Once Upon A Mr. Goody Two Shoes

Chapter 35

I woke up to the sound of a shrill bell. I blinked mercilessly, trying to cognate my surroundings when the bell rang for the second time. I groaned, rubbing my forehead, but the sharp, hammering headache didn't wade off. I looked around to find myself sprawled on my couch, drool having fallen from my mouth onto my precious sofa. I sat up and rubbed the drool off the couch when the door bell rang. It registered in my mind that this was probably the third time someone was ringing the bloody bell, desperate to come in. I lazily got up on my feet, wobbling a little as I made my way to the door.

"Coming," I called out, walking at a snail's pace. I caught a glimpse of myself in the glass cupboard a few paces before the door, and frowned at my state. Hair standing out in all directions, creased t-shirt falling off from my shoulder, I looked like shit. I felt for a moment that I should probably go and correct myself before I figured I didn't give two hoots about it, and rushed to open the door and get over with it.

"Surprise," Taira made a lame attempt to scream but with no apparent success. She didn't seem to take notice of it and hugged me. I came to my senses in a flash. Taira hugged me? I tried to catch my footing due to the sudden attack, and patted her back awkwardly. I had no idea what to do. Why, she hated hugs. Every time I had tried to hug her in the past, she had dodged me like my outstretched arms were snakes trying to ensnare her and never let go. She didn't like anyone hugging her. We once went to a mall and she told my broke self that she will be sponsoring our lunch. Due to the obvious delight, I tried to fling my arms around her affectionately, but she elegantly shifted away, and I fell in the arms of the mannequin who couldn't take the weight of my affections and we both fell down. The embarrassment was legendary.

My point being something must have happened for her to feel the need to hug me. "Taira, are you fine?" I broke off the hug, but she didn't. "What happened?" I asked, searching her face for any sign of sadness.

"Me? Oh no, I am amazing," she said airily and waved my worry off. "In fact, I couldn't be happier. But what's wrong with you? I don't mean to sound like rich and mean but that is a really ugly green shirt. Is that a caterpillar on it?"

I deadpanned a look at her before striding away. "You go to Paris for a while and get high on fashion in no time," I said flatly from the kitchen, brewing a fresh cup of tea for me and coffee of her. She didn't deign to give me a reply and simply sat on the kitchen counter, legs dangling down from it. I raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything as she started to whistle about. It was then I noticed Taira. Taira was not... Taira. Something had changed. There was a chirpiness about her that I hadn't seen in all this time we were friends. I could see Paris agreed with her. She looked... alive, dressed crisply in a beige collar top and brown flannel skirt. Confidence oozed from her being, making me slightly jealous. Here she was, looking all business-like in her outfit, and then there was me, struggling to pick up the broken pieces of my life. I didn't lull on that topic anymore, afraid I would wander into territories I knew there was no coming back from.

I stirred my tea as silence reigned around us, each one immersed in their own thoughts.

"You aren't getting ready for office?" Taira asked suddenly while playing with a spoon on the counter. "I thought I will surprise you and then drop you off to work." I stiffened at her words but continued to stir my pot of tea, careful to not meet her eyes.

"I took a holiday," I said as nonchalantly as I could.

"That's good. We can spend time together if you don't have plans," I could feel her beaming beside me. "Also, you didn't tell me uncle and aunty went back," she said as she hopped off he counter, hands on her hips. "And, what happened to Dhruv? Why did you take a holiday?"
What happened? Huh. My marriage was fixed with Dhruv fixed without my consent, my boyfriend left me, and my parents flew away from their own daughter without as much as a farewell. And I did think all that warranted a holiday or two from work. I had every intention of telling Taira the truth. I had learnt the hard way that hiding it didn't do any good. But, it was too early for the truth. It had to wait for a little bit more.