_________
JENNIE
_________

The whole day passed just like that, cuddling and watching movies. We didn't go out, we just ordered our food in the room.

So it was nighttime and we had eaten our dinner and we decided to watch the 5th movie of the day. I know this sounds crazy but we were on our 5th movie of the day. The whole day we did nothing but watch movies.

We were watching a movie on his laptop. My head was laying on his stomach and he was stroking my hair just as I like, kinda cliche right!

Suddenly my phone started ringing. I checked the caller id, it was my mom.
I asked him to pause the movie and picked up the call.

"Hello mom, how are you?"

"I'm good Jennie, how are you too?"

I was expecting the cheerful voice of my mother but she sounded tensed and stressed.

I replied, "We are very well mom. Is everything alright there?"

"Yeah yeah, sweetie everything is perfect. Just some workload nothing new. You guys enjoy yourself. "

"Okay, mom. Love you. And don't stress yourself much."

"Love you too sweetie. And take care of you and R-Ryan."

"Surely mom. You too take care."

Then I hung up the call but I felt that there is something that my mom is hiding from me. I can sense that from her voice. But she won't tell me. I have to find it in my way.

"What are you thinking babe?", Ray asked by seeing me zoning out in my own world.
I replied, "I think my mom is stressed about something but she is not sharing it with me. I know there is something other than workload. But she won't tell me."

He stroked my cheeks and said, "You know what I also sense your mother's behaviour somewhat weird towards me. Don't take it as offensive but I do feel something is wrong."

I asked, "What do you find weird?"

He answered, "Like she never stays in my vicinity for more than a few minutes. She leaves the place whenever I'm there. We have never talked to each other for more than a few minutes and that is also because of you. I don't know, but I just find it weird."

I replied, "Oh-kay."

What should be the matter?
She is not such a lady who will do like this. She communicated so nicely when Alex came to our house. And she is so frank with him then why does she do this with Ray?
Can this mean that she doesn't like Ray?
No this can't be possible. He is so good and well behaved. He had done nothing wrong then why won't she like him.
There must be some other reason.

Just as I was about to go to my own world of overthinking my phone rang again. I happily picked up the phone after seeing the caller id.

I chimed, "Seems like Mr Lexi has forgotten his best friend."

I heard his raspy voice over the other side, "No, I was just a little busy. So how are your vacations going? Are you guys enjoying it? "

Ever since Ryan and I have been in a real relationship I get very less time with my best friend. In college also I'm most of the time with Ryan which is what I personally want too, but I feel like the chemistry between me and Alex is fading away. I don't want our friendship to get fade away like this but I can't even do anything, this all is happening on its own.

I replied, "Yeah, we are having fun. How are you guys doing?"

"Yeah, we all are enjoying it as well."

"Have you been successful to impress someone through your charms or not?", I teased.

He gave a little chuckle and answered, "My charms couldn't impress the one I wanted", I felt an unexpected rawness in his tone like he was trying to say something yet suppressing his emotions.
The melancholy was quite evident through his voice and anyone with a working brain can interpret that he had been deeply in love with someone. He had never told me about his love life.

I asked, "Alex, what's the matter?"

He subtly changed the topic, "Do you know that Aiden likes a girl and he is taking her on a date tomorrow?"

I jumped in excitement, "Wow, that's awesome. I also want to meet that girl."

He replied, "Surely you should, and see how that girl had gotten him wrapped around her finger. Aiden is totally mad for her."

"Finally, any one of you started changing his relationship status. I have become so bored being the only girl in the group. Now I will have one girl to support me against you guys", I said proudly.

"Okay, your majesty. You win, I lose.
Well, how's Ryan?"

"He's good too. He has slept now. "

Ryan slept with his head on my lap like a baby, while watching the movie.

Alex said, "Okay. I'm very happy for both of you. I hope you both stay happy like t-this," his voice become unclear at the end.

I asked, "What happened Alex?"

He said, "Nothing. I gotta go. Talk to you later. Bye"

"Bye".

Why everyone is behaving strangely today?
First Ryan in the morning, then mom and now Alex.
What's wrong with these people all of a sudden.

_________
ALEX
_________

I finally gained the courage and pressed the call button.
I

t's have been so many days that I haven't talked to Jennie not because I was busy or something but because I didn't want to make my heart squeeze by listening that she is happily enjoying with Ryan. I know this is so wrong of me to think like that, but emotions are emotions you can't control them.

It is not that I don't want to see her happy with Ryan, I want, I truly want Jennie and Ryan to end up happily together but what would I do with this stupid heart. I have accepted the fact that Jennie and Ryan are meant to be together not Jennie and I, but my helpless heart is taking more than the required time to understand this. This is a fight between me and my emotions, whoever will win the results won't be fruitful.

If not her in my arms, at least I can watch her from afar. If not as a lover, at least I can support her as a friend. And wait till my heart accepts and try to move on from her, which seems impossible at this point.

As I put the phone near my ear, I got greeted with the only voice my ears were dying to hear from so many days, "Seems like Mr Lexi has forgotten his best friend", she chimed through the phone.

I replied casually like I was truly busy and wasn't missing her presence like crazy, "No, I was just a little busy. So how are your vacations going? Are you guys enjoying it? "

She replied happily, "Yeah, we are having fun. How are you guys doing?"

"Yeah, we all are enjoying it as well."

"Have you been successful to impress someone through your charms or not?", she asked deepening my scars,

I chuckled at the irony of the situation"My charms couldn't impress the one I wanted", the words left my mouth before I could filter them. Well, that was absolutely true, what is the use of all this charm when she won't get even a bit attracted towards me.
However, I hope she won't ask anything further and would not dig into it.

She however asked, "Alex, what's the matter?"

Can't I keep my nonchalant mouth to just stay glued?
I can't tell her the truth and she will catch my lie in no time. So I tried to change the topic, "Do you know that Aiden likes a girl and he is taking her on a date tomorrow?"

She asked excitedly, "Wow, that's awesome. I also want to meet that girl", I knew she would get all curious by hearing this and start behaving like a teenage girl.

I replied with the same amount of enthusiasm, "Surely you should, and see how that girl had gotten him wrapped around her finger. Aiden is totally mad for her."

"Finally, any one of you started changing his relationship status. I have become so bored being the only girl in the group. Now I will have one girl to support me against you guys", she said pretending that she is fed up of us all.

I answered accepting my defeat"Okay, your majesty. You win, I lose. Well, how's Ryan?"

She said, "He's good too. He has slept now. "

How can't he be good when he has you on his side?
And he deserves this. He deserves to be with the love of his life, after all, he has gone through at such an age, he shouldn't suffer more. However about me then I'll find someone for me, maybe.

I said, "Okay. I'm very happy for both of you. I hope you both stay happy like t-this", my voice cracked at the end as I gulped down my saliva to stop myself from shedding tears.

I asked, "What happened Alex?"

I replied, "N-nothing. I gotta go. Talk to you later. Bye"

"Bye".

As I cut the call a lone tear slipped my eye.
I hope I'll get over this soon.

~~Tanisha Payal

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~~Tanisha payal