Kindle to Rekindle

13. Waxing Gibbous

The stage before perfection is more intriguing and alluring

"Nimrit, I am sorry for whatever happened today and yesterday too. I mean, shouting at you and the comment I made about your choices, I regret that. I truly do. I am ready to fix things between us if you just give me one chance, please." Nivedya could not wait anymore. He felt a burden on his chest from the time he cornered her in a classroom. He never wanted to say or do mean things to anyone and Nimrit, he could never imagine hurting.

"Am I looking so bad that you won't even look at me?" Nimrit's question was a googly ball Nivedya didn't know how to hit. He averted looking at her because he was sure he would fumble if, he looked at his gorgeous partner.
"Nivedya, I know you are not a bad person. In fact, you are very good. You were only looking out for me yesterday, I understand. It's just, our way of handling the situation was different. I would have not raised my hand to tell him what he did was wrong, rather I would have done something he would remember for his lifetime. You see, my father works for a secret agency and has taught me a few techniques."

Nivedya chuckled at Nimrit's plans.

"What you said in anger is not acceptable to me. It's my life and I can choose the way I live it. I told you something in good faith but you twisted it and used it against me in a very derogatory manner. That is something I don't want "my dear friend" to do again. Please." Nimrit's 'please' and 'dear friend' struck harder than Cupid's arrow in Nivedya's heart. He bit his lower lip and nodded his head accepting his fault.

Nivedya stood next to Nimrit and asked her, "Now that we are talking civilly can I ask you why were you so shaken in the green room? I admit Arun behaved like a jerk but you seemed so lost after that." He wanted her to share her worries with him.

Nimrit came in front of Nivedya and looked into his eyes. He was several inches taller than her but the angle was perfect. "I can protect myself from adversities but I am scared to death if someone comes to attack me physically. I do not know if traumatophobia is the word, but when Arun was coming to hit me, I was terrified. If he would have hit me, I know I wouldn't have been able to defend myself. When you blocked his way, I thanked God."

Nimrit shared her deepest fear with Nivedya. Why? Even she didn't know. He was the boy she accused of using her secret against her, but still, she told him about her problem with such ease. Not even Barkha knew about the severity of her fear. What was so special about this human? Nimrit was still analysing when her heart took a courageous decision.

She forwarded her hand and asked with an undefined emotion, "Will you help me if something of this sort happens, again?"
If Nimrit's emotions were unfamiliar to her, Nivedya was not even in his right emotional space. His hand inadvertently went and fixed in Nimrit's hand. The sparks were brighter and louder than the fireworks on Christmas.

Raghav prompted them to be ready at the count of three. Nimrit loosened her grip but Nivedya held it tighter. "Let's dance, partner." Nimrit's face shinned like fairy lights and the shade of her pink cheeks darkened with Nivedya's words. Amidst claps and hoots, Nimrit and Nivedya entered the rink holding hands tightly, for the first time.

"Oh! My God! They look so good!" Reet and Nandini said in unison and laughed.

The music started with slow beats first. Artistic skating is a weirdly beautiful form. You know you can fall if either you or your partner makes a mistake but you trust them with your life. In the case of Nimrit and Nivedya, the trust was reinstated with the stamp of faith.
They were being watched by an audience of four hundred but Nimrit felt as if she was rolling her wheels for just one boy.
People were on the edge whenever Nimrit took a spin but Nivedya was there to hold her and she never graced the floor. All of Nivedya's stunts ended with him holding Nimrit's hand tighter.