Hopefulyearning Stories

"He's okay to talk with," I said casually, shrugging as if it were no big deal, though my voice came out a touch too breezy. Right then, Viraj crossed the living room on his way to Keshav's room, his easy stride cutting through our girly bubble. Before slipping inside, he flashed a warm smile at Trisha and Piya, then let his gaze linger on me with a slipping, almost secretive grin that made my stomach flip. My friends waved back enthusiastically, beaming at him like he'd lit up the room.The door clicked shut behind him, and they whipped around to me, mouths opening for the inevitable Viraj dissection. But before they could pounce, I cut them off, turning to Piya with wide-eyed diversion. "Wait, tell me more about your aunt's marriage-what happened with the baraat?" We dove into the drama then: the late-night traffic jam, the aunt's epic dance entrance, the uncle who tripped into the dessert table.