Chapter five

The wolf

The morning sunlight slipped through the curtains of my room, brushing softly against my face. I blinked my eyes open, still groggy, and almost immediately, the memories of yesterday came rushing back. Bright, vivid... so alive, they almost didn’t feel real.

But they were.

Every moment of it was real.

"I know nothing about you" she had said last night, her voice curious, teasing. We were walking toward her hotel, just a little ways from where the bus had dropped us.

Our fingers were still intertwined. We hadn’t let go since the bus ride... and honestly? I loved every second of it.

"Me too" I replied. And saying that felt strange because sure, technically, we didn’t know much about each other. But somehow... it felt like we had. Like we’d known each other for a long, long time.

"So, what do you want to know?" she asked, glancing up at me with that spark in her eyes.

"How did you decide to be a poet?" I asked genuinely curious. It had been on my mind all day. Something told me poetry wasn’t her profession. Mira and she had gone to the same college, and Mira... well, Mira didn’t exactly strike me as the poet type.

She smiled softly. “Well... when I was in 7th grade, I helped my friend write a poem” she began. “Our teacher read it aloud and told me I was a natural.” A little laugh escaped her lips.

"But me being me, I didn’t think much of it," she said, her gaze drifting ahead down the path, voice tinged with nostalgia.

"Fast forward to 11th grade... I started writing more. About life, little moments... things that didn’t always make sense at the time."

She gave a tiny shrug, a smile playing at her lips. “I even created a poetry account. But... these days, people don’t seem to have the patience for long poems that tell stories.”

There was a quiet determination in her tone that made me admire her even more.

"So, eventually... I decided I’d just publish them someday. I want people to read them. Relate. Feel something."

And there it was — her heart, so open, so sincere.

"So what’s your profession?" I asked, leaning in a little, even more curious now.

"Airline revenue analyst," she replied with a smile. “But if everything goes well… I’m hoping for a promotion soon.” That little spark in her eyes again.

"And how many poems—” I began, but she cut me off quickly.

"Enough about me. Your turn. What do you do? How old are you?” she asked, suddenly playful, a mock interrogation. Cute.

I smirked. “Are you trying to husband me up already?” I teased. The faintest blush crept up her cheeks, the sun had already dipped below the hills, but I didn’t need daylight to notice that soft flush.

"You wish?" she replied, trying to hide her smile.

"I do wish," I grinned. Then, clearing my throat, I added, “I just finished my Computer Science Engineering degree — specialized in AI. And now I’m here in Shimla, giving myself a break. Four long-ass years… needed to find myself again.”

We glanced at each other at the exact same moment, like we both wanted to see the other’s reaction.

"So, you’re Mr. Engineer? That’s cute," she said with a teasing grin.

I smiled, glancing ahead. Her hotel was only a few steps away now.

"And how old are you?" she asked again.

"Twenty-one," I answered simply.

She stopped in her tracks, surprised. I turned to face her.

"Really?" she asked. I nodded.

"You’re a year younger than me," she said, putting on an exaggerated adult tone. “Such a baby.”

I rolled my eyes. “You know... I’ve always had a thing for older women" I teased.

"So you’ve got mommy issues? Aww" she shot back with a grin. We both laughed and kept walking, but then, I stopped her again, gently pulling on the hand I was still holding.

"But I’m taller, Miss Sushrita" I said, looking straight into her eyes.

"And I’m older, Mr. Devaansh" she replied smugly.

I leaned in just a bit, closing the distance between us. Her eyes widened slightly, caught off guard.

"Devaansh—" she began, but before she could finish, I pressed a soft kiss to her left cheek.

She froze for a beat, her cheeks going bright pink.

She stepped back, flustered. “You—” but no words followed.

She quickly turned and started walking again, her hotel now fully in sight.

But we still hadn’t let go of each other’s hands. And honestly? It felt like a crime to even think about it.

"I like you" I said quietly, the words slipping out. Yeah... we’d only just met, but it felt illegal to not say it.

"And I hate you," she mumbled back, voice betraying her completely.

"Hmm, then I hate you too" I teased.

She stopped again, turning to face me. Her eyes locked on mine, the corner of her mouth twitching. We both knew what “I hate you” really meant.

"I definitely hate you more" she whispered, just loud enough for me to hear.

Her eyes drifted down to our joined hands. “I’ll be leaving in two days, Mr. Devaansh” she said softly.

"Then I guess every second counts, don't they?" I replied, squeezing her hand gently.

For a moment, we just stood there in silence. The hotel entrance loomed closer.

"So?" I asked softly.

Without another word, she leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek...so fast, so shy, and so sweet.

I couldn’t help but grin.

She let go of my hand, finally, her way of saying goodbye for the night. And I let her.

Strangely... I didn’t regret it as much as I thought I would. Because that one little moment gave me a memory I wouldn’t trade for the world.

I stood there watching as she disappeared inside her hotel.

No, we hadn’t made plans for tomorrow. No “see you at this place, at this time.”

But after today… we didn’t need to.

We’d meet again. Somehow, we both knew it.

A date with tomorrow.

That memory tugged a smile from me as I finally sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes.

Reaching for my phone, 8 AM.

And the first thought that crossed my mind?

I wonder what time she’s waking up.

I scrolled through my contacts, remembering we’d added each other on WhatsApp last night.

Without thinking too much, I opened our chat and typed, “Good morning.”

I wasn’t really expecting a quick reply… but there it was almost instantly.

“Good morning to you too” she sent back.

A smile crept across my face. I found myself typing again.

“So… where are you gonna take me today, my tour guide?” her message popped up before I could even decide what to say next.

She really wasn’t going to make it easy for me to play it cool, was she?

I quickly typed back “It's a surprise so, how about we meet in front of your hotel first?”

A few seconds passed. Then her reply came, playful as ever

“Then I guess It’s a…?”

I chuckled under my breath, shaking my head a little. She was making me say it.

“Date, definitely a date this time” I sent.

Almost instantly, a little heart popped up next to my message.

Still smiling like an idiot, I finally set my phone aside and got up to get ready.

Because yeah, this was a date. And I couldn’t wait.

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