The Chocolate Boy (Book One)

Chapter 12: MI: Mission Impression - The Hangouts : Part 5

Ishan would have definitely said that up there.

*Unedited*

Chapter 12: MI: Mission Impression - The Hangouts : Part 5

Krrish had brought us permission slips to leave for home early from God-knows-which-Godsent teacher and we left the school on Ishan's cycle.

This time, I was the one riding it since he was tired out. So naturally I took us to my place.

Once in my room, he plopped down on my bed and looked around.

That simple action made me suddenly very conscious of the stark difference between our moderately well off household and his posh one.

"Erm...it's not much.... I shouldn't have brought you here, you probably don't like it and obviously I don't have a kitchen in my room and -"

"Tuhin?"

"What?" I scowled.

"Shut up," he smiled, a genuine one at that, for the first time since morning, much to my relief and said, "I love it here. Even the first time, I did. When my parents take me to their friends' house, I find those attractive and posh and stuff, yeah but this is different. This has a homely feeling unlike them."

He paused and bounced on my bed. "Now get me some spare clothes that I can change into. And a first aid kit might do good."

Awkwardly, I went to my wardrobe and started rummaging inside. He was shorter and skinnier than me so I searched for one of my smallest fitting pairs of shorts and t-shirt. Ma had given away most of them to Benu Di for her son but surely, one or two must be lurking here and there.

But thanks to my unfortunate self, I couldn't find them and settled to hand Ishan a pair of my regular shorts and tee along with some Dettol, cotton, Boroline and band aid.

"You want me to help clean those?"

His eyes widened at that. "No..no I'll be fine by myself. I'm used to it, remember?"

"Okay. The bathroom is .... you know where," I sighed at the memory.

"Definitely," he smirked.

***

I had already changed and had been half-sitting with my back against the headboard of the bed.

"Umm... do you think you have something for a bruise?"

I opened my eyes to look at him and couldn't help but grimace and smile at the same time.

He looked insanely cute in my clothes, which were large and baggy for him, but then, the band aids and white specks of Boroline here and there didn't make it a much pretty sight.

Cute? Again? What's wrong with me? This wasn't meant to happen. Again.

I nodded at my table on which stood a bottle of Volini spray that I regularly needed to relax my stiff muscles after practice, and closed my eyes. I was too tired.

The bed dipped beside me.

"Can I sleep here?" I heard him ask me.

"Do whatever you want without disturbing me."

"Whatever I want, eh?"

I could feel him smirking beside me.

"I'm tired, Ishan. So are you."

"Okay. We'll save that for later," he chuckled.

"Pervert."

"At your service," all of a sudden, I felt arms around my torso. Soon enough, Ishan's body was lightly pressed up against my side. A light panic started to build up inside me. It wasn't anything intense but I didn't want to throw up and ride out another panic attack yet again.

"Ish... Ishan?"

"Hmm?"

"Move."

He creaked an eye open and looked up at me. Surely my face had some distraught expression and he scrambled away from me as far as possible.

"Oh my God! Sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean that to happen," he looked at me with teary eyes.

Even I felt sorry for him. Why the hell can't my mind and body work in sync? His small frame on my body had felt good but I just had to panic.

Great. Fucking great.

But why was I feeling -

Feelings that are not good for me. He's making me feel awful things. Ignore them. Push him away.

"Are you okay now?" he squeaked.

"I guess yeah," I said as my breathing evened out. "Just don't do that again."

He nodded and turned the other side. I soon drifted off to sleep.

***

"Baba?" I smiled at the sight of him.

"Tuhin," the older man looked up at me happily and held his arms open while I jumped into them.

"I've missed you so much!"

He looked at me with a sad smile. "I know. I've missed you too. Come on, let's go on a ride."

"To?" I asked happily. Rides with Baba were always fun.

"Hell," my father hissed as his eyes turned bloodshot and he laughed like a possessed person.

I backed off, afraid, but his hands were already closing in on my throat, suffocating me.

"Baba, you're hurting me," I cried.

"You deserve it. You were the one who -"

"No, I didn't," my voice was weak.

"YES. I'D STILL BE ALIVE IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU!"

He was right. Maybe I did kill him. Maybe I deserved to die. But my neck hurt a lot. My head was throbbing. I couldn't breathe -

"Tuhin, wake up!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry," I was choking.

"TUHIN!"

Have you ever tried mopping the floor of a 720 square feet flat? I did it today. Not once, but thrice.

That makes it 3×720=2160..phew!

My right hand is paining as fuck...I'm never being a homemaker, thank you.