It was evening and the sky was still purple after a light rain. Eshaan and Ishika were sitting on the terrace of Ishika's house.

A string of warm fairy lights hung across the railing, lighting up their faces as they sat on the rug, with a large sketchbook lying between them.

They had spent the first hour drawing and teasing each other with funny doodles, but now, a sweet tension hung in the air.

Eshaan's heart skipped a beat looking at her. She was busy looking at the citylights, her chin resting on her knees. The light from the fairy lights were making her eyes sparkle. 

He wanted to tell her. He had wanted to tell her for weeks, but he had no courage to.

Until now.

He reached out and gently held her hand. When she looked at him, he didn't sign anything. Instead, he kept her palm flat against his heart.

Ishika's eyes widened. She could feel his heart beating wildly. She looked at his face and her breath hitched. His eyes spoke so much.

She didn't need to hear the words to know what he meant. His heartbeat and his eyes said it all. Eshaan picked up the sketchbook. On the top of the page, he drew a small stick figure. Alone. Lonely. In dark.

Then, he drew another stick figure, a girl, holding a lantern.

Next, he drew the girl walking to the boy and his world lighting up.

Ishika watched him draw, her heart swelling with a feeling she couldn't describe. She felt tears prick at the corner of her eye.

Eshaan turned to a new page. He drew two stick figures. They were holding hands. Above them, he drew a big heart.

He looked at her, his eyes filled with a vulnerability that made her chest ache. He slowly raised his hand.

He held out his pinky finger. 'I'. Then he held out his index finger and thumb. 'L'. Next, he held out his pinky finger and his thumb. 'Y'. 

And then, he held out his pinky, index and thumb out together, the universal sign for "I love you."

Ishika felt like the world stopped spinning. She looked at his hand, then at his face. He couldn't say the words, but he was screaming them with his eyes and all his heart and soul.

"Eshaan...."

She whispered his name, her voice thick with emotion. She looked at him and smiled through her tears, her cheeks flushed a soft pink.

"Mai bhi. I love you too, Eshaan."

(Me too.)

Then, she copied his hand gesture, holding her hand up next to his. Eshaan felt a tear slip down his cheek. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers.

Ishika hugged him tightly. She tucked her head in the crook of his neck, feeling his happy sigh.

"This is all so beautiful. Sab aise hi rahega na, Eshaan?"

(Everything will remain like this, right?)

He squeezed her hand in a silent promise of keeping her world beautiful. She smiled and rested her forehead against his shoulder.

A few weeks had passed since their beautiful confession. Both of their families were aware of their relationship.

Ishika was currently over at Eshaan's place, sitting on the living room couch as they watched a movie.

Suddenly, the TV switched off, the ceiling fan died and the lights went out. The apartment was plunged into a heavy darkness.

"Lo! Phir se light chali gyi! Yaar papa call kro na ye bijli walo ko. Kya ho raha hai aaj kal?"

(See! The light is out again! Papa call the electricity department. What is happening nowadays?)

Meera called, coming out from her room. Ishika felt the sudden stillness. Eshaan's hand found hers in the dark, his thumb brushing over her knuckles to reassure her.

He gestured toward the ceiling, and though she couldn't see him clearly, she understood. They headed for the terrace.

They sat on a low brick platform, shaped like a bench. Ishika reached out, taking Eshaan's hand. She turned his palm upward. With her index finger, she slowly traced the letters on his skin.

H-O-T.

Eshaan smiled, a small huff of a silent laugh escaping him. He took her hand back. His touch was light, sending a shiver up Ishika's arm that had nothing to do with the heat. He traced back.

B-U-T-P-E-A-C-E-F-U-L.

They sat like that for a long time, talking through their palms. It was an intimate, secret language. Every letter felt like a caress. Ishika traced a question mark on his hand. Eshaan responded by lacing his fingers through hers, squeezing gently.

Eshaan turned toward her. He reached out, his hand cupping her cheek. His skin was warm, and his thumb traced the line of her lower lip.

Ishika's heart began to hammer. She leaned in, pulled in by his scent and the warmth of his breath.

When their lips finally met, it was soft and tentative. It was a gentle, toe-curling kiss. Ishika felt a dizzying wave of giddiness.

When they pulled apart, the air felt electric. Eshaan rested his forehead against hers, his chest heaving slightly. He took her hand one more time and traced a single word, so slowly she felt every curve of the letters.

F-O-R-E-V-E-R.

Soon after, the lights in the neighbouring building flickered back on. The magic of the darkness was over, but the glow in their eyes remained.

When Eshaan walked her downstairs to her auto-rickshaw, they both looked like they were walking on air. Ishika reached home with her lipstick all gone and her face glowing a bright, unmistakable pink.

As she walked through the front door, her mother, Kavita, looked up from the sofa. She took one look at Ishika's dazed expression and the shy, permanent smile on her lips.

"Ohho! Kya baat hui bhai? Aaj toh chehra alag hi chamak raha hai."

(What happened? Your face is glowing different today.)

Ishika quickly looked at the floor, her blush deepening until her ears turned red. She muttered a hurried "Nothing, Maa!" and ran to her room, her heart still dancing with happiness.

Meanwhile, back at his apartment, Eshaan walked into the kitchen to get water. His mother, Sunita, was cleaning the counter. She caught her son staring at a glass of water with a dreamy, far-off look, a silly grin plastered on his face.

She bumped her shoulder against his, grinning.

"Kya baat hai? Aaj toh garmi ke baad bhi irritate nhi hua. Kahi koi hawa chali kya?...Pyaar ki hawa?"

(What happened? You did not get irritated even due to heat today. Was there an air around?...Air of love?)

She teased and Eshaan nearly dropped the glass. He turned away, his ears turning a bright crimson, but he couldn't hide the pure, radiating happiness in his eyes.