The Wrong Indian Flag | LGBTQ+[ON HOLD]

|5| to friendships and daydreaming

Alisha stands there in a light pink top tucked into her jeans shorts with her hair pinned back into two half fishtail braids. She is holding a pile of clothing. She gives me a large grin when she sees me. "Hey, Shilpa. I just remembered I didn't return the clothes I borrowed last week. I also wanted to return your notes to you. So...here." She thrusts the folded clothes with the notebooks beneath them to me.

I grab them and give her a small returning smile. "Thanks."

Alisha tucks her hands into the pockets of her shorts. "So...I was wondering. Uh...if you were free you want to go to the mall and watch a movie? It could be fun. It would help me relax a bit. I've been a bit stressed about the whole luggage situation which finally got sorted out today."

I open the door to reveal Tara on my bed, avidly listening to the exchange.

"Oh. You have company. I didn't realize." Alisha immediately dons on a neutral expression, her tone immediately becoming cooler and more restrained.

"Yeah, Tara came over and I haven't been spending much time with her so I thought I would."

"Yeah...no. I get it. It's cool. Text me later?"

I nod.

Before Alisha can leave, Tara jumps from the bed and rushes over to her.

"Hey, wait up. I think it's about time we formally met. I feel like we've just been dodging each other waiting for Shilpa to introduce us because she is our common link. I have decided, however, it is time to take things into my own hands. I'm Tara Mohand, Shilpa's best friend." Tara sticks her hand out, as she runs her gaze over Alisha in a slightly snarky way.

I wince. Tara could be a little dramatic and overshare too much sometimes. 

Alisha whirls around and clasps Tara's hand, returning her judgmental gaze. "Alisha Malhotra. It's nice to meet you finally. Shilpa talks a lot about you."

Tara pulls her hand away and crosses it under her chest. "Damn right she does. I'm cool and awesome as shit. I've heard quite a bit about you too. It's great I finally get to meet you. I am surprised we haven't already. I finally figured out Shilpa here has been intentionally keeping us apart."

Alisha quirks her eyebrows up at me. "Is that true?"

I shrug. "Kind of?"

 I would have loved nothing more than to introduce the pair. Yet, whenever I made an effort to make new friends, Tara tended to be too overprotective and sometimes way too jealous and territorial which was suffocating at times. I didn't want the same to happen with Alisha.

Tara and Alisha both roll their eyes heavenwards.

"Why?" Alisha inquires, giving me a peculiar expression."

"Tara here can be a little overprotective of me when new people befriend me. I have had a couple of instances over the years where people have used me and stuff and instances where I have been laughed at when I tried to talk to someone new."

Tara nods an affirmative as she coyly wrapping her arm around my shoulders.

Alisha takes all this in with a careful, hooded look. "That's nice to know. I promise I am not using Shilpa. I just truly enjoy her company. Also, this is quite sudden and I mean no offense, but are you by any chance part Pakistani, Tara?"

Tara's thick eyebrows shoot up and she presses her lips together. "Yeah, I am actually. My mom is half Pakistani. How did you know?"

"I took an ancestry, race, lineage, and genealogy course when I lived in Cali. We study features of the people belonging to different races and areas and such and you have similar features of people that reside in Pakistan. The fair skin, the eye color, the hair type."