Unraveling and Entangling

chapter 6

Ink had spent enough time around both of them now to have an inkling about what was going on. Pat seemed to be quite oblivious to it but Pran’s eyes failed him once in a while and that’s when you could see a glimpse of his feelings and the hurt it was causing him. She had a glimmer of hope that if Pat just realized his own feelings, both of them could create something wonderful together. To everyone else, they might be rivals but in Ink’s eyes, they were two magnets inadvertently pushing and pulling at each other but never leaving each other's magnetic field.

She had been considering for a few days if she should let fate and life take its course and see what happens or should she give them a tiny little nudge in the right direction?

That was a pretty significant decision for a friend to make on their behalf so she could use a second opinion. She had heard a lot of stories about his sister from Pat and it seemed like Pat’s little sister was smarter than him. Maybe she could give Ink the right insight she needed into their life to make this decision. So when, one day, the siblings were bickering over lunch during their break, she went ahead and asked if she could join them.

Ink was right. Pa was smarter than Pat and prettier as well. She had to get to know her better before Ink could get to the questions that she wanted to ask Pa. So she started spending more lunch breaks with Pa and Pat together, trying to befriend her. Pa was different from her brother, she was more aware of her surroundings and people, sassier than him and looked cuter in glasses than him as well. But there were also similarities like their shared clumsiness and the blissful ignorance of their subconscious reactions to others around them.

It was almost two months later when Ink deemed her and Pa close enough to talk about The Rivals and their Rivalry. Pat had invited her to his house for some help with his science project that Ink knew he didn't need.

The visit was on a Saturday afternoon so they could start their projects together and then complete them through the weekend. Ink was welcomed by their mother who seemed to be a sweetheart and was happy to have one of Pa and Pat’s mutual friends over for a visit. They spent the afternoon working on their projects in the living room as Pat’s room was a mess and she didn’t want to make it worse with the scraps from their projects. Pa had brought some snacks for them and sat beside them working on her own homework. The whole setting felt really comfortable and Ink was happy that she had made some remarkable friends.

By the time they were halfway through their projects, it was already dinner time and Ink was invited to join. Pat and Pa’s father joined them. Everyone talked about their day while enjoying the delicious food. Ink couldn’t stop complimenting the dishes and Pat looked proud of his friend and his mother. They cleared the table together and when she insisted on helping with the dishes, she was waved off to enjoy her friends’ company. Pat was on the phone with another friend and she was finally alone with Pa in the backyard when she steered the conversation towards the topic that she had wanted to bring up all day. Pa was onboard with her that there was something simmering between them and if left undisturbed, it might take years or decades for those idiots to figure their shit out.

Within 10 minutes, a plan was formed and both the girls were giggling under the dimming daylight surrounded by fragrant plants. Ink might have found her new partner in crime.

Pran had never openly talked to her about his sexuality but ink was somewhat sure that he liked boys. Or at least one boy specifically. But she had to talk to him first before assuming and let him know that it was a safe space between them, and she would be all ears if he ever wanted to share this part of his life with her. So during one of their lunch breaks that they were spending together in the classroom, she mustered up all of her courage, as it was a big step for her, and came out to him. He didn’t seem surprised though, just happy that Ink deemed him safe and close enough of a friend to share this with him.
“I’ll be here if you ever need to talk about anything.” Pran had said, his eyes sincere.
“I know. Thank you Pran.” Ink had returned his sincerity.
“I’m guessing you already figured out about me?” he asked and Ink was surprised because sometimes she forgot how observant Pran was.
“Yeah.” She smiled wide and Pran beamed his dimples back at her.

“So can I be that annoying friend that introduces you to one of my other friend who might be interested in you?” and now Pran was a little surprised and a lot flustered.

She assured him that Tao was a perfect gentleman and they both could start as friends and see where things go from there. This way he could at least have a friend who understood some things that others couldn’t. After some more convincing, he agreed to save Tao’s number and to message him when and if he felt comfortable.

Plan was finally in action.