Nameless

Chapter 9: Friendships Last Forever.

"Anika was talking to Manan. Just talking to him. Just talking. What bullshit." I seethed, ranting off to Sahil.

"Haha, chill out a little. She's not like that." He said, busting into a fit of laughter the moment he caught my look.

"Okay, okay, okay. Maybe she is, but Ayrah, she is you bestfriend. She has some integrity!" He said, setting up his laptop.

"Maybe, maybe." I mumbled, picking at my fingernails. "BUT WHO DOES THAT?!" I suddenly yelled out, super frustrated that Manan had sent her to ask me out on his behalf.

Sahil jumped and dropped the mouse. Glaring at me, he connected it hastily to the computer, and booted it up. He sat down next to me, leaning back against a pillow, putitng one arm on the couch, and turned towards me.

"Listen, don't worry about it. You told her what you felt- which was good. And she'll tell him, and then he'll talk to you!" He said, reassuringly.

"Yeah, well he was supposed to do that on his own!" I replied frowning and crossing my arms. Sahil flicked my ear and made me yelp.

"What the f-" I started the curse.

"FFFFFSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!' He said, very loudly, pointing at the door to the entertainment room in his house.  "If my parents knew how much you swear, they'd never let you over again!"

"Right, right. sorry!" I said sheepishly.

"So, HALO. One of the most amazing games ever made!" He said, proudly gesturing to the logo on the screen.

I groaned quite audibly. "Why did I agree to this again?"

"Cause I need free entertainment!" Sahil said cheekily.

"What, you pay for your own internet usage?" I jested, poking his side. My joke was not appreciated, to say the least- Sahil attacked my sides to tickle me to death.

"ARGHH!!" I screeched. "OFF! GET OFF!" I collapsed on my side giggling. "You. Will. Pay. For. This." I said, glaring at a smirking Sahil. That boy- damn him.

The next few hours whizzed past as Sahil attempted- and failed- to teach me to play HALO. I kept running off the staircases, and spinning in circles- and not mention, dying. I waved goodbye to him as I walked back home, feeling much chirpier than I had before meeting him. He was so happy, it was contagious.

"Woah!" I jumped- my butt was vibrating. I laughed at my weirdness, and pulled out my phone. It was a message from Anika. I glared at my phone and furiously tapped in my password.

"I know how I can make it up to you! Corner House at 5!" her text read. 

PFFFFT. As though ice-cream could make up for it.

"Not sure if mum will let...." I replied.

"I know icecream can't make up for it, but I'm paying! ;)" She replied almost instantly.

Wow... instantly... She never replied that fast. She must really mean it...

"Okay." I replied, rushing home to get cash and tell my mum.

--------------x-------------

"Hey man!" I said, plopping down next to Anika on the steel seat at Corner House. She pushed my Caramel and Vanilla icecream towards me, with a broad smile on her face. I smiled meekly up at her.

"Hey." Said said, before digging into her Brown Bomb. We sat in silence for a bit.

"So... did Manan talk to you yet?" She ventured.

"Nope." I said curtly, popping the "p".

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Sience.

"Ayrah," She started, and I eyed Anika uneasily. "Ayrah! You can't be this mad at me! You guys aren't even together; you TOLD him that you DIDN'T like him; and we were drunk!"

She has a point you know. Said the voice in my head.

Shut up. I told it.

"Well, thank you for pointing that out Anika." I said icily, glaring steadily now. "And being drunk is not an excuse. And I didn't think he'd ever fall for someone like me, so how could I admit that I had feelings for him?! You wont - you can't- understand; every guy falls over themselves to get with you!" I was nearly yelling by the time I finished.

"What, are you mad?!" She said, her mouth wide open, teeth stained with chocolate iceream. In that moment, Anika was my best friend again- not the perfect specimen of the female species that I had recently started seeing her as. She was as imperfect as I, and I saw the truth in her words, unbaised. Suddenly her chocolate-stained mouth was hilarious, and I burst out laughing. 

"What??" she asked desperately, looking positively bamboozled. 

"Chocolate- Everywhere." I managed between peals of relieved laughter. Anika joined in and it was like old times again. After that, the tension between us dissipated, and we talked for over an hour.

"Stay over tonight, na?" She asked, her big eyes pleading.

"I'll ask... I'm not sure.." I mummbled, suddenly unsure if I was ready to forgive her so quickly. When my mum replied with, "Sure kanna, but don't stay up too late." My heart sank... What was I getting myself into?

-------------x-------------

We were up on Anika's roof, with a blanket and two pillows, a litre of Cocacola, Lays chips, a bag of marshmallows and the brownies we had made earlier that evening.

"Channing Tatum." I whispered.

"Channing freakin' Tatum!" Anika agreed. 

We had just fiished watching Step Up, and were in a full-blown fangirl frenzy. A slight breeze picked up, making the coconut tress overhead sway and my skin prickle. I pulled the blanket tighter and sighed. I was happy I had come. Anika and I were back to normal, and this summer looked like it might just get even better. We sat in a comfortable silence for a while, till it was interrupted by my phone ringing. I quickly picked up without looking at the caller ID.

"Hallo?" I half-whispered into the receiver.

"Hey, Ayrah..." said a familiar voice. "It's me- Manan."

"Manan?" I squeaked, and Anika whacked my arm, gesturing wildly. I gathered that she wanted it on speaker, so I obliged.

"-an. I called, cause... well, you know. Anika talked to me. I get your point, I know it was a cowardly thing to do, but you said you could never like me that way, and what idiot sets himself up for failure knowingly?"

It all came out in a blur, and while I was taking time to process, Manan thought I had hung up.

"Hello...? Can you hear me? Are you there?" he sounded awkward, and with my sugar-high, I was so close to laughing outloud. Thankfully, I was mortified at the thought and managed to snort into a pillow instead. 

"I'm here, I'm here. just waiting to see if you had anything else to say." I finally managed to say.

"Ummm... not much except.... Do you want to get some icecream sometime...?" He mumbled. He never mumbles.

I couldn't help my self- I shrieked.

"What was that?" He asked, utterly confused.

"Nothing." I said in my high-pitched voice. "Just a bug. Yes. I think it would be a possibility." I continued, back to normal pitch.

"Cool," He said, I could hear him smile.

"Cool," I agreed, grinning wildly.

I closed my phone and turned to Anika, and I could tell she was as excited as I, and in that glance we both knew it would be a fun night.

As we both drifted into dream land, around 4 a.m, I looked over to my best friend and I was glad she was there for this part- True friendships last forever.