LEECH

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO - AISHA (THEN)

Flashback begins. 

The paper I was clutching in my hand must have been getting wet from how much I was sweating.

It was weird, honestly, considering how many times I'd been on the same stage in front of the same crowd yet it never failed to unnerve me. Blocking out my surroundings, I decided to recite the whole piece in my head.

Good morning, I am Aisha Rai of class — Ow!

I collide face first into someone. Fingers wrap around my bare arms in an attempt to steady me, and I tilt my head to look at the person. It's Yash, because of course.

"Aisha! You okay?" Yash asks me, stepping back. I nod, straightening my rumpled uniform.

"Where are you hurrying off to?"

"Speech." I sigh. "I have to present a speech."

"Cool." He whistles. "You'll do well."

Rolling my eyes at the statement, I cross my arms. "Not cool. The teachers informed me only yesterday that I have to say this, and —

"Yesterday? Have you even remembered the whole thing? That's ridiculous, it's unfair —" He begins, frowning. I want to laugh at the genuine look of outrage on his face.

"Chill. That's not the tough part—"

"THAT'S NOT THE TOUGH PART?"

Chuckling, I shake my head. "No. The difficult part is getting in front of that microphone and speaking while facing the crowd. I need two business days to prepare myself for that only."

Yash looks like he's at a loss for words. Regaining himself, he says, "Nervous much?"

"Very much." My shoulders slump forward. It's difficult to share these small moments of weakness with others. I don't even know why I'm telling Yash all of this. It's pathetic.

"Why are you nervous, Aisha? You speak really well, can remember stuff easily, and have been doing this since ages. Then why be nervous?"

"Because..." I hesitate. The honest reason behind it is silly, more like embarrassing. "I hate the attention. I can't maintain eye contact with the audience, and even if I try to stare right above their heads, it doesn't work because I know they are looking at me. The applause, I hate that too. It's so awkward and I can't even smile properly and —"

"You smile beautifully." He cuts me off.

I pause, gawking at him. He just shrugs, ignoring my pointed gaze. Clearing his throat, he replies, "Look, I know me saying it doesn't make it any better, but you're perfect on stage, Aisha. Nobody notices if you skip over a few words, no one is trying to maintain eye contact with you, and you look just as pretty there as you are in real life."

There's a lot to unpack in that line, so I just ignore it and shove it away in a corner of my brain for later. Instead, I drop my gaze, staring intently at my shoes, but I feel his hand on my left shoulder, silently urging me to face him.

"Revel in the attention, Aisha. Feed off of it and shine brighter, never let it deter you." He says, and the seriousness in his eyes makes my breath catch in my throat.

Then he smiles, and time restarts itself. I shake my head with exasperation. "Is that your pro-tip?" I laugh.

"As you can see, I am the pro-est pro you'd ever find." He says, and I can't help but laugh again at his silliness.

Just at that moment, a pair of arms wrap around my waist and I stumble forward, barely catching myself from falling onto Yash.

"Aisha!" Srishti's voice screeches in my ears. I wince, turning around.

"Yash, hey! Whatchu doing here, I thought you'd be busy!" She frowns, but then wipes it off and replaces it with a smile. "Cluster preparations going well?"

"Yeah, uh..." Yash scratches the back of his head. "On that note, I wanted to ask...are you both gonna be there tomorrow for the inauguration? It will be fun, I promise."

"Of course, I'd be there, silly." She reaches out and tugs his ear. "Cluster occurs once in four years! I wouldn't miss it for anything."

Both of them turn towards me expectantly, and I find myself looking away. "Um, no."

"What—"

"Why—"

"By the time I reach, it'll be late and I'd have to sit alone at the back. I don't even know if my parents would agree, they might think it's just a waste of time. Plus, I barely know a thing about sports!"

"Aisha, are you dumb? I will talk to your parents myself. There's no way they can't let you come. It's Cluster!" Srishti scowls, and I feel bad for dampening the mood.

"Okay fine, but —"

"I'll save you a seat. Front row, best view. Promise." Yash says, and I feel guilty when I see that hopeful glint in his eyes.

"Wait, save me a seat too, Yash!" Srishti says, but he just rolls his eyes at her.

"Do it yourself, bandar." (Do it yourself, monkey) He retorts, and I feel a smile creep up at the way Srishti glares daggers at him. Ignoring her blatantly, Yash turns to me. "Can I expect to see you in the gallery tomorrow?"

And since I don't want to disappoint or discourage him, I just hesitantly nod my head.

He grins, and bends down to whisper in my ear. "And don't worry, I'll teach you everything you need to know about athletics. She's my wife." He winks, and saunters off, leaving me to stare perplexedly at his back.

Srishti's gaze swivels between me and Yash's retreating form. She narrows her eyes.

"Srish?"

"Yeah...oh." She pauses, clearing her throat. "Aish, I meant to ask you something."

The reluctance written on her face confuses me. We're best friends. She's not supposed to think twice before saying anything to me. "Go ahead, Srishti." I say slowly.

"Do you..." She closes her eyes, shakes her head, then opens her mouth to speak, all while I stare at her with bemusement. "Do you...perhaps...like..."

"Like?" My brows draw together.

"Do you like Yash?" She breathes out.

Wait, what?

"Like, as in, have a crush? On Yash? No!" I say, flabbergasted as I search for the right words. Where in the world did that come from? The idea even is appalling.

"You sure?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm sure, Srish. I do not like him in that way. He's just a friend, like he is yours." I say, but even as the words exit my mouth, I frown. Just about a month ago, I believed that Yash Arora and I belonged to two separate worlds which could never mingle together. Just when did I start thinking of him as a friend?

But there's no time to dwell on that, because the apprehensive look on Srishti's face hasn't yet disappeared. "Oh, well, okay. Actually, I wanted to say that...I think—"

The loud blare of the school bell interrupts her. My eyes grow wide. Oh shoot. My speech. I'm late.

Taking a last glance at my paper, I tuck it away and begin to hurry towards the stage. "Speech. Need to go, Srishti! Tell me later?" I say, but I don't even have time to wait for her reply as I start running.

I hear her voice screaming "Best of luck, Aisha!", but there's this nagging feeling in my stomach telling me I ignored something important. But that doesn't matter, because Srishti would tell me later, of course. It can't be that substantial. 

Flashback ends.