Riya

"We'll be back in a few weeks." My mother's words rang from the other side of the phone as I walked, clutching my tote bag. I was still feeling light from my pottery session.

"Is it still not sorted?" I asked, skipping to the side when a car passed, almost drenching me with muddy water.

"It will never be sorted unless your father learns how to fight, " my mother grumbled. I could hear my father's voice in the back. I sighed.

"You guys need to come back soon. I got a call from Aarush's teacher, yesterday. She was getting angry that he was not going to school. I told you not to take him."

"We informed her. Why is she getting angry at you?"

"Because she is his teacher, and you lied to her that you'll be back in a week." I threw my hands up and stopped walking.

"I didn't lie. I just didn't tell her the date." My mother replied innocently and I closed my eyes in exasperation. I couldn't even scold her because I could imagine the cute face she must be making.

I was walking towards the train station to catch a train back home when my mother called me. I had just texted, and Sia had sent a few messages to the group after my text. But I was yet to gather the courage to look.

"Next time, please talk to his teacher yourself."

"Yes, yes." She grumbled, then added. "Also, you bua might come with us." Slowly, I started walking again. I didn't want her to be here. I knew how the days at my home were going to be if she came here. I was not ready for that.

The high I was on slowly started fading away. The sound of the cars slowly became too much.

"Hmm...how long she'll be here?"

"Two weeks. She needs to get her medicines and some other things." she paused. "Are you and Dhruv fighting?"

"What?" I was not going to be fooled by the casual tone she had used.

"I called your chachi, and she said you guys are not talking." Her accusatory tone made me blink.

"There's nothing like that," I added quickly. "We're just too busy in our lives. I work, and then I have lots of assignments-"

"Dhruv also said you're angry at him."

How dare he? He had no guts to come and talk to me. Instead, he went and tattled to my mother.

"I don't know why he said that. I'm not angry." I tried keeping the anger out of my mind.

"Good, then. Go to Chachi's house today. She'll feel better. She's worried. Dhruv's acting strange, and you both are not talking."

"He's acting strange?" I asked, pretending I had no idea what was happening.

"Yeah, he comes home late or sometimes not at all. He has also started drinking. I don't know what kind of people he is hanging around."

I stopped as I waited for the traffic to stop. "He's not a kid, ma," I said before I could think. "He needs to stop and think about his actions."

"What actions?" She asked, and I closed my eyes. She had a way of getting me to accept things. My mother was one cunning woman when she wanted to be. A trait I was unfortunate enough to not acquire.

"I don't know. I was talking in general." I tried to salvage the conversation.

"It seemed you know more." The damage was done. She continued, "We'll talk about it when we come back."

There was a finality in her voice. I couldn't even pretend to feign ignorance. "Fine. I'm not sure what conversation we'll have, but do as you wish."

"I will decide that."

"Okay, I need to go back home," I said hurriedly as the traffic stopped.

"Haan, okay. Go to Chachi's house tomorrow." She ordered.

"Haan, I will. Bye." I cut the call and crossed the road, gritting my teeth and thinking about Dhruv. All my fuzzy feelings vanished, and I was left with the cold dread of the conversation that I would have to have with my mother.

I was still reeling from the conversation with my mother when my phone vibrated, and I saw another text from Sia pop up. I ignored it, moving ahead.

After a few seconds, my phone rang.

I picked it up to hear an angry Sia, "Dude, are you kidding?"

"What?" I asked innocently as if I had no idea what she was talking about.

"You can not just not reply after sending that damn text."

"I was talking to my mother." I sighed.

"Why do you sound so down?"

"I'll tell you after I reach home."

"No, you come here. Ruhi's here. We'll have a chat. We need to have a chat."

"I've been at your place for the last three days. I need to go back to my home."

"Then you can go tomorrow. Not today. Come here. Should I come to pick you up? Where are you?" Her middle name should have been persistent.

"I'll come. You don't need to come pick me up."

"You sure?"

"Yes," I said, making up my mind. I did need to vent out.

I took the train to her area, all while the thoughts swirling in my mind. I was going to Abhay's place to draw a mural on his wall that his mother didn't even know. It was crazy. People were very particular about the walls and interior of their houses, especially people with money. I hoped it wouldn't turn out to be a disaster. For some reason, I did not to disappoint his mother...Or him.

My thoughts never subsided, even when I rang the bell to Sia's bungalow. Sia opened her door with a grin.

"Let's welcome our girl with a new crush." She shouted, and I closed my eyes. Maybe I was too hasty sending that text.

But I felt too much at that moment. Seeing him carrying his brother, a part of me melted. And I wanted to share that. It felt too much to keep it in.

"At least let me get inside," I said walking past her towards the stairs and going to the first floor where her room was. At this point, I knew her home like the back of my hand.

She came jogging and started walking by my side. "I want to know everything." She said with a threatening tone.

"Yeah, I have a lot to say."

After freshening up and wearing one of Sia's obnoxious bright pink pajamas, I was sitting on her bed. Ruhi and Sia sat beside me, forming a circle. My eyes went to her ceiling with the starry night. A part of me was too eager for the day to come because the chances of me seeing him in college were less. And I wanted to see him.

"I felt it was going to happen soon," Ruhi said, sipping her hot chocolate like she was a psychic who had foreseen this. I closed my eyes in embarrassment.

"Seriously? I thought it would take her ages to realize it," Sia added, looking way too serious as if she was analyzing global economic policy.

"Oh, c'mon, it's not that deep. I just-"

"You just what? Like him? After seeing him with his brother?" Sia wiggled her eyebrows, giving me that classic mischievous grin.

I groaned. "Fine. I think I do." The words tasted strange but liberating as I said them. I recalled how his familiar scent wrapped around me like a warm hug. The realization seeped into my bones slowly, one drop at a time. The conviction in my voice scared me.

"And?" Sia prompted, leaning in like this was the juiciest gossip she'd ever heard.

"And what? Nothing. It's a small crush on the guy I hated for a long time, and I'm sure it's going to go away. I'm just seeing him in a new light, and it's messing with my head." I waved my hand, hoping they'd just move on.

I might have made a big mistake by texting them about it.

But I wanted to text them. I wanted to tell someone how I felt at ease even when the torrential rain begged me to drown and surrender. And how easy it felt to do so. To drown.

"It doesn't sound like a small thing," Ruhi said, her voice heavy with ominous wisdom like she was the love guru of the group.

"Small crush, big crush. Who cares? The question is: when do we meet your future in-laws?" Sia added with a smirk, and I choked on my hot chocolate.

"Can we not?" I wheezed, glaring at her.

"You're no fun." She leaned back dramatically. "Also, I'd kill it in one of those fancy lehengas at your engagement. Just saying. It's my dream to design one for you."

"First of all, it's not like that," I snapped, trying to ignore the heat crawling up my neck.

"Yeah, sure. Tell that to your dreamy, starry-eyed look just now," Ruhi muttered, and I smacked her arm lightly.

Sia crossed her arms. "You've already got the 'I hate you' storyline going. All that's missing is a grand declaration." She made a theatrical gesture toward the ceiling. "Picture it: 'Riya, I've loved you all along.' Cue a dramatic kiss under the sky!"

"You've been reading too much romance," I said flatly, but I couldn't stop myself from laughing. The tightness in my chest was slowly unraveling. 

"What? It's classic. You could even throw in a plot twist. Maybe he's secretly a spy or has a mysterious scar."

Ruhi snorted. "He plays football."

"Valid." Sia shrugged. "But if he does have a secret, I call dibs on being the first to know. Anyway, back to the point. It is not just a small crush."

"Okay, but what if it is? What if I just...like him as a human being?" I said, shrugging.

"What the fuck is that?" Sia said, rolling her eyes. "Who even says that? 'I like him as a human being.' Please. You sound like you're defending a questionable Big Boss contestant."

"It's true!" I protested.

"Sure, sure," Ruhi said, nodding seriously. "And next you'll say, 'I don't like him; I just admire his dedication to the environment.'"

"Or his cheekbones," Sia added, waggling her eyebrows.

"Can we focus, please?" I threw up my hands. "I came here for some sanity, not to be roasted alive."

"We're your best friends. Roasting you is part of the package deal," Sia said with a grin.

"Also, we're not here to tell you it's a bad idea," Ruhi added thoughtfully.

"Fine." I sighed and took a sip of my now-lukewarm hot chocolate. "But can we move on to something less terrifying? Like how Dhruv tattled to my mom about our fight."

"We noticed the topic change, but we're letting it slide...for now," Sia said, narrowing her eyes.

"What did he say?" Ruhi asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"That I'm not talking to him," I muttered, shaking my head. "Now ma wants me to go to their place and talk to him. And knowing her, she'll call me every day until I do it."

"Why is Dhruv like this? At this point, he's roping everyone into this. First Angie, now your mother."

"At this point, I won't be surprised if he has a PowerPoint on 'how to get Riya to talk to me'," Sia quipped.

Yeah, he was doing everything except coming to me and apologizing. How was I supposed to navigate this?

"What are you going to do?" Ruhi asked.

"Go over tomorrow after college," I said with a resigned shrug.

"You want us to come with you?" Sia offered, cracking her knuckles. "We can knock some sense into him."

"No, I'll handle it."

"We can see how well you're handling it by ignoring him." Sia grinned, and I grabbed a pillow and tossed it at her. She picked it up, ready for a fight.

"And Riya..." Ruhi's voice softened, catching our attention. "It wouldn't be the worst thing if you liked Abhay." Her words soothed something that I didn't even know was jagged.

"It doesn't matter. He's not going to like me." It was easier to think about it, but reality was different. Too different than what I wanted it to be.

"But what if he did?" Ruhi said, her knowing eyes peering into my soul.

Her words ignited a lingering hope. A dangerous thing. As if I dangled at the edge of the cliff, ready to tip over. But I wasn't ready to fall. Not yet. 

----

Do vote and share your thoughts.