The next day, I decide to confront Ved in music class since we weren't in the same apartment anymore nor can I find him alone in school.
Courtesy of an overcrowded school.
Wonder why it didn't work in the beginning when I met Ved in school though.
I get ready for music class and pack Ved's notebook—the one in which he had written that he likes me, for proof—into my music class bag along with other music class stuffs and take my bike, whose tires are thankfully inflated and ride all the way to my music class.
When I reach my music class, I'm panting hard from riding my bike all the way here.
You gotta start that workout you stopped doing, you dumbass.
Yeah, yeah, I will. But for now, we got a situation in our hands.
I had started earlier than necessary from my house so that I could reach here soon and talk to Ved alone.
I wait beside my parked bike for Ved to come, my feet tapping against the ground as I bite my lower lip in anticipation, my eyes trained on my clenching-and-unclenching fists.
Suddenly a hand comes in my line of view, rests on my chin as it pulls my face up to meet the face of its owner and its thumb gently frees my lower lip.
"What're you doing here so early?" Ved asks me, his hand moving from my chin to my cheek as he strokes it and I can't help but compare it to how Nikhil did.
Nikhil's was so soothing.
Yeah, I know right?
I internally sigh in bliss as I remember how Nikhil's hand stroked my cheek and how they ran against my arms and my waist when we kissed—
"Hey Vicky, you alright?" Ved asks me, as I snap out of my daze.
"Yeah, sorry. I just...zoned out." I observe that he has put some space between us.
Good.
"Okay, so why're you here so early?" He asks curiously.
"Oh, I just...um, wanted to talk to you about something."
He nods gesturing me to go on.
I rummage my bag and get his notebook outside, frantically flipping pages to get to the question in which I read about that.
"So I was going through these extra questions yesterday and I came across this—" I point out the question to him and he squints at it, his eyes slightly widening after sometime.
"—and I thought maybe you had a more elaborate answer which I might find more easier, so I went to the last page and—"
"Did you read it?" He interrupts me.
"Yeah. But I swear it wasn't intentional. I just thought it might—"
"Vicky."
"—help me understand, whatever you wrote, that is, but then—"
"Vicky."
"—I just read it so I wanted to—"
My rant is interrupted abruptly as Ved leans in and kisses my cheek, his lips lingering longer and pulls away, looking straight in my eyes.
"I never wanted you to find it this way, but I..." He trails away and takes a deep breath before continuing.
"I like you Vicky, I really like you so much. And I...I want us to be more than friends, please." he finishes and I can't help but notice a hopeful expression on his face.
Do I like him?
All these years I have, but recently with all those things I've been feeling for Nikki—
I snap out of my thinking as I notice Ved leaning in slowly, our noses almost touching, his breath fanning my lips and I'm dragged to the moment in the janitor's closet in school where Nikhil and I shared a kiss.
As Ved's lips inched closer, I can't help but feel hesitation inside me, almost like I'm betraying my love for Nikhil—
What the—?
Just before Ved's lips meet mine, I push him away from me and run my hand through my hair.
Love for Nikhil? I mean, yeah I love him as a friend but why do I feel like betraying him if Ved kisses me?
You're in love with Nikhil?
No. No, that can't be. I just started feeling these things now, very recently. Besides, Ved has been my first love.
I just scamper away from there leaving a perplexed and hurt Ved standing just how I left him, not caring that I was skipping my music class. I ride my bike speedily, that if it was a motorbike or a car, I definitely would have gotten a speeding ticket, and rush to my current house.
I run up the stairs, taking two at a time, reach the overhead water tank and climb on to the top of the platform.
Sitting on its edge with my legs dangling, I sigh and look up at the evening sky—not too dark, not too bright—and after maybe 45 minutes or so of peace as I'm almost dozing off, I hear footsteps.
Shravan comes in my view as he wordlessly seats himself beside me, occasionally bumping our dangling legs.
"So, are we gonna keep sitting here bumping our legs or are you gonna talk?" He breaks the silence.
"How did you even know I was here?"
"You aren't exactly subtle while running. And it's been, what, 40 minutes since you came up here?" He shoots me a pitying look.
I let a long sigh as I rest my head on his shoulder after moving a bit since he was shorter than me.
"I don't know what to do Shrav, Ved's been my first love and now I get feelings for Nikhil...I just—argh!" I speak with frustration laced in my voice.
"Do you feel anything at all for Ved now?" He asks.
"No! And that's freaking me out. How can it be like that—"
"Just to make sure you know, first love isn't always the one you'll have till the very end and first love is much, much different than true love." He interrupts in between.
That made me think.
I loved Ved, yeah, ever since I joined the same music class as him, but that's just it—I loved him. Not anymore.
I don't feel anything remotely close to what I feel for Nikhil.
And Nikhil...
I've always seen how handsome—which he initially wasn't, but I couldn't care any less about it—and caring he is, but only since this summer had I started seeing him in a new light.
The way his eyes light up when he sees me, how he gets disappointed when I call him 'Nikhil' instead of 'Nikki', how he gets angry when I talk about Ved, how he finds an excuse to slip some of his shirts hoping that I would wear them—which I do, secretly, as my pyjama shirt—or how he knows exactly what to say and when to say to me.
And I've also not forgotten how my heart sunk every time I heard him talk about 'mystery girl'—now that I know it's me—or how his hugs made me forget about every single problem or how his presence pacified me.
Not to forget the kiss now. Oh my god, who knew first kisses could be so damn fucking awesome!
Hell yeah, that too—
"Dreaming about him?"
I blush and burry my face deeper into Shravan's neck as he chuckles.
"I think what I said was enough for you to come to a decision, so I'll leave you to your thoughts now." He says as he gets up dusting his pants and turns to walk away.
I quickly grab his wrists making him turn back to me with a questioning look.
"When did you become so wise? Last I checked, you're my little cousin brother who's three years younger than me." I ask him teasingly, not showing that I was indeed truly serious.
"Well...I learned from the best, the best being my three years elder sister and my nine years elder brother."
And with that he left me to mull over my thoughts.
Noticing that it was getting dark, I walk back to my house and feeling a bit lazy, I change into one of Nikhil's many shirts I've got—which covered my butt—and the first pair of shorts I lay my hands on which was anyways covered by the humongous shirt.
Rolling the really long sleeves of the shirt, I slump on the bed and I go back to my thoughts.
Is it really just me rooting in me and Ved? Every other person who knows about this seems to be pointing out Nikhil to be my guy. Hell, even Darsh had shipped us once and he doesn't have a clue about it all.
Maybe I should really stop being stubborn and step out of the circle I've drawn around me?
My phone rings and I pick it up to see Nikhil's number and name along with a picture of him asleep appears on my screen.
"Hello?"
"Ritu, can you check if you have my thermos in your bag by any chance?" He asks and I can hear some shouting, probably his mom based on the voice.
"Um...wait, I'll check. How will it be in my bag though?" I ask him curiously while walking to my desk.
"Oh, I...uh, I was holding the thermos in my hands and I just kept it in the nearest bag when I went to pee earlier in school so that I could take it later, but I forgot. And I'm guessing the only bag besides mine was yours, so..."
I can imagine him rubbing the back of his neck with a goofy smile and chuckle at the image.
"What?" He asks, obviously hearing my chuckle.
"Nothing! Just thinking of how stupid you are." I say teasingly while checking my bag for his thermos.
"Ha ha. You'll pay for that—"
"Okay, so yeah. Your thermos is here." I interrupt him as soon as I find his thermos in my bag.
"Oh, thank god! But I'll still make you pay for that." I hear some shuffling from the other side and Nikhil shouts, "Ma stop shouting. The world isn't ending just because of a lost thermos. Vicky has it!"
I make out the words said by the other voice—Nikhil's mom—when she shouts, "You better be thankful to that dear girl! Honestly, you give me a heart attack EVERY SINGLE DAY!"
"Way to love your son!" He shouts and I hear a door slam before he starts speaking again.
"Oh my god, I swear she cares about her utensils more than me!" He speaks to me, heaving a sigh.
"I wonder what you would to without me..."
"Well you are with me, so I'm not gonna bother thinking about it at all." I hear some creaking.
"I think you'll probably end up on the streets and— hey! What're all those noises?" I ask as I hear more noises.
"Oh, I'm coming over. I need that thermos or Ma will probably behead me when I'm sleeping."
"Okay then bye, see you in, like, 45 minutes?"
"I'll hold you to that." He assures me.
"Okay."
"Okay."
"Bye."
"Bye."
"Hmm."
"Hmm."
Few seconds pass by and neither of us hangs up the call.
"Why aren't you hanging up the call?" I ask him quietly.
"Why aren't you?"
"I— um...I..." I trail away, not knowing what to say.
"I have to hang up now if I have to see you later so I'm sorry but I'm hanging up right now." He says with a heavy sigh.
"Okay."
"Okay."
"Bye."
"Bye."
"Hmm."
"Hmm."
Silence.
"Gawd, I'm hanging up for real right now." He says and the line goes dead.
I can't help but let a smile make its way on my face as I bite my lip and rest the end of my phone against it.
A/N: Thoughts? Vote and comment, please and thank you!