A Modern Fairytale

A Letter From The Past

It was a fine morning and I was rehearsing for the event which was scheduled to be held tomorrow.
“Is something bothering you? your voice sounds somewhat trapped” Arry asked, after I sang the song we practiced since three days.
“No.. I’m doing my best to sing it the way you taught me” I said genuinely.
“Yeah, seems like you’re stressing too much. Why don’t you join me for a game of cards? I believe it might lift your pressure a bit” she said smiling warmly at me. I wasn’t in a mood to play anything. I didn’t want to sing too. The pressure inside me wasn’t because of the event. It was Zimar. Just like I guessed me and Zimar was the topic of the week at collage and the amount of stares and glares and whisperings I get from girls wherever I go was irritating me. They have already made us a couple when I haven’t even dated Zimar for once.
“Hey! Are you in for it?” Arry bought me back from my own thoughts.
“oh, yeah, sure” I said getting up and packing my things as she grabbed her iced coffee. Arry showed me the way and I walked beside her. If being with Zimar got the whole college to stare at me, being with Arry got the whole world to stare at me. “We’ll walk fast” she said, sensing my discomfort. I looked down and quickened my pace when I felt someone bump into me and spill the cold milkshake they were holding all over my t-shirt. I looked up to see a blonde girl smirking at the mess she made. “oh I’m so sorry! Hope your boyfriend will warm you up like yesterday” she laughed with a group of girls giggling behind her. Before I could react, Arry threw her iced coffee on that girl’s face, anger building inside her. “Too bad you don’t have a guy to warm you! Get a life” Arry snapped at the shocked girl and grabbed my hand leading me to the washroom. “Thankyou” I said looking grateful at her.
“I see what has been bothering you since morning now” she said taking out some wet tissues to clean up the stain. “This won’t work. I have an extra shirt you can wear” she said while rummaging inside her bag and getting out an elegant black shirt. It looked too expensive to me. “No, no that’s alright, I’ll try to wash it off with soap” I said. “Nonsense, change into this before you get cold” she said with her stern voice. The shirt made me look sexy and it smelled like her, It was as if she was hugging me.
“It looks better on you, you can keep it” she said, making me blush. We then headed to a corner of the recreation centre where there were carom and billiards boards. “I want to play carrom!” I said as soon as I saw it. I was actually not very good at card games so I didn’t want to risk playing that with her. “Very well, carom it is!” she said and went to set it up for us. I settled my backpack on the sofa and went to join her. I rubbed my hands in excitement as I waited for the game to start. “you can go first” she said passing me the striker.
“Be ready to lose” I said happily taking it and potting two coins. I missed in vain at my third shot and groaned, looking up at her and noticing her looking intently at me. She took the striker and placed it on the line with her eyes still set on me.
“I know I’m pretty but the board is not on my face” I said, giggling. She wore her killer smirk and started potting all her coins one after the other, not giving me a chance to play. “Hey, hey, stop cheating! We are playing this to release my pressure remember? You’re not helping!” I said, half jealous at her skills and half furious about loosing at my best game.
She smiled at my angry face and said, “the three year old I played with yesterday reacted the same way” and purposely missed her shot. I grabbed the striker from her and play, missing my shot. Without letting her have her turn I grab it again and pot a coin. She sat there smiling at me without any complaints, her eyes fixed on me which made it hard for me to concentrate. “don’t look at me!” I complained. She merely gave a small laugh.
“So you’re the playboy’s new girl?” She asked smirking at me. For a second she almost looked like the girls who tried to pick on me earlier.
Zimar is no playboy nor am I his girlfriend. We’re just friends.” I replied with a stern tone. “He helped me yesterday when Catherine tried to bully me- well actually physically harm me. I guess the people here saw it as an opportunity to spread rumours.”
“wait, what! Catherine did what to you?” she asked hurriedly, her mocking tone lost. Is she worried about me? I asked myself witnessing her concerned tone.
“Tried to burn me with an iron” I said briskly, potting another random coin.
What iron? Where? When? She bombarded me with questions for which I calmly narrated the whole story.
“That iron which was on the back table of the cabin?” she asked again.
“Yes that’s the one.”
“How did Zimar know you were there?”
“He didn’t know. He got there by chance. I said
“I see” arry replied while deeply indulged in her own thoughts. I got bored with carom eventually and was ready to practice again. We headed back to the music cabin and the dancers were already practicing their steps. Arry joined them to correct and guide on few moves while I had a good time watching her body. She noticed me staring and came over with her usual killer smirk. She stood in front of me with one hand on her hip and one eyebrow raised. “wanna dance?” she asked in a husky voice or maybe I heard it that way? “Umm.. I don’t know how to” I said sheepishly for which she gave a small laugh. “I knew it from the way you were staring at me, c’mon I’ll teach you” she said, holding her hand out for me. I knew she was a pro at dancing too, yet her mocking tone made me want to defeat her at her own game. I gave her an equally competitive smirk and started unbuttoning the shirt she gave me while looking straight into her eyes. I already felt victorious when I saw the confusion replace her attitude. I stood up just with my beautiful skinny and jeans wearing my long hair in a high ponytail, ready for the challenge. I cat walked past her to the empty floor ignoring her outstretched hand with my smirk even wider. “So? What did you want to teach me?” I asked in a flirty tone, flipping my ponytail back. “I do want to teach you a lot of things” she said scanning me from head to toe, “but today it’ll be just a dance step, something simple to suit you” she said again in her mocking tone. This girl knows exactly how to test my limits, I told myself, trying to keep myself as unaffected as possible by her words. She walked up to me almost ten times better than I did and while giving me a competitive smile, took my right hand in hers and kept my left hand on her shoulder while her free hand softly gripped my waist. I flinched at her touch and accidentally squeezed her shoulder, cursing myself as soon as I realized what I did.
“problem?” she asked knowing full well I wasn’t used to this and enjoying teasing me.
“Not at all” I said fake smiling at her trying my best not to blush or act dumb. She slowly guided me with her hands and I copied her moves. Or at least tried. Her hands did a good job on disturbing the butterflies in me than helping me dance. Not even halfway through the dance I stumbled on my own leg and grabbed her to keep myself from falling. Only after I steadied myself did I realize I was grabbing her ass. All my efforts of not blushing failed me and I instantly became tomato red. I could feel the heated flush on my cheeks and my mind went blank. “I’m so-rry” I barely whispered, pushing myself away from her in the process failing to notice a rod behind my leg. Next thing I knew was the whole room turning upside down. You’re about to crash your head, my mind informed me right when her hand grabbed my waist just in time. Her face was just inches next to me, her lips so close I could see it’s softness. My body was pressed tight against hers. I suddenly got the urge to kiss her, unable to take my eyes off her inviting lips. Those used to be mine, A distant voice inside me called. I was about to kiss them when a flash of white light blinded my eyes and my head felt like it’d explode. I held my head tight with both my hands when the white light slowly faded showing a letter written in a hurried handwriting. The vision slowly began to become clearer until I could read.

19/08/1893

I got a good job and I’m planning on settling down here. Any relationship we had between us sounds absurd and childish now. Life has much more than just being trapped with one person in the name of love which isn’t even real. Only after I came here I did realize we have been fooling ourselves with childish fairytales. I hope you’d understand it sooner as well and move on with your life. Good luck with everything and take care. Please do not trouble me with any more letters.

Akki.

If feelings and emotions could kill me I’d have long been dead as soon as I finished reading. The letter faded and the music club cabin slowly came into view as I opened my eyes. My cheeks were wet and tears still kept rolling down. The sadness I felt was too much for me to handle I had a hard time breathing in. She left me just like that, my mind kept screaming at me. I wanted to scream from the top of my lungs to somehow release the big burden on my chest but I couldn’t find my voice. Slowly I started hearing faint noises which started to get louder and louder. “ARE YOU ALRIGHT! LOOK AT ME” it was Arry hitting on my cheeks and shaking my body to wake me. I started to feel the cold. My forehead was wet with cold sweat. There were so many people gathered around me fussing around.
“I’m ok-ay” I managed to say in a broken whisper. Arry kept wiping my tears off as it kept falling, she looked worried than ever. “Why are you crying then? Say something will you” she looked as if she was almost about to cry.
“Call Z- Zimar” was all I said, surprised at my own voice.