STEVE & AKHIL IV

"Keshav, are you ready?", I shout from my room as I finish setting my hair. We were going out to have lunch. Only the two of us.

"He is. Should you both go by yourselves? I mean why can't I tag along?", Akhil asks his head leaning on the door of my room.

Akhil has been trying really hard to win my trust since the day he confessed. From waking me up in the morning to tucking me into bed at night, he has been proving that he would never leave me. It will be a lie if I say that I still fear dating him. I know now that he will never hurt me or leave me. The only reason I haven't accepted him yet is Catherine. I'm engaged to her and just a few months away from my marriage with her. It will not be fair for her if I start a relationship with him.

"You need to work", I said to him.

He takes steps toward me and stands right in front of me.

"Can I come along, please?"

"No, go to work", I said.

He nods with a long sigh and turns around towards the door like he is going to leave. But, he turns around in a flash and cages me between his hands. I was stuck to the wall like a lizard, his hands on either side of my face and there was hardly any space between him and me. My breathing rate increased, my heart started to race and my insides were turning into jelly.

"Please?", he pleaded. I shake my head and point at the door. He leans forward and his forehead is attached to mine.

"I know Keshav is my brother, still I can't help but feel jealous when you are with him", he admitted.

I smile at his cuteness. He cups my face and pouted.

"You are silly", I said.

I dragged him with me to his room.

"Wear them", I ordered him pointing at the cyan shirt and white jeans. He picked them like an obedient boy, walked to the washroom, and came out after 5 minutes in the outfit I had asked him to wear. I hand him over, his white coat and he wears it.

"You are a grown-up but still can't wear a coat properly", I said while folding his collar properly.

I sat on the couch, waiting for Keshav after Akhil took a leave. My phone started ringing. It was Catherine.

"Hello", she said

"Hello Catherine, how are you?", I asked

"I'm doing good. What about you?"

"All good"

"Steve, I am sorry", she sounded low

"What's wrong, Catherine?"

"I met Jones."

"Okay"

"I still love him, Steve. I don't think I can ever move on from him. Can we call off our wedding"

"If you want him then go ahead. You know I had agreed to marry you only because of my parents not out of love, so, yeah call off this marriage"

"Thanks, Steve"

"All the best for your future. Did you speak to Jones about it?"

"Thank you and I will speak to him soon"

"Cool"

"All the best", she said and hung up.

Catherine just called off our wedding, which means I need not have to worry anymore. I can be with Akhil without any feeling other than love.

"Shall we take a leave?", Keshav asked me

"I trust Akhil", I said

"Huh?"

"I need to meet Akhil now, I love him. I should tell him about that", I said and snatched the bike keys from him.

"What about lunch?"

"Go by yourself", I said and ran out of the room.

I drive as fast as possible to the hospital and run to Akhil's room, with the help of the directions given by the nurses. I saw a familiar female walking out of his room. That is MEGHA. Is she Akhil's colleague? I brushed away the thoughts because right now I needed to speak to Akhil first. I barged into his room. He was seated on his chair reading some documents and playing with a pen between his fingers.

"Akhil", I called out. He immediately looked up at me and a smile formed on his face.

"I trust you, now", I added and the smile turned into a confused look. He thought for a while and the moment he understood he stood from his chair and stood in front of me.

"How much do you trust me?" he asked with a playful smile. His hand snaked to my back and pulled me closer. I felt butterflies in my stomach when my body was in contact with us. There was hardly any gap between us if we exclude the dust and air.

"I would even sit on the edge of a cliff fearlessly, only if you are the one holding my hand"

"I love you", he said planting a kiss on my forehead.

"I love you too", I said and tears streamed down his eyes.

"Why are you crying?"

"You are mine now. I can't believe that still. You have no idea how scared I was? I thought that you might never..."

"I am here and I am yours", I said sealing our conversations with a kiss. Then wrapped my arms around him. I place my ear to his chest listening to his heartbeat.

Love is something that is most magical, and illogical but still true. Love is something we can't define. We feel at times this is the best person that's because of the feeling. The warmth you feel around that particular person whom you love, that secure feeling. We just are ourselves with no restrictions near that person. We can be vulnerable, stupid, unreasonable, and anything in front of them. We can speak whatever is in our heads from nothing to everything with no filter to them. You have this unknown ownership of them, by ownership, I don't mean that we have to control them, I mean the feel which always that they are yours and even you completely surrender yourself to them. Your heart, mind, body, and soul suddenly belong to them. When you are sad, that slight smile of theirs makes you happy, when you are down that one hug from them cheers you up and you always rely on them and cry on their shoulders. And that person in my life is Akhil and he will always be the one I love for the rest of my life.

"What is Megha doing here?", I asked him while inhaling his scent.

"She is the owner of this hospital. How do you know her?", he asked

"She is Jones's sister", I said and he hummed.

This was one of the best days of my life. And this was my favorite place now, his arms.