dead girls don't love [dgdl]

chapter 17 \g

IVAN WAS IMPRINTED IN THE mind of Ashna, in her heart he was making an unbreakable spot. 

She held on to the book in her hands and was laying down on her bed in her room. It was lit by the lamp on the nightstand, kept at the side of the bed and fairy lights shone like stars on the corners of the wall in the darkness of the night. 

She grazed her hands over the taut pages with the impression roaming in her mind that he had held the same book. 

She found that Ivan was a reader. He loved to read books. Literature, he was fond of. He had read many books. And this one too, he has read because as Ashna moves past the story, she realizes he had told bits of it to her in the many conversations they had. 

And that he has shared one of his books with her made her feel surreal, happy even. There is an intimacy in sharing a book, a story, especially a loved book with someone. The book Ivan had gifted her to read. 

She has found his fingers laced perfectly with hers even when his hand was much bigger than hers. But then, he was bigger than her in every aspect. Except for age. A smile graced her lips at the thought of him. She was no longer reading, only thinking of him. 

She was a few months older than him, perhaps a year. It was just that her parents, for reasons that did not matter, had sent her late to school. Or maybe as she had said at the stairs of the hill, "You went school early, what do I do?" 

And to this remark of hers, one knows not what has come to his mind, maybe the need to show his strength or plain playfulness that he had grasped her by the waist and by an arm picked her off the ground, inches above. 

Ashna was stunned and amused as her hand hung free while another was wrapped around his shoulder. Maybe she was just shocked and impressed by the way he held her so easily then but now, she was blushing as she remembered that moment. 

"You went to school late," he had commented, his voice was husky but clear. And she only nodded, biting her lips. 

She texts Ivan a Hi. 

Both of them did this a lot, every time they would think of each other or better, miss each other, they would end up texting each other a simple hey or hi. That was that. 

Nothing more, nothing less. When the other person saw it, they would text back, for sure after feeling a thousand gushes of cheeriness embrace their heart. And that is how, some nights, they would end up texting each other until their eyes would heave begging to sleep. 

It was adamant with his thoughts filling her mind and also, she could not sleep tonight. 

The day was not that hectic and she was home all day. That meant chaos, which if had no yelling and complaints had silence sharp enough to cut shapes on one's skin. 

Her father had not spoken a word before he left for work and after he had come home, it was the same routine she saw. He watched TV, ate and talked to his wife and went to sleep. Same as it was when all was fine with the family except for the chatters and laughs and discussions they had together in the evening. With Ivanya gone, happiness as if left home. 

Her mother, even when in the house throughout the day, spoke barely to hers. She had most of her day going in the house chores, the rest she spent talking to her sisters over call or sleeping. It was the same other than that Ivanya always helped her with chores, and all in all, the house felt so lively before. 

With Ivanya gone, Ramya was not left with someone to help and chat with her at home, except for her husband but he was also busy with work and saddened by his daughter. He had changed somewhat but to his wife, he remained loving. Even when he had whole-heartedly disliked her decision to marry off Ivanya to Shekhar.