They were on their way to meet his friends. She did not cling on to him as he had hoped, which was disheartening. Nonetheless, at least they were riding the bike together. She didn't ask him where they were headed, and she hadn't said a word since she boarded.
"Why are you silent?" He asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"What should I ask?"
"At least you could ask where we were going."
"I understand we're on our way to meet your buddies. And as for the particular location, I don't know of any other places in the city besides where I work."
He was astounded by her words. He abruptly halted the bike, causing her to flinch.
"Why!!!"
"I do not know anyone here. And I'm not really comfortable around new folks. Also, I like to be at home alone."
"Won't you get bored?"
"Nope. I enjoy spending my alone time reading romance novels, watching movies, or watching my daily soapy shows. You can find me doing either of them while I'm not at work."
"Oh..." He wanted to ask her whether he made her uncomfortable. He assumed she was at ease around him because she said OKAY.
"Also, when I'm outside I always feel that people's eyes are on me, and they are judging me."
Hearing her statements, she understood there was something else she was hesitant to say and did not ask any further questions.
"Let's go, then. Let it be a surprise!"
After a few more minutes of riding, they arrived in front of a house. They got off their bike. He welcomed himself inside. Turning back, he saw her still standing at the gate.
"Come in." He spoke. "This is my friend's house. Everyone is waiting inside."
She hesitantly followed him inside. When they got to the living room, there were about ten people, four of them girls. When they saw Ishaan, they all turned their attention on him. They eventually got aware of a girl following him. Nobody knew anything about Adhithi save the guy who dropped him off at the office. Ishaan introduces her after noticing everyone's puzzled expression.
" Hey. This is my friend Adhithi." Now, turning to her, "Adhithi, they are my friends."
She waved her hands at them, unsure what to say.
They moved in closer, giving her a warm welcome. Following the greetings, came the questions.
"Where did you guys meet?"
"What does she do?"
"How did they don't know about her?"
He answered practically all of their inquiries while she stood there, looking at everyone. She eventually found herself in the midst of a crowd of strangers. They had taken notice of her quiet. They did their utmost to engage her in conversation, but in vain.
They had lunch at the friend's place. The next item on their itinerary was to watch a movie. They are now organizing themselves into groups for better traveling. While Adhithi was using the restroom, Ishaan urged his companions to let her ride with him. They taunted him a little, insisting they wouldn't, but then gave in. They were taken aback to see their friend moping over a girl for the first time. They were eager to get started now that they had formed teams.
As intended, Adhithi rode in with Ishaan on his bike. This time, Ishaan requested her to hold on to him, which she reluctantly did. He smiled inwardly at his small victory and sped up the bike. They soon arrived at the theatre.
Ishaan was seated next to Adhithi. The film was good, although it was not in Adhithi's preferred genre. She nodded out after the second half. She was so deep in slumber that she unintentionally rested her head on his shoulder.
She was sleeping on his shoulders, which initially startled him. He soon became accustomed to the vista and no longer wanted to focus on the movie. Her sleeping face was more appealing to him than the movie itself. When his pals noticed him swooning over the sleeping girl, they used their phone cameras to catch the moment.
"You are head over heels for her, bro." One of them commented.
He tried to refute their assertion, but he knew what these feelings were. As the movie came to an end, he poked her on the shoulder, startling her. She glanced around, realizing that she had left her dream world behind. She smiled awkwardly.
"How was the sleep?" One of them teased her, and Ishaan responded with a friendly punch.
She grinned slightly. "Sorry..."
That was the first time she spoke to them. Adhithi had been replying to whatever Ishaan asked her in quiet tones all along. Others did not want to force her to talk to them. As understanding as Ishaan.
"Oh!!!!" One of them yelled.
"Now that we are on talking terms, how about we exchange our numbers?" He inquired, side-eyeing Ishaan.
"That will be unnecessary. If you want to get in touch with a particular thing, you can do it through me."
Ishaan interrupted Adhithi before she could respond. Anyway, she was going to reject his advances. So, she remained silent about it. Still, she muttered to Ishaan.
"I can speak for myself."
Hearing this, Ishaan was taken aback and concerned that he had overstepped his boundaries. He looked at her and was about to apologize when she smiled back. She wasn't unhappy with him. But she simply voiced her position. Good! He was seeing new sides to her. She knows where to draw the line. They were approaching the parking lot. A a car sped passed them. She instinctively drew Ishaan closer to her. She didn't give it any thought beyond aiding a friend. But our dude was dancing a happy dance in his mind. He grinned like crazy. His friends weren't blind to it either.
They all gathered on the beach that evening. All the guys had changed into their shorts, keeping their shirts on. They were all about to jump in when they realized Adhithi was still on the shore.
"Come on." They called her. She simply shook her head negatively.
When Ishaan noticed her uncertainty, he approached her. "Why aren't you coming in??"
"I cannot swim. I'm afraid."
"We won't go that far." I know how to swim. I'll hold on to you."
Still seeing her pause, he asked her again. "There's something else. Isn't there?
"My shirt cannot get wet. When it becomes wet, it becomes transparent." She whispered to him.
Now that he knew the reason, he couldn't help but laugh a little, as if taunting her.
"See why I didn't tell you. Now you're laughing at me." She complained.
"That's okay. Look at them. This is not a problem. No one would mind."
"But I would. I am uneasy displaying my skin."
"You should not be insecure about your physique. You're as good as you are. Feel more confident, man." He misunderstands her remarks.
"Ishaan, I am not ashamed of my physique in any way. Actually, I am proud of what I have. You are just misinterpreting my words. I stated that I dislike showcasing my body to people who should not be seeing it."Oh!!!" Ishaan was finally grasping what she meant. She only meant she was reserving herself for the one. It was not unusual to wear see-through dresses these days. Indeed, all of the other girls with him were dressed in similar attire. Ishaan would, in any event, describe her as conservative. But he couldn't, because it was her. He might be the one for her. So, she may be doing this indirectly for himself, which made him delighted to no end.
"How about I give you, my shirt?" He asked.
"What about you?" She asked.
"I'm okay with exposing my skin. Also, I have my vest beneath." He was already unbuttoning his shirt as he said this and handed it to her.
She hesitantly accepted it and wore it over her shirt. His buddies, who were watching the scene unfold, were startled to see Ishaan sharing his favorite shirt, something he would never even share with his older brothers. Ishaan was going towards his friends when she pulled him back.
"What happens after this? I don't have any spare dresses to change into."
"That can be arranged," he whispered, pulling her along with him. Adhithi watched his pals staring at her, as if they were seeing her for the first time. Ishaan looked at them as if to warn them to keep their mouths shut.
Now they were playing in the water. But Adhithi was still afraid of the sea, so she clung to Ishaan's side for dear life. They poured water at her, but Ishaan blocked most of it. She was still soaked from head to toe. However, she appreciated the whole ambiance. It had been a long time since she had felt this carefree. One of his friends pushed her forward as she was lost in thinking. She lost her balance and fell on her face into the lake. She could not move from the fear she felt. A hand drew her out of the sea water, and she began breathing again. She rushed to the beach and sat on the sand.
They weren't very deep in the sea. They did, however, have water up to their thighs. She began coughing up the water; she had drunk. The notion of having to drink this water made her even more disgusted, and she began to gag. When Ishaan saw this, he felt bad about pushing her to join them in the water. He followed her to the shore. His friends did the same. Ishaan soon sat next her, patting her back to get out the water from her system.
"I'm okay. It's simply that it was my first time being this deep in water, and I lost my balance. You don't have to worry."
Ishaan also advised them to go back.
"You should also return. I'm OK now."
"I am not. I will stay by your side." He insisted on holding her hands in his. He felt her hands were too little for his. He stroked his fingers across her palm.
"I'm sorry for ruining the mood," she said, feeling horrible.
"No, I apologize. I promised to hold on to you but couldn't keep it." He knew nothing would happen to her, yet he couldn't stop worrying. He stayed with her, holding her hands.
"How about we take a stroll?" She nodded.
"We'll just wander around. Call me before sunset." One of them made an okay sign with his hands.
They were just strolling around now. She still had his shirt on. However, he did not let go of her hand. While strolling, she opened her wet hair to dry it.
The sea breeze gently blew past her long hair, causing it to brush against his face. The aroma of her hair filled his nostrils, intoxicating him.
Walking around, she noticed that several people were strolling around hand in hand. That's when she noticed they were acting just like a couple. Even to the point of sharing his clothing. Suddenly, another realization occurred. She was giving hope to Ishaan. She was leading him on. Looking back, his objectives were always evident, even if he didn't speak them out loud. He wanted more than just to be friends with her.
She abruptly came to a halt. She turned him to face her.
"Ishaan."
"Hmmm..."
"Am I leading you on?"
He wasn't sure what to do with her bluntness. He never expected her to catch on so quickly. Now that she understood, he wanted to do everything he could to keep her by her side as long as no one else filled her heart.