~The heart wants roots, yet the mind wants wings~
"I was so pissed at Ms. Lena! she wouldn't stop pointing at me again and again, telling me how rude it was to go Washroom against her wishes. I told her politely that my body doesn't work according to her 'wishes' and that's how I was crushed to the ashes in Exams. She was a real beach" Siya threw her hands up in the air and spoke in an overly dramatic voice.
Nita who was balancing herself on a small stool listened to her carefully, nodding and sympathizing with her.
"I fucking hated the smug look on that idiot Raj who wouldn't stop bloating about his top position!" Her expression turned plain as she recalled her nemesis and his over-dramatic escapades.
"Still, You topped the finals, right? Cheer up! It was just an internal!" Nita tried to coax her but Siya was teleported to another world.
"But that doesn't mean he could recall his win to this day. How long it has been? We were in 3rd grade for heaven's sake"
"And here you are! Sending hearts and what not to your dearest enemy of 3rd grade" Nita smirked at her wide eyes and folded her hands. Siya looked down biting her lips, soft shades of pink coloring her cheeks.
"Well, I used to send him all that thinking he had blocked me after our brutal fight, turns out the bastard never blocked me and removed his dp" She had a soft smile playing on her lips as she remembered their chaotic yet beautiful love story.
"I was such an idiot you know? I was told that when one's dp isn't available and our messages don't reach them, it means the person has blocked us. It was just that his phone was under repair" Nita was barely controlling her laugh at this point. She chuckled at her embarrassing face, trying not to come off as rude.
"The prick had the nerve to play dumb until the blue ticks came and when I knew, I locked myself in the bathroom" Siya groaned, her cheeks red.
"What happened then?" Nita asked curiously, laying beside her on the bed with her elbows erect.
"Then what? He came to apologise and I threw my sandal at him and then my heel and then I cried for hours because the heel broke while he tried to dodge it" Nita burst out laughing, holding her stomach. At this point, Siya couldn't control herself either and chuckled along.
"And then, he brought me new heels, Red one. And told me to use slippers next time" She smiled wide after her laughter subsided. "And that's when I knew he was the one. So I kissed him for so long, our lips were bruised" The dreamy look on her face with occasional sighs had Nita wonder how lucky she was.
"He didn't complain though. I love my man who is willing to appreciate my affections" Nita watched the love she had for Raj, shine in her eyes and grinned widely.
It has been two long days and Siya was at home. Fortunately for them, Mukhesh came home late, too tired to peak into his sister's room for some random guest, leaving the house to both the girls. Siya and Nita quickly bonded over their dramatic nature and shared the same embarrassing nerves. It was hilarious, to say the least.
In Siya, Nita found a friend she had been yearning for days. Her social life was a mess, with her mom controlling how she spoke and interacted, she barely managed to have good friends. All the ones are the same money-minded, making her suffocate herself. And Siya was a breath of fresh air.
In Nita, Siya found a friend who understood her. It was too fast, yet they clicked so well by sharing similar likes and dislikes that Siya was astounded to the core.
"What about you? It's still hard to digest the fact that you're not taken yet" Nita freezed at her words. Her smile dropped and her heart sank.
"Well...Mom never approved so.." She let the words hang in the air, leaving it up to her to figure out her concerns. Siya sighed heavily. She couldn't believe how strict Shanaya Malhotra was, her favorite model, basically her idol. At this point, she started to hate her.
"You didn't fight for him?"
"No. I couldn't. It is always her who makes decisions for me," She rolled on her stomach, burying her face in the pillow.
"Don't worry! When the right one comes, you will automatically fight " Siya patted her back, her lips twitched into a smile of her own.
"And he will be worth it" She murmured with a yawn and switched off the lights. Nita let her words sink into her and was left with a thought until the sleep engulfed her.
Will he be really worth her dreams?
*****
As much as annoying it gets, we are made like this. No, not just our physical appearance! Our internal demands like wanting to pee at ridiculous hours, yawning in a class, or feeling thirsty at 3 in the morning.
Nita was left dejected when the jug of water was empty. Her throat was as dry as the heat of the bed when you sit at it for a long time, making her groan in frustration.
Throwing her feet on the ground, she stood up and walked slowly in the darkness. Fisting her hand up in the air when she found the doorknob, she threw the door open. Her sleepy eyes adjusted to the dim lights as she walked through the small space of the corridor. The Kitchen was beside the living room, all covered in dark.
Just as she was about to switch on the lights, she noticed a tall silhouette against the wall and her heart stopped.
The figure moved slowly, as if trying its best to not make noise and Nita was wide awake. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest and her skin turned white in fear. Maybe she thought it was because it was 3 and she was half asleep and she was just too sleepy to think more, or she just didn't know, so she concluded.
Thief. He was a thief.
Not wanting the house to be robbed, especially when this house belonged to such kind people, Nita tip-toed to the living room and knelt. Grabbing the small carpet from the ground, She kept her eyes on the figure which now seemed to hold a knife.
Oh my god! Is he trying to kill someone?
Without a single damn thought, she launched herself at the man by pushing him down and covering him with the carpet. A shriek echoed in the room followed by an empty kick in the air while Nita dodged it like a pro. She grabbed the wiper and started souring his hips to the point he growled out in pain and the utensils around them fell on their heads.
The lights flickered on and shrieks and screams blessed their ears as they saw each other.
With wide eyes and horror pictured on her face, Nita witnessed Mukhesh and Siya standing in front of her in shock.
"Thief! He is a thief!" She gasped, pointing at the man who now lay with his face covered, groaning.
"THIEF!!! THEIF!!!" Siya screamed at the top of her lungs. She snatched the Wiper from Nita's hands and started beating the leftover crap out of the man.
" Why aren't you not beating him?" Nita asked Mukhesh who was still searching for something to beat the thief. She handed him the belan and he nodded at her with a smile. "Here"
"STOPPP!" The supposed thief roared at them and sat up. The cloth fell from his eyes and the siblings gasped at him.
"Oh my god!" Siya gulped, looking at the black and blue man with a bump on his head, glaring down at them.
"Beat him!" Nita was too into the character to care, she knocked him down once again, only to stop when Mukhesh grabbed her from behind and stopped her.
"One more from me!" Siya muttered with a mischievous grin, while Mukhesh gave her a death glare.
"What the fuck is wrong with you all?" The supposed thief cried out, caressing his swollen butt cheek.
"Tashreef mai tafseel se dhoya hai" Siya whispered, and the boys gave her a stink eye.
(his butt has been beaten up in detail)
"Aren't you not a thief?" Nita finally broke the silence, blinking up at the man.
"What? NO! Mukhesh who the hell is she?" And that was when Mukhesh finally realized that she wasn't supposed to be there.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" He growled at her, and Nita visibly shuddered. She closed her eyes, all the thrill of catching a thief flying out of the window as she faced the bitter reality.
"I.. Uh..!!"
"Bhai, I let her stay" Siya was immediately at her rescue, holding her arm and pulling her behind her back.
"After I said no?" Mukhesh saw red.
"She is my friend! And you gave me the liberty to let my friends stay over as long as they are into boys. And she is into boys! I checked" Siya rambled.
"What the f-" Nita gasped.
" I mean, she dated boys, so yeah. Sorry," Siya gave her an apologetic smile.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Her big brother took a threatening step forward, and Siya puffed up her chest.
"No! She is my friend and she is here with me because she is in trouble"
"That girl is trouble!" He snapped irritatingly.
"Whatever. And according to your rules, I've got the right to let her stay here. If a woman doesn't help another woman, then who will? " She demanded.
"Siy-"
"No Bhai. If you can bring your friend here-" She eyed the black and blue man who eyed her too. "-Then so can I"
Mukhesh and his sister had intense eye contact while Nita was cursing her fate. She hated making them fight. Her eyes went to the limping man and she immediately went to his help.
"Hey! No, please. Stay away" The fright was evident in his voice and Nita felt so bad.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't know you weren't a thief. I acted on my instinct" Nita helped him onto the sofa, gently adjusting his leg on it. Her bright innocent eyes met his, and she gave him a brief smile. One that would make hearts forget to beat. The man was taken aback by her beauty for a moment.
"Uh... It's alright. At least I know my house isn't going to get robbed anytime soon" He chuckled lightly and winced due to his swollen jaw.
"Your house?" Nita blurted out confused.
"This house belongs to my father. Mukhesh is my best friend and so I was here for a sleepover. But I believe my sleep is really over" He uttered the last part in a daze, lost in her sparkling eyes which watched him in all curiosity and cuteness. He tried hard to fight off the smile due to his sour facial features.
"I'm so sorry for ruining your sleep! I feel so bad-" Nita was back to drowning in guilt until Siya's voice reached her ears.
"Please Bhaiiiyaaaa!"Siya clutched his arm and batted her lashes at her brother who was lost in a mental debate.
"You can't possibly be cruel to that beautiful soul! Just look at her. So innocent" She gave Nita a glare who was sitting too close to Mukhesh's friend and she looked at her confused in return.
Mukhesh eyed the girl who wrecked his car two days ago, looking at him with a hesitant gaze. And then he looked at his friend watching her with fucking stars in his eyes.
What. The. Fuck.
"A rat!" Mukhesh yelled, pointing towards Nita's leg. What followed was Nita's ear-piercing scream which reverberated through the house as she somehow landed in the injured man's lap.
Two growls were heard. One of Mukhesh, who for some crazy reason didn't like her sitting on some other man's lap. He couldn't just forget their almost kiss in the car, where she was straddling him.
The second one was of the injured man, who now seemed to have the time of his life. All his injuries and pain were long forgotten as he gazed at the beauty panting heavily and sacred in his arms.
Mukhesh covered the distance in two long strides and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling Nita towards him and flushing her to his hard body. The girl who almost had a heart attack couldn't comprehend the power of testosterone hormones and watched the men confused.
"You can go to the room" Mukhesh narrowed his eyes toward his best friend who was now upset. Nodding quietly, he stood up only to let out a hiss of pain. Niya jerked away from Mukhesh's hold, ready to help him out but was stopped. Mukhesh pulled her back, to her previous position against him and shook his head in a no.
"He can handle" Nita scowled at him.
"He is injured. We all bet him to limp" she argued.
"I'll go help him" Siya offered, her eyebrows wiggling at the couple who were attached to each other's hip. Only then, did Nita realize their closeness and freeze in her place. She watched her hand pressed against his chest, while his fingers were wrapped around her right hand's wrist, and his left hand curved around her waist.
She gulped.
"No!" Mukhesh was quick. With an irritating sigh, he let go of Nita and helped his friend to his room. He can't let any of his girls stay alone with the man for a second.
"So...." Siya started her other speech but Mukhesh interjected.
"How long?"
"What?" Siya's eyebrows creased.
"How long are you staying here?" He turned his attention to Nita who was still mute.
"A few da-" Siya answered for her.
"How long, Nita?" He cut her off again. Nita gathered up the courage and luckily found her voice. He just called her name, and she swore she had never been this happy to hear her name.
"A few days" Nita answered in a low voice.
"Stay out of trouble," He said quietly and turned away, walking towards his room.
"Huh?!" Siya and Nita looked at each other bewildered. Did he just agree?
"DO YOU KNOW HOW LOVELY MY BROTHER IS?!" Siya yelled loudly, earning a giggle from Nita.
"HE IS ONE IN A MILLION! LOVE YOU BHAII!! " She screamed, and Nita laughed at her. Their synchronous laughter brought a homely and peaceful feeling to the place. Mukhesh stood by the threshold of his room, frozen in his tracks as he listened to their music of happiness with a soft smile on his face.
••••••
How was it? I'm genuinely interested in knowing your thoughts but I blank out at what to reply to the comments, so apologies.
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