Orphans

5

Have you ever lost something and never found it? Or met a stranger somewhere; on a bus? train? that you talked to and connected with but never saw again?

And yet you never stopped thinking about that item that you lost? You looked for it over and over again, everywhere and never found it?

It's such a debilitating feeling.

And you never saw that stranger again, but you never stopped thinking of them. What became of them?

It haunts you. You want to forget but you can't. They say there's a reason why we are drawn and connected to certain things or people... Elica's mind has been occupied by a certain woman with blodshot eyes framed by glasses ever since that Tuesday.

It infuriates her. To have this stranger she doesn't even know of occupying her mind. Not to mention how much she has the need to see her again... It's unlike anything she has ever felt before.

"Are you okay?" Nadi asks a quiet Eli whose eyes haven't once left the bollywood playing on the screen.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." she replies in her raspy voice, tearing her eyes away from the screen, looking down softly at Nadi who is covered in a blanket as her head lies on Eli's thighs.

"You are lying... there's something heavy on your mind... not once have you complained about how the movie won't end... or how the plot is so boring and predictable or screamed about how annoying the girl is and how stupid they all look..." Nadi says in a low voice.

Eli laughs. She knows her too well.

She kisses her lips and stares at the screen again. Forgetting that Darina is sitted on the next couch. Nadi's face goes beet red. And she covers her face, slowly stealing a glance at Darina to see if she saw them, but the chef's face is neutral, her eyes on the screen.

"Another session of torture gone... thank goodness. Night Darina." Eli says stretching her body as she stands up from the couch.

"It was a good movie though... goodnight Miss Elica" Darina says smiling

"Thank you! Thank you Darina! It was a good movie!" Nadi leers at Eli.

"Goodnight Dear."

"Goodnight Miss Nadi."

"You are so annoying..." Elica says pulling Nadi's back to her front, holding her as Darina disappears into her room.

Nadi's heart flutters with happiness at Eli's rare moment of physical affection.

"You are more annoying. And granny can vouch for me..." Nadi says leaning back into her touch.

"All you ever do is gang up against me with her..." she holds her tighter...

"I miss them..." Nadi says.

"We can go visit them tomorrow."

"Serious?"

"Yeah... tomorrow morning, take a flight and come back on Sunday..." Eli says.

Nadi squeals with excitement, clapping her hands like a giddy 5 year old and turning around to hug Eli.

And when she let's go of the hug, Eli pulls her by her waist and lowers her lips to hers. Nadi's hands automatically go around her neck and she shuts her eyes and drowns into the bliss of the kiss.

They are too lost in each other to even hear Darina going to the kitchen to refill her water bottle, neither does she disturb them. She walks with lightsteps smiling as she passes by going back into her room to find them still lost in each other.