"Let's see what happens.
Or baaki, main himmat lekar aaunga, ki tumhe mana lu," he spoke at last.
(And rest I'll come with a determination, to convince you)

"I'm telling you it's difficult this time. I'll come for a whole day next time if you want."

"Why it's difficult?"

"All the time will go wasted in traveling."

"I will book the room in advance."

I pinched my nose and sighed, "Jab main keh rahi hu...." (When I'm promising you...)

"Jab main keh raha hu. Ab meri baat bhi to maanlo. Acha chalo hum kuch nahi krenge. Hum flow flow me nahi jayenge. Main pura control rakhunga. Tum mat rakhna thik hai? Tumhe jana hoga flow me tum chali jana"
(When I'm also promising you. Grant my request too. Okay we won't do anything. We won't go into the flow. I will keep myself in full control. You can lose yourself, you are free to go in the flow.)

I laughed at his deep assurance.

"But at the very least if we'll able to meet, can we atleast kiss?"

"That's what I'm saying. You want to jump to kiss at first meet-up?"

"What does it have to do with first meeting? The thing that matters is how long have we been talking, or known each other, or how good our bond is. It's not like it's written somewhere about the rules and regulations of first meet-up?"

Yeah it is written actually.
In the novels I read.

"You're just wasting your time," he added atlast.

"We'll see what happens," I finally uttered few words.

"See what?"

"There are still two days left. Sit back and relax and let me have peace too."

'You're ruining my peace by running my imagination with your words,' I said in my mind.

"But we need to plan right now."

"We can figure it out instantly. Nothing goes according to plan."

"Okay. Then I'm booking a room."

"Murat tumhare chaate pad jayenge ab." I snapped.
(Murat I will beat you up now)

I hate this stubborn nature of him where he tests my limits.

"Dekho mujhe isi baat ka dar tha. Ki tum mere maarogi," he said with an innocent voice, as if I'm the cruel one here. (Look that's what I was scared of. That you'll beat me up)

"Why are you so stubborn?" I tried not to laugh at his changed demeanor.

He pleaded for few more minutes, but then changed the direction of the conversation, from pleading to flirting, as I was starting to get irritated.

"We'll see what happens on next meetup. But just tell me will you kiss me or not?"

No one, LITERALLY NO ONE has ever twisted my stomach, just at the thought of a kiss, like he did right now.

His voice went to the sweetest version possible, "will you not feel comfortable with me even after an hour?"

"I have never met a guy before alone. That's why I dont know how will I react with you," I whispered closing my eyes.

"Okay okay hear me out."

Here goes another idea, I sighed.

"Suppose we meet in cafe and spend time together and get comfortable. So instead of wasting time there-"

"So we will waste time in cafe, huh?" I interrupted in between getting offended.

"Listen yaar. Instead of doing all that stuff in cafe can't we do that in room?"

"You're just after a kiss," I sighed in defeat.

"I'm not after kiss. I'm after you," his flirting was making my knees weak.

"You're hopeless"

"Then help me out baby," his soft voice with deep texture made me wobble.

And that baby!
I have never liked that shit before.
I used to hate that endearment.

Thank god...
Thankgod I was grabbing the pole.
Otherwise I would have definitely fell down.
I need to sit!
My knees are weak af.

If he's so effective just on call, I wonder what he would do to me in person.

"Okay just answer me, will you kiss me or not?"

"How many times will you ask the same question?" I rubbed my temples.

"Again and again. To make you say yes," he chuckles.

"I can't say yes," I smiled.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to make any promise which I can't fulfill."

What if I want to kiss him right now, but later don't? I will be running away from my promise.
And I'm a woman of my words.

"Oohh. Then make one you can fulfill." His lame humor got me chuckled.
"Matlab yaar tum....maanogi nahi," he sighed with a chuckle. (you......won't say yes at any cost)

"Okay just kiss my hand," I tried to bargain this time.

"Hand?"

"Yeah you just want to kiss, right? Now whichever body part it is"

I regretted the moment I said the last line. 'No no don't ask for neck or..... ' I prayed internally.

"Nope. For me a kiss is a combination of two pair of lips. It would be different thing to kiss you slowly while holding your hand."

He made me speechless by his answer. Again.

I pinched the bridge of my nose as he kept bringing up new ideas to convince me somehow. But his continuous pleads got me angry, making me snap at him.

"OKAY I'M COMING,"

A wave of silence crossed between us.

"Was it for me or someone else?" he asked with an unsure voice.

"For you, duh."

He chuckled, "you said yes?"

"Dimag kharab kardia," I huffed.
(You've irritated the shit out of me.)

"Was it a yes full of anger, or a yes full of love?"

"I don't know," I snapped again.

"Full of anger, I see. Okay, cafe done. No more requests. Okay? Now you'll see my monotone self whole time."

I rolled my eyes at his unsuccessful attempt of emotional blackmail.
I kept quiet taking deep breaths to calm myself down.

"Okay?" he questioned again when received silence.

"I don't know. You can do whatever you want," I mumbled.

When the hell will these butterflies go away?
Can't I even stay angry properly?

"I'm not doing anything. You're so angry right now that I have chances of getting beaten up."

Correct murat.
Absolutely correct.
I want to beat the shit out of you right now. 

"Okay listen. Stay on hold for few seconds," he said to me and started talking to someone else in the background with inaudible voices.

The only sentence which I could makeout was, 'Azeem bhai paani bhi khatam kardia tumne?,' which he said playfully. (azeem bro, you even finished the last water bottle?)

A minute of silence passed by with many deep breaths of mine to calm myself down.

"Hello?" he came back after few seconds.

"Yes," I said in monotone.

"Did you calmed down?"

I took another deep breath and said, "yes."

"Storm is gone? All calm?" he asked surprisingly.

"It's in control." I replied in a civilised manner as possible.

"Ohho. Ye mujhe tumhare is gusse se dar lagta hai bas." (Ohho. I'm just scared of this angry side of yours.)

"I wasn't even angry. You made me," I snapped.

"I will feel so ashamed now. Repeating all that stuff as you're angry now."

I sighed and we went silent again.

"Hello?" he checked again if I'm still on the line.

"Say."

"So you're still angry at me?" he mumbled like a kid who got scolded few minutes ago.

"Maine tumse ek seedhi seedhi baat boli hai" I said politely as possible. (I have told you a simple thing)

"Ji" (yeah)

"Ki 9 tareekh ko hum cafe me jayenge" (that on 9th we'll meet at cafe)

"Ji"

"Phir agli baar hum jab bhi mile, tab hum room me chale jayenge. Lekin tumhari moti khopdi me ye baat nahi ja rahi hai." I completed my point with a mixture of sarcasm and politeness. (then next time, we'll meet in room. But your hard-headed brain isn't able to process this information.)

"Meri moti khopdi me ye baat isliye nahi ja rhi hai kyuki mujhe tumhe kiss karni hai," he replied me copying my tone, and making me speechless at his confession.
(My hard-headed brain isn't able to process this information because I want to kiss you.)

I forgot how to breath for few seconds.

"Since the day I've seen your pictures, I can't control it anymore. Now tell me what should I do?~" he continued with the same tone.

"Then why did you asked for the pictures?~ " I asked back with same tone.
The most dumbest question ever.
Seems like my brain had stopped working.

"Because I was craving to see you~," he carried on with that tone.

Silence crossed again.
I had no words left to say and the butterflies were getting out of control.

And my heart?
Oh god.
It was beating faster than any thing on this earth.

"Now tell me how should I convince you?~"

I closed my eyes clutching the grill behind me.

"Tell me?"

"Hmmm," I just hummed in response because my vocabulary went empty, as if my brain forgot how to frame words.

"Am I wrong for getting stubborn here? For continuously requesting? What should I do if I can't stop thinking about it?" he stops for a few seconds, then speaks in the most intimidating voice I have ever heard, "Main uske liye kuch bhi kar sakta hu." (I will do whatever it takes to have it.)

Silence again.

I was trying to function properly before he misunderstands my silence, which includes:
Standing on my own two feet,
And restarting my brain.

Calm down
Calm down
He just wants to kiss you hayat...
Murat just wants to kiss you..
The guy you're in love with just wants you..
Me
ME!!

Just when I thought he wouldn't give me anymore heart attacks, another was on its way.

"Fine. We'll meet in cafe. Okay? But I have a condition."

"Say," I mumbled.

"Cafe me kiss karunga tumhe" (I'll kiss you in cafe)

My eyes almost popped out of my eyeballs, shocked at his audacity. "Tum pagal hogaye ho?" (Have you gone crazy?)

"That's it! Why are you worried now? Just say, 'yea go ahead'. Chapter close."

"You are too much," I sighed defeatedly, putting my head in my hands while leaning on the boundary of terrace.

The line went silent again.

Where am I stuck?
I mean I'm MORE THAN HAPPY that this story is going somewhere, but.....

Do I trust him enough?
Yes

Do you want to kiss back?
Hell yeah

Should I say yes?
I think so

Will my friends approve?
Hell nah. They'll beat me up.

"Hello?" his voice broke my train of thoughts.

"Haa" (yes)

"Helloo??" he said again as if I'm not audible.

I checked if the call got mute but it wasn't, "It's not even mute. Hello? Am I audible?"

"Yeah you are,"

"Then?"

"Nothing. I was testing if you're still angry or not," he laughed.

He was laughing more than usual today.
His laugh is so cute.
He should laugh more often, but all he keeps is a cold hard demeanor.
But I'm glad to witness his soft side again.
The side I fell in love with in the first place.

"Why would I be angry? And how will you test?" I asked.

"By saying hello-hello. If you would have answered 'haaa' (yes), then you were angry. If you'd said 'hello?-hello?,' then you aren't angry," he laughs again after explaining his stupid trick.

I couldn't help but laugh back with him, shaking my head, "Tum pagal ho." (you are crazy).

"Hmmm. Now the situation is in front of you crystal clear. I can't control it anymore. I want to kiss you. And I will."

My stomach drops a centimeter at his every line.

"Doesn't matter if it's cafe. Or metro," he paused, "or in the middle of the road."

We both laughed at his last line.

"It's on you," he added.

"At this rate, you would even come home and kiss me," I rolled my eyes.

"Hmmm. I'll come at night."

My heart fluttered imagining the scene.

"Now tell me, what should I do?" he brought me back to earth.

"Ummm.... I will....tell you.....after thinking about it." I tried to stop keep smiling but in vain.

"You'll think, and you'll overthink. And will say NO in the end."

"Ek baat mujhe malum hai. Agar room me tum......to tum rukoge nahi." (I know one thing for sure. If you'll meet in room......you won't stop.)

"No it's not like that. That's completely on you."

"You said the same thing in planning meet-up place. And now here we are." I shrugged.

"No I promise on this one. If you didn't enjoyed-"

"Enjoyed!?" I cut him in between chuckling.

"Yeah if you didn't enjoyed or wanted more? Then we'll only kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss and kiss."

His every 'kiss', was making my stomach drop drop drop drop and drop, until it hit the floor.

.
.
.

************