The Waves Whisper ✓

10 | red

7
𓂃𓊝𓂃

A few days later, I was engaged in cleaning Apoorva's room. I knew he was taking a bath when I heard the water dripping in the bathroom. I swept the floor, dusted the windows, and changed the curtain. As I was about to leave, I accidentally hit the books kept on the table, making them fall down. I instantly kneeled down to collect the books from the floor. My eyes fell on something scattered under the books-broken pieces of my bangles. A fog took shape in my mind. Why did he keep this? I stared at it for a few seconds. It didn't make any sense to me.

Maybe he kept it to give it back to me? I thought to myself. But why? I don't even want these. Is he dumb to think that I want these broken bangle pieces?

I heard the sound of the bathroom latch opening. Quickly, I placed the bangles inside the book and kept them on the table. Apoorva walked out of the bathroom, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. I quickly averted my gaze as I saw his bare torso. It felt like committing a sin to look at a man's bare chest.

"I didn't know you were here." He said and threw the towel onto the chair.

"How is your wrist?" He said and grabbed my hand. My whole body froze. My sixteen-year-old self, who has never seen a semi-naked male body, didn't know how to act in such a situation. He was standing closer to me. I got a whiff of his sandalwood scent.

"It's healed." I managed to say it without stuttering. My mouth was completely dry at that point. I wanted to run away from there.

"I'm really sorry." He sounded apologetic.

I slightly raised my head to reply. "It wasn't a major wound." I said this while looking into his eyes while his eyes were fixed on my wrist, rubbing the healed wound with his thumb. I was worried about the consequences of him touching my hand in a dark room. It would've been the end of me if someone saw us like that. His eyes shone in the rays of sunlight seeping through the window in the evening. His eyes were profound, like an ocean that makes someone sink, drown, and die. His curly hair was damp and dripping water all over the floor. My gaze narrowed down to his sturdy torso. A sudden realisation hit me. I was looking at someone whom I used to despise days ago. A pang of conscience washed over me.

"You still have the cold?" He asked looking at my face.

"What?" I asked.

"Your face is red." He replied.

"I have to go." I said as I pulled my wrist away from his hand and hurriedly walked down the stairs. I don't know what I did for the next few minutes. I went to the kitchen and gulped down a whole glass of water in one sitting. I busied myself with some chores to shake off the unwanted thoughts from my mind.

...

I was in the library. It was pitch black. I was reading a book in the light of a dimly lit hurricane lantern. The air was cold, and I felt it against my skin. I sensed the warmth of someone's body beside me.

"What are you reading?" Someone whispered in an enticing voice near my ear, making the hair on the nape of my neck rise. I turned the lamp towards the person to see Apoorva standing behind me.

"I don't know." I was at a complete loss of words.

"Then you shouldn't read it." He said this and took the book from my hands while placing his warm lips on my neck. I shut my eyes tightly.

"What are you afraid of?" He mumbled.

"Everything. Everyone." I gasped for air.

"Roopali...! What are you doing? You slut!" My stepmother stood at the door, screaming at me furiously.

I jumped out of bed clutching my chest, trying to figure out what I saw. I broke into a sweat, remembering the dream. It was hot inside my room. I walked out of my room to get some air. I didn't know what was happening to me. My body acted in a different way than my mind. I almost burst into tears trying to put the puzzle pieces together.

⊹

I had to get it off my chest. I had to tell someone about all the weird things happening around me-someone trustworthy. So I told Khushi.

"Your bangles?" She said it out loud in disbelief.

"Shhh." I hushed her. "Someone might hear." I warned her, examining the surroundings.

"He kept your bangles? What for?" She said it in a very low voice.

"That's what I'm asking?" I said. "And his whole demeanour changed over the week. He's more soft to me now."

"How exactly?" She asked.

"Like, He gave me a book to read."

"A book! Oh god!" She exclaimed.

"What?"

"He gave it to you to distract you from studies so that he could ace the exam. Have you forgotten about the bet?" She explained.

She's right. It was the most logical answer I could get. I thought to myself.

"I haven't." I said it in a feeble voice. I didn't tell her about my dream. I feared that it might make me a fool in front of her. So I taught my mind to forget about it. It was nothing. It was just a nightmare.

That same day, I was standing alone by the school veranda during the lunch break. I didn't know where Khushi was. She was the only friend I had in school. So I stood there, anticipating Khushi to turn up. I sensed a familiar scent behind me. I hated how I was able to sense it almost instantly. I turned around, almost bumping into Apoorva's chest.

Are you trying to scare me from behind?" I asked.

"You don't seem to be the type who gets scared so easily."

"Your face is enough to scare someone."

"That hurts. But can't you see how handsome I am?" He smirked.

"What do you want, exactly?" I asked, ignoring his remark. He held out a dozen red bangles. "This is for you."

I stared at the bright red glass bangles for a few seconds instead of saying something. I should have said thanks, but instead I asked, "Why?"

"I broke your bangles. Don't you remember?" He asked. I nodded in return.

"Take this." He took my hand and placed the bangles on it. The butterflies in my heart fluttered their wings. I felt blood rushing to my cheeks, making it look like the red bangles that he placed inside my palm. I hated how my body acted in his presence, as if it weren't my body. I didn't look at his face. What if he reads my mind? What if he finds out my deepest, wildest secrets? I thought.

"Red suits you." He said, overturning my already jumbled-up mind.

He's doing this to distract me. He's playing mind games. I thought. I didn't notice he was gone until I heard Khushi's voice.

"What was that?" She asked, flabbergasted. "He gave you bangles?"

"Yes," I replied.

"No way. I have never seen him do something like this to a girl."

"What're you trying to say?"

"Either he's trying to ruin your studies or he likes you." She said it, making my heart skip a beat.

"You are insane, Khushi." I said. "And don't say something scandalous like that ever again." I said, pulling her away to the class room. That whole evening, I was thinking about how he said red suited me, and the only time he saw me in red was the day I first went into his room.

When I went home that day, Ratan gave me the letter he had received from Neelam. I was delighted to hear from Neelam after such a long time. In the letter, she said she was with child. Ratan and I almost jumped with joy. We were to become uncle and aunt. My smile disappeared when she said that she couldn't come to Rajasthan for Dusherra celebrations since it was difficult for her to travel during pregnancy. She wished to see both of us soon in Kolkata. We were also hoping for the same. Ratan started saving money from his job, but it was not enough for the two of us to leave for Calcutta forever. I knew I would have to wait for that day to arrive-leaving that place for good.

____

To those who gave this book a chance, ily 🥺❤