udaan I the art of flying

Ｓｅｒａｐｈｉｃ

S e r a p h i c - beautiful and pure

ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ'ꜱ ᴘᴏᴠ

The exams finally came to a halt, all the students were in a state of ecstasy. After the mid-semester, the college offered a holiday of two weeks.

"I wish we could go to Mussoorie instead. " Meghna said getting in the cab, she had to leave for the bus stand now to reach her hometown; Kurnool in the spiciest region of India, Rayalseema.

"Have a safe journey, I'm in a state of solace to get rid of your annoying ass for two whole weeks."

"Oh come on Adi, you love me," Meghna says as she gets her head out of the car,

"Sadly I do," adira says smiling from ear to ear. It was only for two weeks but she'd still miss meg. After all, meg had made this huge mark on her life.

"I love you more," Meg says as she motions the driver to take off. She could hear adira yelling "ew, you're so cringe. I don't love you" from all the way over.

Meghna was in a very unusual attire, she wore a vibrant kurti; a shade of deep maroon with golden highlights, the colours contrasting beautifully against her leggings. Her long hair was tied back in a loose braid, and a pair of silver jhumkas dangled from her ears. she had no makeup but her light brown skin looked as refreshing as ever, her eyes adorned with the prettiest kohl ever. she was also wearing a little bindi, which made her look just prettier.

Meghna didn't want to wear this uncomfortable set of clothes but she had to. Her dad's family was too sweet and not conservative at all but her mother's side of family was just too conservative and boring to top it all. This year, unfortunately, she had to visit her mom's parents house.

Usually, she would have preferred a tee with "fuck life" printed in bold letters but this time she didn't have a choice. She started fanning herself with her dupatta as she sweat profusely.

After meghna's departure, adira was left alone. She returned to her room, put her charger in her bag and left outside.

She dialled Lehan's number and asked if he was ready, and in a little less than a minute, lehan arrived.

"I'll book a cab to the station," adira says pulling her phone out of her pocket.

They were here, hanging tension around them, stuck together due to their parents' friendship.

Lehan remained mum as they sat in the taxi and reached the train station in no time.

When Adira and Lehan's rivalry bloomed, that was when their parents took an opportunity to make friends with each other. No matter how much Lehan and adira hated staying with each other, they had to, because of their family.

Adira and Lehan stood on the bustling platform of the train station, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of travellers. The air was filled with the sounds of vendors shouting, the clatter of luggage being dragged across the platform, and the distant whistle of approaching trains. The smell of samosas and chai filled the air.

The platform was a sea of people, with passengers rushing to board their trains and others bidding farewell to loved ones. Adira stood out in her oversized hoodie, her hair tucked messily underneath the hood.

whereas lehan blended into the crowd in his tee, a shade of faded brown and his denim pants, his hands tucked into his pockets. they still had half an hour for their train to arrive.

the infamous rivals were now engaged in a lively debate,

"You know, Adira, the human body is like a well-oiled machine," Lehan began, looking genuinely excited. "Every part has a specific function, and when they all work together, it's poetry in motion."

Adira chuckled, shaking her head. "That's one way to put it. But let's not forget, that the body is also like a complex chemical factory. Hormones, enzymes, neurotransmitters—all working in harmony to keep us going."

Lehan nodded, impressed. "True, true. And let's not even get started on the immune system. It's like having a tiny army inside us, ready to fight off any invaders."

"do you write or shit? why are you all poetic? I mean that makes sense but it isn't quite theoretical for a medical student."

"Oof topper, you can't treat your patients with only your theoretical knowledge. you've got to understand people's psychology too, you should make them feel comfortable. sometimes adi, you've got to look out of your books. this is how the real world is, it's about practicality." lehan replies. 

adira didn't argue back because she knew, she knew that lehan was right. she knew she had suppressed her true personality to impress her mother, she knew that she wanted to socialize more, she wanted to live freely doing whatever she wanted to but she didn't. she didn't because she had to make her mother like her. and studying and getting good grades seemed to be the only easy option for her.

"And, yes I do write poems and stories. how'd you guess? are you stalking me?"

"oh you wish, loser."  it would be a lie if adira said she didn't miss the nickname, she didn't understand why that name made her feel at peace. it was as if she was reminiscing about her 10th grade.

lehan too felt the same way, adira was definitely annoying. she was a pain in the neck but it felt as if no lehan existed without Adira.

"What do you write?" adira asks as she looks at lehan curiously. their eyes were locked with each other's, adira felt her knees go unsteady as lehan's dark brown orbs had such an intense gaze. 

adira looked away flushed and lehan smiled, breaking the tension. "Just random stuff, you know. Poems, stories, sometimes even rants about how annoying you are."

Adira rolled her eyes, but there was a playful glint in them. "I'm sure those rants are very enlightening."

Lehan chuckled. "Oh, absolutely. I pour my heart and soul into them."

As they quipped back and forth, it felt as if the time had stopped. it felt safe and secure. It was strange, Adira thought, how easily they fell into this comfortable rhythm despite their rivalry.

"So, why do you write?" Adira asked, genuinely inquisitive now.

Lehan shrugged, looking out at the bustling station. "I guess it's a way to make sense of things, you know? Life can be pretty chaotic, but when I write, it's like everything falls into place, even if it's just for a moment."

"I really want to be a doctor, I do. but that doesn't mean I can't like anything other than medicine. writing is my haven, writing is something that i look forward when everything has given up on me," lehan says and adira stares at him with pure admiration, he had so many more layers other than his exasperating ass.  

As the train arrived, they boarded and a few questions remained unanswered.

 but one thing was for sure, maybe, just maybe, adira and lehan shared something that ran deeper than rivalry, maybe it was a sort of comforting rivalry.