With March ending, and April's overhead heat piercing from those white curtains, jazz piano taking control of the aura of his room, there sat a blonde head in front of a piano. His pale fingers played with the black and white keys, the white sleeves of his shirt were folded till his elbow and his navy blue jeans ended at a pair of black shoes. He looked down through his bottle green eyes.

https://youtu.be/kD2H6eoJ51E

Once he was done, he heard loud claps of a man sitting behind him on a sofa with his right leg crossed over his left. He was dressed up in a blue suit and tie.
"Perfect," He said, "At least one of my son is not a complete disappointment,"
He continued looking down at the piano keys.

. . .

"Aur bhai," A girl came towards Arorhea, "New student?"
"Yeah," She smiled.
"Cool, my name is Nikita. You can call me Nikki,"
"My name is Arorhea. You can call me Rhea,"

"Arorhea is quite a different name. What does it mean?"
"To be honest...I don't know," She laughed, "My grandma kept my name,"
"You should ask her what it means,"
"She died about seven years ago,"
"Oh...Sorry,"
"It's not your fault," Arorhea smiled, "Enough about me. Tell me something about you,"

"There's not a lot to say about me. Nikita is a generic name with a generic Indian brown skin and brown eyes,"
"Brown eyes ain't that bad," Arorhea said.
"Brown eyes are just brown eyes," Nikita shrugged.
"Until you like someone with brown eyes,"

Nikita chuckled, "True. That was sleek,"
"Was it? I just thought of it...Or maybe I remember it from somewhere,"
"Where?"
"I...don't know,"
"You don't know a lot of things...Like Neel. He has these chartreuse eyes, like cats and oh man, aren't they just effing beautiful dude,"

"Really?"
Rhea remembered that blonde boy she saw at that sweet shop. He had big, round blue eyes, like a white Persian cat. She had passed through many eyes, but she only got lost in his. Maybe because it was the first time she had seen blue eyes. Those blue eyes.

"Look, that is Neel. I have had a crush on him since eighth grade," Nikita pointed at a black haired boy sitting at the last seat, near the window and chewing a bubble gum while talking to two more boys. The sunlight was falling on his face from the window, lighting up his soft green eyes, that seemed more hazel than green. Arorhea looked at him,

"Isn't he hot?" Nikki said.
"I guess?" 
"But don't you dare fall for him, okay?"
"I won't. I prefer blue eyes. They make me go all... wikkity wackity"
"What does that mean?" Nikita laughed.
Arorhea narrowed her eyes, "It's a fit!" Her eyes stumbled on a keychain in Nikita's bag, "IS THAT NASON'S LOGO?!"

"Oh, yes. Oh my god! You know Nason?!"
"Know? Bro, I've read and watched all shows of Nason!"
"Oh my God, me too!"
They screeched and then covered their mouth.

Neel and the other boys looked at them and laughed.
"I like you," Nikita smirked.
"Same," Arorhea nodded.

The teacher was soon there so everyone got back to their seats. It was time the teacher allotted seats to the students. A draw was made and everyone looked at their chits. Rhea looked at hers, "Desk number four," She walked towards the desk which had a huge four written on it and saw Neel sitting on it already.

"Oh, hey," She smiled. For an instance, he averted his gaze from the window to look at her. His dark black pupils were shining at the center of his soft green eyes. She looked away and then his eyes again moved back to the window. She looked at him. He had silky black hair and light brown skin. He snickered.

"What's so funny?" Rhea asked in Hindi. He shook his head "Nothing," He looked outside, "I just remembered something,"

The class started. Rhea noticed that Neel wasn't paying attention in any class, he was not even showing as if he cared about any of it. He was a guy who simply didn't care. Maybe he was a spoiled brat of some rich businessman and already had lots of money to handle.

He looked outside the window in the first period. He didn't even care to open his book and pretend to listen. He slept in the second and third period and bunked the fourth period in the boys bathroom with his friends. But the funny part was, no teacher pointed him out until the Economics period.

The economics teacher, Mr Pranav Tripathi seemed strict. Neel was looking at the clouds from the window. "Neel!" Mr Pranav yelled his name. He had a strong country accent. Most probably from Haryana. He seemed vexed and irritated. With a lazy and bored expression Neel turned towards him "Enjoying the weather, huh?"
"Yeah," Neel said.
"At least stand up when a teacher is talking to you! No manners you have!" 

Neel got up and rolled his eyes.
"Why you no listen in my class?!" Mr Pranav yelled. Rhea looked at Neel.
"I do," Neel said.
"What you doing?"
"Listening to you,"

"No, I asking, what you doing before it?!"
"Looking outside,"
"Why? Am I teaching outside?"
"No, that's why I am looking outside,"

The class laughed.

"Silence! Where is your notebook?"
"I was absent last week," Neel said.
"So? When time comes for notebook submission, only then you are absent. Otherwise full day you in the boys bathroom, yelling and moaning!"

The class laughed. 

"Shut up! Answer my question. A consumer wants to consume two goods. The prices of the two goods are Rs 4 and Rs 5 respectively. The consumer's income is Rs 20. Now, come at the board and write down the equation of the budget line,"

"Can I answer it from my seat? Neel asked.
"Why? And why you sitting with grills?"
"Grills?" Arorhea looked aside.
"Ms Shalini made us sit where we are sitting," Neel said.
"Get up and come to the first seat! How am times have I told you to sit on the first seat in my class! Come sit with Shaunak, come quickly,"

Neel picked up his book and dragged his feet to the first seat.
"Every time this boy disturbs my class. Let his parents come in the PTM. Come quickly, we don't have all day!" He shouted.
As Neel sat down, Mr Pranav walked to him, 
"Now, answer my question. A consumer wants to consume two goods. The prices of the two goods are Rs 4 and Rs 5 resp-"

"The answer's  4X + 5Y = 20" Neel said.

"It's correct. Sit down"
"I am sitting,"
"Stand up and get out of my class,"
"Why? I answered it correctly,"
"Get out of my class or I will not teach,"
Everyone looked at Neel. He quietly got up and walked out of the class, "Besharam," (Tn//Shameless) Mr Pranav said as he left the class.

"Bilkul tameez nahi isse," (Tn//He has no manners) He said and then cleared his throat, "Okay, continuing, today we will learn about consumer equilibrium," Mr. Pranav said as he wrote something on the board.

The school was soon over and Arorhea's hair was covered with chalk dust. But she didn't care, she was rushing back home to check out the bookstore neat her house. Nason released new Blueray DVDs and she just had to get those before they were sold out. She paddled with full force, sweat was flowing down her chin, the sun felt hot even through the shade of those Eucalyptus trees overhead. She felt the money in her skirt's pocket. 

She reached the books store and bought a Blueray DVD. She pressed the DVD to her chest as she walked out of the store, "Finally, the new season is out! I can't wait to read the comic and watching the anime," She felt the coins in her pocket jingle, "I still have some money left, lemme eat something,"

She looked at the sweetshop before her, "There!" 
She ran towards it and entered inside. She placed an order for some sweets and looked aside at the table where she first saw that blonde boy. She soon walked out of the shop, biting on  Chomchom. 

(Chomchom, cham cham, or chum chum is a traditional Bengali sweet, popular throughout the Indian subcontinent. The sweet comes in a variety of colors, mainly light pink, light yellow, and white. It is coated with coconut or mawa flakes as a garnish.)

She looked at the pavement and choked.

"THAT FOREIGNER!" She screamed in her head as she coughed. He was sitting at the same bench in front of the sweet shop where he did back then.

His blonde hair shone in the strong sunlight making him stand out even more. He was still busy on his phone. He had headphones hanging around his neck. As he heard her coughing while gently punching her chest, he looked up and a pink glow came over his face.

She felt like she was gonna die when she felt a cold water bottle on her face and looked up. He was taller than her, his face was pink but his fingers were white. He passed the bottle to her. She drank some water and calmed herself down.
"Thank you," She said in English.

"No problemo!" He smiled. He had a chirpy, American accent. She quickly walked towards her bicycle. He approached her from behind while she was unlocking the password on the bicycle. Without saying a word, she kicked the stand and sat on her bicycle as she began paddling, her cycle suddenly stopped. Upon looking back, she saw him pulling it.

He had straight blonde hair with maybe a few white strands. He had blue eyes, a pure shade of light blue which seemed like the eyes of a Persian cat. Persian Blue. He smelled sweet like flowers.

"C'mon, don't be like that, Rhea" He pouted. Her eyes widened,
"...How do you know my name?" Rhea asked as she got down from her bicycle. She gasped, "Are you a stalker?"

"Stalker? Yeah, given that I came all the way to India to meet you, I guess you can call me one. Anyways, how's it going?" He asked. Everything about him seemed so oddly familiar to her "Stop acting like you know me, blondie!" Rhea said.
"I'm not acting though. And my hair is not blonde, it's yellow," He winked.

"Yellow?" Rhea smirked, "Whatever you say,"
"I am glad you've learned Engrish. Now you don't have to deal with my weird Hindi accent," He said and laughed.
"Huh?"
"Though, I sound like a native now, don't I?" He said in Hindi.

"You know Hindi?" She asked in Hindi. A big smile covered her face.
"Haan, aata hai mujhe," He smiled and began laughing.
(Tnn// Yes, I know)
"Aati," She corrected him.
"Oh God, Hindi genders! I always mess them up. That's why I prefer English, it's so much more simpler,"
"Yeah, like not pronouncing half of the letters in a word. Like half is not pronounced as half but haaf"

"Hey, still easier than Hindi,"
"No, it's not! You think that because you are a native English speaker!"
"Okay," He laughed.

"Hey, do you really know me?" Arorhea asked in English.
"Yes, I do, Arorhea Laghari," He said, "How's grandma?"
She just looked at him.
"Hold on..." His smile faded slowly, "You don't remember me? I am Ember, dummy! Ember Cardilia Helberg. Or Berry. Did you recall?"

"What are you talking about?" She asked. She looked confused.
"Does it not ring a bell?" Ember asked as he looked into her eyes. She looked into his blue eyes,
"No, not at all." They looked at each other for a while, then he flicked her forehead, "I am your childhood friend, you idiot. How dare you forget me! Katti!"

"What the fu-I don't remember growing up with a foreigner,"
"I can never forget a face, especially not yours" He said, all serious.
"But, I'm sure that I've never met you!"
"Yes you did! You just do not remember,"

"What if you're just lying to me" She got back on her bike and began leaving, "You are just trying to play me,"
"Why would I come to India from the USA to play you?" He laughed from behind, "I am for reals! Hey! Wait! If this is a prank, then Rhea I swear to god I will go all wikkity wackity,"

Rhea turned back, "Wikkity wackity?"
He walked towards her, "Finally, you stopped,"
"What does wikkity wackity mean?" She asked.
"It's a fit," He narrowed his eyes.

"...Where have you heard it?" She asked, anxiously.
"It's a childhood slang we made,"
"You made it?"
"We made it. Do you remember it now?"

"I'm sorry I don't remember anything..." Rhea shook her head. His eyes became calm, "It's fine," He whispered and then he smiled, "It's been ten years already, human brain is forgetful,"
"Ten years?! I am genuinely surprised you still remember," Rhea said.
"I am a bit different,"
They both walked on the footpath, beneath the shade of Eucalyptus trees.

"So, do you come to this sweet shop often?" Rhea asked with her bicycle beside her.
"My brother loves sweets so yeah," Ember walked with his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
"I have a brother too," She said.
"Noor?"
"You know him?"

"You told me about him,"
"Man, how do you remember such intrinsic details!"
"I told you, I am different!" He whispered.

She rolled her eyes, "Yes sure, sir. Well then, Ember, see you again" She sat on her bicycle, ready to paddle.

"When can I see you again?" He asked as he held her bicycle. She turned towards him. He was right behind her, only a few millimeters apart. His scent was awfully familiar, hitting her with nostalgia. She had a rough image of flowers in her head whenever that smell would hit her nose. But which flowers, she didn't know. 

"I don't know, let's see," Rhea said and then she paddled away leaving Ember behind. He stood there looking at the street, with a blank face and then he mumbled to himself.

"I remembered but you forgot.
Was I so easy to forget, Rhea?"

-To be continued

Arorhea Laghari
Can't I Touch Your Heart?