A String Called Life

CHAPTER 4

"Are you ready, dear?" Ma pokes her head into my room.

I quickly wipe the remaining wetness on my cheeks discreetly before wobbling my head up and down. I can sense ma deciding whether to enquire further, half of her body inside my room. But at last, she decides not to and leaves the room, closing the door gently behind her.

I heave a deep sigh of relief. Raj stares back at me from my phone, his face housing a typical smirk of his as he slings an arm around my shoulder. I am distracted by something to my right because I am not looking at the camera. The day flashes back to me clearly.

The sun was way too bright as all four of us trudged towards the water. Both ours and V's families had come on vacation to Orissa.

"What are you doing? You're taking me dow- Just stop!" I pushed Raj's heavy hand away from me with one hand. The other was busy holding my slippers as I put one foot in front of the other, trying to ignore the sweat covering me and the hot sand grains under my feet.

"Oh sis, are you struggling? Let me just..." Soon my feet were lifted above the ground as Raj picked me up, swinging me from side to side wildly as I screamed. My waist-long hair flew like a banner behind me in the wind and my slippers dropped from my hands as I tried to struggle out of his grasp.

"Put me down! Raj this is not fun."

"Rohit, the one who reaches the water first gets to pick today's lunch."

V's eyes widened when understanding hit her, but it was too late. Rohit was already picking her up and the count of three, the race started.

The warm wind hit my legs and arms as I shut my eyes tightly.

"Open your eyes, sis. It only gets beautiful when you let it." And it did. In fact, I'll never forget the way the warm wind grazed me and how light and free I felt as I opened my arms wide and whooped into the summer morning.

"It's time to go, sweetie." Dad's voice drifts into my room from afar, breaking me out of my trance. I nod, even when I know that he can't see me, wiping the single drop of tear on my phone screen. I take a single look at myself on the full-length mirror that I haphazardly propped beside the empty wall. I look lively and energetic with my bright yellow dress... except my eyes. They are hollow. For more than the lack of sleep.

I think about applying some concealer but then decide against it at the last minute. They already know about Raj and there is no reason for me to try and deny it. I am not going to deny the fact that I not okay and I don't think I'll ever be okay.

Stepping out of the house, dad slings his arm around my waist, giving me a sideways hug before we walk into the lonely night, heading towards the house of our backside neighbor.

-   -   -

Akshay

Dear Pari,

So, *deep breath* drumroll, please... Rutuja Das came to my house for dinner!

Oh. My. Gosh. I think this requires a moment of silence. 

The singer that I have adored for weeks in my backdoor neighbor!

Even saying (or writing) this out loud is ridiculous. But let's just cut the crap. 'Cause I'm sure you are dying to hear how much I embarrassed myself in front of her.

So, Rutuja was coming to have dinner at our house with her parents. As you must already know, I sat on the couch in our living room, the way I always do when I'm excited for someone to arrive. As soon as I heard the doorbell ring, I scrambled out of the couch, almost knocking the face pot of plants over as I made my way towards the door.