Her (#justwriteit) (Lesbian stories)(#lgbt)✔

Stay

A few years later...

"Nancy. Where are my sneakers?" I ask fiddling with her shoes on the cupboard.

"Under the stairs, Jules. You leave them there every damn time and you don't even remember." Nancy replies appearing back in the hall, wearing a peach apron covered with flour and with her messy hair tied in a bun.

"Here." She hands me the shoes and kisses me over my head. "Grow up, kid!" She says mocking me.

It is a very special day. The day I am going to tell my Mom about Nancy. I am going to come out to my Mom.

Its been 2 years. After finishing my college, I got the job with Times Now. I finally left home and had told my Mom that I am going to stay with Nancy, who is obviously going to be my roommate. She was pretty convinced about this fact, as far as she was sure that it is not a guy I am living with and I was not going to be in a live-in relationship which is arbitrarily the contrary.

We had been planning for this day for so long and dreading it too.

"The damn cake! This is so tough." Nancy was struggling with the dough in the kitchen, when I prepare to go out to receive Ms. Khanna from the airport.

"Don't worry dear. It is an easy-peesy job for you. Stop being so nervous." I hug her from behind and kiss her on the cheek.

She sighs and turns around to face me.
"I really hope everything goes well for us, Jules." She says.

"Me too." I force a smile trying to make her smile, though my adrenaline is rushing all over the body.

"Everything will be fine. Ms. Khanna will fix everything up for us. And believe in me. I will never leave you, no matter what happens." I say.

She nods and hugs me tightly.
••••••••••

At the airport, I stand at the arrival area waiting for Ms. Khanna. Simultaneously, my mind does the usual flashback, a year ago.

It was 12 a.m, midnight, when I hear a knock at the door.

"Who the hell is it? At this time?" I say irritably to Nancy who also seemed to have woken up because of the thuds on the front door.

"Its midnight Jules. Check your phone if you have had any calls." She says frowning and scared apparently.

"No. Nothing. Let me go check." I say listening to the increased pounding on the door.

"I am coming with you too." She says getting up.
We march towards the door and I open it cautiously to see...

"Anu!!!" I say completely astounded at the sight of Anu and her baby brother standing next to her. "What the hell????" I say looking at the fully drenched kids. "Come over in."

"Oh my god." Nancy gasps. She walks to the bathroom to get towels and I go to the room to get two small sized t-shirts.

"Here." We hand it all together.

"Thank you." Says the shivering Anu.
She pats her brother dry and covers him with the towel and does the same for her.

"What on Earth do you think you are doing ? Where is your Mom?" I ask hastily.

"She has not been home. Its been days. We have been scared at that place. We are sorry to bother you at this time. I don't know anyone else here in the neighbourhood." Anu says looking down at her feet.

"No. No. Its completely fine that you came here. And what do you mean by she has not been home? Have you tried her number?" I ask, with rising panic in my voice.

"Yes. Yes. I have. She is fine but she doesn't want to come back home. Or that is what she said. She said aunt is going to come and take care of us. But no one came. And later she stopped calling. I tried but her number is not reachable." Anu replies. "She is hiding something from us. She loves us. It is not possible that she would leave us all alone like that. Something is happening. I need your help to find her." Anu continues.

"What is making her do all this?" I mutter under my breath, trying not to gasp.

"What was the last thing you two spoke about?" Nancy interrupts facing Anu.

"I might know what is making her do all this. But she won't leave us alone for that."

"What is it?" I and Nancy ask in unison.

"She saw my forearms one night. I was too tired to put a few sleeve tee shirt on. I was sleeping in my slip that night, when she entered the room, probably to kiss me and she saw my bruises. I used to harm myself when Mom used to hurt me. She was crying there, on my bed and she left. I pretended like I was sleeping because I did not know what to answer and how to face her. I was too scared even to get up the next morning." Anu says looking down.

"Oh my God."

"I think she is feeling guilty or maybe she thinks she is the reason and maybe that is why she is refusing to come back." Anu continues.

"This is all so weird, Anu. We need to find Ms. Khanna as soon as possible. You better sleep here tonight. And hand me your aunt's number tomorrow, first thing in the morning." I say hurriedly.

••••••••••••

I stand there startled by the announcement of the arrival of the flight from Mumbai, pulling me back to the present.

I see Ms. Khanna coming towards me in her wheelchair with Anu and Niki behind. She is weak and frail but still beautiful.

I cannot believe that she is not going to be with us after a few months. I gulp down the grief in my throat and walk towards them with a smile.

"Here is your new Mom." Says Ms. Khanna smiling and hiding her own grief inside. She is so good at it.

•••••••••