Meet me on the roof

CHAPTER 1 - ROOF TOP

SAHIL

AGE: 5 YEARS

My fingers dance across the smooth surface of my present, my fingers thrum and touch one string and the instrument creates sound. I look at it wide eyed. What is this?

"This is guitar for you sweetheart, your nanu sent it." My mother's sweet voice fill my ear and I smile.

"Tell him this is amazing. But how do I play with it?"

"I will get you into a class to learn this. Okay?"

"Yeah!" I say and run with it all around the dining hall. This seems like the best day of my life.

"Come on, Pooja. We need to leave. We are getting late." My dad says since he and mom are busy. Me and my sister are the only ones that stay in the house the entire time. She is sweet and always takes care of me.

"Can you teach me how to play, didi?" I ask her jumping up and down.

"Please, didi,"

"Yes, of course." She smiles at me.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go." I jump more and my sister's phone rings

"Wait." My sister says and her head lowers in disappointment. I stop jumping and keep my hand on her to ask what happened.

"Hey, buddy." She sits down to my level and looks at me very softly. I smile.

"I have a few classes to attend, can we learn this later?" she says and I understand that if she didn't attend them then mom dad will not give her dinner.

"It's okay Didi." I say and extend my hand to feather her cheek. I will not let mom dad treat her badly.

She smiles and kisses my forehead. I smile back at her and kiss her cheek. She is the best sister in the whole wide world. She is only 8 but she is very smart. Sometimes even smarter than my dad.

She goes to her room while I decide to go to the terrace.

"Didi, I am going to the terrace."

"Okay, Don't go near the edges at all." She says from her room.

"I know."

I climb the stairs and open the door to the terrace, it's big enough for me to enjoy the soft blue sky and sweet blowing winds. We have a lot of plants too.

I see the blue sky and smile wide. This is so beautiful. My eyes trace the plants and I see a rose. Jumping I reach it and pluck it. I hope mom doesn't find out.

The rose looks pink and smells very sweet, it looks as pretty as my sister, maybe I should give it to her.

Then I hear some footsteps and look towards our neighbours roof on the left. A girl sits down on a small chair, her arms crossed over her chest and her face puffy. She pouts and makes faces as if she is angry.

She looks up and her eyes lock with mine. I smile at her and wave. She looks away. My heart sinks.

I cross the very small division of the roof, since we live in row houses the roofs are attached and of same level, they have a very small wall on which we can sit and even cross towards the other house. I play badminton with my sister. She stands on the roof of next to next house while I stand over ours.

Reaching the girl, I extend my hand, "Hi, I am Sahil and I is five years old." I smile at her again when she looks at my hand, then at my face.

"I am Akriti. I am five year old too." She says and shakes my hand with hers.

I sit in front of her cross legged and ask, "Are you angry?"

She looks at me and smiles. And when she does she looked as beautiful as the sky.

"Yes."

"Why?" I ask her in concern

"My parents are not giving me my tab. I want to watch Dora."

"Ohh, did you try the puppy face. My sister does it all the time. It works like a charm"

"No, how do we make it?"

"You just have to pout a little and blink your eyes at them very softly."

She tries it and looked very cute.

"See, parents can't resist the cuteness."

"You think I looked cute?" she asks and her cheeks turn red.

I smile at her, "Yes, you do."

"Can I call you bunny?"

"Why?" I feel partially offended, I have a good name.

"Because you are like my soft toys." She says and the tip of my ears burn.

"Best friends forever." I extend my hand to her.

"Best friends forever." She says and shake my hand. We smile at each other with a huge grin.
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WORD COUNT- 795