𝐀𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐀

t h i r t e e n

❦

"W H A T D O Y O U mean?"

Jaswanti stopped in her tracks. "Don't tell me you don't see it,"

"What?"

"I think he likes you,"

Aaina blinked, the air around her suddenly disappearing.

"Aur nahi toh kya"

Jaswanti did what she loved to, spoke her mind. Something everyone around her admired, although in this situation, Aaina was not sure how to react. Shashi, who had been quiet all along, tried to catch up with the other two sahelis.

"That's not—Jaswanti, how can you possibly assume that?"

"Well, he is hiding it. He tries to avoid looking at you, but when you don't, his eyes are finding you. "

Warmth crept up Aaina's cheeks on hearing Jaswanti's uncanny analysis of such a small conversation. How did she even grasp all of that just by all one meeting that got over before it even started.
Aaina finally managed. "He is annoyed by me most of the time. It doesn't make sense."

"That's how men are. They'll act all unbothered, and when you start doing the same, they'll come back begging "

"How do you even know that?"

She gave her a wink. "Chhoti hoon lekin maine bohot duniya dekhi hai. Believe me, it's true. "

Aaina shook her head teasingly. "Kaam ke alawa sab aata hai tumhe"

"Come on, Aaina. Do you have any interest in him?"

The question lingered. Aaina felt her neck and face warming up again. Never was she in a situation like so. With hardly any interaction with romantic prospects, she had started to believe if anyone could even like her in an endearing way. Amar, off all. Her mind kept reiterating their meeting a few minutes ago. His teasing remarks and nuances make one want to yell at him. But that's something Amar would say about her as well. Keeping all that aside, wasn't he just a young man going through life like her? Should she give it a thought?

"Absolutely not. Bas ab, chalo yahaan se"

❦

The clouds above the makaan were scattered today, inviting the illuminating rays of the sun after a long awaited week. Aaina was having a busy week. She already hurried out in the morning, stressing over the fact that she couldn't find the potli pujari Jaidev had given her. The hectic week had her forgetting a lot of things, the potli being one of them. But she did inform Razia to look for it before leaving.

At the makaan, she sat against the beige wall, surrounded by piles and piles of boxes and bundles. But all the bills and directories that she found were very recent. It turned out that there were a lot of people who lived here before Amar rented it. And possibly more even than the original owners. How could she possibly find something of her parents in this mess?

Resigning to the situation, she climbs down the stairs, looking for the kitchen. She hadn't had her lunch yet, though she did carry it with herself in a tiffin. The kitchen was easy to find. It wasn't a very spacious one like that in Hira Ghar, but it was clean and smelled good.