Seeing Sandhya get back in her full health was heart-warming, and as I had wished, she was a lot comfortable around me. We could now easily converse without arguing, but I enjoyed annoying her, and I knew she also felt the same.
Instead of doubting about my future, I concentrated on the present; being myself and letting my monkey take her own time. Forcing my feelings on her and expecting her to accept them was foolish. I was sure by now she had caught up to what I felt for her, especially me roaming around her most of the time must have given it away.
Still, I didn't want her to rush anything or feel burdened by my presence. It was enough that she wasn't worried about my feelings for her, or how I stared at her like a love-sick puppy even when we were surrounded by our friends.
Talking about friends, I still hadn't forgotten about what Ayush had said on the day prior to our group presentation. It had been two weeks since that incident, but what he had said kept swirling like a small tornado in the back of my mind. By his voice, I couldn't make out how he felt about the situation.
As a best friend and knowing his past, I wanted to know his current opinion about Sandhya. He had showed countless times that he wasn't bothered by her, but I knew I had to talk to him about her. If in any way her presence troubled him or he felt insecure, I had to evaluate everything. I wouldn't leave him alone.
The thought of crushing my feelings for Sandy Pandy was a lot to handle, but I was fully aware that it was something I might have to face if my childhood best friend's well-being was compromised.
It sucks to be honest. I don't want to stop loving Sandhya. I know I won't, but the situation I have invited myself in demands a lot from me. There is no other way than to discuss it with Ayush. Somehow, I am a bit afraid about what he would say.
As I was busy brooding over it while trudging down the hallway, I felt a pat on my back. I turned around, coming face to face with the girl I thought about all day. Sandhya etched her eyebrows as she forwarded her palm towards me. A few Just Jelly bears, cars, and planes stared at me, making my mouth water.
"Why do you look so pale?" she asked.
I am an idiot for being happy on seeing her worried for me.
"Nothing." I shrugged.
I moved my hand to grab the Just Jelly from her hands, but she closed her palm. She told me to tell her what bothered me if I wanted the candies; she was taking advantage of my sweet tooth.
"Ved, you gonna tell me or not?" she insisted.
"I was just thinking about Ayush," I confessed.
"Oh," she said, pursing her lips as she tried not to comment anything.
Ayush's topic was still something she avoided, though I could see curiousity lining her face. As if saying his name had put a full stop to our conversation, Sandhya moved back and forth on her heels, eyeing other students with disinterest. After a few moments, she moved her feet, waving her hand at me. But before she got out of my sight, I caught her wrist and pulled her back.
I poked her forehead with my index finger. "Don't dampen your mood."
She caught my finger, moving my hand away from her face. As she brought my hand down, I saw her face reddening, and the blush creeping down to her neck. I couldn't help but move my eyes over her, my body reciprocating her reaction. She glanced at me with her beautiful brown orbs, her pupils dilating.
Damn. There's no way I can even fathom of not wanting to be with her.
As I was busy drowning in her captivating gaze, Sandhya broke the staring contest and opened my right palm with her fingers. She placed the Just Jelly candies in my hand and smiled.
"Share it with your friends if you want to," she said.
I eyed the candies in my hand, dropping a few of them in my mouth and keeping the rest of the packet in my pocket. Her smile grew wider, and I looked down as I sensed myself staring at her lips too intensely.
Don't dig your own grave, Ved.
I noticed Sandhya stepping back, so I looked back at her. She had an expression on her face which I had seen on my own reflection when I think about her non-stop. Both of us stood in silence, the sweet flavour of candies spreading throughout me.
"Well... I think I should get going since we are both standing like idiots without saying anything," she said in a low voice.
I gave her a short nod, my feet unwilling to move. I wanted to hug her as an excuse to say thanks for the Just Jelly she gave me. Even though Sandhya said that we should part ways, she also didn't budge from her spot. She kept repeating that Surbhi and Parth must be waiting for her, but she didn't move even a bit.
"Don't you have a lecture to attend?" she asked.
"Don't you too?" I questioned back in amusement.
She narrowed her eyes, her lips tugging up. "Why aren't you leaving then?"
"After you."
I shot her a huge grin as her face turned a bright red. Some strands of hair caressed her cheeks, making my gaze follow the movement of her hands which began going up to move the strands away.
I want to do it.
Before she could move her hair strands away from her face, I raised my hand and tucked her hair behind her ear. The way her eyes widened made me want to pull her cheeks. I internally laughed but felt relieved that she didn't push me away. I could feel the air between us getting hot, so to avoid her feeling more flustered, I flicked her on the forehead.
"Ved!" she scolded.
She moved forward to take her revenge, but I caught her hands. With her wrists still in my grip, I pulled her closer, and observed her closely. Seeing her distracted, I suddenly left her hands and pulled her cheeks. She punched me on the chest, and I laughed as she cursed without filter.
"You sure know a lot of cuss words, monkey," I commented.
"You are the reason," she said.
"Don't you have any nice stuff to say about me?"
I stopped pulling her cheeks, my hands moving down and resting on her shoulders. She looked up at me, the small distance between us making my heart pick up pace. The area around her eyes wrinkled as I sensed mischief flooding her mind.
Why did I ask her that stupid question? Sure she would say something weird and have the best time of her life making fun of me. But still I want to hear what she has to say.
She opened her mouth, my gaze settled on her lips, waiting in anticipation for her next words.
"Ved!"
Huh? That didn't sound like Sandhya.
Within split second, Sandy Pandy lightly pushed me away from her and stood at an arm's length from me. Her whole demeanor changed, a blank expression replacing her carefree and playful attitude. Seeing her keeping her distance broke me, but I very well knew the reason behind it.
Ayush reached from behind me, placing his hand on my shoulder as he made his presence noticable. I turned my attention on him, noticing Sandhya taking her leave the moment Ayush arrived. My eyes tracked her as she shot one glance at our childhood best friend before she took out her phone and got merged with the crowd.
"Ved?" Ayush waved his hand in front of me.
"Hey, bro." I fist-bumped him.
"You missed the lecture."
"It is still time for the bell to ring. What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be in the classroom?" I asked.
"I was getting bored, so I sneaked out." He shrugged.
"You not feeling well?" I asked in concern.
Ayush gave me a small smile. "I was just missing you."
I stared at him, unable to reply. We just had a lecture together half an hour ago. I thought he was probably joking, but the way his voice broke in the end assured me that he just didn't want to be alone.
"I am sorry, man."
Ayush nodded. "No worries. Glad I found you. I don't feel like attending the rest of the classes. I wanna go home."
He fidgeted in his spot, adjusting his specs again and again. I still had a practice session to attend, and I had also planned on completing some of my assignments in the college itself before going to my cafe for a routine inspection, but I could see how much Ayush wanted me to be by his side.
And there was no way I was going to let him feel alone again. I knew he wouldn't say it himself as he didn't want to ruin my schedule.
"How about I drop you home?" I asked.
His eyes lit up. "Really?"
He tried to keep his excitement down, but I chuckled how he looked at me like a kid, hoping for me to reassure him. I patted his back and nodded.
After informing my coach and Nikhil, I took Ayush to his home. I liked how he continuously talked about the soccer match he recently watched, how he and his teammates were planning a friendly match with the senior team, his assignments, etc.
When I dropped him off at his home, he asked me if I wanted to have a sleep over; his grandfather was away for some days to get a treatment. I accepted immediately, making Ayush's bright face more brighter. His grey eyes reflected the afternoon sunlight, making his child-like appearance more childlike.
I followed him inside his house, going straight to his game room. Just like mine, his room had a lot of games. We decided to play Mortal Kombat, Ayush and I laughing on random topics.
We must have played for over two hours, none of us realising the time until our aching backs and shoulders made us notice. Ayush ordered some food for us, and I went to change my clothes. I had some spare shorts, joggers, and t-shirts at his house as I had spent a lot of time at his house.
While he also got changed, I waited for our food to arrive while checking my phone. The moment I opened my cell phone, I received five messages and two missed calls from my monkey. I instantly called her, and she asked me if I had been kidnapped.
"Who will lay a finger on me?" I joked.
"Where are you then?" she asked.
"Why are you asking? Are you worried that I might be in trouble?" I teased.
"Don't flatter yourself."
Even though she said that in a plain tone, I could hear the tinge of seriousness in her voice.
"Ved?" she asked when I didn't say anything. I was busy daydreaming.
"Yes, Sandy Pandy?"
"I am glad you are alive, but can you please tell me what's the issue with your Vice Captain?"
"Nikhil? What did he do?" I asked.
"I don't know. He has been looking at me as if his favourite pet died or something. He even approached me a few times but left without saying anything. What's going on? He is freaking me out."
Nikhil... I knew what was up with him. He got to know everything about what Sandhya did for him and was feeling guilty and bad for treating her like shit. He was struggling to talk to her and apologize without scaring her away, but going by his actions, he was definitely scaring her.
"Chill, girl. I will talk to him," I said.
"You better do if you don't want your Vice Captain dead," she threatened.
"Fine."
I heard her chuckle, Surbhi and Parth's voice mingling with her laughter. I wanted to hear her voice more, but Ayush's phone rang, the delivery associate's number flashing on the screen. Ayush also arrived, and I hung up my call after bidding Sandhya bye.
"Food." Ayush dangled the parcel in front of me after receiving it.
We took our spots on the floor, lining the various dishes between us. After filling our stomachs, we decided to watch some of our favourite movies till dinner. Soon, the sun set down. Ayush and I washed the dishes and got back to his bedroom.
Ayush took his medicines, my heart clenching at the amount he had to take every day. After he was done, he sat down on his bed. I plopped down beside him, and he smiled when I removed his specs from his face which he had forgotten to take off before his head hit the pillow.
"Thanks for staying with me today, bro," he said, smiling.
"I am always here for you, bud."
He gave me his toothy grin, his eyes glazing over. "I am sorry I keep troubling you. I know you had a lot of stuff to take care of today, but yet you tagged along with me. I promise I will try not to disturb you next time. I am a grown up now... I should be able to handle my shit on my own."
I wrapped an arm around my friend's shoulder and pulled him in a side hug. I wiped the tears strolling down his cheeks and kissed his forehead.
"Don't you ever say that you are disturbing me, Ayush. No matter what, I will always be here for you. You got that?"
Ayush wrapped his arms around me, nodding his head lightly. "I love you, bro."
"I love you too, buddy."
I hugged him and rubbed his back. Slowly, his body relaxed, his eyes closing shut. I ruffled his hair and laid him in his spot. After some time, I also lied down beside him. I checked my phone for the last time, sending Sandy Pandy a goodnight text. I received her reply instantly.
Putting my phone down, I glanced at Ayush sleeping peacefully before I closed my own eyes.
My best friend trusts me, so I should trust myself too. I will talk to Ayush about Sandhya tomorrow. I will tell him that I love her. I will tell him that I love them both, and I wouldn't leave him no matter what.
I am back 🐣
Sorry for the delay, but those who had read my announcement on my message board know the reason for my absence.
Also, the readers who are unaware, I always post an announcement on my message board whenever I am unable to update regularly. Please make sure to check it in case of delayed updates or any other important news. (I don't like putting separate Author's notes as an update 😬)
Thank you for reading and your patience. I appreciate all of you 💛