ShiVi: A Collection Of Short Stories.

tuesday night miracles (part 1)

Raavi sneaked out of the goods truck parked in front of Hostel 6, and tip toed her way through the lobby.

Luck was on her side, as the watchman was snoring away at 1 AM in the morning, allowing her to walk past easily, but carefully.

Climbing three floors, she searched for Room 302. She wouldn't be able to wish him first, but she wanted to surprise him. On his birthday.

5 months. It had been 5 months since she had seen him, been around him. Annoyed the living shit out of him.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder. In these 5 months, she realised how she truly felt about him. It was not just about irritating him like clockwork.

She missed him, his smile. The void he left behind when he left for college, made her feel like a part of her was missing. He hadn't come home for the holidays, due to the pressure of college, and she wanted to see him.

When her feelings had intensified, she didn't know. It was no single moment. It was slow, and gradual, like building blocks. One by one, one moment by the other, and it was when he video called one day that she realised she truly loved him. Her tears wouldn't stop flowing, of happiness on seeing him and constricting pain on him not being here physically.

And she ended up telling everyone that pepper powder flew in her eyes.

So, she escaped her hostel, just for a day, planning everything to the T, to surprise him on his birthday and tell him how she felt.

But as she stood in front of his door, she was not so sure anymore. What if he didn't reciprocate? What if he dragged her by her arms and threw her out, like he did all these years?

She didn't think all of this before travelling 4 hours to see him, so there was no point in using her brains right now. Before she changed her mind,

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Raavi nervously waited, as she heard hushed whispers and shuffling from behind the door. And the soft voice, with a rough, raspy one.

One was Shiva. One was of a girl.

Andar ladki hai? Shiva ke saath?

Before she could process everything, the door cracked open, someone peeked through, flung the door open and pulled her in.

"Raavi? Tu yaha?"

His voice was like ambrosia. Him standing in front of her, a few inches away, was like sunshine on a winter morning. The way he looked at her, had made butterflies appear in her stomach.

But before she could bask in the happiness of the moment, she noticed the girl standing behind Shiva.

They were dressed alright, didn't look like they were fooling around at 1 AM, but the clothes strewn on the floor said otherwise.

Suddenly, the look he was giving her didn't make sense. She could see the unease behind it, realising she had interrupted what seemed to be a pretty private moment.

"Woh. Sorry. Maine nahi socha ki-" She pointed between the two of them, and moved back, sitting on the stool behind her.

"Raavi, tu jaisa soch rahi hai, waisa nahi hai-" Shiva moved to explain, but she raised her palm.

"It's okay, Shiva. Mai hi aise chali aayi, ye bhi nahi socha ki aaj raat tujhe apne girlfriend ke saath bitana hoga. Aise hi aa gayi surprise karne." Raavi looked down, fiddling with the paper bag in her hand.

"Kya?"

"Happy birthday, Shiva." She said, not so excitedly, and handed over the single pastry she bought for him.