Intertwined: Invisible Strings

Chapter Two

 

Chapter Two: The Sinking Ship

          “Bang!” the security steel door which was painted to give an appearance of authentic mahogany lumber and marked the entrance to my two-bedroom apartment flew open crashing against the wall with a thunderous roar. In all the chaos I had forgotten to double-lock the door but I was slumped onto the freezing cold ground with my back pressed against my faux leather sofa looking as though I had just come out of the set of The Walking Dead. Through the glare of the blinding sunlight there was a silhouette of a curvaceous woman. As she hurriedly stepped into the living room, her 5 ft 4 inches figure came into sight. She had an average height but the entirety of her physique was a pristine work of art with dark brown eyes highlighted by her elongated, thick, lustrous eyelashes and perfectly proportionate features including a straight nose decorated with a glittering diamond stud on her left nostril. She rushed over to me, her long hair with streaks of platinum blonde cascaded over her shoulders and gave a disheveled appearance as if tainted by the wind however despite all of that it still looked perfectly imperfect. She was out of breath as tough she had been running a marathon. “Rubi!” she exclaimed in a worried tone as her eyes landed on the catastrophe that graced my floor and the box which contents were strewn across my living room haphazardly.

            I looked up at her with tears resembling crystal droplets threatening to escape my big rounded hazel eyes. I was holding onto my sanity with everything I possibly had, it was taking absolutely all of my strength not to completely fall apart but the minute I made eye contact with my best friend, Aishna, that was it. I completely fell apart. Hot, fiery tears rolled down my pink rosy cheeks as though it was lava exploding from an active volcano. It felt as though someone had taken a jagged edged knife and repeatedly sliced through my heart an infinite amount of times as the pain seared through my body like a hot iron rod slicing through metal. Eight years of love turned out to be a fragile illusion but the pain that it brought was very much real and completely unfiltered, all of the emotions that had been buried under the surface for the past year came surging forward faster than the speed of light. Rohan and I had been sailing smoothly through calm seas, we both started off rowing together in a small boat eventually building up our bond into a sturdy ship however as the ship was sturdy and strong Rohan slowly let go because he didn’t see the need to apply effort anymore then there I was left alone to steer the ship. What he didn’t realise was that I needed someone to turn the sails while I steered but with no support we crashed and all that remained was the wreckage of our shattered dreams while I drowned beneath the surface and Rohan sailed away in a lifeboat. The strong wind that gushed through the open front door sent chills down my spine as I hugged myself tightly trying to hang on to the warmth that was once our love but it slipped through my fingers like sand. The weight of it all was too much, it was an overwhelming crushing weight on my chest that made it a struggle to breathe.

            “Aish, I don’t understand,” I managed to blurt out in between gasping for breath, “how could he move on so fast?”. Aishna grabbed me and pulled me closer to her enveloping me in a warm embrace of comfort and safety. “I know it hurts right now but I know for certain that everything will be okay,” she whispered rocking me back and forth. Aishna had been my rock for as long as I can remember, my best friend and soulmate through the bad and the good. When Rohan and I had broken up and he came to return my belongings, Aishna had slashed his tires and poured pink glitter onto the driver seat of his precious Porsche Carrera Cabriolet. Personally, we all need a sassy and courageous Aishna in our lives. In our friendship she’s the spice and I’m the sugar.

            “Let’s get you into bed and then I’ll clean up this clutter and throw everything out,” Aishna instructed as she ushered me into the comfort of my warm, cloudlike mattress. “Aish! Wait, save the Gulab Jamun!” I shouted in an attempt to prove to myself and Aishna that I was capable of being a fortified individual. She giggled and saluted me as she waltzed off back into the living room. As I snuggled into the comfort of my blush pink cotton duvet, memories and the ghosts of my past circled around me like a whirlwind tornado. I closed my eyes trying to block them out but the wind was too strong and the spirits of the past were adamant as they haunted me with their ghastly nostalgia.

Eight years ago, March 17th 2016.

The air was thick with the scent of lavender and jasmine mingling together in harmony as the aroma drifted through the careless but gentle breeze. The soft orange glow of one single street light illuminated the desolate cobblestone pathway, the night was so silent that it was deafening. “Thanks for walking me home,” I chirped in an effort to make conversation with the absolutely charming boy who was strolling side by side with me. His brunette hair drooped over his forehead effortlessly and appeared lighter in colour as it was touched by the glow of the pale moonlight. His Burberry Touch cologne which emitted beautiful woody scents of cedar and soft musk intoxicated me as though it was laced with narcotics. He shrugged his broad shoulders lightly and glanced at me with his sparkling emerald green eyes that were laced with hints of impending mischief, a playful smirk landed on his red plump lips. “The pleasure is all mine,” his voice oozed masculinity and made my body tingle in ways that I didn’t know was possible. His muscles flexed through his long sleeve plaid shirt that he was wearing, I was secretly hoping they burst through the fabric so I can get a glimpse of his bare tan skin. The wind picked up and I shivered both from nervousness and the cold. My long, curly light brown hair blew elegantly in the breeze and before I knew it his fingers brushed away some stray hairs away from my face causing all my pores to raise in anticipation. “I’ve been waiting to get you alone for a long time, ever since I saw you in Biology,” He continued in his deep seductive voice. “Why?” I questioned because that was all I could’ve choked out with my introverted self. He reached into the pocket of his torn blue jeans and pulled out my gold anklet that was beautifully crafted with hints of red rubies for me by my grandmother as a gift for my previous birthday. I thought I had lost it, Rubies for Rubiya, she had said. “This fell off during the lab visit and I couldn’t stop thinking about you ever since,” he explained pausing in his strides. I stopped and turned to face him, swallowing the lump in my throat. He grabbed my wrists in his hand and used the other hand to wrap around my waist and pull me into his chest. My heart palpitated faster than the beat of Tassa drums running 100 miles per minute. His perfectly gorgeous face with his sculpted jawline stared down at me with a look full of intensity and thought. Slowly, almost hesitantly he leaned in towards me and our breaths started mingling together in unison. His soft velvety lips crashed down onto mine slowly at first, soft and tentative as though we were both afraid to shatter the beauty of the moment but as his fingers made contact with the exposed skin on my back through the lace of my little red dress my body tingled with electric excitement and I pushed myself closer into him, running my hands through his hair and wrapping them around his neck. Hungry for each other, his tongue parted my lips and danced with mine competing for dominance as the passion between us ignited and became more urgent and desperate. His fingers traced soft circles on my skin as I felt his body stiffen against me and his breaths became shallower, his hands made its way down below my bottom and settled right under the back of the short dress. As we pulled apart for air, our eyes met and I knew that nothing would ever be the same again. The silent confession of love that we had for each other since the first day of college came pouring out in that one singular moment. We had crossed a line that we both had been so desperately wanting to do for such a long time and his fingers intertwined in mine as we continued our journey along the cobblestone pathway. “Goodnight Rubiya,” he whispered against my lips, “Goodnight Rohan,” I greeted him back. As I entered my apartment and closed the door behind me, my face couldn’t stop hurting from the big Cheshire cat grin that had been etched onto my lips. Rohan is my boyfriend! I was beyond ecstatic. 

            “Rubi, would you like me to brew another cup of tea for you since that one spilled?” Aishna asked pulling me out of my haunted daze. She came over and sat on the side of the bed next to me clearly sensing my disorientation with reality at the moment. “Hmm never mind, I know exactly what we both need,” she stated as she headed out the bedroom door. A few seconds later she returned with two bowls filled to the brim with Häagen-Dazs Belgian Chocolate ice cream. Recognising her efforts, I sat up and accepted her offer of comfort. “My hero!” I exclaimed as we both escaped into the beautiful world of the most effective girl-therapy there is. A wise person once said the secret to mending a broken heart is simply ice-cream!