Chapter 3- The Proximity mity

Over the next couple of days, bit wary of the incident Ruhani and Kabir avoided close proximity to each other, both emotional and physical. This was more apparent by Ruhani. Kabir sensed her withdrawal, her pulling back into herself and making sure there was always a bit of distance between them. It was like she always had her guard up. It bothered him a little bit but he tried to dismiss it. Over the course of the next 2-3 days they settled into a routine of sorts - they took turns collecting wood to build the fire , heating up the canned food, cleaning the home, and after those works were over Ruhani sat down to write in her journal while Kabir turned to reading his medical books that were stacked in the chalet, to pass the time and increase his knowledge. He loved studying and found that it was a difficult habit to break. He saw that this didn't go unnoticed by Ruhani and she gave him a small smile whenever he pulled out his books to study, as if amused. He barely controlled the urge to roll his eyes at her childishly.

Their conversations became a bit impersonal and stilted. They got to know some basic stuff about each other. Ruhani told him that her family consisted of her mom and elder sister, who was married and had kids. Her dad had been a police commissioner and was killed in the line of duty in an encounter. Her eyes clouded over while mentioning this, he saw a sheen of unshed tears and he hated that he couldn't get up and comfort her. She also mentioned that she had always loved adventure since childhood. When she finished college she worked for a travel magazine briefly before starting her own channel which soon became a hit. She also showed him the pictures of her biking trip. In return, he told her about his family- his parents and younger brother. His dad was a lawyer, his mom had her own local design business. They travelled a lot. He was very close to his brother as he had practically raised him. He also told her about his stay and study of medicine in the USA. But, whenever he tried to ask about her childhood, her equation with her family, her relationships, she tensed up and ended the conversation. She just told him that she had only been in 2 romantic relationships and said that there would be no further discussion on this. He sighed and let it go, but not before jokingly mentioning that he himself had never been in a serious relationship, only casual ones. She had looked at him incredulously and muttered what suspiciously sounded like 'Typical male.'

But overall, yes, the distance was there, mused Kabir as he lied down at night, trying to will his over active mind to sleep, but his restlessness refused to let him relax enough to do so. He was tossing and turning when he heard the sound of Ruhani stirring in her sleep. Puzzled, he turned to look at her. Her face was tensed up, she was flinging her hands and legs around as if battling an invisible demon. And then he heard it. The one sound which he would never forget for the rest of his life, the sound which would haunt his soul forever. She screamed, desperately, as if calling out for help. 'No! No! You can't take dad away nooo!! Leave him alone! Take me away!' He was frozen. Within a minute he heard her screams change track 'Leave me alone Nitin, don't you dare come near me! Don't touch me I will kick you..' Kabir finally snapped out of his shock and ran to her, shaking her hard.

'Ruhani..Ruhani!!' She fought against him in her sleep and he shook her harder. 'Ruhani WAKE UP!! WAKE UP NOW!' He screamed in desparation, his eyes almost red and that was when she stopped struggling and her eyes opened slowly. He saw a pale, scared face staring back at him as she shivered with fear, the aftermaths of her nightmare. The sight scared and chilled him to his bones. He cupped her face in his palms and said, trying hard to keep his voice from shaking 'Shh..Ruhani it's okay..it was just a bad dream. No one is going to harm you. You are safe, alright? Alright?' Ruhani looked at him through her tears and sniffed. She nodded weakly before throwing her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. He was stunned, but he soon realised that she was scared and needed physical and emotional comfort. His instincts as a maternal figure and a healer took over and he held her tight, cradling her as gently in his arms like one would cradle a new born. One hand on her head, the other wrapped firmly around her. Her both arms were around his neck, her face hidden in his chest as she cried. He let her get it out of her system. He gently rocked her to and fro, mumbling soothing words, caressing her hair and wiping her tears. After a while, her sobs subsided but she still clung to him, as if trying to absorb some of his strength and he let her.

Still holding her tight, he got up and carried her along with him, carrying her like a baby, wrapping her legs around his waist and settling her on his shoulder. He took her to the living room and settled her gently along with him infront of the sofa on the fire place and continued swinging her. Using his smooth, lightly accented and rich voice he sung an age old Kashmiri pahadi song in her ears he had learnt from his mom hoping it would calm her down. It did. Her tears and shaking stopped soon. Meekly, after an eternity, she looked up at him, her large black eyes wide and vulnerable. His heart beat faster. And then she smiled, a small, trembling smile of gratitude that was easily the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He caressed her head. She closed her eyes and see sighed. Their close proximity registered to both of them but now neither cared. They needed this. They wanted this. Ruhani hugged him and said 'Thank you. Thank you, Kabir. I..had a bad dream about my dad in danger and an ex boyfriend. I'm sorry if I troubled you..' He pulled back and looked deep into her eyes. She didn't need to thank him. He would do it over and over again if he could, for it was the most beautiful feeling. But he couldn't explain that so he smiled back and leaned in. Her breath hitched but she didn't move back. She stayed still and closed her eyes, as if in anticipation.

He leaned in and registered everything - the fire, the snow, the cabin, the beautiful, strong yet vulnerable woman in his arms. He then leaned in further and kissed her forehead firmly, lingeringly. Ruhani was stunned. She trembled. Sweetness and tenderness pierced her insides. She knew then, after this night , she would spend many others remembering this tenderly beautiful feeling. She smiled wide and opened her eyes. He was looking at her softly. He flicked her nose and said 'Silly girl, I'm not gonna take advantage of you being scared and vulnerable.' Because words failed her, she gave him a peck on his cheek which made him turn red. She laughed. He mock glared at her and the air between them returned to being light. He carefully settled her down next to him and placed a hand on hers.

'Would you like to talk about what scared you?' he asked gently. She sighed and held her head. 'There isn't much to talk. Dad was always at risk and his death affected me the most and still haunts me. Nitin is my ex bf. We were serious, in a live in, ready to be engaged. But then he became over controlling and toxic so I broke up with him..' she trailed off. She tried hard to keep her voice casual but he saw through the facade. His eyes hardened. 'Toxic in what way? Did he..did he ever hurt you?' he whispered in anger, voice shaking. She hurriedly nodded no. 'He used to like grab my arm and stuff but he never hit..I am strong you know I know karate don't worry I was safe ' she tried to laugh it off but he could see that it wasn't that casual. He tried hard to calm himself down, hating the thought of any guy hurting her, hating the thought of anyone using their physical power to hurt someone innocent. It made his blood boil. He calmed down with some difficulty. He rubbed her hand to comfort her and she smiled in gratitude. A yawn escaped her mouth and, much to his surprise, she layed her head on his shoulder and snuggled next to him. He stared in shock.

'Stop being so shocked. I need this. Just for tonight. I feel the safest I have in a long time. I won't bother you from tomorrow for now lemme sleep.' He chuckled and pulled her in closer, wrapping his arms around her and settling her in more comfortably. They soon drifted off to sleep, safe together, wrapped and cocooned in each other's arms. A few hours later, the first sunrays hit them at dawn, signalling an end to the darkness of the night, shining bright and beautiful on them, signifying a lot. A beautiful new beginning. A new tale, waiting to be written and read.