Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

0"Oww… are you crazy?" He released his grip on her mouth and howled in pain, softly.     0

She was shocked to hear the voice and twisted her neck to look at the person.     

"What are you doing here? Why did you drag me? I could have seriously hurt you, you idiot," she hissed back, her body riding high on adrenaline.     

"You HAVE seriously hurt me. I think one of my fingers has broken into pieces," he grumbled next to her ear, pain etched on his face.     

Mriga shook her head firmly and replied, "Not possible. I didn't hear any bone breaking sounds."     

Yash moved away and came to stand in front of her. His face held an incredulous look, throughout.     

"Do you have to be so literal at all times?" he finally complained.     

"Are you not happy that I am well equipped to handle my safety? Would you have preferred that I let the perpetrator capture me and drag me to a dark corner, instead?" she asked, triumphant glee audible in her words.     

Yash smacked his head with his other hand. She was hopeless.     

"What am I going to do with you???"     

Before she could respond to his rhetorical question, he pulled something out of his pocket and placed it in her palm.     

Pulling her close to him, he brought his mouth next to her ear, and whispered, "Happy birthday, my Mriga. It was supposed to be a special day and I am extremely upset with you for not spending it with me. Now, you will have to spend all the remaining ones with me to make up for this one."     

She was thankful that there was not enough light for him to see her crimson face at the moment. Tongue-tied, she pulled the string off the box and removed the lid.     

A delicate chain with a heart shaped red stone pendant winked at her.     

"It's beautiful. I... I love it. Thank you so much," she said shyly.     

It was the first ever gift which he had given her and she could hear her heart fluttering inside liked a caged bird.     

"I am sorry. I could only afford this with my internship salary this time. I promise to get you a better present for your sixteenth birthday, maybe something in yellow," he said huskily, referring to the gold bangle which one could offer as a means of proposal.     

She felt tears well up in her eyes. He really was a wonderful guy for not holding a grudge or waiting for her to come and apologise to him for her absence or her cancelling of the date.     

"This is perfect. I wouldn't trade it for the biggest gem in the whole world," her voice trembled with emotions.     

Giving into the impulse, she stretched on her toes and hugged him tightly. Yash went rigid as her soft body pressed into his. Gathering her in his arms, he moved closer. With her encased in his embrace, he turned around so that his back was against the tree trunk now. He didn't want that her skin should get gazed by the tree's bark. The branches surrounded them, making it feel like a cocoon, hidden from everyone's eyes. He could feel her warm breath on his neck. It was an innocent hug but his body found it as a crazy turn-on. He couldn't help himself and nipped her collarbone. Mriga nearly jumped in surprise but he held her firmly and placed a finger on her lips. He could hear her shallow breaths now or were they his?     

"It's moving too fast. I will not be able to hold myself back like this. And THIS is not the place to lose control..." he chastised himself.     

Removing his finger, he dropped a swift but hard kiss on her lips. He could hear the sharp intake of her breath. His senses protested on not been given the opportunity to taste the flavour and texture of her mouth but he didn't give into the temptation. He raised his hands to push her away from him in order to maintain a distance between them but ended up bringing her head under his chin and holding her there. It was as if he couldn't help it. He felt bewitched. Holding his girl under the shadow of a fragrant tree in the moonlight, it was enchanting, heady!     

He murmured against her hair, "I have been wanting to say these words to you since the last semester but it is only now that I have managed to find the nerve. I don't know if you know this already or not but I lost my heart to you a long time ago. I hope that you will accept it and give it some space next to yours. Mriga, I like you, I really do."     

Still reeling from that hot open mouthed kiss, Mriga felt as drunk as she had been the night before. She wanted to jump and shout from the top of her lungs. His nearness was causing a havoc on her entire body. She pushed him away gently to create some distance between them lest she did something crazy like asking him to kiss her again or maybe bite him to see how he tasted.     

While she was lost in her heated thoughts, Yash started to palpitate because she had not said a word in response to his whispered confession. Unable to wait any longer, he tipped her chin up with his trembling fingers and looked at her keenly, trying to gauge her reaction in the darkness.     

"Is there anything you want to say to me?" he asked with an uncertain smile after a few moments.     

His lungs had just started to function again after seeing the shy expression on her face.     

"Uh, yes, I… you, I mean us… no, what I mean is…" she couldn't bring herself to say the words out loud.     

Yash laughed softly and placed his forehead against hers.     

"Let me interpret that sentence in my head. Does it mean that you like me, too?" he teased her.