Burning Scars

THE CONFLICT

“Good morning, Mishy. Be free on the 31st of December because we’ll be attending Mr. Vivian’s New Year party. He’s one of my old friends and possibly a future business rival. He’s also planning to open a grand hotel in the heart of the city, so he’s invited us. Mr. Chopra and Nivin will also be there, so there’s no need to be nervous,” said the devil himself.

When I woke up, I received his message about this urgent discussion, and this was the "urgent" matter. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “Okay,” I replied and left his room. I wasn’t interested in any parties anymore because I knew he would brag about how generous he was for letting us stay in his house and giving me a flourishing business. If anyone wanted to talk to me or hear my opinion, he would cut me off and make me stand beside him, nodding like a puppet.

I went to my room, freshened up, and got ready for the day because Kiki and I were heading to Chopra Manor. She wanted to see Ruhi’s painting and had invited us to spend the morning there. Kiki was already ready, and while I was getting ready with Mimi, I received a call from Nivin.

“Hi, are you guys coming?”

“Yes, I’m almost ready, and Kiki is already ready. You can send the driver over,” I replied.

He hummed and ended the call. I suddenly remembered his appearance yesterday: his damp hair, long eyelashes, veiny resting hands, and plump lips. It brought a small smile to my face, but as I stood in front of the mirror, I quickly stopped myself. “Stop it, Mishy. Don’t forget why you’re here. Focus,” I said to myself and went back to finishing my hair.

When I was ready, I did a final check in the mirror. I wore a pink sleeveless top with black bottoms, a gold watch on my left wrist, a charm bracelet on my right wrist, white sneakers, and my hair tied in a half-messy bun.

I hurried to Mimi’s room. She was feeling slightly better after Kiki’s arrival. When I reached there, Kiki was on Mimi’s bed reading her a book—a horror thriller, which was their favorite genre for both movies and books. They got along very well; Kiki was like Mimi’s shadow, just as I was with Papi. Our choices and decisions always matched. I missed him terribly sometimes because he was the only one who truly understood me, no matter how wild or foolish my ideas were. I was smiling, lost in thought about him, when Kiki startled me with a loud “BOOOHH!” I jerked so violently that my back hit the door. Thankfully, I didn’t fall; I quickly regained my balance.

“What’s wrong with you?” I yelled at her.

“What, me? What’s wrong with you, Di? Your phone’s been buzzing like crazy for the past ten minutes. What are you so preoccupied with?”

Oh no, it must be Nivin. “Yes, we’re leaving the house now,” I said, ending the call abruptly. We both kissed Mimi on both cheeks, said goodbye, and hurried outside.

When we arrived, I took Kiki directly to Ruhi’s room, where she usually was. However, when I opened the door, my jaw dropped and I let out a heavy sigh at the sight before me. Ruhi was lying on the floor, one leg propped up on her bed, a blanket wrapped around her legs, her hair covering her face like a spider's web, and cushions supporting her other leg instead of her head. I shook my head and sighed again.

“Hmm, someone isn’t an early riser, I suppose!” Kiki said, peeking her head around me. I made space for her to enter the room.

“Yeah, it must be the liquor shots taking their toll,” I commented. She smiled at that. We approached Ruhi and tried to wake her up, but she was definitely lost in another dimension of dreams.

“That’s quite a pose,” Kiki said, snapping a photo as Ruhi tried to scratch her nose in her deep sleep.

“Kiki, stop it! We need to think of a way to wake her up,” I said.