Chapter 13 - Candor

                                    

                                          
Tera khayal har ghadi
Hai aadatein mujhe teri
Ek din tujhse na miloon
Pagal jaisa main phiroon
Candor
[noun]
honesty, frankness

Aryan felt warm. Too warm. He turned to his side, trying to get comfortable again, frowning when the weight over his leg wouldn't abate. He opened his eyes slowly, still groggy. 
He must be seeing things, he decided. He closed his eyes once more, took a breath and opened them again.
Imlie! What the hell was she doing in his bed? 
As the initial shock wore off, he realized that she must have fallen asleep while taking care of him. The last thing he could remember was Imlie telling him about her grandfather. Everything after that was very... blurry.
He hoped he hadn't said or done anything wrong.
He couldn't think of any reason why she'd be in his bed, her leg curled over his thigh, his hand holding hers as though it was the most natural thing in the world. 
He stared at the sweetness in her face, the dim moonlight filtering through the windows giving her an ethereal glow. She looked like an angel, her lashes falling onto her cheeks, her lips curved like they held a smile even while asleep.
Inexplicably pulled to her, his hand came up to gently caress the curve of her cheek, pushing a wayward strand of hair back as his eyes fell on her lips. His fingers moved over them, marveling at the softness of her skin. 
Suddenly, he caught himself and stopped, moving his hand back to his side, his fists clenched in shame.
He would never have done it if she'd been awake. Obviously. 
And she would never have let him, had she been awake. Obviously. 
He shouldn't be taking advantage of her like this, no matter how right it felt.
He took a shaky breath, knowing that the closeness he had with Imlie was momentary and circumstantial. He should wake her up and send her to her room. She hadn't consented to spending the night here like this, had she? And even if she had, he knew better than to hold her to it. 
Wake her up and send her to her room, Aryan, he ordered himself. 
He couldn't do it. 
It was an indulgence, he knew. It was madness, he knew that too. 
He would pay for his selfishness somewhere when karma would get him. He would accept that punishment too, he decided, but he wanted this little memory to keep for himself.
Because come morning, the bitter silences, the accusing stares and the awkward encounters would resume. He'd have to go back to pretending he didn't want to be around her and she...
Sigh. He didn't know what Imlie wanted. She'd chosen to look after him last night despite being angry with him. 
He knew enough not to flatter himself into thinking it was for him. She did it because Didi asked. And she would have probably done it for anyone in need, because that was Imlie. Kind and giving to a fault.
But at this moment, she was here and he was too. 
She didn't have to know that he'd let her stay, did she?