More Than A Miracle

6. Friends

Akshita

After separating from Ashish, I returned to the store where Swati aunty and my mother were shopping. Khushi smiled at me teasingly making my whole face go red. I didn't realise the whole situation before but now that I was properly thinking I realised that Ashish and I sneaked from our parents to meet each other. Oh my God! I had a first taste of sneaking out. My whole face felt hot even thinking about it.

"Why is your face so red, bhabhi?" Khushi whispered to me and then giggled.

"Uh...umm..."

"Where were you, Akshita?" My mother asked me all of a sudden while glaring at me.

"Uh... I just went to the washroom and couldn't find my way back." I lied to her smoothly. Thankfully, she bought my lie and continued the shopping she was doing before.

"Bhabhi?" Khushi called my name bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah."

"Ashish bhai asked for your number. He forgot to take it." Khushi said with a teasing glint in her eyes. I blushed again. She saved the number I told her and we both started walking around the shop to find some clothes.

"Bhabhi, this will look gorgeous on you. Why don't you try this dress?" Khushi showed a beautiful turquoise blue knee-length dress to me. My mother saw it and her eyes were as big as saucers.

"Akshita doesn't wear such cheap clothes." She hissed at Khushi in anger forgetting to continue her 'I-am-so-sweet' drama. Khushi frowned at my mother's behaviour. Swati aunty looked uncomfortable with her tone too.

"I mean Khushi beta, we don't allow girls to wear western dresses in our family. After marriage, she is yours, you can ask her to wear anything." Mom recovered quickly and answered with her flawless smile. They nodded and as we were done for the day, we decided to eat. Khushi wanted to eat pizza and I wanted to try it too because I haven't eaten it but my mother gave the food order - a plate of salad. The excuse obviously was marriage diet. But in her heart, she knew she can't change her habit of controlling every single thing related to me.

After we went home, mom started complaining to dad about Khushi in an exaggerated interpretation.

"Khushi, that girl, is completely unruly. She knows driving, can you imagine a girl was taught driving, huh? And don't even let me start on her behaviour, she wanted Akshita to try a third-class dress, it won't even reach her knees. No shame at all! Bansals have given her so much freedom. Girls her age should think about marriage and she was eating pizza. I am telling you..." She was going on and on about Khushi not following the ideal norms for a girl. She was being irrational, it was not her choice how anyone treated their daughter. If it was in my mother's hand, she would want every girl in the world to behave like her, like a lady that she believed she was. I didn't have the energy to listen to her nonsensical rant so I went back to my room ignoring her.

Sitting on my bed with a constant smile on my face, I was only thinking about Ashish. I kept recalling how he behaved with me, how he touched my face and how his words and his voice made me want to lose myself. His touch was so tender and so careful. I could still feel his fingers caressing my face. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. No one has ever touched me before and Ashish's touch evoked so many emotions in me that I didn't know existed in me. My phone buzzed beside me breaking my thoughts.

"Hello?" I answered the call.

"Hi, Akshita. This is Ashish." His voice on the phone made my heart beat faster. It was the same - gentle and caring.

"H...hi Ashish." I stammered.

"Did you eat dinner?" Hearing his voice, I felt weak in my legs.