The Owl Tattoo

Chapter 6

I felt like a total spoilt brat the moment I left. I wanted to find a way to take it back but there really wasn't any. I came back home and even Afraa texting didn't make me feel better about it. When I hadn't replied to her fifth message, she called me.

"Pri, you there?"

"Uh huh. Hi", I mutter.

"Everything okay? Are you busy?"

"Not really, no. I was just lying down. What's up with you?"

"Priyanka, what's the matter? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened."

After a period of both of us keeping quiet, she said, "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

I weighed her words for a while and decided to tell her what happened. And then I did. It was her turn to keep silent now. Every passing moment ticked away with the last dredges of my patience with these siblings.

"Afraa, are you still here?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Well, why doesn't your brother know you date non-male people?"

"Umm...I...never told him about it?"

"Well, that's none of my business but ask him to mind his manners when he feels like I am unworthy of your time", I say and hang up. I switch off my cell and give myself time to simmer down before my classes tomorrow.

Next morning I shove my still switched-off phone inside my purse and go to attend the few classes I had. It was a light day and I had plans to meet Afraa at the mall near her college. At this point however, I was too angry at her to travel for an hour to meet her. My friends pestered me the whole time, asking me what was wrong. I was really happy I had those idiots or else I'd have sulked the entire day.

It was only thanks to those fools of mine that I was liberated enough to smile at Afraa when I found her waiting at my college gate when my classes got over. I walked over to her and she was smart enough to look guilty. She spoke before I could, "I'm so sorry. I almost killed Slok after you hung up. I can't believe he could be so stupid to say those words."

I looked at her in disbelief. She didn't not believe me. She hadn't said that those words didn't mean what I thought they meant. She didn't try to defend Slok. As much as I could see, she was genuinely displeased. I shook my head when she cocked hers at me and I said, "C'mon, let's get something to eat." As we walked away, I could feel the glare of my guys on my back. Tomorrow I was going to have to answer why I hadn't introduced them to the hot girl. But, lay off, dudes, she's my date!

It was a good day, after all. We went to different shops in and around the mall that was nearer to my college. Afraa paid for a bracelet I liked. When I protested a bit too much she shut me up with, "I'm going to buy you this. It'd make me really happy if you let me." I blushed too furiously to protest anymore. She smiled at the rising heat in my cheeks and put the bracelet in my purse. I was elated at the way the evening was proceeding without any mention of my date's brother. To be honest I was dreading the moment Slok would come up. And come up, he did.

"Pri, Slok is sorry. He wanted to apologize to you but you haven't been receiving any calls. He really is sorry."

"Afraa, he was a really bad guy on a really good day of my life. I'll call him when I'm ready to talk to him again. Okay?"

"Okay. Fair enough. Come on, let's grab some dinner and we'll head home."

"So soon?" I sounded pathetic even to myself.

"It's late. I have a long way to go back. We'll spend more time together this weekend, okay?"

I agree, mostly because there really was no other thing for me to do. It wasn't like I could offer for her to stay at my place: a small flat with five other girls. It sucked to be a student if you weren't in your hometown. But then again I'd be in deep trouble if I wanted to date girls whilst being in my hometown. So, all in all, it was alright, I guess.

After we had our dinner, we waited for a bit for Afraa's bus to arrive. In between idle and useless chitchat, she said something that made it impossible for me to sleep that night. She sprung it on me like it wasn't something important and laughed outright at my shocked expression. And while she waited for a reply, I scolded my brain to form any coherent sentence. In the end, I came up with, "Yes, yes, of course, we are."

Her smile made me feel guilty for having made her feel culpable earlier. I smiled back at her when she squeezed my hand which she had in hers. As her bus came into view, she finally said, "I'm glad we are on the same page. I'll see you this weekend."

I nodded and for the first time that day switched on my phone to text her.

Late at night when I tossed and turned in my bed, too giddy with happiness to sleep, her words kept on playing themselves over and over in my head.

"Priyanka, we are in for the long run, right?"

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