Talk of the Town

30 //

A week passes by.

Shray used to call her everyday, an hour or two after she was done with work. She'd sit on the beach and talk to him about her day and his. What was started as a way to know each other all over again, became a habit and an expectation. And the past week, Miraya was disappointed every day.

Shray never called.

He used to send her these random sweet texts from time to time enquiring if she reached home safely, if she had her meals or if she slept well the previous night. He would also gently remind her not to drink coffee on an empty stomach and to never skip her breakfast. At first, Miraya had thought of it as sweet yet unnecessary. Only now she knows how much those small gestures actually meant to her.

Now all she receives are apology texts stating that he is so tired and has no time. Occasionally, vain promises of calling her the next day were made but never kept.

It's not like they have to let each other know what they do or talk to each other everyday. It is not necessary for a couple in love and it's most definitely not necessary for Shray and Miraya.

But still.

Miraya felt uneasy throughout the week. She felt empty, as if she missed something she didn't even know what. That dull but sure throb in her heart made it difficult to be enthusiastic about anything. She just wanted to snuggle in bed all day and do nothing.

Pressing her feet deeper into the sand, she walks forward, searching for a quiet place to sit down. The beach is abnormally crowded today. As she scans the place, her phone rings. Immediately, as if her reflexes were on fire, she answers and presses the phone to her ear.

"Shray!"

There is silence at the other end but quickly, a booming laughter screeches its way into her ear. "I am not your soon-to-be husband, Miss Miraya. Might I remind you to check the caller ID before assuming it's him? Might I also remind you that you have a best friend named Kishore who lives in Germany?"

Miraya presses her lips into a thin line. "What do you want?" she asks.

"Ouch. Rude. I'll forgive you because I know you are cranky because you miss him."

"I don't miss him. I just had a long day at work."

"You seem to be having long days at work everyday this week," Kishore says, the smirk in his voice bleeding through the phone.

"Shut up."

"Okay, Mira. Can you push Shray off your mind for a few minutes because I have something to tell you. I've been wanting to talk to you about this for quite a while but it just kept postponing for some reason. I don't like keeping this from you for so long."

Miraya spots a place on the beach and drops her sneakers, next to which she seats herself. "Tell me. I am very curious now."

"I have one good news and one...okayish news. Which one first?"

"Okayish one, please."

"So... Radhi dropped out of college."

"What? Why?"

"It became a huge problem. Ma was super angry. My Aunt and Uncle advised against it. In fact, everyone did but Radhi was stubborn. She just went ahead and quit college," Kishore says. "But she has a plan, though. Her friend's mother is a makeup artist. She wants to spend a year working in her studio, learning and earning at the same time. Then she wants to open her own beauty salon."

"Seems like a good plan. She hasn't lost sense of purpose. In fact, she is very strong about what she wants to do. It's a good thing that she got the courage to do it despite what others say."