Summary: The tough transition of two friends who are in love with one another and slowly trying to change their relation from friends to lovers.
Note: Please bear with me with this story...it started off as 2 pages and I didn't think it was going to go any further than that...but transformed into something. I will mention this (though I don't have to as I have before) that any mistakes are partly are my own as I'm not familiar with certain things so if I made a mistake please excuse me. Much love and enjoy this story as I'm not going any further with it...enjoy!😛😳
This Wonderful, Beautiful, and Fantastic Creation is by Appy
I stared at her in amazement as she stretched out her arm and she leaned her head upward into the air, as she straightened her back, perfectly poised in position.
Her hair was pinned back into a bun while she was dressed in nothing but a black leotard, tights, and shoes and I watched as she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it.
Soft music was playing from the small mp3 player that she had nearby and it was flowing out soft piano keys that were followed by a violin and she was slowly waving her head towards the flow of the music.
She stared blankly at the ceiling, and then she lifted her body, and began to twirl around on the heels of her feet in a slow circular movement; carefully balancing her weight on her toes, twirling, spinning, all the while maintaining her balance and grace, all coming out as delicate light movements.
She then landed down on the soles of her feet; running and leaping across the room and lifting herself back on the heels of her feet, squatting, heels, squat, until she turned into a spin almost as if she was lightless and her body was being lifted invisibly by some unknown source.
She continued to bounce around the room, in pure effortlessness, as if she didn't spend the past nine hours in teaching and dancing with her students and she never lost momentum.
It was magnetizing to watch her as the soft glow of the sun was shining through the front of the room and it only made her seem ethereally, almost outer worldly as a gentle smile and peace graced her face as she landed on her feet and then pressed forward once more on the heels of her toes and she slowly lifted her legs and was about to turn until she flinched and staggered almost falling down.
I was going to get up to help her but she extended her hand signaling for me to stop, knowing that I was ready to get up and help her.
She tried once again to raise her legs, this time meeting with more success, and she tried to slowly turn, balancing all of her weight on one toe but her foot wobbled and she came crashing down on the floor.
"Ahhh...!!!" she said and she grabbed for her knee and for her ankle.
I quickly went over to her and was going to scoop her up but she shook her head in denial even though her face was contorted in pain.
"It's okay.." she said while rubbing her knee and ankle that was propped on top of her other leg.
"I want to keep on trying." She said and she looked up at me and gave me a bright smile.
I stared at her and leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead that was already lined with perspiration from her exertion.
"Don't push yourself too much...take it easy." I said while staring at her with worry.
She smiled.
"Don't worry Anand, I'm fine...I want to try it again." She said and after rubbing her legs over and over again she finally dusted herself off and got back up and continued where the music was starting to strain even harder on the piano keys.
She continued to do small squat like movements for a while until she got back on her heels, her legs wobbling but she was biting her lips so she could maintain her weight.
She lifted her leg once again and she slowly began twirling her body around, maintaining her weight on one heel.
It was a success and she tried again with the other leg and she smiled and laughed when it worked without her leg giving out.
She continued to dance, twirl, and spin to the music until the sun finally set and only the light bulbs in the room where basking her in their glow.
She finally grew tired and she removed her mp3 from the small player and looked at me.
"Thanks." She said while giving me a smile.
I shook my head.
"Hurry and change" I said.
She nodded and she walked away towards the back of the dance studio.
Once she was done changing into her regular clothes of just a pair of jeans, tee shirt, jacket, and sneakers she met me outside as we closed up the door to her dance studio.
"Thanks for waiting for me today." She said with a smile.
I sighed.
"I finished early today there hasn't been any knew patients so far, there hasn't been any change in their behavior so we were able to leave like schedule." I said while I pushed back her hair that was covering her left eye
She placed her hand over mine and looked at me self-consciously.
"A strand of hair." I said while pulling her hand into mine.
She looked at me confused.
"Strand of hair was covering your eye, looked like you were irritated." I said.
She smiled and nodded but she looked at my hand in hers.
"Stop acting so confused sheesh... your knee and ankle, I know it must really hurt, you pushed yourself too far today." I said with a serious expression.
She looked at me with a guilty expression.
"I wanted to try." She started.
"I mean, I thought maybe...the kids were doing their little spins today and they were doing really good that it reminded me of the times when I used to dance and I just wanted to try again..." she said sadly.
I squeezed her hands in mine and used the other to ruffle up her hair and she chuckled.
"Stop it..." she said.
"I can't help it, you look so cute when you are pouting." I said honestly.
She stopped and she looked at me and a blush crept over her cheeks before she looked away.
"Aren't...aren't...aren't you too good with words now?" she said while blushing and looking away.
I looked at her confused.
"No, I was just stating facts...are you stopping by tonight for some drinks?" I asked.
She looked at me.
"Will it be okay?" she asked.
I smiled.
"It's no problem...this time I actually cleaned the apartment." I said the last part more as an after thought.
Three days ago when she stopped by she complained the complete mess that the apartment was in, so before I had to go work I quickly tried to clean up.
"Okay then, a couple of beers and I will go home." She said while staring at me.
I chuckled.
"Don't pass out like last time, you can't handle your alcohol." I said while staring at her.
She stuck out her bottom lip and shook her head in denial.
"I think you are confusing me with yourself, I can totally handle my liquor." She said with exaggeration.
I shook my head and instead flicked her head with my free hand.
"Hey?!" she said and she punched me in the arm.
I chuckled and instead flicked her again and we went back and forth, flicking and hitting each other until we reached my car and drove on towards my home.
*********************
"Good Evening, Mr. Shergill, Ms. Shrivastav." The guard said signaling to both of us.
He was an older gentleman but he still the same dark brown color of his hair, no hint of it turning white or gray, signaling a sign of his aging.
He had a thick beard and mustache and soft brown eyes that always seemed to be filled with humor and care.
"Good evening uncle ji, I hope your hip is not bothering you anymore? How is Auntie ji?" I asked.
He chuckled.
"The hip is fine dear and she is doing absolutely fine, she insists for you to come and visit again." He said while chuckling.
I smiled and nodded towards him.
"Of course, the last time I was so full I had a small pouch." I said while patting my belly and he smiled and burst out in another chuckle.
He shook his head.
"Okay, goodnight you two and be safe." He said and Anand pulled the car forward as the machine lifted the bar upward, allowing us to go through and head towards the apartment complex.
I was always amazed every time I come here when the suppose apartment complex, never looked like the typical cramped apartment complexes that I was used to with so much space, the buildings not being that tall but were really big and looked lavish and expensive.
I turned to Anand and watched as he looked at his rear view and side mirrors to make sure no one was on the road in front or back of him as there were a tendency of some children to still be outside playing at time.
I never really asked him how he was actually able to afford to live her.
I knew papa ji had, owned, and operated his own business and while Ashish followed suit in joining the family company after graduation and Ishaan was poised in joining as well, Anand...Anand chose otherwise.
He instead decided to go to medical school and become a doctor, more specifically in his terms to focus on psychology and become a psychiatrist.
He was halfway there as he was currently an intern and for some reason he was living on his own although his family was accepting in his deviated change in careers, although it did take a while in convincing papa ji.
I sighed.
Trying to ever fully understand what goes on in his head was near to completely impossible.
Since our families are really friends, Anand, Shraddha, and I practically grew up together at each other's hip for the past 17 years and we played, joked, and did almost everything together.
But things kind of rifted or rather drifted off in our relationship a little bit around the time he was having problems in convincing his father to let him apply to med school and at the same time I was accepted to a Ballet Academy back in the USA.
I was still in my musings until I heard the car engine switch off and Anand spoke up.
"Are you sleepy?" Anand said.
"Huh?" I said turning to him.
He shook his head.
"I thought you were sleeping, come on we are here." He said while nodding towards the building and I looked through the window and saw the carvings of 46757 indicating we were at his apartment or condo or house...or whatever he was willing in calling it.
Before I could open the door on my side of the car, he was already there opening the car door for me and reaching to help me out.
"It's okay...I can handle myself." I said while smiling.
He gave me a serious look and shook his head.
"Your knee and ankle hurts, you were limping, come on let me help." He insisted.
I sighed and placed my hand in his that he offered and it was not shocking that he was able to completely pull me out of the car and shut the door simultaneously.
He helped me climb the steps on up to his apartment and he brought out his keys and inserted it into the keyhole and turned but the door opened before he could do so.
I watched as his face scrunched up in confusion and turned hard and I could feel his whole body tense up completely.
"Stay behind me." He said with a tense voice.
I nodded and waited until he moved forward, opening the front door, and we slowly went inside, closing the door behind us as we moved towards the foyer area slowly while Anand kept an alert eye open and out.
We continued to walk and looked towards the living room area and Anand stopped suddenly and the tension in his body completely left.
I couldn't see why exactly as he was taller than me and I was behind him so I instead I peeked out from his back and saw a woman in question looking at her phone and looked up and saw Anand and her face perked up.
"Took you almost forever to finally come here. Sheesh!" she said in annoyance.
"Oh shut up, I didn't know you were going to come this late or as a matter-of-fact that you were coming today." Anand said in agitation but it didn't reach his voice and I felt a deep pang of jealousy rise in my heart but I tried to shake it off.
The woman in question was a lot different than me.
I was perfectly fine with a pair of baggy sweatpants, jeans, long shirts, jackets, and depending on the season shorts, yet this woman was completely different.
She was wearing a short yellow dress that barely stopped on her thigh, black heels, and her hair was piled onto one of shoulders as she was covered in thick makeup.
She smiled and folded her hands together before she looked away from Anand and noticed I was peeking from behind him and I tensed before I walked out.
Anand followed her line of direction and smiled.
"Hey babes, who is this?" the woman said motioning towards me and for a moment it looked as if she was sizing me up and down.
He wrapped his hands around me and I looked at him and he smiled as he looked down and I looked at her but her expression never changed from curiosity.
"This is Kritika, she was the one I was telling you about." He said.
Her features relaxed and a peaceful smile played on her face making her look even more beautiful than before.
She chuckled and she walked over and she extended out her hand where her nails was a bright red and freshly polished.
"It's nice to meet you Kritika, Anand talked a lot about you and I'm glad I was able to meet you. I am Jaspreet or you can call me Jas." She said with a smile.
She seemed nice and I nodded and I shook her hand.
"You can call me Kittu." I said.
She smiled even more and Anand spoke up.
"Why did you come this time around? Did your mentor do something again?" he asked with a serious expression.
She lost her smile and looked at Anand seriously, making it obvious that they were heading into a serious conversation.
"Umm...Anand I'm going to get some beer from the fridge, Jaspreet do you want anything?" I asked.
She never removed her glance from Anand as she answered.
"Same-o...just beer will be fine and please just call me Jas." She said.
The two maintain eye lock with one another and I began to feel uncomfortable so I walked away, slowly balancing my weight on my left leg that was okay and not the right one.
*******************
I watched as Kittu walked away or rather limped away and every time she tensed or flinched, I reacted as if I was the one in pain.
She continued to limp her way towards the kitchen almost bumping into the couch, the table, and into the coffee table before she disappeared from sight and looked back at Jaspreet.
"You never answered my question." I said staring at her.
She stared at me and instead she wrapped her arms around my neck and she smiled.
"Why do I have to always answer your questions? Instead of worrying about all of that uselessness, we could be having more fun instead." She said while smiling even more at me.
I sighed and quickly removed her hands from my neck and stared at her.
"Not now Jas, Kittu's here, why are you here suddenly?" I asked with a serious expression.
She sighed and she looked at me seriously.
"I'm not here suddenly, I was transferred this past week to work at another hospital." She said with a serious expression.
"Why" I said while scrunching up my eyebrow.
She looked away and instead I lifted up her chin for her to look at me.
"What happened?" I said in a serious tone of voice.
She ran her hands through her hair and she sighed.
"You were right, is that better? You told me to stop and I didn't listen and it blew up in my face." She said.
I shook my head.
"Jas.." I started but she raised her hand.
"Not you too babes,
okay I got admonished by the entire staff in the hospital as it is. Of course
who would play lightly for sleeping with my superior, more or less someone who
was married.
But it wasn't there business to dig their nose into everything." She said while
shaking her head.
"Once the news broke out, the wife came hammering down and of course the bas***d left me to rot outside and due to pressure I was relocated back here in Delhi so I had no other choice." She said.
I shook my head.
"But it's your fault." She said.
I arched up my eyebrow in confusion.
"How is it?" I asked confused.
"Since you came back here...you refused to even kiss me like you used to." She said while wrapping her hands around my neck and this time she tried to lean herself closer towards me.
I stared back at her and shook my head.
"Its not my fault, I told you we weren't having anything serious when we first started going out..I told you honestly how I felt so..." I trailed off.
She smiled and laughed.
"But babes, I know you did but I miss you." She said softly.
I shook my head.
"I said no Jas, friends, we promised that after we left med school." I said seriously.
"We didn't promise that...you just stated that yourself." She said while pouting.
I laughed and I unraveled her hands from around my neck.
"We promised Jas, I already told you the reason why." I said.
She sighed and she smiled.
"Okay, how about just one kiss?" she said while pouting.
I shook my head and instead flicked her forehead and she cried out in pain.
"Hey!" she said in annoyance.
"Pretend that were my lips, see I gave you a kiss so be happy." I said while smiling.
She sighed and she flipped her hair and shrugged.
"Whateves. I'm tired and I'm crashing here." She said as she walked away and just in the nick of time Kittu came out caring a full case of beer with a small plate of sandwiches.
I quickly walked over to help her place everything on the coffee table and helped her sit down on the couch and I could feel Jas's gaze as she watched us with a careful eye.
"You didn't have to do all of that." I said.
She shook her head and instead offered each of us a beer; Jas taking it from her and quickly snatching a sandwich and plopping it into her mouth.
"Thanks Kittu." I said with a smile and looked at Jas and she scrunched up her eyebrow in confusion and she registered what I was saying.
"Thank you Kittu for the beer and sandwiches." She said.
Kittu turned to her and smiled.
"No problem at all, it didn't take much time, I thought it would be better to be eating something instead of just eating on an empty stomach." She said.
"Thanks Kittu." I said and ruffled up her hair and she smiled and I sat in the loveseat while Kittu and Jas sat on the couch.
"So Kittu what do you do?" Jas said after a few minutes of eating two more sandwiches and slugging down three cans of beer.
Kittu was on her second can and she peered up from taking a sip to look at Jas.
"Huh?" she said.
"Jas?" I said looking at her but she waved her hand in the air.
"It's a harmless question." She said and she directed her careful gaze towards Kittu.
Kittu placed her drink down over a coaster and faced Jas.
"I am a dance instructor, more so for children between the ages of 6-14 years of age and at time I hold classes for older adults during special occasions." Kittu said.
Jas arched her eyebrow but before she could answer her next question, Kittu jumped in.
"What do you do? Are you a model?" she asked with a serious face.
Jas looked at her confused and then busted out in laughter and she almost dropped the can of beer she was holding.
"Drop it, you clean it." I said to her as I continued to take a sip of my drink.
She shot me an annoyed look but she was smiling as she gazed back at Kittu.
"Model? Why would you think that?" she asked, completely amused due to the flattery.
"You looked like one...so I thought..." Kittu trailed on.
Jas continued to laugh and shook her head but she gulped down some of her beer before she answered Kittu.
"I did some modeling as a favor for a couple of friends but I'm not interested in all of that. Just being a model is not the most interesting or should I say most challenging subject or occupation." She said.
"What do you do then?" Kittu said.
Jas smiled.
"I'm an intern just like Anand over there." She said while turning her direction towards me and gave a bold stare as she winked and turned back towards Kittu.
Sadly, it didn't go unnotced by Kittu as she tensed up and looked between the two of us and I ran my hand through my hair.
"Um...how...how exactly...how exactly do you two know one another?" Kittu asked.
"She is a friend that I met in college." I said while taking a sip of my beer and I tensed up immediately looking at Jas, waiting to see how she would respond.
"Anand...well I met him in college and we have been the best of friends, isn't that right babes?" she said while sending a look towards me.
I shook my head and looked at Kittu who nodded and awkwardly picked up her can of beer and brought it towards her lips.
"Friends..." she said before she took a sip of her beer.
********************
(A Month Later...)
"Kittu!" a loud voice said.
I ran my hand through my hair and wasn't shocked to find my mother walking towards the living room to join me and complain like she usually did.
"Hi mom." I said while stretching my neck and slowly rotating myshoulder.
"You won't believe what Shraddha did again today? She is impossible, I don't know how on Earth..." she rumbled on and on.
I shook my head and placed my hands on her shoulder.
"Calm down mom." I said while smiling I walked her over to the living room, had her sit down on the couch while I quickly made some tea for the both of us.
Before she could drink it she immediately began to launch her complaints.
She took a good 30 minutes to complain about how Shraddha was too busy focusing in on her business and not helping with the housework, not deciding on settling down and having a child, and other problems like usual.
I sighed.
"Anyway, never mind that foolish girl, I regret agreeing with that brute of a chief in allowing them to marry but doesn't mean I will waste my mood with that girl." Mom said.
I shook my head and picked up my teacup to take a sip of it before I finally decided to respond towards her.
"He is a colonel, remember mom?" I said while raising my eyebrow and all she did was raise her hand in the air.
"Chief, colonel, captain, general, does it matter? Whatever title you give him, he will continue to brag about it no matter what...I tell you your father can be friends with him for all he likes..." She sighed.
"It's only because of Amrit that I even bother with him." She said while moving closer towards me on the couch as she stared at me in concern.
"Anyway, how are you dear how was your class?" she asked.
I smiled.
"It was okay I finished early so Anand came and visit..." I started and my mother face immediately scrunched up in disapproval.
"Did you go to his apartment?" she asked hesitantly.
I nodded confused.
"Yeah, like usual." I said and I continued to wring out the kinks in my neck.
"Kritika...I told you already.." my mother started.
"Hmm?" I asked while turning towards her.
"Kritika, I told you before to stop visiting Anand's apartment alone, at night." My mother said with disapproval.
At that I dropped my hand and placed my tea back on its saucer, a little more roughly then I intended but I was highly annoyed.
"And I told you mom that he is my friend and we have been friends for almost all of my life and I'm not changing that." I said.
"That's not the issue. I didn't care if you are friends, it's the matter of you visiting him alone at his apartment. Don't you know what would happen if any of our friends, family, or neighbors see you going there? Do you know what they will say, do you know how they will talk? Especially that woman, she was coughing up a storm when they heard we were letting you go to that school...she would definitely be wagging her tongues that we have children with nothing but loose morals and values." She said.
I rolled my eyes at that.
"Let them talk, they will about anything that matters." I said I wasn't feeling the same way inside.
"That's not possible. You are unmarried and it wouldn't be good to have such things said in having our reputation being put into question. Plus its still taking a while for people to stop talking about what happened last time." My mother said uneasily.
"If you weren't too foolish and just concentrated...that wouldn't have happened..." my mother whispered but I overheard what she said and I stiffened and in order to avoid saying anything I got up.
"Kittu? What's wrong?" she asked while picking up her cup and bringing it towards her lips.
"I'm going to my room, its been a long day. I'm sorry I was so foolish and didn't concentrate and you had to deal with the rumors from the neighbors and society." I said coldly.
"Kittu..." she started and sighed, lowering her cup down to the saucer.
"Kittu, I'm sorry but it's the truth. Do you know how much backlash I received? The neighbors said I was praising you so much when you got accepted into that ballet school, saying that you were going to tour such beautiful and expensive places but in less than a year you came back home? Do you know what they said?" she said.
"Oh Kamini, you were praising so much but it seems like she couldn't even handle it? Are you sure Kamini that she was accepted into a dance school and wasn't doing something else? This is the nonsense I had to listen to. IF they catch wind of you visiting him, that will be too much shame." My mother said while shaking her hand.
"They will say I have a very cheap household. One girl decides to do whatever the heck she wants, while the other is busy visitng men at night...that is why she couldn't stand even a year in America. Hmph who knows if she was doing the same thing and it caught up to her-" My mother started again but I interrupted her.
"STOP!" I said while raising my hand.
I felt sick and my stomach fell down to the bottom.
"I'm stating the truth, beti." She said with a confused expression.
"Everything is as what I say...please whatever you do; don't bring anymore shame towards your father and me." She said.
I sighed knowing whatever I say wouldn't get through to her.
"I'm tired, I'm going to my room until dinner is ready." I said while turning around and heading upstairs towards my room, bypassing Kunal's and Shraddha's room that were closed, unusual during this time of day.
I slipped into my room, closing the door, locking it not wanting to be disturbed.
I switched on the light in my room and stared at the two shelves that were by my desk and computer, that were littered with nothing but trophies, ribbons, and metals from competitions, contests, and events.
I edged towards the shelf and smiled.
I have been dancing since I learned how to walk, but didn't really get into ballet until around the age of five.
From my mom's words, I was a complete natural but I really couldn't remember so much from around that time.
I saw some photos in a frame, really just three.
I knew there were some more photographs that my mother loved showing to guests when she wanted to brag, but I only kept these three because of how much sentimental it was towards me.
The first one was when I was eight and I won my first competition, coming out 2nd place but it felt amazing at the time, another one with one of my friends that was a dancer, while the last one...
I picked up the third photo in its frame and I placed my hand over it and smiled.
I was beaming in an atrocious pink tutu and matching bow that my mother thought would be so freaking adorable.
It was bedazzled and sparkled completely out and I couldn't be glad enough when I finally took hold in picking my own outfits.
I was raising the 1st place trophy high with help with the boy on the right he was in black tux and was staring at me, with a soft expression but was not smiling.
It was Anand, and at the time I was 11, he was 12 and he helped me with that win as I wanted to have classical music but the CD I was going to use at the time, got "misplaced".
In reality, another competitor broke it in an attempt to deflect me from winning the competition but it didn't matter as Anand was really, really good at the piano,
"I'll...I'll help you." He said staring at me.
I turned to him confused.
"You? How?" I asked confused.
"Bhai has been taking piano lessons. He's so good that the teacher thinks he might be a protg." Shraddha piped in.
She was nine years old, two years younger than me and three years younger than Anand and she still was taller than me at her age, which was at times unsettling when people always thought I was younger than her.
Anand turned an angry look towards her and snapped.
"Shut up." He said.
Shraddha stuck out her tongue.
"But its true. But that's unlike you bhai, you always look so bored when playing the piano, you even try to skip practice but this is the first time you are offering to play." Shraddha said while shaking her eyebrows.
He turned to Shraddha.
"Sheesh shut up already, why are you always poking your nose in everything." He said with an irritated look.
I took his hand and he looked at me confused.
"Thanks for doing this for me. Thanks Anand." I said while smiling at him.
He paused, slowly a blush spreading over his cheeks as his light brown eyes finally couldn't meet my gaze.
"It's...it's...it's no...no...no...problem." he said while blushing.
But I squeezed his hand even more and he looked at me puzzled and I smiled, feeling a blush creep over my cheeks as I said my next statement.
"I always wanted to dance while you played the piano." I said while looking down but snuck a quick look at him and he was blushing just as much.
"I...wanted to...to." he said as well.
"Ooohhh...Anand and Kittu sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love then comes marriage then comes a baby in a baby carro-" Shraddha started singing until Anand went to pinch her and in no time she bursted into tears, causing Anand to receive a firm scolding from papa.
I smiled even more at the memory and I placed the photo back onto the shelf and stared at it.
During that time, no matter how hard ballet became, I had so much fun knowing that Anand was always playing the piano and I could dance to the music he played.
It felt so much fun, I felt happier, less pressure and it was always such a thrill and it was always so exciting to learn more and more.
But when Anand went off to college and I was accepted into an exclusive dance academy in the United States, things turned out differently.
The excitement I felt when I was dancing here, couldn't be compared to when I was there.
Everything was so serious, competitive, and at times it felt so soulless.
It felt as if everyone was dancing to better, to improve, to gain recognition, fame, and importantly to become the absolute best.
The pressure was so much for me, practicing day in-day out and still be considered to be below average.
I was literally lacking sleep, losing weight from not eating at times deliberate starvation, and I was completely felt lost almost as if I was going to break down.
I didn't want to give up, but the reality that I couldn't compete on an international level made me doubt and question my ability and the reality on how I was actually accepted into this school.
So when I had that accident that completely tore my left knee and ankle muscles, I felt strangely at peace.
Knowing that I wouldn't have to dance ever again even made me at peace.
When I came back home and Anand was here, his shock, disappointment was what brought me back to reality.
It was all thanks to him that I tried to reuse my legs, tried to start with the basics, and started dancing again and more importantly try to have others to dance.
I heard a knock on the door and I was going to ignore it but thought it over again as it might be my father.
I walked over to the door, unlocking it, then opening to reveal a friendly face.
It was Shraddha who was wearing a calm, friendly smile on her face and she lifted her hand that contained a box.
"Its some sweets, specifically some gulab jamun's and jalebis. I had a sweet tooth so stopped by to get some and wanted to share it with you." She said while smiling.
I nodded for her to enter and she walked in and she plopped herself on the bed, wasting no time to curl her legs under her dress, plopped one of the boxes open and began digging in.
I smiled and left the door slightly ajar before I joined her on the bed and digged into the opened box.
"Just came home?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Long day...I have three clients and one of them is horribly disastrous. It seems no matter what arrangements I plan for her she hates it. Plus her mother is even worse. They want this color for the flowers, no this color, they say the dress won't match the jewelry...blah blah blah..." she said while shaking her head.
I smiled.
Shraddha decided to take charge and become a wedding planner. At 24, she finally decided to open up her own business. Two years later she was meeting with moderate success.
"Sorry about that...how was your day?" she asked while turning towards me and plopping a jalebi into her mouth.
"It was okay, the children are improving really well, I'm trying to think a of a new routine I can teach them and possibly if I could somehow set them up for an event. Something very lighthearted and fun, nothing too serious." I said while smiling.
"Anand?" she asked.
I paused at that and sighed.
"Anand seems more than preoccupied these days." I said with agitation.
Ever since I met the girl Jaspreet or Jas, it seemed the time that I spent with Anand always included a plus one. Everywhere, she was there.
Times when we went to the movies, we went to a cricket game, to the mall, or even to simply chill at his apartment, she WAS ALWAYS FREAKING THERE!!!!!
The one place she didn't get her hands on was my dance studio, seeming as though Anand somehow was able to deter her every time he was able to get off from the hospital.
Shraddha let out a breath and heaved a deep sigh.
"It means that thing came back." Shraddha said with annoyance.
I turned to her confused.
"Thing?" I said confused.
She took another jalebi, plopped it into her mouth, and took another before answering.
"You said bhai is preoccupied? Then it's most likely because of that thing...Jaspreet or Jas she called herself." Shraddha said in annoyance.
"Every time that thing comes in the picture Anand is always preoccupied." She said.
"So you know Jas...but that makes sense he says they were college friends and it looked like they went to med school together." I said.
"That thing wasn't his friend, those two had some weird relationship but I would say they were friends with benefits." Shraddha said.
I turned sharply to Shraddha, almost twisting my neck.
"They were friends with benefits...don't you mean dating?" I said looking at her with horror.
She tipped her head to the side.
"Of course he said they were dating but I don't think he could really do that with anyone else when he liked you." She said.
I zoned out by the time she said they were friends with benefits, so I didn't catch the last statement.
They were friends with benefits?
The Anand I knew wasn't remotely interested in girls.
He only surrounded himself with either Shraddha or myself during school, having people always tagging us as a couple but for him to have changed during college to casually start sleeping with a girl...
That's why she always seemed as if she knew more about him then I did.
She knew a lot more than I would ever know about him...
"Kittu?" Shraddha said and she snapped her fingers in front of me.
I turned to her.
"Huh?"
Shraddha sighed and shook her head.
"I knew you weren't listening to me." She sighed.
"Don't overreact. Anand...was never serious with that thing and she knew it." Shraddha said.
I turned to her.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean they broke it off before their senior year." Shraddha said and she resumed eating.
"But...but...but they are still friends...and she still flirts with him as if its nothing. She keeps following him everywhere as well." I said.
"That's the thing with parasites, once you swat it, it keeps coming back." She said.
I chuckled a little but I was still unsettled, more so jealous at their relationship or rather previous relationship.
"Why don't you like her?" I asked.
She looked at me squarely in the face before she answered.
"Because she was trying to take a place that didn't belong to her. I told you once before when I met you that I will only entrust Anand to you, no one else." She said while staring at me with a serious expression.
I remembered but never took it seriously.
At the time I was nine, Shraddha was seven and it been less than a good five months since we formally met and our families was visiting and slowly becoming friends.
"But you said that when you were kids...it wasn't serious..." I started.
"But I meant it. Anand...I was worried for him but it seemed as if when he met you, he opened up. Really opened up and was able to slowly express himself and act like his true self. That is why even then I entrusted him to you." She said.
I shook my head.
"Still...just because you entrust him to me doesn't mean it will all work out like that. Two people has to decide to come together because they want to, not because someone inputs that they should." I said seriously.
Shraddha turned to me and placed her hand that wasn't messy against my cheek and stared at me in my eyes and she dropped it to dig into eating once again.
"You two are both just so hopeless at times, but that's not completely true is it?" she said while staring at me.
I blushed at that and lowered my eyes.
"It...it...it makes no difference how I feel...Anand sees me as just...as just a childhood friend." I said.
She smiled and raised her eyebrow.
"I don't think that's how he sees you...Anand was never forthcoming with strangers, more or less friends." Shraddha said.
"But he is nice with Jas." I said which caused her to roll her eyes.
"That thing is somehow a different story." She said in irritation.
There was more to the story as to why Shraddha didn't like Jas. The irritation in her eyes seemed to parallel disgust.
I smiled despite myself.
"So what is the real story with you and Jas?" I said intently.
She looked at me for a second before she turned away and plopped something into her mouth.
She sighed.
"Sorry you caught on." She said.
I smiled.
"I get that you have always been a little bit enthusiastic in pairing up your brother and I, but I don't think it involves us in this case." I said while smiling.
She smiled and then her smile turned into something darker and dangerous, almost predatory, and I was even afraid to really know the whole truth.
"That little thing decided that it wasn't enough that she had to have Anand but it seemed that she was trying to flirt with Kunal at the same time. Of course, with your idiot of a brother he liked to flirt but she always took it a step too far." She said while raising her hand and began making mock crushing and squeezing motions with her hand until it was a complete fist.
"But I thought you said you hated bhaiyaa's guts?" I said confused.
To be honest I was always confused about Shraddha's relation with my brother while growing up and was even more surprise to find out, when I came back, that they were dating more or less engaged.
She was always annoyed with him around and if not that she would always pick , tease, and taunt him until those two started back and forth.
She sighed.
"I didn't hate his guts, I really loved teasing him." She said while smiling.
"Loved teasing him, or did you love him all along." I said while wagging my eyebrows and smiling at her and she looked at me before she looked away.
"Not nece...necessarily." She stuttered and a blush spread through her face and I laughed.
"Its not true! Its just...just that I always liked him it was just more fun to be mean to him. At least with him, he always responded to my taunts unlike you or bhai." She said while puffing and pouting.
I smiled and chuckled.
"What about you...you never told bhai that you love him." She said with a smile.
I stared at her and I felt a blush crept over my own face.
"Sh..shut up!" I said and I picked up a couple of sweets and before she start again on her taunts I slammed a couple of jalebis into her mouth, keeping it shit so she wouldn't be able to respond.
"Eat, eat, eat, it might actually sweeten you up a bit." I said with a mock annoyed expression.
"Kwwitwu." Shraddha mouthed from her mouth that was filled to the brim.
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