Come What May

27. safety net

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

SAFETY NET

—

• wednesday, april 28th •

My appetite has... improved.

Somewhat.

Now, instead of gagging every time food touches the inside of my mouth, I can force down two, maybe even three meals a day, if I try hard enough.

I don't know how something as simple as clearing the air with Radhika could impact me and my health much, and I don't know why I ever thought she would be mad at me for not telling her about the things that were going on, are still going on in my life, but in the past two days, somehow, things have already gotten better.

Better between Radhika and me, in the sense that we're video-calling each other again, and we're sending each other random pictures on Instagram again, like we always used to, and we're actually talking to each other again.

Better between my parents and me, in the sense that the urge to snap at them every time they talk to me has almost vanished, only to be replaced by the urge to spend every moment with them because I know that I can't stay with them for more than a week.

Better between my brain and me, in the sense that I'm not constantly yelling angry, violent curses at myself anymore. I'm not beating myself up over waking up an hour later than the usual time, I'm not— or at least trying not to blame myself for my mistakes and my health.

Now, I can only hope that things get better between Storm and me.

I don't exactly know what is there to get better, but I just know that in the whirlwind that was the past few days, things haven't been great between us, starting from me swearing at them for no reason to me just being an overall horrible person to them.

Unlocking my phone with my fingerprint, I squint at the recent messages that I sent them, the only ones I've sent them all week.

asif -
storm?

asif -
if ur free, can u meet me @ my parents place 😣

asif -
i want 2 apologise for a lot of things and just talk to you, i think

And all they said in response was—

storm! -
nothing to apologize for, I'll see you on wednesday!

Now, Wednesday has come and they're nowhere to be seen. Yet.

I'm not exactly surprised that they aren't here yet, considering they're late to practically everything, but still, it's nerve-wracking.

There's so much I want to say to them, so much that I have to apologise for, despite them saying that there isn't anything to apologise for. Of course there is.

As I'm making the guest room's bed, there's a light rap on the door, and then another, one that instantly tells me who it is.

Only Storm knocks before entering; Mom and Jen have the same, terrible habit of knocking, not waiting for a response, entering, and then asking if they can enter.

"Asif? Can I come in?"

"Just—" Hastily grabbing a t-shirt from the bed, I flatten it with my hands before attempting to tug it on my head. "Wait, one sec, I'm—"

Turns out, Storm seems to have developed the same, terrible habit as Mom and Jen.

"Jesus fuck, Asif, why are you stripping?" Storm exclaims as they enter the room, eyes instantly squeezing shut. "Why?"