Yato hastah tato drishṭih|
Yato drishṭih tato manah|
Yato manah tato bāvah|
Yato bāvah tato rasah|
"Where the hands go, the eyes follow;
Where the eyes go, the mind follows;
Where the mind is, there goes the expression;
Where the expression is, ther...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
•••
"Please tell me you're coming. It's been long and we get to meet each other this way as well."
"Most probably it's a yes, Diya."
"Yes!—"
"But, I'll have to see that there aren't any impromptu class before confirming. I'd love to come to that party but I have to see this as well." Chandni spoke to the conference call, with her phone wedged between her ear and shoulder as she folded the laundered clothes.
"Well, couldn't you like, I don't know, ask your teacher in advance about this?" Ashwin butted in.
"I could but, uh... don't you think I'm already starting with these day-off reasons and it's barely been a couple of months?"
"Pretty sure she'd understand what people of our age group do." And Chandni could imagine Diya rolling her eyes after saying that.
"Like I said guys," Chandni started placing the clothes inside her wardrobe, "Either way, I'm not hundred percent sure. I'll ask her tomorrow. I gotta talk to Rakshan's mother today and arrange stuff for him if they agree and all. But if there's no class though, I'm definitely coming. Okay?"
"Okay, just inform me as soon as possible, 'cause I have to assure my mother it's you guys that I'm going with and not some boy or girl with whom I plan on running away." Diya sulked.
Diya had told her about this; how her parents are being wary after she had told them the reason she'd been avoiding the bridegrooms who'd been requesting her. How her brother had acted nonchalantly as if she just said the sky is blue when she told them about her bisexuality. How she secretly loved him for that but would never admit it. How he had then talked to her alone about trying to make her parents stop being weird.
They weren't opposing her, no, in fact, they were facing an unusual situation and they didn't know how to express their support towards her. They, according to Diya, did 'cringeworthy' things in the name of supporting her. Asking her if she wanted rainbow themed things made the top of Diya's most-cringeworthy-question-of-her-lifetime list.
"Hey don't worry, even if she doesn't turn up, I'll whisk you away." Ashwin tried to console Diya.
"Wow, I'm feeling needed." Chandni sassed.
"Which you definitely aren't." Ashwin sassed back.
"Are too! Please, just ugh, abracadabra or something and let there be no class for you. I seriously wish you were wary about your parents' permission and not this."
"They let me go Diya. 'You aren't that school-going kid anymore' was what they said." Chandni shut the wardrobe doors but heard its sound twice.
Frowning, she opened and closed the door again. And again. But it sounded normal both the times. Shrugging it off, she plopped down on her bed, then got an idea.
