T.S. Lover

Chapter One - The Missing News

C h a p t e r   O n e :  THE MISSING NEWS.

Noor's P.O.V

Where am I?

Oh, Arif's room.

I wake up to a mild vibration surfacing under my head from under my pillow. My phone is buzzing. The outside is still dark, I see from the window.

Who can call me now? It isn't my birthday. I'm out of college and its past three in the morning.

T.S. calling...

T.S., calling me at this time? He has never done so. I hope everything is alright.

'Hello?' I ask.

No answer.

'T.S.?'

'...'

'T.S. is everything alright?' my lungs tense as I hear unfamiliar huffs from the other side,

'T.S. what's wrong?' I ask even more firmly.

'Noor,' oh finally.

'Yes, T.S. what's wrong? I'm listening.' I try my best to sound convincing. This is so not T.S. like.

'Rashi...' he inhales deeply. Is he crying? I have never seen or heard him cry before. 'They... they can't trace her,' he breaks down into short huffs.

'What? What do you mean they can't trace her?' I almost feel the ceiling rotating above me.

'Sh-she's missing. The cops are here.'

I freeze.

'I-I'm on my way okay? Don't worry. I'll be there in a jiffy.' I say and hang up the call.

What the fuck is this now?

I palm my face and rub my eyes. This is hard to absorb. Only a week back I met her, how can she go missing? The thought is unsettling.

I get up from the bed and cover my naked self with the duvet. I need a bath. I can't smell of sex when I'm with him. I decide to let Arif sleep.

The warmth of the cascade on my body feels soothing. I rub my shoulders and neck trying to free myself from dried sweat and whatever liquid that adhered to my body, hours back. Once done, I wrap myself in the red towel and squeeze enough of the watermelon face-wash to wash my entire body. Quickly rubbing it over my face, I wash it away and inhale deeply, the fruity smell filling up my nostrils and my senses.

I smell better.

After pulling on my jeans, I drop the towel. Where is my bra? Arif's bad habit of throwing my undergarments hay while when he is reduced to a grunting animal infuriates me always. I look for it under the pillow, under the bed. Walking towards his side, I check the bedside table. Not there.

I run my fingers through my hair in exasperation and place the other hand on my waist. Looking at him sleeping peacefully when I'm almost in a condition of hostile, I wonder why he never understands that I can't do without my bra unlike my panty, which is still missing, of course. Just then he shifts lazily and turns on his stomach.

There.

I see my black bra peeping from under his back. I pull it aggressively, he wakes up.

'You're going somewhere?' he asks sleepily as he lifts his head up like an innocuous snake. I don't answer back.

Hurry up, girl.

He looks at his phone as I clasp my bra, 'Noor, it's hardly four in the morning.'

'Hmm, I'm aware,' I snap at him.