Kindle to Rekindle

8. Buds

You paint my stories in a colour so rare.
It's not bright like love
It's not dark like hate
It's somewhere in between.

Nivedya  was the centre of jokes the entire day but he didn't mind because Nimrit had a pleasant smile plastered to her face. During lunch, Nimrit  sat with her class and didn't leave early. She stayed to see and enjoy the fun her classmates had during a food break. She observed how it was normal to hold hands or sit close to boys. It was friendly and natural. She questioned her beliefs for the first time.

Nimrit was anxious about the skating class that day. Her opening up yesterday and the events of the day, made her a little conscious. Nivedya on the other hand, couldn't wait for the school to get over. He wanted to see her smile, up close and personal.
The car ride was silent like always. Nimrit was looking out of the window and Nivedya was also looking out of the window but on Nimrit's side.

"Is there something interesting on the left?" The teacher asked but Nimrit and Nivedya couldn't understand his question so he explained, "I mean,  Nimrit is looking on the left that's her side, but Nivi, you were also looking on the left, so I asked."

Nimrit's turned scarlet and she wanted to wipe that smile on her face that was threatening to widden. Nivedya just shrugged his shoulders as if the question didn't bother him but he was sure his heart would come out any moment. Since the morning his pulse rate was higher than normal and incidents like this amplified the situation.

Their progress was satisfactory and they finished more than half of the choreography. The teacher got a call and he excused himself. Nimrit didn't want this to happen and Nivedya was waiting for the same to happen. He sent prayers to God and his wish was granted.

"Nimrit,"  Nivedya called out in a tone he didn't know his vocal cords to produce. Nimrit turned and looked at him. Nivedya for a second forgot what he wanted to say.

He shook himself and took a deep breath. "I am sorry for judging you and your father. I mean, I have always grown up in a liberal environment and at school, you know- everyone is everyone's friend. In fact, most of us are together from kindergarten. So, your reservations were hard to digest and even harder to comprehend. But, I can assure you, our school and its male population is well behaved. Just open up and take baby steps in this new world. Your comfort and happiness is my motive now." Nivedya didn't know what made him say the last line but it was like a promise.

"You are responsible for your happiness and I am happy. See I am smiling." Nimrit gave him an artificial grin.

"True that, except that this smile of yours right now, is unnatural. I wish to see the smile that begins from your eye." Nivedya was loving this conversation while Nimrit was speechless. Her eyes were moving left-right, up-down tosettle the butterflies in her stomach.

The teacher came just in time and resumed the class saving Nimrit from the hard-to-ignore "cute" conversation.

The extended monsoon blessed Swarnbhoomi with beautiful greens and flowers were blooming like the interaction between Nimrit and Nivedya.

They looked forward to the practice session and the car ride from school to Nivedya's home was no longer silent. Casual chit-chat about school was mostly the topic of discussion.
Nimrit was gradually getting friendly with other boys in the class but she was still not comfortable with physical touch. So much so, that she refrained from holding Nivedya's hand in several steps of their dance.

While giving him a book once their fingers brushed accidentally and the spark made them jump two feet apart. It was not natural and whatever bookish and movie knowledge a fourteen-year-old could have, was not enough to resolve the matter. Asking friends was out of the question because taking serious advice from friends or taking friends' advice seriously, can prove fatal in such situations.