A Birthday Made Special

It was her birthday and she was lonely. It was the first time ever that Sophia was away from her family on her special day. A day she always cherished and a day she always celebrated.

She got to cross off a few items off her bucket list that day and Sophia was happy about that. It was just the lonely part that was bothering her. During the day she had had a lot of fun and now it was the last half hour. And she did not want to spend it alone; not that she had spent the day alone. She had been surrounded by people since she went down to breakfast!

She had spent the day with her team and visited Keran; an LOC across which, she got to see India. She had always wanted to see India.

As if living that dream was not enough, she had had a lot of fun with her friend Aahil who was always by her side telling her it was her day and she should live it to the fullest.

Sophia took out her phone and messaged Aahil if he was busy, as she could not find him anywhere. Aahil had become a very good friend in the one year she had known him. Currently, they were both staying at the same hotel up in the mountains. Aahil replied instantly saying he thought she was busy with the others.

Rather than texting back, she called him instead.

“Just walking along the corridor and being generally bored.” Sophia said and sighed.

“But you’re the birthday girl!” He countered.

“True that.” Agreed Sophia, and promptly added, “A lonely birthday girl, I am.”

“What do you want to do?” He asked, probably realising that arguing with Sophia would lead nowhere.

“I don’t know. You tell me?” She counter asked.

“It’s not my birthday. It’s yours. Say the word, madam.” There was a smiling lilt to his voice. “You only have half an hour.” He added just in case.

“I don’t want to spend the half hour alone.” She knew what she wanted to do.

“Done. I am coming.” And, the line was disconnected.

Sophia found herself looking in the mirror across from her in the corridor, smiling. A smile that reached all the way to her eyes.

With her arms on the railing, she waited, but the wait was not a long one.

“Madam.” She heard Aahil say as he stood beside her just a minute later. She realised she was still smiling as she looked up at him.

“Let’s go listen to music. I have put on music in my room.” He suggested and then waited.

“Ohkayyy. What’s your room number?”

He told her the room number and they started walking towards it. Walking together to his room, Sophia could feel his hands slightly bumping against hers. Without thinking, she walked a little closer to him. A little closer so that she could feel more of him against the exposed skin of her hand.

He unlocked the door and asked her to precede him. He was a gentleman like that, though a complete feminist. The room was half in shadows and completely silent.

“Aahil?” She called out to him as she continued inside the room.

“Hmm….” His back was towards the room as he was locking the door.

“I don’t hear any music.” She turned around to face him. And promptly kicked herself virtually. Of course there was no music in the room. They had both entered together and she remembered he had not walked out of his room!

There was no change in his expression as he raised an eyebrow and said, “I lied to lure you in here.” He came up to her and put his arms over her shoulders, “to seduce you.”

Her heart skipped a beat. She schooled her features into showing amusement instead.

“Yeah, right.” Sophia rolled her eyes for good measure.

“What? You don’t believe me?” Aahil feigned heartbreak and ruined the effect completely by laughing out loud in the very next instant.

“You won’t dare.” Stating thus, she moved towards the bed.

Sighing, he too moved towards the bed and sat beside her.

“Here you go madam. I did promise you music.” And he winked.

Sophia laughed and was bestowed with his lop-sided grin.

“What are you in the mood for?” He asked, his eyes alight with mischief. The double meaning was not lost on Sophia. Aahil was intent on making her belief he could and would seduce her.

She gave him an overly bright smile and said, “Soft. To begin with.” And winked.

“Your wish is my command.” And they both ended up laughing.

Music in place, they both started humming along and talked about all and sundry in between the lyrics.

With her head on his shoulder, she felt that it was the best way for her birthday to end.

“Aahil?” she murmured.

“Hmm…’

“I feel like having hot chocolate.” She said as she snuggled into him.

“I don’t understand.” He said, visibly confused. “Why would you want hot chocolate, when you have a “hot” me?”

She laughed uncontrollably, but he knew that this was not her loudest laugh. Intent on getting that “perfect ten laugh” out of her, he continued. “What? Am I not hot enough for you? Do I not satisfy your need for “hotness”? Why order a hot chocolate when you can have my hot chocolaty sexiness delivered at your doorstep. Say the word and you can bathe in this,” he promptly pointed towards himself as he went on speaking, “super-hot chocolate.”

He continued with his clichés and she continued to laugh; every time a little harder until she was coughing and gasping for breath. That’s when he stopped and before she could breathe properly, there was a bell at the door. He had already instructed room service for a fresh hot chocolate.

“It’s for you.” Aahil whispered in her ear.

Uncertainty in her eyes, she got up and answered the door. As she opened it, there stood someone from room service with a mug of hot chocolate. Tamping down the squeal of delight, she took the mug and said a thank you.

Coming back inside, Sophia saw him reclined in the bed as his smile twinkled in his eyes.

“You, Aahil, are a darling!” She had trouble containing her happiness.

“Anything for you, sweetheart.”

Her smile in place, she put the mug on the side table, and turned towards the full length mirror affixed to the wall. She did not know what he saw in her and tried to see what he saw. Running the fingers of her right hand through her shoulder length hair, she stared at herself as if under a spell.

Suddenly, she felt a hand at her waist. The feel of another, breaking the spell. She did not realise when Aahil had left his perch on the bed and walked behind her. She had not seen him move. She had not felt him move. But she did feel him then.

She saw him in the mirror. She saw them in the mirror.

As if reading her mind, he bent down to bring his mouth to her ear and whispered, “Don’t we look good together.”

Though phrased as a question, he was stating a fact. As if his hand on her waist was not enough, his voice so close set her heart aflutter.

Before she could say anything at all, he twirled her around. Their bodies all but touching. Closer than ever before. She could feel him!

“That beauty spot under your lip, I so want to bite it.” He said, his voice going gruff. She bit her lip as he mentioned it. His pupils dilated as his gaze dipped to the said lip. He brought his thumb up to her lips. Putting a little pressure on it, he had her lip released from her teeth. He caressed it for good measure.

“All mere words.” She said in a breathy whisper against his thumb.

Aahil brought his mouth to hers. A fleeting touch. He dipped his mouth a little and sucked that beauty spot under her lower lip on the left side.

She had a wave of pleasure travel through her entire body as she gasped.

Raising his head, looking into her eyes he said,

“Muhabbaton main jism se mujhe bhi aitraaz tha
Magar woh itnay paas tha, woh itnay paas tha”*

His closeness had affected her. But, his words? His words had her mesmerised.

Rising on the balls of her feet and putting her arms around his neck, she kissed him with abandon. His hands caressing her back as he angled his head to deepen the kiss.

Suddenly, there was a chiming sound in their room. Bringing them back to the world. With their foreheads touching, Aahil brought his thumb to rub her lower lip.

“And with that, your time is up.” Though there was a smile in his words, his voice had gone rough with passion.

Though he was trying to project a man who was in full possession of his composure, he knew it to be an act. Sophia had a deep effect on him. He was nervous that she’d leave. She had, after all, requested company on her birthday. There were no promises for anything past that. And he was not ready for it to end.

Turning her head towards the clock, she looked at the time.

“My birthday just ended.” She stated the obvious.

Turning towards him, with a mischievous smile twinkling in her eyes, she took a step closer to him and encircled his waist.

“It’s a new day. A new me.” Looking into his eyes, she continued. “A new us?”

“A new us.”

Her cherished hot chocolate got cold, sitting on the table, forgotten, just as she forgot herself in his arms that night.

*Translation:

I, too, was against involving the body when in love
But she was so near, she was so near