When nothing holds the idea of the future, something does make a difference.

When your heart isn't yours anymore, you would love to give it all.

**

The falling leaves..

The shedding greenery..

The vibrant flowers on Earth..

Cold everywhere..

Fall had finally arrived as she watched the transitioning scenery outside her room's window.

At one place when some bonds were growing stronger, the others were falling apart.

Khushi pursed her lips as she tried Mason's number for the fifteenth time today and consistently ended up being disappointed as he cut her call once again.

It had been days since he was ignoring her and she failed terribly in every attempt she made to confront him. He wouldn't even sit in his usual place behind her in class these days let alone speak to her.

That wasn't her sole reason to be disappointed though.

Kevin didn't show up ever since that day when she had got Arnav back from that parallel reality.

As per Ree's words, he had gone to Georgia to pay a visit to his ailing grandmother.

Though she believed it to be true, his absconding only added fuel to the fire of Khushi and Arnav's speculation about him being involved with Aloysius.

But she was glad about one thing that at least for the time being, her best friend Rebecca was free from his company. The future, however held a very dicey sequence in her mind, but Arnav had assured her that everything was going to be taken care of.

Even if it was just an assurance for the sake of it, she didn't mind, as long as her loved ones were safe and happy.

But what next?

That fear never abandoned her.

Agitated, she threw her phone carelessly on the bed and paced patiently in her room, mindlessly flipping through the pages of the giant book in her hand. It had been ages since she had tried solving the riddle of that Latin phrase written in her grandmother's grimoire, which she believed to be a special spell, and regardless of how much she had deciphered about the intricacies of Witchcraft until now, when it came to that spell, her efforts made no avail.

Conquer vos

Quae tua est in saeculum

Parva est pretiosa

Et inveniamus jacentem in caede

She again played the translation of the verse in her mind, parroting it like she did every time that she tried to solve the riddle.

Conquer you must, What is yours forevermore, Petty is precious, You shall discover lying in the gore.

Conquer you must, What is yours forevermore, Petty is precious, You shall discover lying in the gore.

But no, it was not helping.

And today, this wasn't the only concern or complexity that she found herself ensnared in. Taking a deep breath, she looked at the other difficult agenda in the book.

.

.

.

"The Old Castle at the Zienne Valley"

She mumbled to herself as her fingers traced the black and white picture of that ancient castle in the book.

Her eyes wandered over the words written under that context as she whispered them to herself.

"Witch burning"

"Avizhas"

"The spell of the soul switch"

"The fire that consumed.."

She felt a feeling of surprise tingle in her body as she read the keywords midst those long sentences that were printed in that book.

It only increased her doubts with the complexity of the manuscript in the book.

'How I wish it was written in some colloquial language!'

She thought.

.

But one thing was sure, that this place held a lot of secrets than one could ever think of! So many spells were discovered there, so many unknown facts and then..

'The fire that consumed so many souls.'

The thought of the fire instantly brought back those deadly flashbacks of the nightmares she had had all these months.

She gulped as she closed her eyes fighting her way back to handle her mind, to make it fit in the reality and thankfully she managed to do so with her fervent efforts.

Her powers told her that this place was somewhere located in the extreme south, fifty miles away from Verman Hills.

.

.

"Whatever!"

She muttered under her breath as she shut the book close and safely placed it inside her closet.

Letting out a deep sigh, she finally held the other normal book in her hand, which by and large was an important part of her normal life.

'English Literature'

She smiled sarcastically, taking in the drastic switch of events that were taking place these days, along with the drastic switching of her personalities from being a good natured, innocent, helpful daughter and friend to a confident, and at times neurotic witch!

She began preparing for the upcoming English test concentrating on Shakespeare's sonnets and plays which she couldn't pay any attention to in all these days thanks to all the fiascos she had to go through, when suddenly a familiar scent hit her senses and a glint of happiness appeared on her face instantaneously.

Her heart skipped a beat while she took a deep breath as she felt warm, muscular arms wrapping her in their embrace from behind, her back colliding with that hard, tout chest that she was so used to.

.

.

"Shakespeare, huh?"

He nuzzled his nose against the crook of her neck as he whispered those words into her ears in his ever famous husky tone, making her shiver feeling his warm breath on her skin.

She tickled in return as she turned to face him, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

"Aye!"

She replied, making him chuckle at her use of the old British dialect.

.

Kissing the tip of her nose, his lips claimed hers for a soft kiss as his gentle teasing hands only made her desire him even more.

Khushi ruffled his hair with her hands as she stood on her toes to reach his height and deepened the kiss while he smirked between the kisses, making her flustered all over again.

.

.

Slowly pulling away after a while, she saw him looking at her, her own eyes questioning the authenticity of this reality that he was really all hers and this wasn't a figment of her imagination.

To her surprise, he was..

Truly hers.

Teasing her with his trademark smirk, he finally took the literature book from her hand, flipping through the pages, as she now sat on her bed watching him standing some feet away from her. It was only after a while when she suddenly heard him say,

"You have witchcraft in your lips."

She tilted her head, amused by that statement when suddenly realization dawned on her head and she rolled her eyes, looking away from him, trying to control a giggle.

'Shakespeare's Henry Act V'

She asserted in her mind.

Though her mind still retained on the shield spell, she already knew that he had inferred she had got the root of his statement.

So, he wants to play love in literature with me, eh?'

'Bring it on then!'

She told herself with a competent spirit and gladly accepted the challenge Arnav unwarrantedly threw at her.

The devilish smirk still tugged on his lips, as she looked at him and said,

"Love goes by haps; Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps."

He arched an eye brow, as she said those words, the spark of being pleased with her sentence evident in those mystic eyes as he remarked,

"Much Ado About Nothing-Act 3, Scene 2."

.

Oh! So he is a strong contender, even in literature.'

She mentally noted.

But she wasn't going to let him win, always.

If he was strong, she was no weak player.

A playful smile curved her lips, as she awaited his words.

.

.

"For where thou art, there is the world itself. And where thou are not, desolation."

The playful smile slowly faded away from her lips as soon as he said the lines and she grasped the true meaning of his words.

A tinge of serenity took over her gradually as she softly replied,

"Henry IV Part 2-Act 3, Scene 2."

Arnav smiled at her, while his eyes gave her the hint of his wait for her words.

Taking a step towards him, she spoke in a low voice,

"She will die if you love her not, And she will die ere she might make her love known."

.

.

Perhaps Khushi didn't understand the depth of those words as they left her mouth. But his changing expression proved to her the gravity of them as he strode towards me, his face now adorning a serious expression.

He didn't need to answer anything to her words as she already knew that they were never meant to compete against each other.

After all, weren't they one?

Their love didn't require any definitions, as there wasn't anything needed to be explained or justified.

Maybe they were star crossed, diametrically different despite being a dweller of the same world, but that strange bond they shared required no name, no recognition, just love.

.

She was lost in the depth of those mystic eyes when he held her by her waist tight, crushing her to his chest hugging her tightly against himself.

Taking in the essence of his irresistible scent, her hands travelled over his back, feeling his toned muscular being while he caressed her keeping her close to him.

So close.

.

"I'll make my heaven in my lady's lap"

He whispered against her ear, the words from Shakespeare's Henry VI making her drown in a pool of emotions as she clutched his shirt, bringing him more closer.

Seconds later, she realized he had actually replaced the 'a' with 'my.'

And there was no way she was going to complain about it, for she knew it very well that he did it on purpose.

For her.

Because he knew that she was his, solely his.

It seemed as if they stayed that way for hours, not willing to break away from the peaceful, ecstatic embrace.

A satisfied smile playing on her lips, she reluctantly pulled away from the hug as she looked at him and said,

"I was reading Amelia's book some time ago."

.

"Mmhhmm.."

He murmured, his lips too busy kissing her cheeks.

.

.

"I ..I read about.. this old castle somewhere in the south, in Zienne Valley."

She spoke with a lot of difficulty, his teasing distracting her from her thoughts.

.

"Yeah, I have heard about it too. Long back."

He replied, finally getting back to his decent avatar as he looked at her, with a casual expression on his face.

.

"It was mysterious, you know."

She spoke as she glided her knuckles against each other and continued,

"I mean, the soul switching spell, the witch burning, the fire, etc. There's so much more, Arnav. It's so dark. Such dark magic."

.

"Yeah, I had read about it in one of my dad's grimoires. But most of it appears to be a myth. I mean, witchcraft doesn't make everything in the world possible, sunshine. It has its limitations."

He answered, tucking a tendril of her hair behind her ear.

.

"Yeah, that's true. But those soul switching things are quite fascinating, isn't it? Though I doubt its existence but its intriguing for one to wonder what it would be like, if that could really happen!"

Khushi said, as he smiled at her enthusiastic approach and finally replied after a period of brief silence,

"Yeah. That would make one the most powerful. It would be like, you can get into the skin of anyone you like. BUT.."

He stretched the last word as he held her by her shoulders and gave her a soft peck on her lips, and said,

"But only if it was real. And I know it is not. Trust me."

Khushi grinned at that while he smirked at her and they were once again lost in the depth of each other.

After whatever was happening, such happy moments were so rare.

But Khushi was only glad that they weren't extinct.

.

.

She was lost in her thoughts like always when his words brought her out of my musing,

"Be ready at 7. I will come to pick you up."

She raised her eye brows in confusion, as her eyes demanded him the solution to her confusion.

His lips curved up into that infamous lopsided smile as he spoke in a soft voice,

"It's the Ball at the college, Sunshine. You wouldn't want to give that a miss, would you?"

To say she was surprised, would be an understatement.

His words only brought her to face reality as she realized how much she had secluded herself from the normal world and trapped her entire being in a cocoon, refusing to come out ever since Arnav had gone missing a week back.

But now there was no way she was letting this isolation effect anything.

Her eyes reflecting indefinable happiness, she nodded her head in affirmation as she spoke,

"I will be ready."

He gave her a contended smile while he replied standing at the entrance of her room,

"By the way, do wear the dress I gave you."

Just when I thought one confusion was over, another popped up!'

Her brows furrowed once again as she asked him,

"What?"

.

.

She stood with a blank expression as the smug wavered his eyes towards her bed and she looked around to see a gift wrapped box lying on it.

Her mouth flung open in surprise as she turned to look at him and almost stuttered,

"H..How-How did you-?"

The smirk adorning his face, she didn't need to complete her question nor did she need to hear his answer as she thought to herself,

'When will I get used to his Warlock tricks!'

.

.

"Sharp at 7! Don't forget!"

The devil mocked a threat to her with a wink as his crooked smile tugged at his lips and within seconds he made his way downstairs disappearing in no time as she saw the curtains swaying on their own accord, marking his departure.

*

The Time.

The Change..

The Transition..

The Contrast..

Her steps followed their own accord as she walked with the Devil, their fingers entwined while her eyes worshipped the magnificent grandeur of the beautifully decorated South Eastern Verman College on the eve of Founder's Ball.

The cascades of the incandescent lights surrounded them, as she looked at the fairy lights wrapped around the green trees that marked their own zeal in a unique way.

Khushi looked at the white corsage on her wrist, deeply engrossed in her thoughts when suddenly her eyes fell on Mason talking to one of their classmates standing at one corner.

He would have certainly noticed her from the corner of his eyes, but he behaved as if Khushi wasn't there at all and quickly changed his course leaving her baffled.

No matter how hard she tried to dispel the uneasiness, it only contributed in augmenting the pain of this broken bond.

But thankfully, she was soon distracted as Ree made her way towards them and in her usual chirpy tone said,

"Good to see you guys together again. So, I guess the fight is over, hmm?"

Khushi managed to only smile at her words, whereas to her surprise, Arnav spoke in a soft and polite tone,

"That's right Rebecca. It had to be over after all, it's difficult to stay apart from your best friend for long, you know."

He smirked as he kissed the back of Khushi's palm, making Ree shower them with her 'Awws' and 'So Romantic!' pickup lines and gasps.

Even Khushi couldn't control the scarlet shade rising up her cheeks without a forewarning.

.

"Well, so when is Kevin coming back?"

Arnav finally asked her, though the motive behind that question wasn't easy for Ree to grasp.

"Oh! He must be back by next week."

She replied gleefully.

.

Arnav and Khushi shared a glance at each other, conveying to one another what and how they had to prepare themselves for what was coming.

"Cool."

Khushi said to Ree as she watched her best friend dance her way to another group of people giving them her brightest smile, leaving Khushi and Arnav to spend some quality time with each other.

.

Millions of emotions radiated through her body as she held one side of the Ivory gown, slightly lifting the hem of it to get up on the dance floor, thinking about the contrast of events, months ago till date.

The Fresher's eve, where she was so hesitant, reluctant and ..

Heart Broken

And then it was today, this evening.

Her and Him.

Their fingers entwined..

Khushi's lips curved up into a smile as she realized the striking contrast and transformation from then and now while Arnav lightly squeezed her hand, turning her to face him on the dance floor.

.

.

"May I have this dance?"

He asked her playfully in his perfect husky voice, making her only fall for him all over again.

She looked at him as she deeply took in every feature of his, in the attire of the perfect black suit; his chiselled jaws, his gelled hairdo, the olive complexion, the taut chest, his smooth lips and his molten brown eyes.

It was still difficult for Khushi to believe that they had come so far in life, together, after whatever had happened.

Her face lit up with a big smile, giving him her answer through that smile as he held her by her waist, his other hand clasped with hers as they began to slowly sway their bodies to that soft tune coming their way.

And in that one moment, the regret she had on missing out on their Salsa performance together, vanished. Because this was far more intimate and synchronized than they had ever been together in their lives.

He twirled her with his hand, bringing her closer to him as the music now changed and they kept looking into each other's eyes, moving slowly in the accord of the beats..

"Thirty seconds to Mars"

She whispered softly as she heard that familiar song of one of her favorite bands being played.

He smiled at her as they switched their positions and softly replied,

"Hurricane"

Yes, that was the song's name.

Khushi reciprocated the smile as she thought how true this song suited their own scenario.

The Hurricane was really coming up, in a different disguise though, but they could already foresee it.

Would they be able to overcome it?

That was a million dollar question!

.

She rested her head on his chest as they continued to sway their bodies as per the beats of the music, while her mind wandered to grasp the words, the lyrics as the song became louder and the dance floor became further crowded.

But despite the heavy crowd, Khushi's mind was in solace. And right there it began. Her own monologue.

And she stepped into a horizon, where she did confess things to herself, some of which she hadn't even penned down in her journal.

'No matter how many time you told me you wanted to leave..'

He did want to leave, didn't he?

He hated me, resented me. If not for Meredith then for the fact that I affected him, but then why didn't he leave?

'No matter how many breaths that you took, you still couldn't breathe..'

Yes, I couldn't breathe.

Without him.

How could I?

When he was the reason for my life, my every single breath.

'No matter how many nights that you lie wide awake to the sound of poison rain..'

Those sleepless nights!

How could I forget them?

Every single night, every single nightmare, every single moment that I was wide awake, looking for answers that were so hard to find..

'Where did you go? As days go by, the night's on fire..'

The fire..

The violet roses..

That dreadful sight..

Was it just a nightmare?

I wouldn't let him go anywhere, I knew that already.

'Tell me would you kill, to save a life?'

I knew he would, kill anyone who would even dare to come between us.

And so would I..

Even if that meant sacrificing my own being.

It didn't matter, as long as our love remained immortal.

'Tell me would you kill, to prove you're right?'

The righteous had to be brought under light.

It was possible only with the death of Aloysius, there was no denial to that.

'Crash, Crash burn.. Let it all burn

This Hurricane's chasing us all underground..'

What did that mean?

The flames?

The fire?

The fury?

Where was this hurricane supposed to lead us?

How?

When?

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdJDPepGOAM[/YOUTUBE]

There were so many questions in her mind yet again but no answers, as he twirled her one more time and she buried her face in his chest, holding onto him, her fears taking a toll over her.

Arnav knew she was not feeling right.

After spending so much time with her, he was not just acquainted with her breaths, but somehow knew how every cell of her body functioned. He could already fee her tense and no matter what, she was his priority. Always.

She felt his hand caressing her hair as he pulled her closer to him, stroking her face, as he softly whispered in her ear,

"You want to call it a night?"

.

No, she didn't want this to end.

She wanted to be with him, forever.

In peace.

.

She shook her head in negative, her face still buried in his embrace.

She could sense a small smile in his tone as he softly spoke,

"Ssshh. No need to lie Sunshine. Come with me. I want to take you somewhere.."

Khushi lifted her head, her eyes meeting his intense gaze as his fingers played with the strands of her hair intimately and a small smile finally lit up her face.

.

She locked her arm with his as his eyes still remained fixed on her and he ushered her with him outside the dance floor, leading her to the parking lot, where his car was waiting for them.

**