Invisible String

the string falters

Chapter 5

5th February, 2023

Megha

Okay. I had to admit. It was hard. I was a socially awkward creature. The only people I had opened up in front of were my family, Yahvi, and Aabha. I mean, I tried to socialize. But my social battery drained out faster than the speed of light.
Unlike Aabha, I almost never had a boy in my life. Not that I scrutinized her for that. Her life served as a pretty good show for both me and Yahvi, and now Arjun too. As she always said, "If my life is a show, then you all are my popcorn guys."
I did have a couple school crushes, but they were equivalent to mere hallway crushes who probably didn't know I existed. No strings attached and negligible feelings. Perfect.
I and Aabha were complete opposite, considering our personalities. But to recharge our social batteries, we'd see each other once a week. It was a tradition. It was a necessity.

"This is beautiful." Aabha said.
"I know. We should come here often. Just to sit in silence." I replied.
She nodded in agreement.
We were sitting by the Girgaon Chowpatty early in the morning.
Cold winter breeze kept passing through as the seagulls flew above the sea. Hawkers were selling random foods and I was sitting there with my best friend, sketching the view meanwhile she was writing a poem on summer.
It was what I had wanted for so long.
It was like a dopamine shot.
It was perfect.
I wanted to ask her if Maanav had texted her yet. The last time we discussed about him, she seemed very unsure. Almost as if, she didn't want him in her life. Which I felt was very reasonable. She was already sick of having those dipshits in her life. Watching her cry made me feel blue too.
Anyways, I decided not to bring up Maanav. She seemed at peace right now. I didn't want to be the one who'd disrupt it.
"Do you want to read the poem I wrote?" She asked me.
"Off course. Give me that." She handed me the book and I started reading.

The rough water hits the shore,
it's a reflection of sky.
Summer's round the corner, shares its folklores,
I walk around like it's all mine.

Like running swift with the wind,
the world just keeps spiralling.
They say that if it's right,
you'll know.
I keep replaying our song,
the summer is never ever wrong.

Look high, the sun in the sky,
take it in before it says goodbye.
Cataclysmic truths,
those are something I never want to lose.

I used to isolate,
I'd just hide.
Tear the band aid off,
in winter,
like an unhinged desperado.

And I never not cried,
in winter,
yeah, the frost was infectious.

I tried to fit in with the cool kids,
soon I stopped receiving invitations.

I tried to understand,
tried my best to snap,
ignored the help I needed.

Yearned for summer,
weeping in a corner,
during the shortened days and the lengthened nights,
and kept on bleeding ink on the paper which they gifted to me.

It was the same, old love,
a rusted and washed up haunting curse.

Beating around the bush,
biting more than you can chew,
hidden daylight, the storms so blue.

Screams,
silent and painful, full of lost belief.
But summer's here and it's a new leaf,
calm and tranquil, a sense of relief.
Bet I could still give you the world,
like I did back then,
I'm still that little, clumsy girl.

I heard a knock on my door,
saw someone on the front porch.
Is someone new trying to get in?
Should I let him in?
Or will he just throw me away,
will he throw me away?