Warmth

It took him 7 days of travelling in the boat to experience sea sickness and he was least expecting it. The underbelly of the boat was cold and suffocating.so like most days he sat on the deck with his friends and stared at the vast expanse of the sea . but today his eyes were  unfocussed,looking at nothing. He could feel his friends' fleeting stares in his direction. Everything seemed washed out, less colourful-blame the blazing sun! It actually hurt his eyes.the same 5 people sat with him today,yet 5 seemed too less in his eyes.  Mind addled with tiredness,he didnt give much thought to that feeling of incompleteness. Another few days under the sun on the boat,and he would surely lose his mind.
At noon, his best friend found him lying against the rucksacks piled on the deck,eyes closed.cap lowered to shield his eyes.. in no time the girls on the deck, Sona and Erilyn started fusing over him..he was too tired to acknowledge even this. By nature,he hated asking for help. Surely the nausea would soon pass!
Erilyn took one look at his face, gave him the required medicine,an quietly left the deck. He welomed her absence. The well meaning  girl was a bundle of energy which he couldnt deal with right at that time. And Sona wasnt a close friend. Surely he couldnt tell her he was feeling cold under the sun! She would kick start her Mother Hen duties like she always did. He closed his eyes again.
He didnt know how long his peace lasted. He could hear Erilyn's voice rising.And then he  felt it.
His eyes we still closed but he knew she was there.  He peeked from under his eyelids,and there she was, almost crawling up on the deck silently so as to not disturb him.he saw the way she looked his way, half worried,half relieved. Sona  must have seen it too,for she immediately patted her head and cleared the deck.Even after Sona and Erilyn moved away,She kept her distance ,like usual. He didnt mind. Too many prying eyes.
He kept looking at her,pretending to be asleep.She was unaware she was being watched. Her presence was enough for him. He swore everything wasnt so washed out and dull. And he wasnt that cold anymore. The medicine didnt do that now,did it?
Even from a distance ,Light was what she projected
and Warmth was what she provided.