Wish You Were Here

Gratisfication

After getting the whole 'god you fucking ran away after I rejected you??haha ok loser' teasing from Naveen, Nithin found life almost normal, except now Naveen knows that he likes him and that he acts like a childish loser but hey Naveen took him back, you can't have everything.

There was almost a closer bond of intimacy, as if someone was pulling the strings to make life easier for them, tying them together with a cherry red ribbon.

Nithin cooked and Naveen cleaned, Naveen watered the plants and Nithin put fertilisers, Nithin put the clothes for washing and Naveen put them out to dry.

Small things like this made Nithin's heart feel a sense of domestic bliss, almost as if he could call this 2 bhk house a home,

Naveen on the other hand found himself getting drawn into Nithin's magnetic personality. Whether it was him awfully singing to Malayalam songs (Naveen would never admit that Nithin actually sang like an angel) or dancing and pulling Naveen along to the same, he felt like he could see a glimpse into the tall man's actual facade, a man who he thought was a good for nothing arrogant himbo, was actually a guy who cared for people, someone who always had a smile for everyone, someone who was kind to everyone, be it animals or people, their pain was his and he helped them all indiscriminately.

also Naveen had to admit that it was a nice change, eating home cooked food instead of watery Maggi or outside food.

He had also noticed that Nithin has changed. Before he was very mean, like did not care about him at all, almost as if to keep a distance. Now he noticed that Nithin was making an effort. An effort to try to get to know him better, and he would be lying if he said that it did not feel nice talking to him.

Naveen was usually busy studying to stay at the top of class and that left him with almost no time for friends. His one free place was this apartment. Before he used to spend his time playing valorant or listening to music, now he talks to Nithin and started teaching him how to play Valorant.

It was a nice change and Naveen welcomed it.

This vulnerability allowed them to see a glimpse of once what could have been, was destroyed, and now what was regrowing in the place of desolation.

It had been a few months since the whole 'incident' and Naveen mercifully reduced his teasing as the days went on, now only mentioning it snarkily whenever Nithin does dumbass stuff.

They had grown closer, their schedules somehow merged together too. So they were inevitabily forced together whether they liked it or not but no one was complaining.

Naveen had recently gotten a polaroid camera and was busy at it, he had gotten many photos together. He even had one photo which he swears disgusts him but inside he knows that every time he looks at the photo he feel a million butterflies blooming. It was a candid shot of Nithin laughing with a dog.

Eyes flitting over the image he was brought back to the moment he took the photo, he had just gotten his camera and as he was studying the features of it he was pulled by Nithin to 'come with him to butter up the landlady' because apparently she had a soft spot for Naveen. So he was pulled rather quickly out of the house and marched to the landlady's house with feeble protests from his side.

"My camera, I'll put it and come. God, what's your rush"
"No time, no time , finish now, I have to go now"

So Naveen still clutching the camera and with whiplash with his rushed exchange with Nithin warily rang the doorbell.

As the landlady opened the door with a cry of delight, a goldie came bounding from inside and lept on Nithin who stumbled backwards in shock. As the dog began jumping on him, he kneeled down and let the delighted dog lick him for a while as he let out a laugh of pure amusement and wrapped his arms around them.

Naveen, who wasn't that fond of dogs, watched this entire comedy take place, watched Nithin intently. He took note (rather unaware himself of doing so) of how Nithin's eyes crinkle when he smiles, a singular dimple gracing his left cheek as he heard a sweet laugh and he takes a moment to gaze upon Nithin's beauty, and as he stands there he realises that this was not a part of his plan. He quickly shoves the thought to some recess of his brain that will remain untouched until some random 3:00 am session where he's listening to Elliot smith and evokes this thought out of him.

As he turned to continue the discussion with the land lady, Naveen heard a cooing noise behind him. Surprised, he turned around to Nithin talking to the dog.

"Heelo my baby! Hello!! Who's a good girl!"
"you're shooo pretty"
"will you be my girlfriend milo? You'll be better than Lavanya."
Naveen asks "Lavanya?"
"Dont ask."

He's a boy Nithin!", the land lady interjected.

A beat passed between all three of them.

Nithin looks up at the land lady and chuckles. His eyes shifts to Naveen and without breaking the eye contact, he had asked "will you be my boyfriend then?"

He looked back at Milo and said "love is love afterall."

Naveen scoffs in disbelief and rolls his eyes as he turns towards the land lady again, with the corner of his lips twitching with mirth.

As the landlady and him fixed the issue with her promising him that she would look into it, Nithin was still playing with (dog name). As he continued his ministrations on the dog Naveen had quickly snapped a photo and hid the camera behind him.

"We're done let's go."
"alright.." Nithin answers with a pouty face and puppy dog eyes, Naveen quickly averted his face and looked at the dog.
Nithin turns back to the dog, "I'll woo you sometime else (dog name). Tata"

Days passed and Naveen never showed the photo to Nithin, he kept it to himself. He had only glanced at the photo once or twice, never stopping to admire the photo. He was scared, scared that if he stopped and looked at the photo. Stopped to look at Nithin's careless smile and dark hair, stopped to admire the beautiful features across his face, he would start to feel.

So he kept the photo tucked under many, many other photos.

One day as he was bumbling around with his camera as usual, He heard a yell of frustration from Nithin's room, a bang of the door flying open and hitting the wall, stomps of frustrations and finally erratic knocks on Naveens door.

Albeit shocked, Naveen clears his throat and asks what he needs

The door bangs open.

A clearly annoyed Nithin is standing there with fire burning behind his eyes,

"Mouse. You have? I need."
"For a mouse you need to go to kuttapi(local sweet cat) not me."
Awkwardly chortling on his lame joke Naveen takes in Nithin's mounting anger and clears his throat.
"I only have one, a Bluetooth one, that fine no?" He says as he unplugs the (wtv it's called) and hands bout the mouse and (wtv it's called) to Nithin.

Eyes softening Nithin grabs the items and stalks out of the room.

Staring at Nithin's retreating figure Naveen fiddles with his camera. He turns back to the desk as the door bangs shut, wincing at the loud sound.

When he was watching singles inferno, which was some Netflix show Nithin was raving about, he hears the door creak open.

"I'm hungry, I washed all the dishes so start cooking something."
"Uh yeah... dude I'm so sorry..."

Naveen turns around hearing this, he takes in Nithin's guilty stance, his hands behind his back, puppy dog eyes and shuffling feet.

Eyes narrowing he asks. "What did you do"
Nithin slowly shows Naveen the items he was holding between his hands.

It was the sad remains of what once was a reliable mouse that had stayed in Naveen company for 5 years and had gone over in Nithin's hands for an hour.

It was somehow broken in 4.

"Wh- what happened???"