A not so typical Monday morning for Nina, as she dances her heart out to Ed Sheeran. Screaming on top of her voice: "I'm thinking out loud,Maybe we found love right where we are." , like there's no tomorrow, like this is the last time she's going to hear Ed Sheeran, or the last time she's going to enjoy a Monday morning like this. Semester just ended and that meant she had all the time in the world to do whatever she wished, in a house as empty as her stomach. All that dancing made her hungry, as the song came to an end and she sighed as she closed her eyes and wished for a man like Ed to sweep her off her feet. But her thoughts were soon redirected towards her gurgling stomach.
"You're the only reason why i can't even think about losing weight. Stop gurgling."
She reached the kitchen, her mind still stuck to the thoughts of her 'Mystery man' and Ed Sheeran. 19 years of her existence have passed and her search for the perfect man still continues. She picks up the sandwich her mother made before leaving for work and takes a bite of it. She roams about the kitchen for a while, stands in front of a mirror and examines her voluptuous body. She takes a bite and exclaims:
"So, my butt is fine. My stomach is not fine"
She hears a beeping sound around her, she turns back only to find her bacon burning in the oven.
"Oh, man!" she exclaims as she rushes towards the oven with a cloth in hand.
"So this is what mom meant when she said keep a watch on the bacon, they catch fire"
The room was soon covered in black smoke as she opened the oven door, she coughs and takes a good look at the mess that she just created. She sighs as she opened the kitchen window and moved her arms in a comical way, to get the smoke out.
Amidst the mess, Nina hears her phone beep. It was a message from her close friend Demi.
HI, Nina. I just wanted to check on you, how have you been? It's been a long time since we last chatted didn't we?
Nina knew there was something wrong. She was anticipating the bad news patiently. Demi's bad news arrives with a beep in Nina's phone.
Who am i kidding? i know you are already anticipating the bad news, so i'm just going to spill the beans. Our holidays are going to be over in 3-days. Yes, we just got the student mail, which evidently you are blind to.
Nina anticipated a bad news, but the news of her holidays ending soon was almost equivalent to the world around her crashing. She hurriedly took her phone, jumped on her bed and speed dialed the only person she knew could ease her pain, Mathew.
"Hello" came a muffled voice from the other side of the phone.
"Stop eating, this is an emergency!" Nina screamed.
"When is it never, Nina?"
"My semester break is over, tell me i'm only dreaming"
"About to. We still have 3-days"
"But, why?"
"Nina, Keep calm, get a double creme ice cream and listen to Ed Sheeran."
"You know what? you're an ass, Mathew"
"Yes, Yes i know that"
Nina felt relieved talking to Mathew, she knew he was the only person who could handle her over dramatic self.
As she lay on her bed staring at the blank ceiling, she got a text message from Mathew.
"Give a break to your drama. Taking you out for a movie tomorrow, 11 am. Be ready."
She felt like the happiest person in this world. She felt ecstatic.
Matt would've been the perfect man, if only he wasn't my best friend. I think all the nice, handsome and beautiful men of this world are either taken or are famous musicians who have no idea about my existence.
She checked the time on her wall clock, it was 10:30 am. She felt unmotivated to get out in the chilly December morning. She decided to check the student mail, that Demi accused her of being blind to.
Okay, let's see what you have in store for me today.
She was shocked to see more than 100 notifications and emails pending.
Demi was right after all. I WAS blind to the student mail.
After staring at the screen and scrolling through what she thought are useless pieces of information, she found one that lured her into opening it. It was a poster, decorated beautifully. WRITER'S BEHOLD, it read in bold. Nina had always been an avid reader and writer of teen fictions, but she never took her passions too seriously. She felt the dire need to investigate deeper. The first thing she checked was the eligibility and the deadline. It was a college competition and she was hence eligible. She saw next,the deadline.
You pesky rat, so you're the reason why semester holidays were shortened. You better be worth it.
She was clear about the needs, and wanted to participate. She had time to prepare herself since the competitions were still 3-days away. She decided to call Demi and ask her about it, cause she knew Demi would never lose a chance to showcase her writing skills.
"I opened the student mail." Nina exclaimed
"Behold, a new portal of life has opened in front of you now."
"Okay, you were right. I WAS blind. Are you happy now?" Nina said hurriedly
"Chill, my little bunny. What is it that you're stressing about so much now?"
"The writing competition, why haven't you told me anything about it?"
"Oh, that.."
"Yeah, that." anger was now evident in Nina's voice as she spoke.
"Well if i would've told you about it, you would never have opened your student mail. At least after this, you'll keep a check on your mails now."
Nina secretly smiled and thanked her stars for sending a savior in her life.
"You're my gem, do you realize that?"
"Yes, yes i know."
"Okay my precious gem, speak about this competition now"
"I will, only if you stop being dramatic now"
Nina gave a short laugh that Demi heard on the other side, she too smiled a little.
"I have a plan, let me drop by your place in 20 mins and we can discuss, stuff?"
"I'm in"
"Great!"
Nina finally found an excuse to actually leave home. Even if it meant walking 20 mins in the cold December air. Her passion was calling and there was no way she was going to let this go.
YOU ARE READING
Masked (#Wattys 2016)
Mystery / Thriller'You can run from your past, but can you hide from it?' When the past crossed her path one morning, Nina slapped him. Never did she know that this wasn't going to be the only time the past caught up to her. Secrets are reveled and Nina is forced to...
