AMIDST

Chapter 12

MAYRA'S POV:

Niall is still rude to me. He calls me pathetic, clingy and that I throw myself at him. I cry everytime but not eveytime he says sorry. But then I remember that he wanted time to mend his ways. I am strong enough. I can cope up with this. I can't push back the picture of Niall breaking down in front of me after the party. I can't imagine him so sensitive. But he looked so cute crying. How he trusted me with his secret is wonderful! I got to know one of his many reasons for his hatred towards Zain. How we slept on the same bed, technically by each other? How he asked me to stay the night and when I refused, the desperation in his eyes made me stay. How I had unknowingly closed the door in Rose's face when she also tried to come and talk to Niall. She is wierd as in she is too clingy to Niall. I don't like such people. But Alice has given me the reason to her behaviour, she wants to marry Niall. Marry Niall? She can't, I mean of course she can but she should not. I am confused. I still remember my neck was sour when I woke up that day but the light in his eyes was worth the pain. I can take that pain again and again just to see his happy eyes. I remember how broken his voice was when he told me about Lily. I have relived the entire party a thousand times in my mind this week. Its been 1 month since I met Niall but it feels I've known him for my whole life. The party, the way he looked, the way we fought, the way he made up to me, the way he held my hand to the way we slept. I got so good friends here. Its like a dream come true.

NIALL'S POV:

My whole week was so busy. I kept reliving the party in my head. How Mayra relaxed me without even saying a word! How she stayed there with me and everything else. I know nothing about her and she says she has nothing to tell me either. She loves novels and quotes writers to me. I have heard that song many times in the past week and she tells me even more bollywood songs regularly. She is making me a Bollywood freak. I mean only the songs. I listen to all the songs she tells me and actually I love them too. I have not told her but I have read her favourite book ' The Fault in our stars'. The whole copy of my book is marked with my favourite lines. Today, its been exactly 1 month since I met Mayra. I am still a prick to her. I still say things to hurt her. But she takes it all. She is really making me better. We still fight but I don't ever want to give her a reason to leave me. Amidst all this thoughts I sit in the canteen when Mayra boos me. I shake and she laughs like a kid.

"Hey!"

"Hmm."

"Not again." she rolls her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes again at me." I am irritated and I don't know why. She rolls her eyes again to tease me. I bang the table and stand up. She flinches. Everyone is staring at us. Her face is pale, her eyes glassy. She stands up and walks away. I know somehow that she won't come around this time. I will have to pay for my unreasonable drama. There was absolutely no reason for me to create this scene but I did. I am just too used to creating issues. I leave the canteen after her to apologise. It will be difficult but I have to get her back.

MAYRA'S POV:

Why does he do this everytime? I still go to him. May be he is right. May be I am being too clingy. He shouts at me, humiliates me for no reason at all. I have given him so many chances. A girl like me who had so much self respect that if a person hurt her once, she won't talk to them ever again but I keep talking to him everytime even when he hurts me so much time and again. Terrace is the most peaceful place in the whole college. When I am here I cut myself from the whole world and here I like being all alone.

Just as I turn, I find Niall standing there. The peaceful place is no longer peaceful. What else does he want to say? But this time his eyes are soft. He opens his mouth to say something but then stops. I start to walk away because his ego is more important than our friendship. Why? But as I pass him, he grabs me by my arm.

"Mayra, I am sorry. I am a jerk and I know that. I always shout at you, insult you, humiliate you for no reason at all. And not always I apologise for it. I have been this way because I have got everything easily. I have never cared for anyone. I have never struggled to get anybody. I just wanted a person to confide in which was Alice for me. But after meeting you, I want to confide in you which I apparently do. I know I ask a lot of you. You are not obliged to deal with my mess but you do. I can see it in your eyes that this time I have crossed all limits. With every fight of ours, the light in your eyes decreases but today they are totally dull. I know you have given me more chances than I deserve but I want one more and I want to selfishly ask for it. I have never cared for anyone the way I do for you. You have done more for me than you can ever realise. I can never become close to anyone because I am a grenade and when I blow up I want to keep the casualities low." He is out of his breath when he finishes and my cheeks are wet with tears. My eyes go wide on his last sentence.

NIALL'S POV:

"You have quoted John Green to me."

"I din't." I know I did. Shit!

"Yes, you did. You read 'The Fault in our Stars'", she asks.

"Yeah! I did. But that's not the point. the point is that you have to give me another chance, please."

"Oh! I really didn't know all this. I know you are a mess but you know the supply of chances end." My heart skips a beat. Is she saying she won't give me another chance? I can't bear that.

"But I will give you another one, if you promise you won't hurt me ever again." she says.

"I can't promise because I know I will but I promise I won't do that purposely," I say.

"Last chance?"she says confused by me neglecting the promise.

"Yes." I plead.

"Okay."

"Thank you Mayra, Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me, what you mean to me," I say hugging her. She smiles against my chest. I can feel it. The light in her eyes is bright and it aches to see in them. They are twinkling literally like a neon signboard. We miss all classes scheduled for the day together and stay at the terrace. She didn't bring my sorry speech up. We talk about how US was for me and how I became a lonely and aggressive kid when we shifted here. She tells me about her family, how hard she worked to get into Stephens. Finally it was time for dinner. We go to the canteen to eat and meet Alice and Zain.