Charms and Fantasies (ON HOLD)

4|| Friday nights means chilling

"You stop being nice, Ritesh."

🌀

"I am having a movie night today," said Suhana dreamily, "with popcorns, donuts, and Coca Cola."

"I know," Ruhi said thoughtfully, "where I can meet you tomorrow."

Their school was done for today. They were out of their school premises. Cosmic High School covered a huge acre of land. The school was at the end of the land though it took three fourth part of it. The left part was dedicated to football and cricket ground and their locker rooms. Suhana and Ruhi were having an extensive discussion about their Friday nights while their way back home.

"Where?" asked Suhana vaguely.

"At the hospital, of course." Ruhi suppressed her giggle and kept her face straight. In a blink, Suhana's face morphed into a furious expression. So quick that one might think that they had hallucinated.

"You!" thundered Suhana. Ruhi swiftly broke into a run as Suhana ran behind her. The empty school premise echoed with the sound of Ruhi's happy giggles and Suhana's angry footsteps. Suhana came to a sudden stop as Ruhi crashed with a male figure. The male figure was none other than their swore nemesis, Vivaan Mishra.

Ruhi fell with a cry of horror which soon turned into howls of pain. Her bag fell from her shoulder with a loud thud. Before her head could hit the ground, a male quickly sat down preventing the hit as her head fell on his lap.

"You alright?" asked Ritesh worriedly. He helped Ruhi sit up.

"Fine. I guess." She took Ritesh's hand and stood up and dusted the dirt off her school uniform. Suhana glowered intently at Vivaan.

"Don't you have eyes?!" Suhana exaggerated by gesturing a lot with her hands.

"I have eyes," said Vivaan wearily, "but your friend doesn't. Now, please don't even start. I am too tired to have a row with you."

"You push me and now you are saying that 'I am too tired to have a row with you' and now you think you can just waltz out of it?!" Ruhi scowled at him, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Vivaan sighed wearily.

"I am done with you two's child-like behaviors. I am going."

He started walking towards the main school building.

"The audacity!" Ruhi said angrily at his retreating figure.

:Come on. Let's go." Ritesh dragged Ruhi and Suhana with him. He knew Vivaan was right. It wasn't his fault that Ruhi crashed into him. She wasn't looking and that's why she ran straight into him. Vivaan genuinely looked tired and Ruhi shouldn't have made chaos out of it by accusing him. But Ritesh knew better than to say.

"Why did you drag me?" Ruhi fumed in anger. "I would have given that brat a piece of my mind."

"Calm down, Ruhi. You don't want to argue with him, do you?" Ritesh tried reasoning with her.

"Of course, I want to. I want to tell him that he is an absolute jerk. A spoiled brat. The world doesn't revolve around Vivaan Mishra!"

"He is a brat. You said so yourself. What is the point in arguing with a jerk? He won't understand simply."

"I would have slapped some sense into him," intervened Suhana.

"Oh, stop being violent."

"You stop being nice, Ritesh."

"I am not. I am only saying what's right," Ritesh countered back. "Now, stop chewing my head and walk in absolute peace and silence. Not a word about Vivaan."

"But Vivaa--"

"I said not a word about him, Ruhi."

Ruhi nodded gloomily as they started following him reluctantly out of school premises.

"Would you two like to have some ice cream?" The sudden sweet proposal from Ritesh took them by surprise.

"Uh-yeah?" Ruhi answered, albeit it came out more like a question. Ritesh smiled at them and walked towards the confectionery store near their school: Hazel Confectionery. He didn't enter through the main door instead entered the small door at the side of it. The store was divided into two parts- one selling cakes and the other selling ice-creams. He came out of the store with two vanilla ice-creams and a chocolate ice cream.

"Here." He handed Suhana the chocolate ice cream and Ruhi the vanilla one. Ruhi's eyes lit up like a child who had just received a soft teddy. Suhana saw Ritesh's eyes shining with adoration while looking at Ruhi. A small smile painted on his lips. A thought sprang in her mind: Does he like her?

Suhana dismissed her absurd assumptions and instead concentrated on her ice cream. They walked leisurely while licking their ice cream. Their school was not far away from their houses, barely 10 minutes or so. Their school was at Praça da Igreja.

"Thank you," Suhana said suddenly. Ritesh raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"For the ice cream," added Suhana quickly.

"No need to be so formal. We are friends, aren't we?" Ritesh smiled at her. Suhana's heart fluttered. She instantaneously shook her head and tried to diminish the weird sensations and tingles in her body.

Do I like Ritesh? Out of all people have I fallen for Ritesh D'Souza? Her head buzzed with so many thoughts but she failed to find an answer to any.

"This is where we separate ways," said Ritesh as he made his way towards Fontainhas. Ruhi and Suhana waved him bye. Ruhi walked for another few minutes before she parted ways as well and went towards Luís de Menezes Road. Suhana had to walk for another few minutes to reach 18th June Road. She waved at her as she made her way home. Her head still buzzing with her sudden realization of her feelings towards Ritesh.

What if he didn't feel the same way? What if it ruined their friendship? Paranoia invaded her mind. Her steps became slower and aimless. A lot of what-ifs swarmed her mind. She was scared. Scared that her stupid feelings would ruin everything; their friendship, trust, and every possible thing. She wanted nothing more than her feelings to go away but it was not that easy.

She had to get ride-off the feelings and she was determined.

A/N- I have an annual exam coming in less than a week and I here writing this instead of studying. It took me two hours to find a name of a street in Goa that wasn't very far from each other. And I found it at last. Yay! After a lot of pestering from my friends, here's a new chapter. I had never been to Goa so if I write anything wrong regarding the streets, please do tell me. Don't forget to vote and comment!

P.S- Fontainhas is so beautiful!! If I get a job in the future, I am going to buy a house there.