Vijay was in the tail end of the bus, standing right next to the entry, hoping, praying that Nila got in through this entry. During practice today, Vijay had hit a new record and his coach, who rarely ever gave him a pat on the back, did it with a smile on his face that could be nothing other than pride. Vijay was elated. Since he was in such good spirits from the morning, he really didn't want to go to college and ruin his mood. The classes were getting really dry as the professors were rushing to finish teaching the course before the exams. He considered bunking but then he thought to himself, seeing and talking to Nila today would be the perfect icing on top. Hence, him leaning on the railing, tolerating the noisy crowd and the shrill whistles of the conductor.
As soon as the bus stopped at Nila's stop, the crowd filed in. Nila tried to get in through the back entry first. At the last second, she looked at the front entry and ran towards it, climbing in and securing a comfortable spot next to the first seat. Disappointment weighed him down like an anchor that he wasn't close to her but he was a little happy that she didn't have to stand in the stairs again.
Vijay thought of that day and he still winced at how he had impulsively grabbed her hand and tugged her close to him. He didn't accurately calculate the proximity it was going to put them in. When he had inhaled the coconut and floral scent of her shampoo and felt the warmth radiating off her, he heard the wires in his brain buzzing and short-circuiting, heading towards a blackout. Vijay couldn't stop the image from replaying in his mind.
If it was any other girl, she would have probably slapped him for doing that. But... in an odd, comforting way, Nila hadn't. She had understood his intentions and adorably told him a thank you. Besides, it had led to the longest conversation he'd had with her. He realised he could go on and on if he could listen to her talk. Nila had a soothing voice. He wondered if she sang.
He looked at her side and found Nila staring at him already. She immediately averted her gaze, her cheeks turning a beautiful shade of pink. Agh, how he wished he could see it up close. Nila met his eyes again and waved at him, shyly tucking a strand behind her ears. Vijay ached to someday do that for her.
She was wearing a tight white kurta today and the way it moulded onto her body like a second skin was illegal. He wasn't the first to notice it though. He saw the two middle-aged men in the seat beside her sneaking glances at her, running their filthy eyes down her body. Even the women were staring at her. Nila had the power to dictate a crowd with her beauty alone and he didn't think she knew it. He wanted to be close to her, close, close, close. He wanted to ward off those men and threaten them against ever looking at her like that again.
Nila opened her mouth as if to say something but she closed it shut. Vijay wanted to desperately know what she wanted to tell him. Nila didn't look at him after that.
That's why when she finally met his eyes, he didn't even try to stop himself from doing what he did next. He pointed to her, then his clothes and touched his thumb to his index finger. So pretty, he mouthed just in case she didn't get it.
There.
That was the moment he decided that his favourite colour was the one painting her cheeks, the prettiest pink in the world.
Thank you, she mouthed back, fiddling with the strap of her tote bag, suddenly shy. Even though Vijay wasn't next to her, he felt like his day was made.
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"What's up?" Nila asked, wondering why her sister was calling her at an odd time like this. She knew when her classes got over and when she usually reached home so getting a call as soon as class ended was a surprise. Nila waved to Maya and Lilly and then shoved Sanjay away from her when he tried to rescue his bike keys from her hands.
"I'm in the hospital," her sister answered coolly. The words didn't register immediately as she was wrestling with Sanjay, her phone pressed between her shoulder and her ear. Only a beat later, she froze, letting Sanjay take the keys from her hands without a fight.
"What do you mean you're in the hospital? Your water broke?" Nila asked.
Sanjay asked her if anything was wrong but Nila waved him off and told him to carry on. She began walking towards the bus stop.
"Yes. They say it's gonna take two more hours until the baby comes out. I'm bored," Kayal said.
"You're bored? Aren't you in pain? Isn't Arjun next to you?"
"I am supposed to be in pain. But I'm not. At least not yet. Ajju has gone to take some work calls outside," she said. "You haven't gone home yet, right?"
Nila was confused. Somehow, her sister made everything seem easy. Even when she was so in love with a man but had to break up with him because their parents didn't approve. Even when she had to marry a man she didn't like and spend the rest of her life with him. Either her sister was the most resilient and emotionally stable person she has ever met, or she was damn good at hiding her pain. "Yeah, I am waiting for the bus. You told Ma and Pa, right?"
"Yes, Ajju cancelled the previously booked flights and booked it at 8 pm tonight. I'll arrange someone to pick them up. When are you planning to come?"
"I don't know. I have an important presentation tomorrow. Can you book me a flight tomorrow evening? Or train? I don't want to be too late to see the baby," Nila said, wondering if her attendance percentage will take a hit. Actually, she didn't care. She was too excited to see the baby.
"Okay, bubs. I'll see you tomorrow or the day after then. I can't wait for you to come here. I miss you."
This was another thing about Kayal. She never thought twice before addressing her feelings. It made Nila's heart ache. The one person she was extremely attached to was her sister and when she had married and moved to Bangalore, it was as if someone had taken a crayon and coloured her life grey. It was a lonely phase where she'd moped around the house as if she was carrying her heavy broken heart on her shoulders.
Their parents had sent her to Bangalore for her summer vacation to spend some time with her sister but the tension between Kayal and Arjun made her run right back home. It pained her too much to watch her sister force smiles and fake niceties for her sake and she didn't have the heart to reveal that she saw right through her act. Thank goodness, Arjun and Kayal had become so inseparable now that it made her nauseous.
"I miss you too, Kay. I'll be there as soon as I can. Stay strong. You're so close to holding a mini you or Arjun in your arms."
"I know, I can't wait. Pray it'll be a boy."
Nila chuckled. "Arjun called me last week and told me to pray for a girl."
"Forget about him. You're my sister. You pray for what I want," Kayal said. She was getting whiny. Oh god.
Just in time, she saw the red neon sign of 29X gleaming against the darkening night sky. "Okay, my bus is here. Video call me, alright?" she said, wishing she was there with her. "Good luck."
"Thank you. I will, bubs. Get home safe," she said, just as the bus lurched into a halt and she climbed through the door in the tail end.
"Yes. I love you," she said before hanging up.
The bus had a decent crowd but it wasn't suffocating. She stood next to an old man with kind eyes. He gave her a smile and volunteered to pass the change and get her the ticket. Nila would have lingered on the kindness for longer if her eyes weren't busy searching for a tall curly head.
He had been wearing a turquoise and navy blue printed shirt with white cargo pants when she saw him earlier in the day. They had been standing at opposite ends of the bus so she was bummed she couldn't talk to him properly. But then he had gone one step further and led her into an emotional landslide when he had complimented her from afar. Nila had felt pretty when she had put on the white kurta today so having him validate it out of all people had been a high she struggled to return from all day.
She hoped she'd get to talk to him in the evening but he was nowhere to be. Nila craned her neck, letting her eyes wander. Suddenly, a hand shot right up from the opposite end of the bus, grabbing her attention. Vijay smirked, showing off his dimples and stirring something inside her heart. He knew she had been searching for him. Dammit. Way to be discrete, Nila.
Hi, she mouthed.
He waved.
Nila wished he was closer.
Someone tapped her elbow. An old lady who was seated next to her handed her an open water bottle. "Can you pass it on to him?" she asked, tipping her chin towards the old man who had gotten her the ticket. They must be husband and wife.
Nila took the bottle and passed it to him. The old man thanked her and drank. He gulped the water down but half of it trickled down his jaw, soaking his grey beard. She hid a smile. Just as he passed the bottle back to her, the bus jerked to a halt with a familiar screech. Water from the bottle splashed onto Nila and she felt the cool liquid seep into her clothes, drip down to her abdomen.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry," the man said immediately, his expressions sincerely apologetic. Nila couldn't be mad at him. It wasn't his fault. Nila brushed the water from her top, flicking the drops away and curving her body inwards to let air separate the cloth from her skin.
She forced a smile. "It's fine, thatha. No problem," she said, pinching the fabric away from her skin.
But he continued to be sorry. She waved him off respectfully but he turned to his wife. "Padma, you have a shawl with you?" he asked her. "Poor girl. I should have been more careful."
It was then it struck her. She was wearing white. And the cloth was soaked. Fuck, fuck, fuck. She slowly looked around and found a few of them staring at her, not at her face but at her chest. Nila wrapped her arms around herself, feeling horrible and incredibly uncomfortable. She put her bag in front of her chest in a poor attempt at a cover.
"I'm sorry, dear. Usually, my wife has a shawl to cover her ears when she travels in the evening but today she forgot it. If she had that at least... I'm so sorry," the old man said. She couldn't say anything to comfort him. At least if it was dark in the bus, it wouldn't have mattered much. But the lights in the bus were shining white, putting her in the worst spotlight possible. As usual, the odds were never in her favour.
The doors began to close again but someone tapped against it before it did. The doors opened once more. She was too busy fretting over her nightmare situation to see who had entered the bus. Nila wished someone would at least volunteer to give her their seat and help a girl out but of course, no one did. She wished the lights would stop working or the bus would move faster at least so that she can get out of it as soon as possible.
None of it happened.
None.
But something better did.
Like magic, Vijay was next to her. She didn't know how he came to her side but all that mattered was he had. "Hey, I got you," he said, giving her a comforting smile. He surely didn't think standing with his arms caged around her was going to protect her from perverse eyes trying to peel off her pink bra with their gazes alone. Right?
"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice shaky. She didn't realise how anxious she actually was until then.
"Hold this," he said, pressing his phone into her palm and unzipping his bag. Vijay pulled out a navy blue sports jacket and handed it to her. "Wear it."
"Huh...um, I– are you sure?" she asked, feeling the soft fabric underneath her thumb.
"No, I am not sure. Why did I get down from the bus just to get in on your side to give you my jacket if I wasn't sure, right?" he said, prying the jacket from her hands.
She tightened her grip on it. "No, I'm sorry. That was a stupid question," she said, mentally facepalming herself. Sometimes her brain just gave up on her. Ugh.
"Let me hold your bag, give me." He held the tote bag as she tried to put her hands through the sleeves. She was aware of the eyes watching them, twice more than before, now that a man was giving a woman his jacket and shielding her with his body. Nila tried not to focus on it and instead narrowed her attention to the softness of the jacket and how it smelled like Vijay. She wanted to hug it close to her body, close her eyes and inhale the scent. She wanted to memorise it, wear it everyday. This fucking jacket was testing her self-control and sanity.
Nila bit her lips and tried to put the zipper on. She had to use both hands to do it but she also had to hold onto something to prevent her from falling. "Uh..." she started, getting Vijay's attention. He had been looking away, giving her privacy that so many people in the bus had stolen from her. "Um, could you—"
Vijay looked at her hesitant fingers on the zipper and seemed to understand. But he pretended not to. "What happened?" He tried not to smile.
She knew what he was doing. He wanted her to say it. Ask for help. This... douchebag.
"Can you either help me with the zipper or make sure I don't fall while I do it myself?" she mumbled, giving in. It wasn't like she didn't like asking for help. When it came to Vijay, she needed more time to form full sentences and speak her thoughts without stumbling with doubts and the fear of saying the wrong things.
"Now, was that too hard?" he smirked, holding her shoulder so that she could zip the jacket up. She could feel the warmth of his hand through his jacket and Nila smiled, her head tilted downward so he wouldn't catch it. She zipped up the jacket and took her bag from him.
"Thank you so much," she said, and Vijay let go of her. "I'll wash it and return it back to you as soon as I can."
"No worries. I–"
"Would have done it for anyone?" Nila surprised herself when she said that.
He chuckled. "No. I was about to say I am happy to be the one to help."
"But you're always helping me," she said.
"So?"
"If you ever need a favour, will you promise me you will ask me?"
Vijay didn't hesitate. "Actually, I do need a favour."
Nila blinked. "Did you already have something on your mind?"
"You go to Victoria, right? I need a girl's number. Can you get it for me?" he asked and she felt a big boulder drop onto her heart. A tide of disappointment and rejection crashed into her and drowned her.
"Please, please. I wouldn't ask if I really didn't need it." The desperation in his voice was like salt on her wound. Why was she so bothered? Why did it hurt so bad? She hated how she was feeling. Nila had gotten carried away with Vijay and his stupid acts of kindness that she had lost her fucking mind.
"Why-Why do you need it?" Nila hoped the hurt wasn't evident in her voice.
Vijay shrugged. "Why else? I want to get to know her. I've seen her a few times. I feel like she is interesting and worth knowing, you know? And she's so damn pretty. Like so pretty that—"
"Fine, just tell me the name and the department. I'll ask around," she said, looking away. Vijay was an idiot. She hated him so much. He was such a douchebag, a complete ass—
"Her name is Nila. I'm not sure about her department. She takes the 29X bus though. That's all I know. Will you be able to get it?"
Nila whipped her head so fast she would've broken her neck. Her lips parted as she regarded him for a second. When he grinned, she punched him on the shoulders.
"Ow," he rubbed his shoulder. "I thought it'd be cute. I mean, aren't you bored of men asking you your number all the time? That's why I thought I'll switch it up a little, make it a little worthwhile. Didn't you think it was cute?"
"No. It was a very shitty thing to do," she mumbled, hating how a strange relief wrapped its arms around her. "You could've just asked me directly."
"So, will you give it to me?" Vijay's playfulness vanished. Her eyes met his and they were brimming with expectation.
"No."
Hurt flashed on his face. It was so evident and he wasn't even trying to hide it. He stepped back. "Oh, um, okay. I'm sorry I tried to cross a boundary—"
Nila chuckled, after which she proceeded to simply stare at him with an overly sweet smile.
"What?" he asked. The fact that he looked like the saddest boy on planet Earth was too adorable and heart-warming.
"You can pull that stupid stunt on me but I can't?" she said, not understanding where she found the confidence. Was it confidence? Or was it just their growing familiarity warming her towards him like a snug blanket on a December morning?
"What do you mean? Don't play with me, Nila."
"Such a hypocrite," she muttered, a smile curving on her lips. "Of course I'll give you my number, you idiot."
"Really?"
Nila burst out laughing. "Really."
Vijay quickly unlocked his phone and handed it to her. "Before you change your mind, please."
Nila's heart warmed. She punched in the numbers, shaking her head at how excited Vijay was. He began, "I'm sorry your dress got wet. You look too pretty in it. Maybe that's why—"
"Like evil eye?"
"Yeah, that was the first thing I thought of when it got wet," he said, scratching his neck. "You're not too upset, are you?"
"It was good while it lasted, I guess. Besides, it's just water. I can dry it and wear it again, although I'd be too scared of something like this happening again. The only thing I was worried about was the cloth getting transparent. I'm sure everyone knows the colour of what I'm wearing inside now," Nila said, handing the phone back to him. Vijay flushed. "It's fine. You saved me just in time."
"I should have been there next to you."
Nila smiled. "Vijay, it's very sweet that we travel together everyday and I have a familiar face to turn to in case anything bad happens. It's comforting to just know you're in the same bus as me so don't worry too much. Alright?"
"Alright."
"I'll never forget what you did for me today. Thank you once again for the jacket."
He shrugged. "It looks better on you anyway."
Nila's heart fluttered. "Even though your name is written on the back?"
"Especially because of that."
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a/n: we are at 15K words already. my initial word count was around 50K but I have too many fun scenes planned out and conflicts are waiting be unfolded. so, what do you think about the pace? should i speed things up or continue as it is? lemme know!