Coloured Me Grey (Book Two)

Chapter 16

A quick update as promised. Enjoy!

My phone started ringing all of a sudden, right in my ear. I groggily rubbed my eyes before looking at the caller ID and tapped the red button. I had fallen asleep after college in my outside clothes. Heaving myself off the bed, I unlocked my door and let myself out of the room.

Zara's mother was standing in front of me with her phone in her hand. "I was knocking at your door for quite some time. You wouldn't wake up, so I thought I would call you."

Where is my father? What time is it? Why isn't he home yet? Why isn't he cursing the hell out of me?

"It's late," she continued. My eyes went to the wall clock. 11p.m. "I know you are tired but, have your dinner and then go to sleep. Okay?"

"I'm not hungry."

"I made your favourite soup. You still have to eat at least one roti with it though."

My favourite soup. It was just a stew made with lots of vegetable and small pieces of chicken, with a little butter and pepper. I could smell the capsicum from here. My mouth watered at the mention of it, but I found myself saying again, "I'm not hungry now," which was still the truth. I had somehow lost my apetite for the day.

"If you're irregular about your meals, Riyaaz -"

"Please," my voice broke at the end and I hated myself for it. Zara's mother reached out, while I shut my eyes, fearing the worst. 

She is going to hit me.

Instead, a single finger pressed the middle of my forehead and started rubbing small circles, making me relax against the wall behind me. The circles got bigger and bigger and soon they weren't just circles anymore. The finger spread out tracing random abstract shapes on my forehead, pressing lightly all the time, as I eased into the touch. The imaginary knots in my head seemed to disentangle themselves.

"Feels better?"

I looked up and nodded.

"Now sit down. If you don't eat something now, your stomach will make you upset tomorrow." She placed a bowl of piping hot soup in front of me. I found myself smiling at her words.

"Where is Zara?" I looked around but didn't quite expect her to be awake so late at night.

"Sleeping," she said as she poured some soup into another bowl for herself. Suddenly I felt guilty since she had been waiting to have dinner with me for so long. "I put her to sleep since she has school early in the morning tomorrow. Do you want to talk to her? I can wake her up if you need her," she offered.

"No, it's fine," I said. She handed me two rotis. "And Baba?"

She waved her hand, urging me to start eating. "Don't worry about him. He won't be back for another three days. Won't be here to upset you for half of the week at least.

"Oh." I tore a small section of a roti with my teeth and took a mouthful of soup.

"Do you want some extra salt or pepper?"

I shook my head and we ate in silence. Once we were done, she picked up the utensils as I cleared up the table. Once I was ready to go back to my room, I waited for her to emerge from the kitchen. I had to say something.

"Uh, thank you." It came out more like a question but she smiled.

"It's fine. Take care of yourself, alright?"

I nodded, feeling embarrassed all the way to my room.

"Don't lock the door, please Riyaaz." She called from her room. "Keep it shut, but don't lock it, okay? I was worried tonight. And anyway, Zara would like to say her goodbyes before going to school tomorrow, you two didn't see much of each other today."

"Okay."

Back in my room for the night, I wanted to text Yash something. Would texting a sorry be enough?

-I'm sorry for today.

In WhatsApp you would at least get to know if someone was online yet was ignoring you, if they were reading your texts at all. But in normal text messages, knowing that was impossible unless the receiver replied something.

In another two minutes, I had ended up sending a chain of texts, each containing the word 'sorry' at least once. My phone soon buzzed with an incoming reply as my heart pounded in my ears.

Painter Boy - Save it for tomorrow.

That's all I needed. A second chance. 

How many second chances do you want before people start giving up on you?

He might find a new way to hate me tomorrow but I will be content with another chance at friendship now. I didn't want to lose him over something triggered by my asshole of a father. If that happened, only then I would lose to my father. If I still had around me people who are willing to accept my fractured self, I will try not let them regret giving me a second chance. I will try my best.

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