I totally lost it and said something I regret to her. Like, she didn't even do anything wrong, you know? She was just giving an example, but I let my anger get the best of me. Now I feel like crap about it. I've never reacted like that before. It's embarrassing.
Naina, while getting ready, kept saying, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.' Throughout the day, she kept apologizing, looking in the mirror. Even during school lectures, Aahan came to talk to Naina.
"Naina, are you okay? What happened yesterday?"
"Hey, no worries at all. You didn't do anything wrong. It was totally on me"
"Nah, seriously, you didn't do anything. It's all on me."
Aahan took out a gift from his bag and said, "It's for you. Don't open it here; check it at home."
"Hmm."
So, Naina just kinda pushed the gift to the side with zero excitement on her face. She looked like she was lost in her own world. Aahan noticed her expression, felt a bit bummed out, but then he was like, "Eh, it's cool," and just went back to doing his thing.
After some time, during lectures, she continued writing 'I'm sorry' in her book. In the evening, as soon as they returned home, Naina went to Aahan's house. Aahan opened the door and said, "Hi, Naina. Have you come to meet Meera?" (loudly)
Aahan's mom said, "Naina, dear, your bowl is with me. Take it." (voice from the kitchen)
"Okay, Aunty!"
"Naina, go to Dee's room. I'll be there in a moment."
Aahan went to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Naina entered Meera's room. Naina knocked.
Meera, sitting on the bed and reading a book, said with a somewhat no expression look, "Come in."
Her room was nothing short of paradise, filled with books. I had never seen such a clean room before. There were happy moments captured with her brother, and Meera had placed one leg over the other on the bed. She was wearing a cream-colored salwar suit, with her dupatta lying somewhere on a table nearby. Meera had a small mole on the side of her neck.
My trembling voice was troubling me. What will happen? What might Meera be thinking about me? I'm such a fool. I can't even look Meera in the eye. Give me courage, Maa. Meera might scold me. If I asked, I didn't have an answer. My heart was racing like it wanted to just wrap up the chat with a quick sorry.
(I sucked in a deep breathe and let out a holler so loud, it could've passed for cheering on a squirrel race! Closing my eyes and quickly saying), "Sorry, I'm Meera."
Why didn't I drop dead before hearing this? Why am I still alive? I've ruined everything. I felt like banging my head against the wall. Suddenly, in front of Meera, I became the star of the world's most embarrassing show after all the nonsense I've blabbered. My spirit was doing a wild inward scream and cry after that line.
Meera was all like, "Seriously, a sorry?" Then, her face did this quick flip-flop, like her lips and eyes had a secret chat before returning. And boom! Meera's face switched to full-on annoyed mode, like she was low-key mad at me.
Seeing Meera's expression, I totally lost it and just blurted out without even waiting for the perfect dramatic pause. "I'm so sorry, Meera."
Meera's face did this quick smile-and-gone act, like she'd never even heard of smiling. Then, boom! Her expression turned into full-on grump mode, like forgiveness wasn't even in her vocabulary.
"Okay, sit down. Are you feeling better?" Meera asked.
I was all over the place in my head, wondering if she forgave me or not. That question hit me like a flying brick- unexpected and confusing! But hey, I had to come up with something, so I just went.
"Uh... Yes." (sitting on the bed)
"You seem more stressed."
"Uh.. "
She shot me this look, all mushy and gooey, like she was aww-ing at a fluffy puppy. Her eyes and expression were practically begging for a cheek squish cause. I couldn't handle Meera's cuteness. Plus, her room was filled with her sweet scent. It felt absolutely wrong to keep stealing glances at her every now and then.
"Yes, I felt really bad. I shouldn't have said all that. I don't know when I became so bad." (looking around)
"If I did something wrong, you could tell me."
Meera had casually placed the book to the side, and it looked like she was jotting something down with a pen that was already resting in her hand, kind of like those ink spots you see from pens. She had this simple gray dial watch on her milky wrist, it looked perfect on her.
Meera's gone from zero to furious in three seconds flat! She spots my expression, gives her hand the stink eye, and I swear, it's like she's about to hold a full-blown trial right there in the room. Who knew a hand could look so guilty? It's like a scene from a courtroom drama, except the defendant is a wristwatch. I couldn't help but glance at her hand for a few seconds, I quickly pretended to be interested in the book.
"What, you hate love?"
"Who says?"
(pointing towards the book) "Your book?"
Meera gave a slight smile and displayed a bittersweet anger as she said this. "Not hate....... but I haven't forgiven you. You're coming shopping with me next Sunday."
As my eyes popped out like they were auditioning for a cartoon, the mere thought of running into Meera again sent my brain into a tailspin. Seriously, am I starring in my own comedy show now? It's like my brain's decided to take an extended vacation. And if I somehow end up agreeing to go shopping with her, well, let's just say I might accidentally invent a whole new category of chaos!
"No, I have a lot of work."
(Acting like a queen) "We are friends. I haven't accepted your sorry."
It's as if Meera's graduated from amateur to pro in the art of blackmail overnight, and she's delivering her ultimatum with a glare that could melt steel. Her eyes are practically daring me to utter a single word, but it's like my vocabulary has decided to pull a disappearing act, leaving me stranded with just one word permission slip: "Yes." It's like my brain's gone on strike, leaving me high and dry in a sea of silence. I couldn't help but laugh at the thought.
Aahan came with breakfast.
"Sorry, my mom asked me to make pakoras. She said Naina likes them, hot and crispy."
Naina, smelling the aroma, said, "Yum!" Meera couldn't help but chuckle as she spied on Naina, her eyes glued to the pakoras with a passion that would make a romance novel jealous. It was like witnessing a love story unfold, with Naina's gaze on those fried goodies rivaling Romeo's for Juliet, except in this case, it's pakoras stealing the show.
So, Meera's lost in her thoughts, beaming this gorgeous smile, right? And then, boom, Naina catches her eye. It's like time freezes for a split second as they lock gazes, their hearts doing this crazy dance. Naina's eyes linger on Meera's long lashes, and just like that, Meera's smile vanishes into thin air. She quickly looks away, and they both pretend nothing happened, but you can feel the tension crackling in the air. Meera's glued to her phone, trying to hide the flush creeping up her cheeks, while Naina's doing this whole dramatic "lost in thought" routine. And poor Aahan's just there, Aahan's just sitting there, thinking, "Have these two lost their marbles or what?"
Naina muttered to herself, "Meera looking at me? No, not again."
Naina started waiting for the pakoras to cool down. Aahan said, "Naina, did you see my gift?"
Naina immediately realized that she hadn't even looked at the gift yet. Feeling a pang of guilt, she said to him "So sorry, I forgot."
"Hey there, missed me?" Aahan quipped, his eyes sparkling with charm. Naina felt as if she was standing on the edge of the ocean, mesmerized by the soothing sound of Aahan's voice washing over her like gentle waves.
Meera gestured to speak softly. Meera closed the room door.
"Hmm" Naina said.
Naina was thinking, "Making things right with Meera feels pretty good. Even though I'm still mad, I really like him. Yesterday was tough with Aahan, but hey, he said sorry, and it's all good now."
Naina took a bite of a cold pakora and said, "Yum! Okay, I should go now, Meera, bye, Aahan. See you in school."
Aahan hugged Naina, and Meera went towards the bathroom. Naina felt comfortable with Aahan, as if I am safe, his body warmth makes me feel relaxed. Is this love?
Naina returned home. When she opened the gift, she found a pen and a diary. Naina loved diaries, and she was very happy. Naina hugged the diary and went to sleep. In the morning, she woke up early, left her house, and went outside. It's 4 a.m. and it's very cold, with a faint light.
Naina is walking, looking at the sky. Not many people are visible, and even the dogs are sleeping. The beautiful moon is visible, and Naina sat on a bench to admire it. The place was freezing, and Naina was feeling a bit uncomfortable. She was just shuffling her feet around, trying to kill time.
Out of nowhere, Meera strolled past, and Naina's jaw nearly hit the floor. She couldn't shake off the feeling that Meera was some secret ninja. Rocking that light purple gym suit like it was her superhero costume, Meera was so flexible she could probably bend reality itself! Naina couldn't help but think, "Move over, Hollywood starlets, there's a new heartbreaker in town!".
Meera approached with a black and yellow bottle in her hand, which had "I have a vagina" written on it.
Smiling, she said, "Good morning."
"Morning!" I still couldn't believe it, I muttered, rubbing my eyes, before saying,
Meera wiped sweat off her face.
"Don't look at the moon with so much love, it might just hide from your sight, Naina"
"It's so beautiful, let me look at it." (looking at the moon)
Meera had her earphones in and was about to change the song when it hit Naina that Meera was glued to her phone all the time. Naina looked at the phone like it was her sworn enemy and grabbed it from Meera's hands.
"Look at the moon, the stars, the trees, the flowers, and the leaves, but don't be glued to your phone. enjoy the morning."
Meera felt a bit annoyed, but she took a deep breathe and started looking at the moon.
Naina smiled at Meera, and the moonlight was shining on Meera. She is glowing and there was a gentle breeze. Meera's hair in front of her fluttered in the wind. Meera, feeling peaceful, looked at Naina.
"Hey, weren't you the captain of the 'moon appreciation' club just a second ago? So why the switch to 'staring at Meera' mode?"
"It's such a cute dog."
I tried to play it cool, acting like I was totally into checking out the dog behind her. I saw a black and white spotted dog happily playing with its tail. Seeing this, a smile spread across Meera's face.
"Why do you feel so awkward around me? Are you scared of me?"
God knows where this question came from, she thought. This girl, named Meera, doesn't even think for a second before throwing out random questions. Her name might be Meera, but she's acting like a total Mugambo! (villain of movie).
Naina's face tensed, thinking, "She is realizing that I am uncomfortable with her. What should I do?"
"What happened, Naina? Am I right?"
That question coming out of the blue could've knocked me flat. It's like I need a 777-watt power boost just to chat with Meera, as if I were a robot. I don't get it - why is talking to her so darn tough? I've got other female friends, but Meera's just... different. I hope I'm not catching a case of Meera-phobia or something!
(Fake Confident) "No, Meera. There's nothing like that."
I shifted my gaze and spilled the beans on the answer to the world's toughest puzzler.
"You're still hiding something from me. Do you know, I used to find it difficult to meet people too? Meeting people was very difficult for me. I used to be crazy."
Meera made a little ship out of the bottle, her eyes showing genuine concern. It seemed like she felt bad seeing me all jittery in front of her. Knowing that Meera actually cared about me put a big smile on my face.
"How did you change yourself?"
"Practice, talking to others. I used to be scared, but I still practice."
"You're like the Hulk of our squad - unstoppable."
Meera smile at Naina, teasingly adding "And you're like a master of conversation jiu-jitsu, always keeping us on our toes!"
"Clever? No one has ever given me such a compliment."
The space between Naina and Meera was still vast, sitting far away from each other. Naina was sitting straight, while Meera was sitting with her back leaning against the bench. They were silent for ten minutes, then Naina started to get up because Meera held her hand and said in baby tone, "You can't leave from here without my permission."
Naina felt Meera's hand was soft, and it was cold. So Naina said, "Meera, my hands will freeze, I might catch a cold."
Meera's finger touching my forearm felt as smooth as butter, but it was giving me a bit of an issue since I'd already been struggling with sitting next to her. How do I deal with her touch? I always feel like just staring at her, wanting to spend time with her, and now her hand is pulling me towards her, feeling like a magnetic pull. I feel like hugging her, but all these stupid, pointless, and rude thoughts keep popping into my head.
"Okay, sit for a while. I got it, you have school."
I'm feeling troubled on my own. Is this just friendship? Why am I so scared with Meera? I want to stay but can't manage it. I feel like leaving, but why doesn't it feel bad when you're close? My mind is a whirlwind of confusion, each thought pulling me in a different direction.
I, hesitantly, extended her hand, and said, "My hands are warm. Give me your hand."
Meera's hands were softer than a cloud, but colder than a polar bear's nose in winter. Naina felt her own soul shrinking in the frosty grip. She couldn't help but imagine Meera's hands transforming into tiny portable heaters, ready to warm up any chilly situation.
Meera took Naina's hand. Naina continued to gaze at the moon. Naina held Meera's hand.
Naina found the task of intertwining her fingers with Meera's to be anything but simple. When Meera extended her hand, Naina initially opted for a traditional palm-to-palm handshake, but then felt guilty about being too eager. After all, impatience is a no-no. So, Naina shifted tactics, slowly rotating her palm, inch by inch, until her fingers found the spaces between Meera's. As their fingers interlocked, Naina's face lit up with a triumphant "Mission Impossible Complete" smile.
"Naina! Your body is always like this."
"Yes!"
Being with Meera raises my body temperature, as if I have a fever.
"Entire body?" (surprised)
"Hmm." (looking at the moon)
Meera noticed Naina wasn't making eye contact, her long neck giving off a giraffe-like vibe, but Naina's body always felt warm. Meera, feeling curious, lightly touched one side of Naina's neck. It tickled Naina, Naina instinctively lifted her shoulder as if trying to hide her neck with it and then Meera placed her hand on Naina's forehead as if checking for a fever. Naina looked at Meera.
Meera said. "So hot."
Naina thought, "Is it appropriate to touch someone like this? You should ask for permission; you might get into jail. It's wrong to touch like this."
"Your hands are like a heater. They're sizzling now! I love it. Let me take your other hand." Meera raised handshake hand and said,
Naina, teasingly, stood up and said, "I have to go to school. I do not care if Your hand will stay cold forever now."
Naina started to leave, but Meera forcibly held her hand.
"I'll drop you home. By then, my hand will also become warm."
Naina, looking at Meera with a smile, said, "Bye, Meera!"
"See you tomorrow, Naina."
Who will come tomorrow? I don't know why my hands are tingling. When she was holding my hand, I never felt this way with anyone. I don't feel safe with Meera; it's something different, like magic or fear?
Naina was thinking about all this as she got ready for school.