Soulmates ✓

06 | To Be Loved

Shay had never wanted an epic love story. She didn't even know what love was until she fell for Aarav.

We need someone that we can share anything with without the fear of being exposed or judged. Someone that we can be as reckless as we want to, without the fear of losing ourselves. And when we do find the one, we conceal from all our insecurities and doubts. Shay was lucky to have found two people like that.

The three amigos turned eighteen the previous week. Their birthday and final exams came hand in hand, leaving them with no option but to cut a three-tier red velvet cake at the Tripathi dock instead of throwing a big party at one of the hotels owned by the Tripathi's. It was a family affair with her parents and Mr. Tripathi was there with them for the evening.

Shay and the twins spent the rest of the evening over pizza slices, coke, talking about everything but their future and colleges. The latter was more heavy on Shay and Aarav. Ryan had impulsively spelled out he would be majoring in computer science at whichever college his scores would land.

However, Shay and Aarav had been avoiding the discussion on the same. They had both taken their entrance exams and had already applied to their colleges of interest. What they hadn't done was talk about how they were planning to keep their newly formed relationship working if one of them decided to go all the way to Boston. Moreover, Aarav seemed to behave as if it was nothing.

Although the heavy topic of Aarav leaving for Massachusetts lingered in her mind, Shay had no plan to ruin their evening. She wouldn't want him to compromise his future choices for her. So, she decided not to worry about the future and live in the moment instead. But deep down, Shay hoped Aarav would at least discuss his plans with her.

The night was full of reminiscing about the eighteen years of her friendship with the twins. Shay had been the happiest at that moment, sitting between her two childhood friends, with their feet dipped in the cold lake water and a constellation to wish upon for this friendship to last forever.

***

"But I do want to take you out on a fancy dinner. We haven't even been to a proper date yet. So what do you say?"

Shay pulled the blanket up to her chin and reached for the remote of the AC. Her throat already felt scratchy as she spoke to her boyfriend over the phone. She forgot to switch off the AC the previous night, and now her skin was like the surface of dry ice.

"I don't even have a decent dress for this fancy dinner date," she grumbled, her eyelids still heavy with sleep. Shay could have slept another hour, if not two, but Aarav woke her up at 7 in the morning.

"Oh, you don't need a decent dress to look beautiful." Aarav said, a little breathless due to the early morning run. He was already up and running, while Shay could hardly keep her eyes open. "Your smile is all you need to wear for me."

A smile instantly bit her cheeks, and just like that, she was fully awake. Her boyfriend could be cheesy at times, early in the morning or late at night, and it melted her heart every single time. "I'm sure you wouldn't like me to wear just a smile and go out in public."

Aarav released a deep growl through the line, and Shay felt its vibration travel down her spine. She could picture the angry veins on his forehead and the possessive look in his black eyes. "Why would you say something like that? Are you trying to poke the lion in me?"

"No, I was only stating the fact." She laughed, pulling herself upright. With a glance at herself in the mirror across her bed, she wondered if Aarav would find her beautiful with her hair resembling a cuckoo's nest and her eyes puffy. "Baby, you're so bad at flirting."