The strongest Tara felt was when she was writing. It was also when she felt the most vulnerable.

She knew it was a contradiction. But, everything joyous was born of a little contradiction, for example, she felt like a scientist who's terrified of the potential of his invention and yet proud of it at the same time. There was nothing more empowering-according to her, than letting go of vulnerabilities and doubt and ideas, and forging them into words one alphabet at a time.

And so, she stood in front of the classroom, all her vulnerabilities still there, but well hidden with her own presence of being, fidgeting with the latch that was painted with a solemn shade of grey that reminded her of long rainy afternoons.

"So, you called for me?" The girl asked her, in a voice that would make birds fly away. It did not help that this girl was two years her senior.

"Uh. I-yes. I am a second year Eng-lit student. I came to know that you're the daughter of Prof. Kannan, the HOD of my department."

"Yeah, so?"

"He asked me to do a little skit on World Health Day, it's tomorrow, by the way."

"Yeah, so?"

"I've observed on many occasions that he smokes a little bit. So can you help me?"

"Help you with what?" The girl asked her, clearly not understanding Tara's insinuation.

"Do you want to go somewhere, away from this classroom so I can explain it all to you a bit better?" Tara asked, her voice slightly quivering, for it suddenly occurred to her that her request would make no sense at all.

The girl thought for a second, and nodded. They walked to the college canteen that was right in the middle of The Forest-just an area in the campus where there were a lot of trees.

"You haven't told me your name." The girl said.

"I am Nakshaktra. You can call me Tara. And your name is Vaani, I already know. I mean, I didn't know before. I only knew you were Kannan-Professor's daughter, but I didn't know your name. So I asked around and got your name. But I didn't ask anyone weird, I only asked my friends."

The girl laughed, and Tara felt all her apprehensions vanishing away. She'd always felt at peace with people who laughed because they wanted to, without any inhibitions, with their own unique sense, which were almost their signatures of how they perceived life.

"Okay, there. Easy. Relax." The girl said.

"I am sorry. I have no idea how to put it in better words. I need your help for the skit." Tara said.

"What skit?"

"One for the world health day tomorrow." Tara said.

"Why me?"

"Because Mr Kannan smokes."

"I really don't understand."

Tara took a huff of breath. "I know, senior. It may sound stupid. Your father gave me the task of writing a small skit for tomorrow. I know that it's going to be just another boring cringy skit which doesn't really contribute to anything, and I don't want that. I just...."

"You want at least one person to take notice of your work."

"No. I don't want that. I want my skit to make a difference, even if it's just one person." Tara said.

Vaani looked at her with indecipherable eyes that it felt like they almost stared into vacuum for a few moments. "Allright. I'll be in your damned play. But not for you, no. But only for the hope that stands that maybe, if things go the way you imagine."

"Thank you so much."

"You are quite evil, you know that?" The senior said, and Tara felt her chest constrict at the accusation. All through her life, people had called her various names, silent, quiet etc. One of the boys in her class had written 'mysterious' in her tenth standard slam book. But none had ever called her evil, and quite explicitly, to her face.

"Umm..that's bad, if it's true." Tara said.

"I am sorry, I take it back. You're not evil-evil, you know.. it's just..." The senior paused, for the want of a better word to describe her feelings.

"It's okay, I understand!" Tara said, not wanting to create an awkward atmosphere between the two of them. True, she was surprised, but if a complete stranger had accused her of being evil, she really had to work on the way she was.

"Selfish."

"Huh?"

"The word I was looking for is selfish. You aren't evil, but only selfish. I am so sorry, evil was a bit extreme. In fact, a little too extreme. I am so sorry, lately I don't always seem to find the words that I am looking for." Vaani said.

"I can't seem to find the perfect words for my play as well." Tara said. "So I go with something that's the next best thing."

"But sometimes, the next best thing is not really what we're really looking for, though it feels that way, and though we're convinced that it'll satisfy us somehow and create the illusion of perfection that we crave for, it really doesn't even come close. Therefore unconsciously changing the whole purport for it."

"Senior." Tara heard herself say. "For someone who can't find the perfect words to say, you just paradoxed yourself right now."

The senior laughed. "I'll do the skit."

"Huh?Really?"

"Yes. Because I really messed up with my words before." The senior said.

"And not due to my superior negotiating skills?"

"No, sorry. You'll have to live with this."

"I don't mind, senior. You can call me whatever you like, if it can make you dress like a cigarette."

"No way."

In the end, the senior did agree to dress like a cigarette, and with the one day they had to practise, the two of them came up with a few sentences that had health facts strewn together in the hopes that people would, may quit smoking, at least for a day. At the end of the performance, people clapped rhythmically bored and annoyed ,and Mr Kannan himself looked pretty sombre.

"Who's idea was this?" He asked Vaani and Tara as he strolled towards them.

Vaani gave him a small smile. "Ours."

Tara laughed nervously. She had never seen her professor look like that.

"You know what?" Vaani said. "I think you should run along. Didn't you say you had to go somewhere?"

"But..."

"I'll handle him." She said.

"But it was my idea." Tara said, unsure.

"You merely provided an idea, but I was the one who actually did it. And he's my father. I'll know how to handle him." Vaani said confidently. Tara nodded, though she wasn't sure. Anyway, it didn't do well for either of them if she lingered anymore, and with a small nod of the head, she turned back and fled for the college cafeteria.

She spotted her friend Priya chatting with a new random boy with a couple of samosas present in the table between the two of them, and she wasn't sure if she could intrude, but Priya spotted her anyway and whispered something to the guy. He gave a smile and a pat on her shoulder and walked away.

"Who's that?" Tara asked her. "Why did you make him leave?"

"Just killing time." Priya said. "He's just my cousin's friend who I used to play with, when I was younger."

"Was it really okay, making him go away?" Tara asked.

"You worry too much. Besides, you are importanter."

"I just...." Tara found herself with a lack of words, which was surprising, considering it was Priya, her almost other half, almost-sibling. "Can I tell you something?"

"Shoot."

"You made the boy just now go away, right? I wouldn't do that if I were you. If he was Coffee Dracula, and I were you, I wouldn't have done that. I wouldn't have noticed you coming. Or anyone else in the room, really."

"Ooh. And that's a bad thing why?"

"Isn't that bad? I've met him twice, I don't know anything about him. I thought love was something that was slow, and steady and nice."

"And?"

"I might get my heart broken!" Tara said, finally letting out the words that had been churning in the back of her head , for a while then. "Aren't you going to do that thing what a friend does and advice me to stop meeting him?"

"No. It makes you happy. Why would I do that?" Priya said.

"But..."

"Listen, if that's what you are afraid of, I think that's really stupid." Priya said. "And can I say one thing?"

"Just say it."

"I'd rather you fall in love and get your heart broken than never actually falling in love with anyone, ever."

"But if I get my heart broken, I'd be sad, right?" Tara said.

"Well, it's not like I can protect you from getting your heart broken, forever. And frankly, neither can you." Priya said thoughtfully. "Isn't that also something that one must experience a few times in their lives?"

"You think so?"

"I would say love's worth the risk, despite the result, if you don't mind me getting philosophical."

"So what you're saying is that you want me to jump head-first into the water?"

"Head-first into the water, it is!".

__

Tara sat in their usual little table, by the side of the glass display which contained the assortments of cakes and cookies alike. It was weird, if you really thought about it, that she was waiting for someone. She knew he'd be there. She just felt like it. Even though they hadn't explicitly made an appointment, they'd agreed to meet each other once again, and that was oracle. Instincts sometimes made up for appointments that were never made.

"Have you been waiting long?" She heard a deep voice, and knew it was Dracula.

"No. I wasn't."

"Your play went well, I assume?" He said. "Vaani wouldn't shut up about you."

"W-what? Do you know her?"

"She's my sister."

How totally mortifying for Tara! "What! I didn't know that!" Tara said, embarrassed at the surprising twist of events. She'd written a play just to spite his father! She really wanted to sink deep in to the ground. 

"You're Professor Kannan's son?"

"Yeah. I am. "

"Oh..."

"Vaani really likes you. I didn't know it was you until she mentioned your name."

"She does? I wonder why...She's....." Tara looked for a word that perfectly fit Vaani. "She's fierce."

"Isn't she?"

"She is." Tara agreed. "Oh, and how did your game go?" She asked, remembering about it quite suddenly.

"It went very well." Surya replied, pleased.

" Is ..is that so? That's good. Congratulations."

"Oh. I didn't get selected though." Surya said.

"Huh?" Tara said, quite taken aback. Didn't he say that it went well?

"I mean. There was this trick shot I wasn't very good at. I was never able to do it before, except today." He said proudly, but without meaning to, unconsciously, unknowingly, with the little inherent pride that one got when one tried their best, no matter what.

It was at that moment that Tara realised what she was feeling, a strange sense of fulfilment in being next to one who mattered. It was mind blowing to be next to someone who were full of dreams and hopes. It made her feel real. Human.

"Good job." She said, with a little thumbs up. She was proud of him, that she found it amusing. He looked astonished when he heard the two simple words from her.

"All my life...." He began.

"You've done we-Sorry? I seem to have interrupted you."

"All my life, I've been waiting for someone to say that. I just realised it now." He said.

He was here, she was there, and the water was there. There was simply no other course of action that could be done.

She was going head first into the water, she just was going to. There was simply no other way, and nothing else that would make her happy than the sense of liberation that came with it.

He looked towards her, and for a few moments, there was a comfortable silence that none wanted to break.

"Your white chocolate truffle cake, guys." The cake shop guy, chimed in, forcing them to break off the little trance they were in. They laughed nervously, and thanked him.

To everyone who cared enough, in the little gourmet shop of Velvet and Silk, in the table next to the cake display, were an ordinary girl and an ordinary guy having their regular white chocolate truffle cake. But, what they wouldn't know about were the two pair of hands that were held lightly under the little crème table, low enough that no one could see, but strong enough to let the both of them take a dive head-first in the water and still be together.