"Can you zip me up?" I asked from behind the door.

Noah came in and zipped the pretty black frock he had bought for me. It had tiny flowers woven in lace across the neck and a brown belt around the waist. Black was his favourite colour and would always compliment me whenever I wore a black outfit. I turned towards him and asked how I looked.

"Gorgeous as always".

He smiled. I blushed.

He slowly removed the clip that held my messy hair and let it loose. My fringes covered my face. He swept it aside and tucked it behind my right ear. He came closer. His scent soothed my nerves and it was as if he had hypnotized me.

He moved his hand behind my neck caressing me. He held my cheek with his right hand and bent down to kiss but I pushed him away. He looked dejected.

"If you're uncomfortable, I'm sorry", he looked down.

I hugged him. He hugged me tighter. I could feel his breath on my shoulder.

"Please don't go. I beg you " he asked.

My heart was escaping from the cage that my past scars had built. Only I knew the pain I went through waiting for the wounds to heal. I wasn't ready to make the scars fresh again because I knew that anyone I loved would surely leave me one day. First, my dad left. I was shattered. Then my best friend left, leaving me more broken. The only thing that kept me bounded was my grandma. Even she left me and went away, as far as possible. Everyone I loved left me. Now mum treats me like a burden. My heart had suffered enough.

"I can't stay" I said after a pause.

He removed his arms from around me and stepped back. He dawdled and left, without even looking at me. I stood there clueless of what I had done. After a while, I came out of the green room.

While some people were busy shifting their luggage, others were busy talking how beautiful the wedding was. Amidst that chaos, all my eyes searched was for him. He walked past me helping someone with their bags and acted as if I didn't exist.

Almost everyone had left. It was just few of our friends and some of the bride's family members. Theo would drop Noah and me to Noah's home, from where Noah would drop me to mine. Anna and Ethan would stay back at Theo's house.

Anna sat in the front while Theo drove his grey car. Noah sat in between Ethan and me. The clock struck 5 past 9 when we left. It was an hour and half journey to Noah's place. Silence surrounded the journey as everyone were exhausted after the busy day. Noah sat next to me as though I was a complete stranger. I couldn't see him like that. It poked my heart like a thorn. I gently intertwined the fingers of my right hand in between the fingers of his left hand. Without even looking at me, he withdrew his hand. This angered me. I moved closer to the window and looked out till the end of the journey.

It was around 10:30 when we reached his place. He took out his and my bag from the car and we waved to the others as they left. He didn't talk to me and stayed away from me. My anger reached its peak. I went up to him, grabbed him by his hand and said "It's my last day. You still want to do this?"

Just then my phone rang. It was my mum.

"Are you home yet?"

"Not yet mom."

"Go home and don't sleepover at anyone's home. You get that?"

"Yes mom" and she cut the call.

The cold breeze sent a chill down my spine. We exchanged glances. His eyes were moist and so were mine now. He hugged me. In that freezing weather, his love gave me warmth. He held his hands against my cheek. "I love you" he said and hugged me back. I didn't utter a word but wrapped my arms around him. We stood there for a while. He let go of me and gave me his jacket. I put it on and sat behind him on the bike. We didn't speak anything. It seemed as though the silence was in love with the night. I laid my head on his back with my arms around him.

We reached home. My heart didn't want him to leave but I was helpless. I wanted to bid him the last goodbye as I was leaving to L.A the next day, where my mother stayed. I looked at him. A flash of memories. I had a sudden adrenaline rush. I kissed him. My first ever kiss. I was startled when I came back to my senses. I left him without even looking back and locked the house door. He stood there for minutes and I watched him leave from behind the windows curtains.

My heart became heavy. A million thoughts running in my head. I called my mum, thinking to speak to her, but her busy schedule didn't have a minute to spare and listen to her daughter's pain. Tears poured down from my eyes. The guilt of losing him surrounded me like darkness. Pain in my heart spread like a fire in a dense forest. The pain became physical. I felt as though my nerves were shutting down.

My heart couldn't take it anymore. All the times spent with him was the only thing I wanted to re-live. His scent, his warmth, the comfort I felt in his kiss. I didn't want that to vanish like a dream. I wanted him. All of him. He was there with me every time I broke. He held me in his arms every time I fell sick. I had taken him for granted.

The cage built by my scars became stronger than before but this time my heart fought its way out, bruised and bleeding but stronger than ever. My emotions flowed like a waterfall. I realised that he loved me like no one has ever done. He is the reason why my heart still believes in love. Detaching myself from him suffocated me. My heart came up to me and told me "You've never felt love in your life and when someone is giving his life for you, how can you push him off the cliff? Learn to love dear. Don't let him go. Never ever let him go." I had to decide what I wanted. A love so strong that kept me alive or the so-called strings attached with my mom who kept me alive just because she had given birth to me and now, I was a burden on her.

Enough was enough. I realised that I could no longer be without him. I ringed him up. Even before I could speak, he said "I'm outside. Open the door."

He came in and shut the door. Tears gushed down my eyes and hugged him as tight as I could. I had never felt so much love ever in my life. I didn't want to let go of him. Never ever. He gently kissed my forehead and hugged me back. My joy was like that of an orphan who finally felt love and care.

"I love you" was the only thing I could say. He wiped my tears and with a smile, said "I know. Stop crying first. Look at what you've done to your eyes." He felt my forehead with his palm and with a worried face told "You have fever baby. Go wash your face and change. I'll make something to eat so that you can take some medicine after that." I nodded and went.

When I came back, he had already prepared pan cakes. My favourite. He made me sit on the chair like a kid and he sat down on the floor as he fed me like a baby. What more in this selfish world could I wish for? Tears rolled down from my eyes.

"Aye. Don't cry now again", he said wiping my tears. I didn't feel to eat but he forced me to eat, just like a mother does. When I was done, he held a paracetamol in my palm and said "This will do for now. We'll visit the doc early in the morning tomorrow". I swallowed it without uttering a word.

He took me in his arms and laid me on my bed. He put the blanket around me and kissed me on my forehead as he said "Good night".

He lay on the sofa right next to my bed and watched me as I closed my eyes. I couldn't fall asleep. Somewhere there was guilt that didn't let me sleep whose reason I didn't know. I couldn't stop crying. I squeezed my pillow as tight as I could.

"Baby it's alright. I'm right here. I'm right here" he said as he held me in his arms. Lying in his arms gave me a comfort nothing in this world can compare to.

"Can you please sleep next to me tonight? Please?" I pleaded.

"I'm always next to you."

"Promise?", I asked.

"Forever. And don't make that puppy face now". He made me smile in those tears.

He slept with me as the moon hid among the clouds, wrapping his arms around me. His warmth, his breath, his love. I just wanted the time to stop and stay like that.... forever...

The End