"Please be gentle, you idiot! That hurts," I squealed.
"I am not even applying any pressure, Dhvani. Just relax," Appu spoke.
I groaned. I was trying on Appu's heels to wear at Ryan's party tonight. I had just gained confidence that I would walk properly in heels when I fell down breaking my ankle bone badly.
"You get up and try to walk, it won't hurt."
"You sure?" I asked unsurely.
Appu held her hand towards me. I held it and got up. With Appu's help, I tried to walk. I was limping. The bone hurt when I tried to walk normally.
"I'm not going to the party,"
"Oh come on, Dhvani. You are walking fine,"
"I am walking like a penguin! I cannot walk in this way in front of Ryan,"
"You are impossible,"
"I know that I am not going to the party."
I texted Atharv immediately.
~ i cannot make it
"You can avoid Ryan,"
"I am going there for Ryan,"
"You can admire him from afar. That is what you do every day,"
"Sometimes! But what if he comes to speak with me on his own?"
"As if he is going to," I know.
Atharv replied to my text.
~ Why the hell though?
~ i broke my ankle
i cannot walk properly
He went offline right after reading my text. I assumed he would have got upset over my decision. Atharv would get angry at me immediately when I disagreed with his plans.
I threw my phone on my bed and plopped on my bed. I cursed myself for trying the heels. What was the need to wear heels when I had an amazing pair of boots? Appu did warn me not to wear heels as I'm bad with them. But I didn't listen to her. I was confident over my luck - the same luck that had ditched me a lot in the past.
Appu went back into her room giving up on me. I mentally planned how to spend the night, not feeling guilty for not having to attend Ryan's party. I had planned to call my father in my room to play the video game with me. I was not going to take any efforts to go downstairs neither did I trust my luck. What if I fell down from the stairs?
"What is wrong with your ankle?" I heard Atharv asking me as he entered my room.
"You should knock the door before entering in. It's basic manners,"
"Shut the fuck up,"
I got up. And pointed at my right foot. Appu had wrapped it tightly with the bandage after applying some balm on to it. It smelled really strong and bad.
"That's not something new, okay? You keep falling every now and then,"
"But I walk like a penguin,"
"When did you see a penguin walk? And nobody is asking you to do a ramp walk at the party. So stop being so dramatic,"
"Why you being salty? I should be more upset since Ryan is my crush. Not yours,"
"Because of your social anxiety, we never go to any parties. And now that you had agreed for the party, you broke your ankle. Look at my face, I even trimmed my beard nicely in excitement."
I touched his beard and looked closely at it. It did have some weird cuts in which I was not used to seeing Atharv in. The new look suited him.
"Haan yaar, mi baghitlach nahi."
"Oh yeah, I didn't notice."
"I will give you a piggy back ride, I promise. I'll not leave you alone, I'll stick by your side throughout the party." He sat on his knees and held my hands in his.
Atharv made a face that I couldn't ignore. Whenever I denied going with his idea, he made up an innocent face to make me melt. And I did melt every time he did that. If ever I made an innocent face, even he used to give in easily.
I stroke his hair, messing them up and spoke, "Alright,"
"You are the best girlfriend ever, I love you." he giggled and kissed my cheek.
"But you will be with me in the party and also give me piggyback ride."
"Yes, I will,"
"But my foot smells really bad due to the balm,"
"Then wash it completely. Once we return back from the party, I'll give your ankle a massage with the balm."
"Don't be so cute, I cannot resist." I laughed.
I got changed into the clothes Appu had suggested me in the afternoon. I wore a black bodycon dress and paired a ripped denim jacket over it. I applied mascara and kajal, a black powder used to line the waterline, to compliment the outfit. I went for a mauve shade of the liquid lipstick that made me look appealing.
I had washed off the balm from my ankle thoroughly though it pained a lot while I did so. There was still mild fragrance of the balm and to eliminate it completely I sprayed my deodorant on my ankle.
I didn't wear my crocs but rather wore flat white slippers that I had got from the local market for a hundred rupees. I was hoping that no one would notice my slippers. It would be an awkward situation. The slippers clearly didn't go with my outfit, but I had no other choice than wearing them. I had no guts to put my foot inside the crocs or the shoes I had.
"What was the need to even try heels?"
I rolled my eyes.
"I wanted to have ideal height, of course. And anyway I've learnt a lesson, never to wear heels again." I spoke, glancing at my cramped foot.
"Good," Atharv chuckled.
I had a feeling that I was going to do something bad and land myself in some trouble at the party. I never attend social gatherings as I hate speaking with unknown people. Unknown people make me worry.
"I don't know why all of a sudden I'm getting nervous." I murmured, biting on my lip.
"I have got a solution for that." Atharv clicked the music button that played a Bhojpuri song.
"Oh god." I rolled my eyes.
"Lagawelu jab lipistic , hilela arra distric Tu lagaweli jab lipistic, hilela arra distric." Atharv sang.
Whenever we were extremely happy we would play the song and dance wildly like no one is watching us. The song has something in it that charges me up instantly. Honestly, my inner dancer was invoking me and I gave up my gentleness for a minute and joined him.
"Komariya kar lopa loap, lalipop lagelu
Komariya kar lopa loap, lalipop lagelu." we both sang along with the song.
And my confidence level was boosted up to some level.
After a few minutes of the driveway, we reached the destination. Atharv parked the car at the end of the parking lot. I grabbed my bag from the back seat and stepped out slowly, not putting pressure on my right leg.
As promised Atharv agreed to give me a piggyback ride.
"Only till the door," I spoke into his ears.
"Okay, boss." He giggled.
As we passed through the aisle, I noticed Ryan's Jeep and his other cars in the garage. He loved collecting cars and owned three of them out of which one was gifted to him by his grandfather. The rest were bought by himself since he earns a lot of money from his apps and games. He had started working with his grandfather in his company at a young age.
"Damn when did he get an i8?" Atharv shouted.
"What i8?"
"BMW i8, you idiot. Look there," he pointed at the white sports car.
"Oh that,"
Correction, he had four cars. But I had never seen him driving his other cars to the college. He would always get his Jeep.
"My father would never give me that in my entire life," Atharv murmured.
I gave him a look and murmured back, "He has got that from his own money."
"It'll take me more ten years to own one," he chuckled.
"Oh come on, our Bambi is the best car!"
We had named Atharv's Brezza car as Bambi. It was his father's gift to him on his eighteenth birthday.
I had seen Ryan's house in school days as he would get dropped before me. It was my first time being at Ryan's house, and I swear I was already excited.
As I scanned around the living room, I found my classmate waving her hand at me. I ignored her. If I wouldn't have, she would have come to me to have a conversation. And I suck at conversation with strangers.
"Let's go and have a seat."
"Okay,"
Atharv looked around to find seats for us while I looked around to find Ryan. He was nowhere to be seen. As Appu said, I hoped he won't come and talk with me and certainly he would notice my slippers. But I also hoped he would come and speak to me. When it came to Ryan, I became a confused soul.
"There,"
With Atharv's help, I managed to walk to the bar counter. He picked me up by my waist to make me sit on the bar stool and then got seated on the stool beside me.
The music was loud, not as loud as it was at the concert. It was bearable enough. I love light music with no bass. It soothes my mind and refreshes my overall mood.
I ordered my guava juice while Atharv went for the same.
"Why you not getting a wine?" I asked.
We have a rule, if one of us gets wine the other one has to get a juice so that the non-drunk one can manage the drunk one. Neither of us had got drunk together ever. We would be unbearable if we ever break the rule.
"If I get wine, I'll give you a piggy back ride around the whole house." Atharv laughed.
I giggled idiotically. My eyes still searched for Ryan. There were way too many people, half of them I had not even seen. I couldn't quite understand the house structure since it was very dark.
"By the way, you look like a whole meal today." Atharv winked at me.
"Thank you," I chuckled.
We always flirt with each other whenever we get a chance. At the beginning of our first year, our seniors and the professors thought us both to be dating. But the comments neither bothered us or our friendship. It rather grew more and more strong.
I would even pretend to be his girlfriend sometimes when he would be in a problem and need my help.
"You still didn't give me the pav bhaji,"
"Uh oh, you still remember."
"Pav bhaji cannot be forgotten, my best friend!"
"Here are your drink, enjoy." The bartender smiled at us.
"Okay, cheers!"
"Cheers," and we clinked our glasses.
Who had thought that one day I'll be sitting at Ryan's house with my best friend drinking juices at the bar counter with my cramped foot wearing some shitty slippers that didn't even match my outfit?