should really think about switching boyfriends. If my boyfriend did that, I would be so angry.
Ayan won't do that, would he?
WAIT WHAT? I shake my head to get rid of these baseless thoughts.
Pfft. Boyfriend? Ayan? HELL NO.
"I'll try again," Emily sighs and pauses to think.
"We don't have the whole day, Em," Cole smirks.
After five minutes when we are still not able to guess the movie, Emily surrenders her hands. "Ah, I give up."
"What was the movie?" Sasha asks her.
"Charlie and the chocolate factory," she mutters, hiding her face in her hands.
"YOU COULDN'T HAVE ENACTED CHARLIE CHAPLIN? WE WOULD HAVE GUESSED THE MOVIE THEN!" I yell at her.
"Calm down, sunflower." Zubair smiles.
"Don't call me that," I scoff.
"Why? You only want Ayan to call you that?" Sasha chuckles.
Eh, yeah?
I frown at her but don't say anything.
"I'll go next," Cole says.
Sasha, Emily and I huddle together to choose a movie for him.
"Umm, girls, I already selected a movie," Cole mumbles.
"In that case can we guess as well?" I ask and he agrees.
He lifts up three of his fingers.
"3 words, okay."
He nods and sticks up his first finger and then tilts his head towards Emily.
"Girl..."
"Girlfriend..."
"Woman..."
"Kiss" they all look at me when I say that. Zubair grins, "Mm that kiss."
"Shut up," Cole hisses.
"Hey you're cheating now," Emily says as her face turns red.
Sasha looks confused so I tell her, "We caught them making out yesterday."
Sasha grins, glancing at Emily, "She has been sneaking out every night and when she returns, she reeks of cologne."
Emily immediately protests to this, "What the hell? Don't lie."
"Ah!" Cole exclaims cockily, "I love you too, Em."
"I hate you," she snaps at him.
"No, you-" Cole is cut off by Zubair who groans in annoyance. "Guys, focus please."
Cole sighs and cocks his head at me. I point to myself. "Me?"
He nods and gestures me to go on.
"Umm, I?"
"She?" Sasha mutters from beside me.
His eyes widen and he nods his head frantically. He lifts up four fingers again and gestures to himself.
I furrow my eyebrows and mutter, "Eh, Cole?"
"She's the man!" Emily jumps excitedly. Cole smiles at her brightly and gives her a side hug.
They both look at each other with so much love that I feel my insides burning with jealousy, to feel the same kind of love. I smile at them wholeheartedly.
"It's late. I should sleep now." I get up and head upstairs to the bedroom but only after I pick up the cushions.
They are necessary. Hehe.
I see Ayan lying down on the bed. I dump the cushions on the bed and move closer to him.
His dark brown eyes are shut and I sort of smile. His gentle snuffles and rhythmic rise and fall of his chest are soothing. His features are much softer in his sleep. He looks so peaceful breathing, I whisper slowly, "I like you like this."
His hair is reaching his forehead. I lift my hand and pause before I can touch him.
What am I doing?
He stirs slightly, and opens his eyes, blinking, looking at my raised hand in confusion.
He gives me a soft smile and catches my wrist bone in his hand, brings his mouth closer to it and kisses it lightly.
"You wanted a kiss, sunflower?" he teases.
Nevermind.
He's still an arse.
"I was about to wake you up. See, I brought cushions," I mumble in a single breath and look away.
I feel his gaze never shift from my face but I ignore him, setting the cushions in between, forming a divide between us.
"You can't cross this line okay?" I tell him.
He nods and continues staring at me. I bite my lip nervously and fiddle with my fingers.
"W-why are y-you st-taring at me?"
He shrugs and continues gazing at me. I cover my face and groan.
"Don't look at me like that!" I exclaim loudly.
"Sure," he nods but doesn't look away.
I whine, "Ayan!"
He gives me a soft smile... not a smirk... not his usual playful smile... his real smile.
The smile that reaches his eyes and would make it impossible for anyone to not smile back.
Well, luckily, I'm not just anyone.
"You're really pretty," he says, huskily.
"Whatever."
I'm not affected by his stupid charm. Pfft.
I roll away from him and snuggle up in my sheets, waiting for myself to fall asleep.
"Can you please turn off the lights?"