INVISIBLE STRINGS // SARAJ

a shift

Rajat grinned as he leaned back on the auto ride back home after visiting aashka, he felt like he was floating somewhere high up in the air. 

Aashka had told him she had loved him, at one point he pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. A girl like Aashka actually loved him? It seemed so foreign. 

But it was nice. Incredibly nice. 

A wide smile crept onto his face, she was his age, gujju and was incredibly sweet. She had told him how she was a complete family person, and wanted to have a big family one day as well as she had plans to work in the same field as him. It was perfect. 

But as the bus bumped along the road, Rajat's thoughts wandered. What is love, really? He thought he had it figured out. Love was caring about someone deeply. Wanting to see them happy. Laughing at their ridiculous jokes even when they weren't funny—or when they were laughing at yours.

Love was teasing someone just to see them roll their eyes, then feeling oddly satisfied by the sparkle of annoyance. It was feeling annoyed yourself when they were reckless but still standing by them anyway. It was...

He paused, frowning. Wait... when have I even done those things with Aashka?

No. No, no, no, he scolded himself. That wasn't relevant. 

Aashka was someone he could see a future with. She fit into his life logically. She liked him, she got him, and she wanted to be with him. Love didn't have to be confusing. It could be simple. It should be simple. She made him very happy and was perfect for him. 

As Rajat's auto turned onto his street, he noticed a commotion near Savi's house. Her family was piling into their car, dressed for what seemed like an evening function.

His eyes were drawn to her almost instinctively. Savi stood by the car, wearing a traditional dark blue Pathani saree. Her hair was tied back in an intricate braid, with soft curls framing her face, and her makeup was understated but perfect.

She looked... pretty.

But there was no smile on her face, something that seemed unusual for her. Then he saw her brother, Vinayak, nudge her shoulder, and a small, reluctant smile broke through as she hugged him.

Rajat's lips twitched upward unconsciously. She always smiles like that around him. Seeing her like this—radiant, yet uncharacteristically quiet—was oddly disarming.

He made a mental note to stop by and visit Vinayak later. They had always gotten along well, and it would be a good excuse to see if Savi's mood had improved. But then he hesitated, remembering the coldness between them at the end of the trip.

Would she even want to talk to him?

***

By the time Rajat reached his room, he was still thinking about Savi. The tension between them bothered him more than he expected.

She was important to him. That much he knew. Whatever this thing with Aashka was, it didn't change the fact that Savi had been there through so many stages of his life. She was annoying, yes. Teasing, infuriating even. But she mattered.

They had to fix things. They needed to stay friends. He'd tell her about Aashka eventually—find a good time and get everything back on track and normal. 

***

Savi stood in the corner of the banquet hall, sipping on her juice and surveying the crowd. The function was dragging on, and she was starting to regret coming. Her family were mingling with relatives, Vinayak was stuck with an aunt who wanted to know everything about his medical career, and she was left to fend off the persistent stares of a few guys who clearly didn't understand subtlety.