Kashish's gaze travelled around and fell on the library building which stood in silence behind the tree. She smiled, that building was her go to place. A place where she would find a world away from her reality. She looked around, the gate seemed to be open. Maybe it was open and she could have a walk down the nostalgic lane or at least have a closer look at her favorite place. With quiet steps she slipped into the shadows of the tree and made her way to the building. 

Cautiously, Kashish climbed up the short flight of steps. The building seemed to be empty. She made her way up the flight of stairs. The door at the foot of the staircase was closed. Her gaze dropped to the lock. A smile crept up on her face.

The same old lock!

Mr. Iyer, the head librarian when she had passed out, probably was still in charge. She distinctively remembered his little secret. The lock was damaged. It didn't open with a key, but just by a little force, it would click open.

One morning, when she had come early to issue a book, she had noticed how the man had opened the lock — by just tugging at it. It was rather interesting.

She always fancied venturing into the library unauthorized. However, she was too scared of consequences, back then. But today, for a change, she felt thrilled. She wasn't in school now. The building was almost empty. And her fantasy, a step away. It wasn't like she was Alice and slip down a hole that would open into Wonderland.

She quickly looked around and her fingers pulled at the lock. At the second tug, the lock opened. She grinned and quickly slipped it out of the lock hole and gently pushed open the wooden door. Stepping inside, she cautiously shut the door and placed the lock on the side table where the entry register sat.

She looked into the darkness letting her eyes settle to the dark scene. Slowly the tables, chairs and shelves became visible. She turned to the right where she remembered was the light switch. She cautiously took a guess and pressed one switch. A tubelight blinked thrive before switching on, at the wall across the hall. She pulled her hand back and looked around with a thrill rushing in her blood vessels. She walked towards the shelves, her gaze twinkling looking around the dimly lit hall. The library was just as it used to be.

She started walking down the narrow passageway, crossing the rows of shelves. The scent of dust and paper-back books in the air around her. She smiled pausing at her favourite row — Fiction-Novels. 

She walked between the shelves, her eyes searching for the label slips that read the genre. She frowned, there was no labelling. Her hand picked up a book, placed it back and then another, so on and so forth. She stopped when Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was in her hand. She smiled opening the book. She quickly turned it over, remembering the small black flower she drew with a pencil at the last page's corner on the books she had read. She couldn't find any on this copy. She picked up the next book and eventually she found it.

It was as though she was back to being that teenager wanting to escape into another world altogether.

"Guilty Pleasures, huh!"

She gasped hearing the sound and the book dropped from her hand.

"Ishaan!" She gasped instantly.

"Oh, you remember!"

She chuckled. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, only you were invited?"

"I mean here — library!" She clarified.

He smiled slowly covering the distance between them. "Why should you be the only one accessing the library?"

Kashish smiled widely remembering the first time she had ran into him in the library.

* * *

"Hey!"

Kashish looked up from the book she was reading, startled. Before her stood one of the many annoying classmates, Ishaan.

Ishaam wasn't exactly the nice-good-boy kind-of guy. He was always on the field, even during most class hours. When he was in class, he would team up with Naman to annoy her. Kashish kept her interaction minimal with him. 

"Hi!" She mumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"Why? Should you be the only one accessing the library?" He grinned, and in the blink of an eye took the book from her hand.

"Hmm, pride and prejudice," He mused, looking at the cover. "Why are you girls so obsessed with these kind of books?"

Kashish very consciously snatched the book back, her cheeks colouring up. "It's, uh, well written," she muttered, quickly keeping the book back and walking ahead to the mystery section, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"Why did you keep it back? Not issuing it?" He asked pulling the book back. "Have you read it already?"

Kashsih immediately nodded, muttering a 'yes'.

"Tell me the story in short," He said.

Kashish looked up at him through her glasses. "It's P.E. hour. Shouldn't you be on the field?"

"Yeah, but I can't." He answered looking around at the books.

"Why?"

He looked up with a grin. "Because Ayub Sir is there too. He wants me to be a part of the school swimming team. I don't like swimming."

"Oh!" She mumbled.

"Can I borrow your English literature notebook? I will return it tomorrow."

Kashish swallowed the lump in her throat, fidgeting with the end of the book. "I have to do the assignment," she said remembering the assignment that was given in the morning hour.

"Okay, cool. I will take it tomorrow then?"

"Uh, my handwriting is messed up, maybe you can take someone else's."

"You have the neatest handwriting in the class Kashish! Anyway, it's okay if you don't want to give."

"I have a class to attend in ten minutes, I should issue this book and get going!" She mumbled and walked away.

* * *

"Look at that smile!" Ishaan remarked leaning against the shelf.

"You'll drop the books," Kashish mumbled, looking anywhere but at him. She had always felt extra awkward around Ishaan. Maybe because he looked cute with his boyish grin and brown eyes.

"Why did you sneak in?" He asked. Kashish instinctively began putting distance between them taking slow steps further.

"I could ask you the same thing?" She spoke, her fingers pulling out the books halfway to find one particular book.

"Hmm, dodging the question! You've changed so much."

She glanced at him. Her eyes momentarily swiping down from his face. He had changed too. The thin tall athletic boy had transformed into a handsome young man. "You've too!"

"Kashish.."

"Hmm..." She smiled looking at the small flower drawn at the corner of the last page in the book she held.

"What happened on the farewell evening..."

Kashish's smile rapidly disappeared remembering the events of the evening.

"What happened?" She feigned confusion.

Ishaan watched her intently. He took one big step and he was standing close to her. His eyes searching hers.

Kashish stared at him holding her breath, wondering if he saw through her lie. Frankly, she didn't want to ever remember that small thing that had happened in the evening of their farewell. 

After that brief conversation in the library, Ishaan's behavior towards her had changed significantly. He'd usually not talked to her when he was around his friends. But whenever he ran into her when they were not around, he would talk nicely. 

Towards the closing of the final year he'd ask her for previous years question papers, sometimes notes to xerox. 

"You remember..." He said softly.

Kashsih turned away slowly with the intention to walk ahead.

He held her hand and before she knew, her back was against the shelf with him before ever. His hand left hers, and rested on the self. His brown black eyes looked into hers.

"I have always liked you, Kashish." He said softly. "I tried getting in touch with you during the board exams and even after... your mobile was always unreachable."

Kashish's gaze drifted to his lips as he spoke. Just like it had on that evening.

* * *

Kashish hated the whole idea of wearing sarees for farewell. She was struggling in her mom's saree. To top it all they had to step up and stand on the benches for the final class photograph of their school years. She stepped up carefully but stumbled as her saree got stuck. It was probably a nail protruding out of the bench. 

"The day couldn't get any worse." She muttered to herself. She had to bend down. She hated this. She just hoped it didn't look inappropriate. 

"Need some help?" She heard a voice and looked up to find Ishaan looking at her. His gaze dropped down to her saree. "Let me.." He muttered and quickly bent down and released the cloth from the nail.

"Thanks!" She mumbled her cheeks tainting in a light pink. The pink didn't wave off as she was supposed to stand one step below him. Knowing that he wa sbehind her mad her feel weird throughout. 

Ishaan was actually a nice guy. But she got very conscious every time he spoke to her.

A while later Kashsish was making her way back to her classroom from the staff room, where she had to drop her practoce papers for Mrs.Ratna to review over the weekend. The corridors were silent and not a single student seemed to be around, as everyone was at the multipurpose hall waiting for the ceremony to start. She hurriedly wlaked down the corridor, trying to manage her saree. She was turning round the corridor when she bumped into Ishaan.

"Hey!" He greeted his hands on her shoulder. The touch was almost electric. Kashish stared into his eyes.

"Okay?" He smiled.

She nodded, her gaze drifting to his white formal shirt which was a dress code for the boys. Ishaan looked nice in formals. 

"You look beautiful!" His voice was hushed.

She smiled alittle, the top of her cheeks warmkn up quickly. She forgot to even respond to that compliment. She raised up her gaze to meet his only to find his face closer than before. He tilted his heads inching his lips close to hers. There were butterflies in her stomach. She had overheard a lot of girls gossip about their first kisses. 

Would she get her first kiss too? She glanced at his lips, her breathing becoming uneven.

He was almost close when the school bell went off marking an hour as usual. Her eyes widened with the realization and she quickly pushed his hands off her arms. 

Awkwardly, she walked past, as quickly as her saree would let her.

* * *

The library was dark, his eyes looked at her. Kashish loved the smell of his perfume, it tantalize her senses. Their eyes locked.

"I have always wanted to..." He spoke, bringing his face closer to his. "do this.." 

"What?" Kashish wanted to ask normally but it came out as a gasp. He was so close. The place was dark and so contained. He shifted closer.

"Kiss you!" He muttered, before brushing his lips overs her. His finger supported her chin making her tilt her face slightly backward. Kashish's lips parted. The moment was arousing.

He captured her lower lips between his. 

Kashish gave in and it grew into a proper kiss. 

She had always had a crush on him. The secret crush she had buried in her heart with all the practical thinking.

His hand dropped to her waist, and securely curved against it. His other hand left the shelf and his palm rested below her ear and thumb caressed her cheek. 

Kashish thoroughly loved what he was doing. The moment was sweet yet sensually arousing. It was as though a thirst of ages was being fulfilled. Her hands curved around his shoulder and them moved to his neck.

She didn't want the moment to end. It was fantastical and hot. Soon both his hands were moving on her waist. When their lips parted to let some air in between, his quickly left kisses down the trail of her neck.

Kashish let out a moan as she felt a surprise nibble near her collar bone.

"Damn, you sound so sweet!" He mumbled, sinking his teeth into the side of her neck. She gasped, grasping the collar of his shirt. Her dilated eyes lowered to his collar, to her hand. The diamond on her ring sparkled.

The sparkle seemed to be a sign of warning. She was engaged! She couldn't indulge in this. She shouldn't even be thinking of another man.

"Ishaan!" She muttered, panicking a bit, gently yet firmly pressing her palms against his shoulders.

He looked at her, his brown eyes glowing.

"I... we shouldn't..."

He smiled a little, his face aligned with hers.

Kashish could no longer look at him in the eyes. She felt guilty. She shouldn't have given into he temptation. However, Ishaan, well, he was a pending chapter. 

"You're engaged, of course!" He mumbled, as though reminding himself, catching her fidgeting with the ring on her finger. 

Kashish met his gaze, with an apologetic smile.

"Kashish Shukla, I have always had a crush on you. It's sort off very late, but I thought you should know."

Kashish was at a tight spot. She could feel her heart flutter but it also reminded her that her heart was supposed to do that for someone else. 

"I should get going..."

A full blown grin formed on his face. "Like always..."

Kashish blushed looking hither thither and slowly turned around. She took two steps away and then turned back.

"The lock is on the side table, you just have to press it to lock."

He chuckled, folding his arms. 

She smiled and turned ahead. There would be no point to tell him that she also had a tiny crush on him, would there? She bit her lower lip and then quickly looked dover her shoulder. "It was nice meeting you, again!"

"Pleasure was all mine!" Came his teasing voice followed with a soft chuckle.

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Would love to know your thoughts on it.