Getting to know her 2
“She became my everything. I don’t know who I am or where I came from, but she never made me understand the difficulties of such situations. She was always there and was the one who discovered my name to be Nimalaya.
She claimed I mentioned the name while I was asleep and talking to God knows who, in my dream.” Nima’s lips trembled, and tears glistened in her eyes.
Joel felt a pang in his chest at the sight of her vulnerability.
“Come here.” He said and gently wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.
Nimalaya felt the tears roll down her cheeks, but she fought back the urge to sob or cry out.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.
Joel rubbed her back and gave her the time to pull herself together.
“I have no identity. Everything concerning identification was handled by Emily. I am not even sure if my name is indeed Nimalaya. Joel, I’m so lost in the world. I don’t know who I am. Could be a spy or a bad person whose karma had struck or anything. It scares me, and I don’t know if it’s right to drag you into this kind of confused existence.” She poured her thought, and Joel pondered her every word.
Of course, his interest in her hadn’t diminished by the revelations. The fact that she trusted him with such a big secret only makes him feel special, and the strong urge to protect her had ignited in him.
“Nimalaya, your past doesn’t define you. You probably consider yourself a bad person because of your repulsion towards strangers, but note that it goes both ways. It could be that someone hurt you, and the emotions ran deep in your soul that your body built a safe mechanism to avoid getting hurt again. It could be anything.” Joel said.
“You aren’t worried? What if the one who hurts me returned? Or if it is my assumption and those I hurt come for me?” She asked in a small voice, basking in the warmth of his gentle embrace.
“Or you could be an alien that descended on the human world to capture Joel’s heart.” He joked, and Nima lightly punched his chest and pulled away from him.
“How can you joke at this moment? Who knows what….” Nima was cut short by Joel, who asked her, “who cares?”
Nima gazed at him as if she was gazing at an alien.
“Angel, I appreciate that you confide in me with this, and would also appreciate it if you understand that I’m a grown man and I know what I want. I don’t care what your past will bring later. With all this, I only want to have you more and protect you. There are so many weird things in this world, and even if you had told me that you fell from the sky, I wouldn’t take it as a lie until I meet your parents.” He said, and although touched, Nima felt there’s more to his acceptance of her mysterious life.
“So you believe in fairy tales.” Nima asked, her mood lifting from his declarations.
“I had my fair share of mystery, so yeah, I do believe in some things being of supernatural existence.” He said and gently used his thumb to wipe the tears that had streamed down Nimalaya’s cheeks.
She stared at him in silence, awe by the type of man he was. She hadn’t known him much but he made her feel happy one moment, calm the other and most cynical of it all was how her heart run marathons at his words and gestures and when she stared into his eyes as she was doing at the moment .
“Do you want me to share my biggest secret with you as well?” Joel asked in a soft tone, and Nima nodded.
He moved a bit away from her and began unbuttoningthis shirt.
Nima’s brows raised in confusion.
“Your abs are fake? Don’t tell me you’re about to remove a silicone from your abs.” She said in an amused tone.
Joel chuckled at her words while still proceeding with his action till he was done.
He turned his back to her and gently pulled down his shirt to reveal the tattoo of a mysterious shadowy figure with 2 small horns protruding at its forehead.
It looks like a creature shrouded in darkness. It looks distinct yet vivid as it’s red eyes look like they are glowing softly under the radiance of the moon.
The sight of it sent shiver down Nima’s spine. Although the tattoo looks terrifying, for some reason, it drew her in as well.
She found herself inching closer to take a closer look, and she felt this sensation that the tattoo was alive.
Her hand inch closer to pull down Joel’s shirt more, and he made it easier by removing the shirt completely, his toned back adorned by the mysterious demonic tattoo bare to Nima’s view
“It looks…..” Nima trailed off, and Joel completed her sentence by saying, “Alive right?”
“Yeah.” Nima said and gently traced the chin of the figure in the tattoo with her fingers.
Joel’s body shivered at the gestured and he quickly said, “don’t touch it.”
Nima retracted her finger and apologised. “Sorry I got carried away.”
Joel put his shirt back on himself properly while saying, “It’s alright. It’s just that I’m sensitive to any sort of touch to it.” He said, and Nimalaya’s eyes gleamed mischievously.
“So it’s like your soft spot hun?” She said in a teasing tone, and to her surpris, Joel was silent.
“Oh my God! You are blushing!” She exclaimed upon seeing Joel’s face casting downward from embarrassment.
It’s the first time he showed such a side, and Nima couldn’t help wanting to tease him more.
“Look at me. I need to take a picture.” She said, and Joel avoided eye contact, a smile on his face as he pretended to fumble with the last button of his shirt.
“I’m not blushing.” He replied.
Nima was so amused by him showing shyness that she moved closer and tried to pull his face to stare at her own.
“Look here. I need a closer look at those l cute red face…..” She paused upon realising how intimately she had held his face and how close they were at the moment.
Her breath caught in her throat as he stared at her. He had indeed blushed as his nose and ears were painted in a softer shade of red.
Her hands slowly retracted from his face, her lips slightly parted as she breathed through it.
“Beautiful.” Joel said softly, his eyes fixated on her striking blue eyes framed by her damped lashes from her earlier tears.
Nima’s lips stretched into a smile at his appreciative gaze, and before both of them realized what was happening, their face inches closer as their gaze travelled from their face to their lips.
Soon, their lips met.