Sara's Trilemma

Friend Confession

The next day arrived with the gloom dissolving away in the bright morning. Crying all out was therapeutic to my own good, now I left refreshed to get on my job again. As decided earlier, I was to get the photographs clicked for my article the whole day. And I knew who I was employing for the same. As soon as I bathed and had casual clothes put on, I went and knocked on Kush's door.

Only a second later, he opened the door smiling at me. "Good morning, princess!" The water droplets on his bare and chiselled chest glistened in the morning sunshine. My eyes unmistakably turned lower and gulped. He wore only a white towel wrapped up on his bottom. That was a first time I had seen him in minimal clothes, just showered and smelling like fresh lime soap. His hair was tousled and wet.

"I...Um... Should I come back?" I asked turning sideways, but eyes still glued to his face.

"Ahh. Are you shying away? Our very own, Miss Sara?" he teased, twisting his corner of his mouth into a light smile.

"No," I replied in haste and entered his bedroom. The bedroom was altered a bit; some of his photographs hanged on the wall. There were pictures of nature scenes, art photographs of glasses that hung on a bar counter. Our group photo taken recently was kept on his side table. It was an interior of a tasteful man.

"So, for what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked keeping his hands on his waist, proudly and shamelessly showing his body to my embarrassed eyes.

"You are coming with me today," I said, turning away towards the side table and picked up one of the frames. It was our Marine Drive outing picture in the evening dim-light.

"All right! Let me just call Rishabh and inform him that I am spending a day with my best friend!" he cheered and walked towards me.

"Aren't you going to ask me the reason and the place?" I queried, again catching his eyes, now a foot away from me.

"It doesn't matter." He smiled fully, now leaning against the wall beside me. His eyes twinkled warmly.

"You don't worry about Rishabh getting annoyed if you don't show up," I remarked, without an ounce of doubt otherwise.

"Nope. He will survive. It's you, who asked me for a company. I won't leave a chance of spending time with you," he paused and then added. "Especially alone..."

I narrowed my eyes, instinctively. "What's gotten into you nowadays?"

"I am clearer of my objective," he murmured and held my gaze. There was something very open in his eyes, a new-found passion.

"Are you flirting with me?" I asked as I couldn't bear the suspense any longer. There was a substantial change in his behaviour. I chose to ignore it at first, but he was more assertive now.

"Oh my Sara, you will know when I flirt with you," he whispered and leaned towards my frozen self. I couldn't move or think for a moment when he slowly tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear, trailing with a soft touch of his fingers.

I gulped and looked away. "I...um... I want you to come with me to the fashion street for clicking some photographs for the article I told you about. It's better if you get dressed," I muttered, walking away towards the slight ajar door. "And don't worry about Rishabh. I already told him about it yesterday."

He neither did reply right away nor followed me out. Then I stopped in my way and again checked the new frames on the wall adjacent to the door of varying sizes. The photos differed from flowers to the turbulent ocean to the shaded evening sky. The trail of frames gone towards the door, where a slight glimpse of frame caught my eyes. I was going to close the door to see the picture behind it, but at the precise time Kush held my hand and opened the door for me.

"Give me five minutes, I will come out," he said and closed the door behind me.

After a while when he got out, I looked at him suspiciously. Though he ignored my doubt with a free and carefree smile and led me out of our apartment. When we finally seated in his car, I plucked up the courage and began, "Why are you acting weird?"

He started the engine, put on his seatbelt and started the car. "What do you mean? I am the same Kush, you knew before!"

"Kush..." I murmured. "Don't make me spell out."

"What Sara?" he replied with a question, innocently.

"Urghhh..."

"What? Say it," he prompted with a confidence.

"Look, Kush, Whatever is going inside your head, just stop that. We are friends and it's weird." I whined.

"Nothing is in my head," he said, pausing for a dramatic moment. "It's here in my heart," he placed his hands on his chest.

"Why are you confusing me?" I asked ruefully.

He looked at my tired expressions and waited for a moment to answer. "Alright. I accept."

I looked at him questioningly, with a breath caught in my lungs.

He waited till he parked the car beside a pavement. "I like you," he whispered bringing earnest expression on his face. "I cannot hold it any longer. Whatever you say, whatever you think about me. I am not ashamed of it. I am not ashamed of the fact that I like you."

He let out a breath he was holding, waiting for my reaction.

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