Something Great

16. Say Cheese!

“Everyone, at some point in their lives, wakes up in the middle of the night with the feeling that they are all alone in the world, and that nobody loves them now and that nobody will ever love them, and that they will never have a decent night’s sleep again and will spend their lives wandering blearily around a loveless landscape, hoping desperately that their circumstances will improve, but suspecting, in their heart of hearts, that they will remain unloved forever. The best thing to do in these circumstances is to wake somebody else up, so that they can feel this way, too.” — Lemony Snicket

I would’ve slept for the entire day and night had it not been for my cell phone.

“'Cause it's too cold

For you here and now

So let me hold

Both your hands in the holes of my sweater

Whoa, whoa

Whoa!”

I buried myself under the pillows, hoping that my caller would offer me some peace and silence but to no avail. Flipping over, I accepted the call and pressed the phone to my ear.

“Hello?” I croaked out and rubbed my eyes. The last fiery red rays were sinking beneath the horizon leaving a tinge of reddish orange in the sky. Flocks of bird were returning back home, marking the end of the day. What a bloody day. No pun intended, of course.

“Brit? Hey.” The deep husky English voice entered my ear. Oh holy Mary! I totally forgot about the Indian girl and him.

His voice caused me to sit up in my bed and clear my throat.  “I am so sorry!” I apologized profusely. “I forgot about the video call!” I bit my tongue, waiting for his anger.

To my surprise he chuckled and what followed after that surprised me more. “No need to be sorry. Are you alright?” he sounded concerned. Was he on the line during my outburst? I don’t think so.

“Yes, I’m fine.” I responded positively and ran a hand through my hair.

“Okay then. Is it okay for you to talk to Anu right now? She’s heading out tomorrow so it would be good if you guys could wrap it up today.” He asked me, sounding hopeful. Did he really want me to talk his friend? A female friend?

I didn’t ponder over it. He’s the boss here so I agreed. “I’ll be online in ten minutes.” With that, I ended the call and went to the bathroom before I switched my laptop on.

Looking at myself in the mirror I wondered if someone had organized any advance Halloween party because I looked like I belonged to one. My eyes were a bit puffy, all credit goes to the crying fest, and there were tear streaks on my face. After washing my face and making a pony tail, I changed my clothes. I had to look presentable after all. 

I placed my laptop on the desk and made myself comfy with a pen and paper in my hand. He accepted my call immediately. Oh lord! Why does my heart beat suddenly shoot for the sky when it comes to this guy? I certainly didn’t like feeling this way.

He looked the same. Where you expecting a third eye? My inner voice mocked me. Yeah, no shit there. His blue orbs were radiating and I found myself drowning into them. Corny, I know. He didn’t sport a five o’ clock shadow though and I think he had had a hair cut because his hair was shorter than before, still messy though. I wondered if his skin was as smooth as it looked. 

A ping brought me out of my reverie. He had sent me a picture, his picture to be more precise. I shot him a deathly glare. He just winked at me.

“You can look at it whenever you want to, sweet pea.” His crooked smile made my heart do a somersault. Was this healthy? I definitely don’t think so, maybe I should visit a cardiologist.