Skin & Blister

3

CHAPTER SONG - ZARA SI DOSTI BY ARIJIT SINGH

Present.

I was scrolling my Instagram home page when finally the most awaited message popped up.' Shrey Dayama has accepted your request' the message said. A feeling of enthusiasm and ecstasy along with a little nervousness ran all across my body. I was definitely damn elated.

I checked his id. "He has grown up" I said to myself. A smile had permanently fixed on my face after seeing my best friend after so many years. Although I could just see him in photos , I was still very happy. He looked cuter and more handsome than ever before. I always used to think that he could act in Hollywood movies. He literally had the potential. I was going through each photo in his profile when I suddenly saw one of his photos in which he was with a girl. He had her hand in his. Now a feeling of fury and jealousy ran all across my body. Who was she? She looked pretty and I she was probably of our age only. 

I went to the option of MESSAGE SHREY DAYAMA.

"Shrey?" I typed. I waited for a fraction of seconds and then I saw the 'seen' word had appeared right below my text. I felt so happy and nervous both at the same time.

"Yes? Who are you?" He typed back.

"Ira."

"Ira? ... Ira Mishra?"

"Yes, stupid."

"Ohh my God, Ira!!!! Where were you till now? Where did you disappear in the past 3 years? Why the hell did you disappear?"

"I will tell everything to you. It's a long story. Let's meet someday. Where are you staying?"

"I am currently in the city only but I had shifted to Bangalore for studies. Now I am completely back."

"Gross. We were to go together to Bangalore.. Okay whatever now. Let's catch up tomorrow in Old School Cafe... Okay with you?"

"Definitely. At 4?"

"Hmm done! So see ya!!! :)"

"See ya , Irr!"

I felt so happy. I had talked to him after almost 3 years. I had literally missed him a lot in the past few years. And of course he was the only living being whom I did not hate.

Shrey and I had lost contact when I had come to this Ahmed Pind. (I never really understood why they called this palace a pind.) I had went to his home also a couple of times but it was always locked. I asked maa also but she also never told. Actually she didn't even know why was the Dayama house always locked after January 2018.

I went downstairs to the kitchen and told Suraiya to cook chicken today.

"But Didi .. I have already made palak paneer." She said.

"Ahh.. Okay don't worry ! I'll order and tell Talia mom that I will eat upstairs only. And yes don't cook anything else for me." I said and she nodded. "Fine, don't cook for those three brats also. We'll eat together tell Talia mom that also" I added.

"Okay. By the way, three what?" she asked innocently .

"Brats. Zain. Neil. And Ayaan." I said and started heading to my room.

Just outside the kitchen I found my three brothers giggling.

"So .. done with your eavesdropping?" I asked.

"Ohh my God! We heard that you are planning to starve us." Neil said. I wanted to slap him hard but I controlled myself.

"Bastard! I just thought of spending a little time with you people so -" I said and was interrupted in the middle of my sentence by Zain.

"Okay okay. Very cool . Order it and I will pay." said Zain.

"Hmm better." I said "I am ordering butter chicken , Spicy Tangy Kadhai Chicken and kfc fried chicken. Not much. Yeah coke is must and what about biryani. Okay biryani also."

"This is not much?" Zain said.

"I want smoothie. Mango smoothie." Neil added.

"Okay Neil. So smoothie also."

"I want KFC grilled chicken also" Ayaan added.

"Hmm fine." I said and passed my phone to Zain. "Fill in the details ." Zain did as told and returned my phone back to me. "Okay thank you Zain!"

"How much? Total?" Zain asked.

"It's 19,897 rupees." I spoke and Zain narrowed his eyes.

...

"What ? Why did I get so less? Lesser than everyone...why?" Neil said while wiping a fake tear.

"Because , dear young bro, you are the youngest." Ayaan said and chuckled.

"That's so mean and shut up I will die if I eat so less.. Gimme more food .. please!!!!!"Neil shouted back and started acting like a small baby who cries for a toy in front of a toy shop while her mother keeps on giving him deadly glares and admonitions.

"Crybaby. And wolfish too." I said and everyone in the room started laughing rather than Neil. I started laughing too. Why the hell was I enjoying with them so much?

"Chicken is so yumm...." Zain said.

There was once a time when I was not even allowed to use the word non veg in my hous. MISHRA MANSION. I dunno whether I was in my house or not but I could eat non veg now. My maa used to hate non veg. I was from a pure Brahmin family so I was okay with not eating chicken. Even once I was scolded very badly for eating a small piece of chicken at Shrey's. Maa had drizzled some Ganga jal on me when I came back home. It was -

"Oye! Where are you? Eattt!!" Ayaan said drifting me away from my thoughts.

"Yeahhh" I said.

...

At night when I was in bed , I took out my phone from my shorts pocket and started checking it. I found a request from Shrey. I accepted it and went to his id again. I saw a funky photo of him in which he was sitting on a small sofa with both his legs hanging from one side of it. He was wearing a white t-shirt and a blue shorts. His smile looked prettier than anything in this world. I went on the type a comment option and wrote - 'You still look like a simp... By the way , fetching smile <3'.

After 48 minutes I got a reply on my comment. Shrey had written back - 'Don't go on looks baby girl, the inner me is a maniac... and yeah thanks , my smile is even prettier in reality ' and with two laughing emojis he ended it. I chuckled in myself and checked the time. It was 1.02 am in the morning. I went to the direct message section and texted Shrey asking him why was he up at 1.

"I don't sleep this early, Irr." He messaged back within minutes.

"Ohh so Shrey has changed now." I typed back remembering his old habit of sleeping at 8p.m.

"Nay.. Nothing like that. It is just that now I cannot sleep like before."

"Do you take pills?"

"Yes Dr. Ira.. It is insomnia ..."

"Sorry for you. I thought that it is something like somniphobia" I typed back.

"It's alright... Okay I gotta go.. Mia needs my help in her essay.. So see ya tomorrow." Mia was Shrey's younger sister. Shrey was 3 years older than her. I had missed Mia also a lot. Another living being whom I did not hate.

"Today*"

"Hahaha.."

"See ya!! ; )" I texted him back then kept my phone aside and started trying to sleep.