In another life

04

"Speak up" Kaira demanded, both of them looking at Kaaya, who had been silent the whole ride. Before she could say anything, their order arrived. They made Neha order on their behalf, as they would usually make her talk while giving orders. She was the most extroverted of them all. They thanked the shop owner with a smile.

"He confessed to her" she said bluntly, leaving the two confused. They were the only ones who knew about Kaaya's crush on Gaavy. She elaborated her story while the two ate their Ice cream, keenly listening to their heartbroken bestie.

Shock was evident on their faces when they heard that he confessed to Hruthi. They didn't expect things to turn out this way.

As a way of trying to comfort Kaaya, they made up an excuse. "She didn't respond to him, right?" Kaaya nodded, looking down, playing with her almost-melted Ice cream, which was left untouched. "You still have a chance. Just see, I have known Hruthi for a long time, and we know that she has never been a fan of romance or relationships." Kaira said in an effort to cheer Kaaya up.

Neha nodded her head agreeing with Kaira and as a sign of assuring Kaaya that everything's going to be alright. She had always been a pacifist; she would be the first person that teachers would call every time a fight broke out in the class.

She is one of few people that made Kaaya's senior high, a paradise. Kaaya was even hesitant to talk to others after the hiatus but having Neha by her side, she was able to talk to all her classmates without the fear of being judged. You could say she is like the sun rays, the brightest among the three.

Even if Kaaya acted childish before them, she has been the most mature among them. She knew very well how things would turn out. Just as she said before, she never stood a chance.

For example, take her best friend Neha; she's one of the prettiest girls in her class, and a lot of guys have been crushing on her. But still, she chose the one that she liked: Rudra, the topper and Gaavy's best friend.

Since both of them had strict parents, they kept their relationship secret. Love was actually prohibited in our school just like mobile phones. They think it would interfere with their children's ability to focus on their studies and they believe that their lovers would take away their child, their prized possession. Most of the parents wanted their kids to marry the person they pointed out. Still conservative.

There are no secrets between us three. Seeing her friends try so hard, she pretended to be fine. Kaaya and Kaira waved at Neha, who had just left. Kaaya made her way into her kitchen as soon as she came home, right after dropping off Kaira at her place.

Kaaya planned on going to the supermarket, which was somewhat far away, because her aunt needed some groceries and she wanted to cook Kaaya something nice to lighten up her mood as it was also her day-off. Kaaya wanted to be alone in order to clear her mind, so she took this as a chance to get some fresh air.

She purchased some candy for herself as well as the goods her aunt had requested. She threw the plastic wrapper into the nearby trash can while putting a lollipop in her mouth. Even though it was summer, it had been raining quite frequently these days. A mild and gentle thunder reached her ears. Her aunt had already warned her to bring the umbrella with her, but being a lazy ass, she was too tired to go upstairs and fetch one.

Clouds began to steadily pour and she loved the smell that spreads as soon as the raindrops hits the soil-Petrichor. She kept the plastic bag above her head as she ran toward the alley, which served as a shortcut to her house, because she wanted to get home before it started raining heavily. With the exception of a tea nook, the establishments along that alley were mostly closed.

A bright lightning bolt sprawled across the sky. She had heard the warning to avoid looking at the lightning since she was a young child. She stopped her track right before the tea corner after noticing the lightning and tightly clenched