Kcris & Jeena

Kcris and Alaric go drinking.

Jeena in excitement, instead of replying to the text, directly calls Kcris.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping by now, Jeena?"
"How was your dinner, Kcris?"
"Wow. Question for a question... Anyway, I can't tell you how it was because..."
Jeena intervenes before Kcris can finish and goes like, "Why, Kcris? Was it so good that you are lacking words to describe your wonderful experience?"
"Stop, Stop. Jeena, stop. What track are you running your horses on?"
"Huh?... What?"
"I am not at all getting whatever you are trying to say here, Jeena."
"Very well, Kcris. Now, you can't even understand me. I'm asking how was your dinner with Alaric."
"I didn't have any dinner with Alaric, Jeena."
"Stop lying, Kcris. I know, he was in your office. Right away, you cut my call."
Kcris has a muffled laugh before she tells Jeena, "Yes, my darling. Alaric was in my office, but we didn't go for any dinner. Even up until now, I haven't had any dinner."
"But, you did cut my call for him?"
Seeing Jeena behave like a small kid who is being possessive of her friend, Kcris tries to explain to Jeena, "No, Jeena. It's not like that. I cut your call because Tessa fainted and we needed to rush her to the hospital."
"How is she now, Kcris? What happened to her?"
"Jeena, only you can be like this. You are a single, and one-of-a-kind piece. Do you know that?"
"Kcris, are you making fun of me? What do you mean by this and why are you laughing?"
"Because of you, silly girl. One moment you are pissed off at me for going to dinner with Alaric and the very next, you are worried about Tessa. Well, don't worry. She was a little dehydrated. Tessa will rest in the hospital for a day and she'll be fine."
"Okay. And what about your dinner? Aren't you gonna eat anything?"
"Tonight, I am going to the hotel. I'll eat there."
Listening to this, Jeena is worried about Kcris, so she asks Kcris if she is all right or not. In answer, Kcris tells Jeena that there is nothing to worry about because she is going there just to check some business-related things and also it's been a while since she has slept in her suite. Kcris further adds, "Jeena, I won't be having much free time for the next few weeks. There is a lot of work. I hope you can take good care of yourself and at the same time study well."
"Yes, I will. Kcris... Can I call you sometime? I mean, only sometimes. I won't disturb you much."
"Yes, of course. It may happen that I won't be able to respond at that very moment, but I will definitely call you back whenever I get some free time."
"It's okay. That's not going to be a problem. Kcris, I have been wanting to ask you something. May I?"
"Yeah. Shoot."
"You haven't talked about Ria since her adoption. How are you holding up?"
"Well... There's nothing to talk about. Aren't we supposed to forget about her? She is with her new family. Shouldn't we be happy about it?"
"Yes, Kcris. And, we are happy for her. But, you love her so much. It must be very hard for you. If you ever want to talk about anything, I am here for you."
"Thanks, Jeena. But, I am fine. It's quite late. You should sleep now. I'll also leave for the hotel. Good night, Jeena."
"Good night, Kcris."
The very next morning, it's around 10:30 a.m. when Jeena jumps out of her bed and screams, "Oh! Shit."
Ayesha, who has been silently studying at the table, turns around, places a finger on her lips, and goes like, "Shh... Not so loud, Jeena."
"Why didn't you wake me up, Ayesha?"
"I did. And that too multiple times."
"Then why wasn't I awake, Ayesha?"
"Well, your mobile phone and I are asking the same thing. Poor alarm in your phone... It finally turned off after, only god knows how many snoozes."
Jeena flounders, not knowing what to say except, "I have never slept like this before."
"Leave it, Jeena. Go and freshen up. I'll reheat your breakfast and after that, we can study together."
More than a week has passed since Jeena started living with Ayesha. Jeena is studying very hard for her exams. Lately, Kcris and Jeena haven't been talking much except for a few text messages. Tomorrow is Jeena's first exam of this semester. The subject is 'Public Relations and Corporate Communication.' Jeena wants to call Kcris, but she decides not to. The next day, Jeena and Ayesha go to give their exam. Luckily, the paper is easy and they can solve it very well. After coming back to Ayesha's condo, the first thing, the girls do is order some food as they haven't been able to eat properly since yesterday because of the exam pressure. After eating, both go to sleep on a full stomach. Later in the evening, after getting up, they make plans for revising the second subject as they have a gap of only two days. The very same night, while taking a break from her studies, Jeena ends up calling Kcris. To Jeena's surprise, a male voice answers Kcris' phone and it takes Jeena only microseconds to identify the guy and it's no one other than Alaric.
"Why are you picking up Kcris' phone? Where is she?"
The panicked voice of Jeena is answered by the calm and composed voice of Alaric which says, "Do not worry, Ms. Jeena. Kcris is fine. It's just that she passed out while drinking."
"What did you do? Did you spike her drink or something?"
Seeing how ferocious Jeena sounds, Alaric knows it would be very difficult for him to explain anything to Jeena, so he asks Jeena to turn on the video calling. Seeing Kcris passed out on a table with her head down like that, Jeena immediately asks Alaric for the location of that place. Fortunately, the place is not very far away and it takes only 20 minutes for Jeena to reach there. On reaching, Jeena asks Alaric to leave as she can take it from there. But, Alaric refuses, saying, "How can I trust Kcris with you? What if you do something to her?"
"Mr. Pioneer, I can say the same for you. And besides, Kcris and I live in the same house, which means she does trust me and definitely much more than she trusts you."
"But, Ms. Jeena, Kcris has been drinking with me which means she does trust me."
"What do you mean by 'has been drinking', Mr. Pioneer?"
"It means the same thing that you are thinking, Ms. Jeena."
"How long has it been like this?"
"Only a couple of days. But, this is new. She has never passed out before. Anyway, I can't leave Kcris like that. So, I am taking her back to my place with me."
"No, you're not, Mr. Pioneer."
" See, Ms. Jeena, I don't have any time for your trust issues. And, you also know that I won't let you take Kcris and we can't leave her here. So, the only middle path, I can think of is that you shall accompany us to my place."
During all this commotion, Kcris regains her consciousness for a few moments and that's when Jeena asks Kcris to come home with her. In answer, Kcris in a slightly disoriented and unclear voice tells Jeena, "You go away. You lie to me. I won't go anywhere with you."
And this makes Alaric laugh and taunt Jeena, "So much for the trust."
While coming here, Jeena has already informed Neil about the situation. Before Alaric could add any more insults, Neil is already there. Alaric tries to greet Neil, but Neil ignores everything and goes straight to Kcris. Neil picks Kcris in his arms and asks Jeena to help him clear the bill. Alaric, then tells them that he has already cleared the bill. After knowing this, Neil thanks Alaric and tells him that he'll take his sister home, so Alaric can leave now. Neil doesn't talk to Alaric in a bad or rude manner at all, but anyone can sense that distant feeling between them. On their way out, Neil asks Jeena if she'll come with them. In answer to this, Jeena tells Neil that she is staying at a friend's place and also requests Neil to take Kcris with him to their family house. In the parking area, Jeena helps Neil to make Kcris sit in the car. After that, Jeena asks Neil, "Why do you dislike Alaric?"
Neil gives his cunning smile before asking Jeena, "And, why do you?"
And now both, Neil and Jeena are smiling at each other.
"Ok, I'll go first. I don't like him because he always flirts with my sister even when my sister isn't interested in him at all."
Jeena is spaced out for a few seconds, so Neil asks her if anything has happened.
"Do you really think, Neil that Kcris isn't interested in him? Because from what I know... Kcris used to go on dates with him in her college time."
"I am a bit surprised to know this, Jeena. As far as I can recall, my sister barely had time to talk to anybody. She was all focused on completing her studies so that she can take care of our business as soon as possible."
"Are you sure, Neil?"
"Ninety-nine percent. After our mother's demise, my sister was very clear with her priorities. She even finished her course 8 months before the scheduled time. She wouldn't have any time for Casey let alone anyone else. Anyway, it's already very late, Jeena. I'll drop you at your friend's place."
"No, Neil. That's not needed. I drove here, so I can go by myself."
"Okay. Drive safely. And Jeena, thanks for calling me today."
The next day, around 10 in the morning, Kcris wakes up in her family house and comes down to the hall where Neil is busy doing some work on his laptop.
"How did I end up being here, Neil?"
"How about we start with you answering, how did you end up being in a bar last night?"
"How did you find me last night, Neil?"
"Your friend Jeena called last night and informed me about your adventurous night."
"Jeena knows?"
"Was she not supposed to?"
"No, Neil. Nobody was supposed to know else why would I choose to go with Alaric. Anyway, let me call Jeena first."
Kcris calls Jeena but there is no answer from the other side. Seeing the worrisome expression on his sister's face Neil goes like, "Didn't you say, Jeena is having her exams? Maybe she is in college right now."
"No, I know she doesn't have any exams today. Her exam is on the day after tomorrow. I remember from the schedule she posted on our fridge."
"Then, try calling her later. Please sister, eat something first. You haven't had any solid food since yesterday. And also, your liquid diet wasn't of any nutritional value."
Kcris goes to the kitchen and sets a plate for herself to eat with some orange juice. Kcris is eating at the dining table, when Neil tries to start a conversation with her.
"Sister."
"Huh?... What?"
" Do you like Alaric?"
"Well, he is a nice folk. Why do you ask?"
"I mean romantically?"
Listening to this, Kcris almost spits out the food she has in her mouth and goes like, "No, not at all. Why? What's the matter with you?"
"Jeena told me that you went on dates with Alaric during college days."
"Ahh! It's not like that. We ate together a couple of times in our college canteen or some restaurants near our college, but it was all by coincidence. If he calls them dates, what can I do?"
"Okay. And what about Jeena?"
"What about her, Neil?"
"Do you like her?"
"Romantically? Definitely no. But yeah, she is a good friend."
"I think, she likes you, sister, and not just as a friend."
"No, you are mistaken, Neil. She wouldn't."
"What era are you living in, sister?"
"Oh-ho! Neil. I didn't mean that way. Besides, just because she is into girls, doesn't mean she'll like me as someone more than a friend."
"Wait, What? She likes girls. Wow. If this is true, sister, I am one hundred percent sure that she likes you. The way she looks at you... The concern she has for you is not just any concern and definitely not a concern meant for friends. Trust me, sis."
"Enough with your crappy nonsense, Neil. Go back to whatever you were doing and let me have my food in peace."
Kcris decides not to go to the office today. Kcris calls Tessa to inform her that she'll be working from home. Throughout the entire day, Kcris tries calling Jeena multiple times. But, there hasn't been any response from Jeena. And this makes Kcris so irate that she finally decides to visit Jeena at Ayesha's place. To not cause any discomfort to Ayesha, Kcris texts her beforehand.
Ayesha opens the door for Kcris. In a very low voice, Kcris asks Ayesha where Jeena is. Ayesha points towards the balcony and then tells Kcris in a whispering voice that she is going to pick up the laundry. Kcris, while going towards the balcony, calls Jeena's number again. For a few seconds, the phone rings, and then Jeena silents it after knowing that it's from Kcris.