6TH NOVEMBER.
ORION ACADEMY: 
CAMPUS.

APHRODITE'S COMBAT BOOTS tapped on the cobblestones as she waited for Karan and Yumi outside the Grand Quarters. Students huddled past her. Finally, her eyes landed on Karan making his way through the crowded hallways. Aphrodite squinted her eyes in search of Yumi.

"Where's Yums?" Aphrodite asked when Karan neared her. He shrugged and explained that she wanted to stop by and talk to one of their professors. Aphrodite nodded and they turned to walk towards the cafeteria when they heard loud cheers roaring from behind. 

She spun on her heel to find Lex being lifted by his sweaty team players and everyone chanting his name. West smiled giddily as they made their way out of the Grand Quarters. Once they reached near Aphrodite and Karan, West asked his teammates to put Lex down. Aphrodite's eyes met Lex for a moment before she quickly looked away. 

"Guess, what? You're now looking at the new, freshly minted captain of Orion Academy's Baseball Team..." He built the atmosphere as the other teammate of theirs began to drum roll on his chest. "...Lex Rivera!" A burst of cheers spread through the team. 

Karan grinned. He extended his hand to meet Lex's and he gave him a bromance hug while whispering something in his ear. Karan pulled apart and Lex's eyes fell on Aphrodite. 

She pressed her lips in a thin line. "Congrats, Lex." 

He nodded with no hint of a smile.

What did you expect, young woman?

"Now, if you excuse us," West began. "The team is celebrating today so we'll see you guys later." As West finished her sentence, Lex was dragged by the team to the Main Entrance as they made their way out of the campus. Aphrodite kept staring at Lex as he didn't even spare a moment to look back at her. 

"What's with you two?" Karan asked. He hooked his arm in Aphrodite's while dragging her to walk with him towards the cafeteria. "You two were being insanely awkward during the five hours road trip from your house to back here. Is something wrong?" 

Aphrodite fumbled. Should I tell him? 

"We, um. Lex and I...kissed." 

Karan abruptly paused and slowly turned at her, letting go of her arm. "Aaicha gho," He mumbled and then a tiny smirk unfolded on his face. "See!" He yelped. "I told you I won't be surprised if Lexodite happened. Finally, now I know why you two are awkward. It's your--"

"No." Aphrodite interrupted his fanboy moment. "It's not awkward because we are dating. It's because..." She swallowed. "...we are not." Karan's shoulders fell down as a perplexed look morphed on his face. Aphrodite continued, "I told him that I don't want to date him." 

"Wait. What the fuck? Why? You two like each other so why not?" 

"I know but it will get weird if we don't work out. What will happen to our friendship with you, Yumi and West. If one of us breaks it off, what will happen?" She half-expected him to yell at her that she was being irrational, to tell her that it wasn't relevant. But instead, he remained silent and considered what she had said.

"Your doubts are not incorrect. But you don't have to assume the worst possible scenario, you know? There's a chance that you two become a great couple and things work out just fine." He gave her a hopeful smile. "If not being together is what you wanted, is it the same as what he wanted too?" 

Aphrodite shook her head. 

"Well, that sucks." Karan sighed and began walking towards the cafeteria as Aphrodite followed. 

"Forget about us." Aphrodite dropped the previous topic and installed a bright smile on her face. "What about you? Have you been seeing anyone lately?"

His lips curled up. "As a matter of fact, I am." 

"Wait. No. Seriously. Who?"

Karan bit his lips. He pushed the glass doors of the cafeteria--the strong smell of burnt coffee and sweat filled in their nostrils. She followed him."Remember the Halloween party?" She nodded. "I met this guy. And we've known each other for quite some time because his parents and my uncle were high school friends. I've had a crush on him for a long time and now it's finally happening." They find their booth and slide to sit across from each other. "We've been texting since that night and we are going on a date tonight." 

"Who's going on a date?" Yumi asked as she approached their table. She sat beside Aphrodite and looked between her roommate and Karan. 

"He is." Aphrodite gestured to Karan and turned back to him. "What's his name?" 

"Baz Saltman. He is so handsome and gah, I'm so excited for our date! I--" He stopped when a buzz spread across the room. And neither of the three needed a moment to guess who it could be. They already knew.

•••

THINGS HAVE BEEN QUIET SO TONIGHT, LET'S ADD A LITTLE SPICE. 

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN UNFAITHFUL. WE SHOULD TEACH THEM A LESSON,

EXPOSE SOMEONE IN THE ROLL OF DICE,

SO THAT THE LIST OF CHEATERS WILL LESSEN.

~ the black hole

•••

"What does it mean by expose in the roll of a dice? It makes no sense." Yumi looked from her screen to see what Aphrodite's reaction was. Aphrodite shook her head, conveying that she didn't know either.

"Roll in a dice is a bar. I saw it on our way from Aphrodite's town," Karan said sadly. He massaged his forehead. "I'll have to cancel the date. Why did they specify the time to perform the task?"

"Hey, no..." Aphrodite drawled. "Don't cancel the date. Invite Baz to that bar. We'll perform the task and then leave you alone with your date." 

"We'll be able to make it in time?" Yumi questioned.

"Of course!" Aphrodite splayed her hands. "How long is that gonna take?"

header image by Priscilla Du Preez

translation of Hindi terminologies:
Aaicha Gho: literally means mother's husband but it is used as an expression to convey "holy shit"

a tip for those who are writing bilingual characters:

we, bilingual or multilingual people, usually switch a couple of words in the middle of sentence and continue to speak in the original language. this may not apply to everyone.

for example: shut up, you gadha (donkey). you have no clue what you're saying. you're pagal (stupid/crazy).

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