Meet Me in the Middle

Chapter 22

8 December 2018

"I don't think you understand! We need dim lights! What's the point of candles if we don't dim the lights!?"

I look to my left and Sicko is shouting at someone in the distance. He has his arm around Nandini and she's whispering something to me. I have a hard time focusing on what she's saying but I nod to her.

I feel a presence to my right and look down to see an arm around my waist. Who is it?

I look towards right and come face to face with him. He grins at me and minutely tightens his hold on me. To his right, Pari continues to yell at Monku while he blocks her out.

I look towards the front and there's a chocolate cake with cherries and two mini candles on it.

"Why is there a chocolate cake?" I ask him and Sicko yells again.

"He's the birthday boy. He likes chocolate! We all like chocolate! Shut your weird mouth!"

He frowns at Sicko and yells at him over me, grinning the whole time "You watch how you talk to her!"

"She was my girlfriend first! Right, Aish?"

I look towards him and nod as Nandini smacks his head.

It all goes silent when the lights dim. I look around but the surroundings are too unfamiliar. I feel his voice close to my ear all of a sudden. "You okay?" I turn towards him and run a hand through his hair, fixing it.

Everyone stands, surrounding the table. Pari finally manages to hit Monku on his head with a plastic ball she found somewhere. I light the candles on auto-pilot. I always light the candles on birthdays.

He pulls me back as I try to go to the corner and keeps me next to him. He's in a conversation with Nandini and she smiles at me as she shifts to make space for me.

He bends down and blows out the candles as Pari starts shouting. It's a good day.

The lights come back on and he cuts a piece of cake. He moves to feed the first piece to me. That's weird. I'm never offered the first bite of birthday cakes.

The cake doesn't taste chocolaty. In fact, it tastes like strawberries and I tell that to Nandini. She replies with a simple, "You used to love strawberry flavour back in school, remember? You ate it till you got fed up of it. I got it from that baker in Jhansi you used to love. He told me all about your Barbie birthday cake as well."

He pulls me back and feeds me and then hugs me. I cut off a piece of cake and feed it to him and kiss him on the cheek.

"Happy birthday, Samar."

"Thanks baby."

I wake up with a gasp. Did I just have a dream?

*******

I practically bounce my way to the canteen. I spot Samar standing near the entrance and he smiles when he spots me. I scurry towards him as he gives me a confused but amused look.

He holds his hand out and I jump up and hug him, ignoring his little 'oomph'. I feel him smile on my shoulder and he finally holds me back.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this, but I was asking for your water bottle to fill it up. Knowing you, it's empty already."

I immediately let go of him and clear my throat. "Oh, okay."

He smiles and tries to ruffle my hair again as I swat his hand away. He comes back after refilling the bottle and starts walking towards the entrance of administration building. To it's right was the tunnel, which led to the parking lot on it's left and NRI and International hostels where Avi lived, on it's right.