PROTAGONIST’S PoV
Zaira once started to talk, she couldn’t stop. I could say this even after one hangout we’ve had so far. She went on and on about things you couldn’t even keep the track off.
Starting from her favourite band and Indian movies to her best friends back home. She also mentioned how she wanted a pup and wanted to name her Dawn. The middle conversation consisted of rants about office staff and the boyfriend—Dean.
And honestly, it was fun seeing someone talk so much. It made me feel like she trusted me.
She was on the brink of tears when she recalled Dean’s stingy words. Turns out her boyfriend found her annoying and clingy. He also went on about how her presence around him has been bothering him lately and that he really needs some space; on her face, which made her storm out of their condo in the first place. She didn’t know where they stood anymore.
What a pussy. I’d kill for this attention; where she would tell me everything about her day and about herself.
My selfish ass indirectly told her that breakup would be the best idea because it is better than standing in a void with unresolved issues. Dean has not contacted her since she left. It was as good as breakup.
After I walked her to a cab, I made my way home. I kicked off my shoes at the entrance and went to take a shower. My body relaxed under the hot water. Hot steam engulfed the small bathroom. I literally sprinted and snuggled into my bed covers so the relaxation from the shower wouldn't go away. You know, the fresh feeling which goes away if you start doing something else. The duvet being my safest place, I slipped into sleep as fast as the flip of a light switch. That’s how Monday came to an end.
It was now Saturday and I was waiting for Zaira outside the office building. For the past days, we had become closer and have talked a lot, not much in the office but through text. Yeah I know, I asked her for her number on the pizza dinner day. Shocker that I could speak up. But she made it easy, I felt comfortable around her. We went to get lunch at the local burger joint on Thursday too. I was happy that she was talking to me. That she considered me a friend. She told me that she felt like I was her only escape from the people around her. Because according to her, office staff were just self conceited people and her friend Sidney; with whom she was living with currently, always had her boyfriend around in the house and it annoyed her.
In these past days, Dean manned up and broke up with her, on text. Who the fuck does that.
Obviously she was distressed and her mind was in chaos. She wasn’t able to focus on her job.
So I suggested to her that she should do a movie marathon of her favourite comedy Indian movies to cheer herself up. I subtly slipped in how I hadn’t seen a bollywood movie. So she made it her mission to make me watch her favourite comedy movie. I was surprised how she considered me close enough to watch a movie with me, even though we weren't that close.
But wasn’t this like, the first step towards friendship?
“Hey!” her voice chirruped behind me and I turned around. My mouth lifting up in a smile involuntarily on seeing a cute chubby face. She forced herself to smile and tried to look all okay. But I could peer behind her fake smiles. After all, out of all the people i knew how it felt to be left alone.
“Hey. Ready?” I asked with enthusiasm.
We started to walk towards her car but she interrupted it.
“Wait. Sidney has her boyfriend over for the whole day today because it’s her day off. I don’t want to walk into something disgusting plus her boyfriend smokes alot” she paused and her face grimaced as she continued
“I hate the smell of smoke. It makes my breath and mouth smell and taste like a dirty ashtray” she made a gagging sound.
Well, I hated cigarettes too.
“We can go to my loft?” i didn’t know if i should be saying this that’s why this came out as more of a question.
“Sure.”
Did she just say ‘sure’? My shock was pretty evident on my face, she just laughed and waved it off. I got into the driver seat and she plugged in the aux in her phone and blasted ‘I Don’t Miss You’ by Eric Nam. My home was not a long ride from the office so we reached by the time the song ended.
“Holy shit. How do you live in this noise” she commented.
“The rent’s cheap but believe me, I have to go down twice a week to tell him to keep it down.” I made a can’t-help-it face while i turned the keys in the lock.
“Wow, this place is so cozy. How cute is that bed” she awed while looking around.
I just chuckled at her awed expression. It was adorable.
“Okay so, where should i insert this?” she said holding up the pendrive.
“Give it to me, i'll insert it behind the tv”
I said extending my hand.
“Look what i brought!” she pulled out 4 packets of cheese popcorn and waved them excitedly in front of my face.
“Zaira, you came prepared, I like it. I’ll cook this and you start the movie.”
While the popcorn was looking and she was trying to start the movie, I took it as my chance to take in her appearance. The light of the tv bouncing off of her clear face. She made a face and squinted her eyes as she tried to read on the screen. Her small legs were stretched out in front of her. Cute.
“Look what I brought” I mimicked her as I walked towards her with a bowl in one and and two bottles of coke in another.
“Yayy!” She clapped her hands in a mini celebration. I sat down next to her and passed her the popcorn.
“Okay so, this movie Is called Golmaal (confusion) part 3. It’s about six orphans. Three living with an adoptive woman and the other three living with a man. And those two teams of threes are sworn enemies and their sole purpose in life is to not let either of them live peacefully— I should stop talking now or else I’ll just blabber out the whole movie.”
The movie started and it was one hell of a funny movie until the end when all six of them have a reunion and their mom and dad got married. It tells you about the crucial role family plays in supporting you.
Clearly, I can’t relate.
Zaira kept laughing during the whole movie, it was so fun to watch her laugh. I’m glad she could get Dean off of her mind even if it was for a short span of time. Laughter filled up my lifeless loft like never before.
By the time the movie ended it was around 11 o’clock and she was sleepy so she decided to go home. I offered to drive her back but she refused saying how would i come back.
As she was leaving she turned back around and faced me.
“Thank you for today. You have helped me a lot in the past week. I hope you liked the movie.”
And then she hugged me.
She hugged me. I was too stunned to respond and by the time I unfroze, she pulled back.
So the only thing I could do now was this; I pulled her into a hug again.
I was astonished at the newfound confidence in me but nevertheless she hugged me back. She smiled and waved and made her way to her car.
I went back inside. The place where her hands rested, felt different.
I didn’t bother cleaning and climbed into my bed.
I adjusted under the duvet, her smell confining me. My eyes slowly closed and a smile made its way to my lips.
I fell asleep instantly while my mind replayed today’s events.
The crashing sound of the glass beer bottle echoed in my head subconsciously. Blinding pain coursing through my face due to the edged glass piece below my brow. Hot blood dripping down the side of my face. The cigarette burning holes in my arms with the same heat as my hatred for her at this very moment.
I jolted straight up in my bed, gasping for air. I could hear my heart hammer in my ears. My T-shirt was wet with all the sweat. My body heavied up and down and my eyes were burning.
I had a nightmare, more like a replay of an old memory.
A memory of my mother.
The monster who tortured my days of early youth.
She did this to me because of him.
Because he left us, for some other woman.
Father turned her into a monster.
ns 172.70.126.151da2