❝ What you hide in your heart, appears in your eyes.❞

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"I see, from the past one hour you've been praising my flute! Now can we?" Raghav who was walking past from the corridor along with Siya raised an eyebrow at her.

The corridor was quite silent, as they always chose the odd time when no one was around to disturb them. It was nearly 2 pm- almost everyone might be taking a short nap.

Privacy peeps.

The edges of their path were half drenched as the narrow drain was overflowing while the rhinestone drops of water continued to fill its desire by completing it more and more.

The opaque water was flowing through the not-so-scruffy drain like a stream, which made Siya jump out in excitement as she recalled how she used to sail paper boats during her school days.

Indeed the rain has a completely different aura- it can reach your heart in the heaven of peace or else it also can create a sad romantic feeling inside your broken heart.

So smooth yet so irresistible.

"What else I can do if your playing style is such beautiful!" Siya replied with a grin on her face. For the first time, she talked freely with someone, without feeling judged.

They observed every adjacent keenly as they'd been asked to remark any insects or plants or flowers or any living creatures except humans, in their way and wrote down their scientific names along with their body structure.

Also, they had to describe their different body organs, at the time they submitted their papers to the professor. So without wasting any second thought they made themselves busy with their work.

Their footsteps matched together as if welcoming them to their upcoming future. Their paces tapped on the ground, exactly vibrating with the same sound. The song of her anklets whenever she took steps soothed his longing ears while his sandalwood perfume gave her nostrils a feeling of the calming fair.

"Helianthus annus" was the first thing Raghav's eyes caught when Siya was busy noting it in a classmate's copy by the pen.

"Done." as soon as she replied, they again continued their journey. He used to glance at the area while her task was only penned down.

"Metaphor Posthuma"

"Done."

"Pila globosa"

"Done."

"Rhopalocera"

"Done."

"Funambulus pennant"

"Done."

"Diplopoda"

"Done."

"Jasminum polyanthum"

"Done."

"Periplaneta americana"

As soon as the name slipped from his tongue, she stopped abruptly. The pen from her hand suddenly slipped, making Raghav cast a glance at her stunning figure.

"Yo-you mean Cockroach?" Her trembling voice croaked out.

"Yes, behind you."

Her head became stiffened. She couldn't move her neck an inch. Extreme fear engulfed her nerve system and her breathing jagged. But her mind forced her to look back and she did so, slowly tilting her head in the direction.

The crimson-colored cockroach with its long exquisite, pinned on the greyish wall and flung its back- a hungry beast about to invasion its prey.

That's it!

Siya nearly screamed and stumbled backward when her back collided with Raghav's hard chest, elevated her body put forth a step in front.

He was perplexed.

Before he could decipher what was happening, her toe skidded on the inundated marble floor resulting in her ankle twisting and with a thud, she fall on him.

Unable to take her load at once he lost his balance too and hit the wet ground along with her on top of himself.

The whole thing ensued so quickly that no one understood what took place just a second ago. Their body glued together while her hands rested on his chest and his elbow supported his body in reflex.

The rain just changed its scale, pouring a soft tune as the orangish sky peeped over slowly, breaking the despair on it. The cockroach started dancing on the wall swaying its tiny trunks while the crickets whistled at them as if enjoying the view very much.

Siya widened her eyes, sensing their proximity. She'd never come this close to a man in her life.

Her heartbeats increased as if they would burst out from its ribcage at any moment. Their body rhythmically heaving up and down due to heavy breathing. Her mouth gaped open a little as her loose hair strands hung over her sweaty face. Her breath fanned on his face which gathered the dampness on their spectacles.

This sudden action pulled down her suit from her chest, exposing a little of her valley. But nor he nor she did pay attention to it. They were lost somewhere else. A world far away from this evil society, a world where blossoms the flower of love.

Her eyeballs motioned continuously, as she was struggling to get up as fast as possible and hide from him. She was embarrassed. But sadly her body didn't want to respond, as if some invisible power controlled her at that time. She tried to adverted her gaze from him, but it felt like his greenish alluring orbs cast a spell on her.

But his eyes were still halcyon, softer than before, at her brownish amber ones.

Yashoda Maiya found galaxies into her lala's mouth- he found his world in them. Her doe-shaped eyes hold an emotion- loneliness or care or trust or maybe love! He didn't know but it hold something, something beyond anyone's expectations, he was sure. It felt like a yūgen.

He groaned mentally as the hair strands blocked his view from drinking her flawless face. He was in the great urge to remove it from her face and tugged it behind- though he stopped himself to do so.

It was all new to him, for such a philophobic person, seeing a girl from so close. It felt awkward, yet so right at that moment.

She forcefully broke her trance- ready to get up as soon as possible. However, one of the folds of her braid was tangled with the button of his sweatshirt, letting her mouth escape a mirthful chuckle at her oh so good aide fortune.

She bent down to his collarbone, running her fingers through the button, in an attempt to open it. She didn't know that, when God makes sure to unite you with someone, who are you to break it so easily?

Her movements brought his senses back as her hair fell on his face and he inhaled, closing his lids. She smelled like newly efflorescence Jasmine while he, the form of a bee excited to suck her whole fragrance into him.

His cold, rough lips unintentionally brushed against her hair without her knowledge, and his cheeks immediately heated up for his carelessness.

She hurriedly stood up after loosening her hair, followed by him.

They started dusting their dresses carefully when her precious notebook lying down carelessly on the wet floor along with the pen and their shoes all drenched. Their glasses became hazy from the foggy weather as they started cleaning them with the edges of their clothes.

His back was already soaked in rain making his shirt glued at his back, revealing his immature muscular body.

Some drops of water filled his sight as he roughly rubbed his eyes and as usual it showed him phosphenes. The rainy season is loved by all until it crosses its limits by taking revenge on you.

Now it would be the most baffling situation for both of them to share eye contact.

Siya felt stupified by her act. She couldn't match her gaze with him while he awkwardly ran his fingers through his watery curls.

She never wished to trouble him. But her Katsaridaphobia toward the roaches couldn't help her. She knew it was silly, but on the other hand, she was helpless too. After all, she couldn't change her birth gene, right?

And most importantly she fell on him. Their faces were just inches away to touch. This short feeling itself created a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach.

'What if someone would see us like this?'

'What if his legs would break because of my stupidity?'

'What if my lips would touch with-'

'No! No! What am I thinking?!'

Seeing her expressions he understood her hesitation as to it was obvious for her being so close to a stranger. Nevertheless chuckled at her nervousness, no matter whether he too was blushing excessively or not, he chose to speak first.

So making a fake poker face he asked,

"Kya tha yeh?"

Her train of thoughts halted as she replied absentmindedly, "Uh-uh.."

"I'm asking you what was happened to you all of a sudden that you ended up falling on me?"

"Uh- I'm extremely sorry. I swear, I didn't mean to do it intentionally. It was just an accident. I've Katsaridaphobia." the last line came out as a whisper but not inaudible to his sharp acoustic.

"You've Katsaridaphobia?" His voice came out as a question and her eyes teared up at the mere thought of hearing mocking and laughs at any moment. Everyone used to do it, he too would do for sure, she shouldn't be surprised.

"I'm sorry."

But to her surprise, he bent down a little to her level and held her shoulders gently as she looked up to meet his eyes.

His chest pained by seeing her moist eyes before he spoke,

"It's okay Siya. I can feel you. Even though I too was afraid of spiders in my childhood but as time flowed I make myself recover from this fever. You too will come out one day. Don't take stress on yourself. Fight with your fears. Once you let them go, they will no longer be able to afraid you." his laconic voice was leaving a deep peaceful mark inside her heart. She never imagined someone would ever subside her like this, took her side when she needed it much, which her parents failed to give her.

She couldn't believe if she was in oneirataxia or not. She wondered if such type of man still existed in this world.

He was an orphic truly.

A small smile appeared on her face as she nodded positively.

He felt like gunmen, to see her smiling. It's all just he wanted to see on her face whenever he met with her. The word 'sad' wasn't actually made for her, he thought.

Why? it's beyond any explanations. Because there they walked, in their way of metanoia.

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Poor Siya. She's craving for love and care.

But the cockroaches did a great job. What do you say?