Chapter -7| Aashi
Neel can only see the silhouette of her back disappearing behind the black, metal doors of her driveway. He watches, helpless, as the door closes behind her. He waits for her to get inside. Aashi turns around only to meet his eyes for a quick moment, then to close the main door to her house. The distance seemed to swallow when it comes to feeling the same panic behind someone's eye.
***
*With him, she had some wonderfully stable times, Rohit seemed to blank her brain so much more.*
I underline the name Rohit and cut the name from in between. I punch the backspace button on my lappie till everything disappears. I wish I can erase my past like that too. I can't even write a short story for my blog without thinking about him. I feel betrayed by my own self and feelings that don't seem to be contained in the nook and crannies of my brain. Is it that hard to get over somebody?
How can you hate someone and still think about them continuously all the time? Ugh, I hate myself at the moment.
I know I have to distract myself so, I searched for my phone lying around somewhere, and hurriedly send a text to Ria.
3:55 p.m.
Me: *Can you come over?*
3:56 p.m.
Rii: *Sure, I was heading towards your house but stopped to get us some chocolate shakes and chicken wings. Btw, a certain gossip fly told me that 'HE' tried to stop you after school?*
Me: *Yeah, get your ass in here so, we can talk.*
Rii: *Be there in ten. x*
I swipe the screen to the right to see her message and heave a sigh. I lean on my nightstand to get the book 'Godfather' sitting on it, and I try to keep myself occupied until Ria shows up with food.
She does after twenty long minutes as I'm halfway engrossed in the story; at the point where Michael hides his iciness behind his cold, fatal smile.
"What does that fucker want from you, now?"
"I don't know," I mumble, taking the food that Ria hands me, opening my chocolate shake and pushing a straw through the lid.
"Seriously, I'll kick his ass, Aashi. And cut off his dick slowly with the blunt side of a knife. I'll leave his balls in place though, and hang him by the balls. Then I'll chop his itty-bitty sorry excuse of a male anatomy into pieces and sautée it with some veggies then feed it to him and watch in utter satisfaction." Ria complains sipping her cold coffee latte and licking the foam off her lips. Then her lips curl down as she comes up with something new, "or we can fry his dick and feed it to the dogs. Plain and simple."
I cover my ears and hope Shadow doesn't hear that. "No, you're not feeding my baby that deplorable piece of shit."
"Don't worry, I'll feed it to the stray dogs in your neighbourhood. Hey, I love our brownie awesomeness too you know." Just then, Shadow emerges through the open door of my room, licking and howling at Ria when she pets his ears, feeding him a chocolate cookie.
"Don't feed him, like that," I roll my eyes, "he has put on a lot of weight."
"It's okay, he's still the hottest pug around here, aren't you, little boy?" Shadow calms down a bit, when I eye him, and goes on to sit on Ria's toes.
Ria feeds him the rest of the chocolate- chip cookies, while I dig in the wings, murmuring, "this is so good."
Ria nods her head, "Yeah, I know. Tell me about it. . . well, or you can tell me about what really happened in school?"
I stop mid- bite of my spicy wing and place it back in the carton, "well, he was trying to ambush me," I try to finish the sentence, forcing myself to feel nothing, "Then he pushed me to the side of his car."
Ria lets out an audible gasp, she reaches for my palm and gives it a squeeze, "Did he try to force himself on you. . . or you know?"
I contemplate the question and don't know how or what to tell her, "No, he didn't. He just hugged me while I pushed him off of me."
Ria looks positively livid and I know Rohit's balls are in danger, "That's still an assault, Aashi. He could've done much more harm. Will you wait for him to do something to hate yourself? You didn't want it, and he forced you. That sounds like an assault to me."
I nod my head and bite my lip, knowing that she's right this time, "You are right, Ria. I should stay away from his bag of dicks."
She squeezes in a laugh still saying, "I wish I would've been there to help you, you know. It's my fault. I should've never left you alone."
"It's okay," I give a little squeeze to her fingers, "By the way, that bitchy Saheema hate- texted me. She called me a bitch and that I have a tiny chest."
"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black," Ria chuckles, "and we both know that there's nothing tiny about your chest."
I laugh at her hilarious statement, "Yeah, those are my boobs. You've seen mine. I've seen yours. We're practically married."
"Touché," she drawls, going back to the chicken - bucket helping herself to another spicy wing of goodness.
***
"Move away from the door and let me at him," Ria snarls threateningly from behind me, my fingers tightly clasped on her wrist to stop her from losing her mind and going bonkers on Rohit.
*Yes, he didn't appear to revel in the idea that we're not lovers or together anymore.*
"No, no, he's dead," I step in front of her, putting my hands on her shoulders and trying to calm her down. "I got this," I smirk mischievously.
"Aashi," His voice has never sounded so cold, it cuts through the panic and any warmth I feel towards him. He slightly nudges open the main door but I stumble and force it to be halfway open. When he sees my hesitant posture, he calmly continues, "I had to tell you that you need to stay away from Neel. He's not a good guy. When you left me like that in school, I made up my mind to never talk to you. . . but since, we've been friends for years, I had to come up here. I thought I'd silently follow you for a while to make sure you got home safely." He purses his lips and carries on, "So, I decided to walk behind you from a good distance when you left me outside high school, but then I saw him coming up to you, and you talking to him while you got in his car."
"Seriously? That's all you have to say! When did you develop stalker tendencies?!" I fold my arms across my chest, still reluctantly hoping that maybe he'll apologise for his earlier behaviour. He can't possibly be that heartless, you know.
"What are you talking about?! I saw you. . . with him. He's the one following you everywhere. And, I'm the one you decide to call a stalker! You don't acknowledge that I'm trying to protect you, from him."
"Like I've formerly said, get the fuck out of my property, Rohit."
"I will. But don't come crying to me wanting me to love you when Neel obviously can't." He smiles, touching his chin and running his fingers over his coarse scruff, "I know him better than you ever will."
I shove the door close in his face, just like that. I don't need more drama in my life. Absolutely, not him.
I'm visibly vexed as I walk to the kitchen, where Ria disappeared to since Rohit showed up few minutes ago. I see her opening the refrigerator and picking out two bottles of chilled cola. Ria brings me one and takes the other one, we tumble the ends of the bottles and feebly smile, "Cheers."
I drink it up in a swift gulp, and wipe my lips with the back of my shirt's sleeve. Ria hugs me, and says, "He's a jerk. I'm not leaving your side in school. Everything's going to be okay. You got this."
"I know," I mumble, hugging her back.
***
"You were meant to be watching him!" I jump at Ria's sudden screechy voice. She's standing, crossing her hands over her chest and I'm looking lost at the surroundings.
"Who?" I narrow my brows as I gaze up at her, "and what should I have been watching?"
"I told you to keep an eye on Arjun so, he doesn't pry through my book- bag," Ria makes a face as Arjun finds her diary and starts disclosing the myths about not dating two boys at once. She tries to snatch it back from him, but he's already running away with it, making a ruckus. Ria finally takes holds onto his waist, but he holds the diary aloft from her midget reach. After fighting and chasing him for another ten minutes, she gives up.
Arjun goes on to read it aloud for everyone sitting in front of the school grounds this early in the morning, "Boyfriends are like crunchy, mixed flavored potato chips. No double dating as it'll lose its spiciness."
"Oo. . oh. . . Which kind of chip am I?" Arjun slightly nudges her shoulders, grinning.
"You are the salty one." I answer only to hear Arjun's roaring laughter as Ria closes her eyes, huffing and watching her privacy being vandalised this publicly.
"What about me?" Neel surfaces from the back of the cafetaria, his book bag slung over his muscular arms. I never noticed his ripped shoulders before. Now that I think about it, I don't want to.
"You are the tomato one," I finish smiling lightly.
"Are you sure?" Neel catches up to me, walking dangerously close to where I'm awkwardly standing, stopping only a few inches away from me. His chest is heaving so rapidly that it can touch mine. He is so close that I can feel his breath blowing on my face, "I'd vehemently like you to reconsider."