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This Girl Deserves Everything Nice This World Has Got To Offer
“ Happy Birthday Bhaiya” Shaili runs top hug him and kiss him on his cheeks. At almost 11 she comes to his chest so he has to bend down b top get his birthday kiss from his half sister.
“Thank-you Guddi” He ruffles her hair while thanking her and as always her nose scrunches up in irritation at being called Guddi.
“Happy birthday Rishi” His mother comes in the living room with Prasad in her hand. Rishav Ben’s down to touch her feet. “Always stay happy” yeah, his mother’s blessing had already worked, he guess. He surely is happy today, Rishav thinks while recalling Kahank’s phone call.
“Happy Birthday Bhai” Anish wishes him and goes toward their mother to take Prasad from her.
“Okay, so I have made Puri, zeera aloo, and halwa” His mother announces and Rishav groans in his head ___ every year it’s Puri aloo! And Rishav doesn’t even like it!
“Yum! I love halwa Puri” Shaili and Anish exclaims in unison, then run toward dining room to jump at the food as soon as possible.
His mother turns and look at Rishav with a sweet smile “I knew my children like it! Ain’t I a great mother?!” His mother teases and just seeing her smiling and so happy at the prospect that her other children like the food she has made, Rishav’s mood was ruined. She doesn’t even know that I don’t like it.
“Yeah well it’s my birthday and I don’t like it” Rishav mumbles but seeing the shadow of sadness coming onto her face, he knows that his mother heard every single word clearly.
“I asked you Rishi! I asked you yesterday, whether you will like to have something different this year” His mother hisses, her voice sharp but her eyes holding a helpless look, as if she doesn’t know what to do with Rishav anymore.
“I am sorry__ I am sorry. You are right! Let’s go have breakfast” sensing that he has seriously hurt his mother, Rishav tries to manage the situation. He turns her with both his hand on her shoulder and rushes her in the same direction Rishav’s half siblings have gone to.
“Where is, _uhm_ Papa” Rishav asks, uncomfortable in calling Dinesh father. His mother smiles as if to say all is forgiven but Rishav really doesn’t like to see the sadness in her eyes that is still there.
****. **** **** **** ****
“Khanak!!” Rishav calls out but only in vain. She is going to make both of them late. His mood rotten with the guilt of how he has hurt his mother this morning. That’s why he doesn’t like to talk to his family much. They hurt him and in answer he hurts them more.
“Khanak!!” His voice filled with more irritation this time.
“Sorry, I am really sorry! Mum had to rush to boutique to complete a order so I did all the chores” Khanak apologizes while trying to close the main door of her house. Rishav only sees her from back but he instantly knew that there is something different about her today. Then she turns and all he could think of is “Damn! She is really really pretty”. She has left her hair down today, which she has never done for school. Her hair is following the flow of air, rebelling against her wish to keep them behind her ears. There is also something different about her face today. Her eyes seem more vibrant than usual, demanding his attention. Her lips moist.
“Rishav!” her voice gets him out of his trance induced by her beauty. And then he sees the blush, he so likes to see on her, spreading on her face only managing to enhance her beauty. She knows that he was looking at her in more than a friendly way and she likes it, because she doesn’t seem embarrassed only nervous to find out his opinion on her looks. And Rishav likes that she likes that he was looking at her.
“you look really nice!” Rishav says, his voice sounding as if he is having difficulty breathing. Blush, a shade darker covers her face.
“Let’s go?” Khanak asks and Rishav just somehow manages to nod.
After taking the bus they take regularly to go to school, they both reach. Just as he was about the day something,.. anything, Ankan comes to them.
“Hey Bro,.. Happy Birthday!” they do their male handshake, Rishav’s eyes still stuck on Khanak.
“Okay love birds, I will take your leave! Behave! I don’t want any complaints of your PDA” Khanak teases both boys referring to the incident of few days ago where Ankan had to fight some boys of school gang, just to show his support to Rishav, all the while saying “how dare you hit Rishav”.
Ever since Rishav has known Ankan, which is like forever, there have been very few times that Ankan has done something to go to principal’s office and Rishav can proudly take the credit every time of being the cause.
Ankan puts his arm around Rishav’s shoulder and gives him a fake adoring look “Aren’t we a cute couple, Khanak?!” Khanak laughs at their antics and walls toward her class leaving Rishav and Ankan to behave like a couple and laughing their asses off.
**** **** **** **** ****
For the first time in his life, Rishav is one of those people who are in hurry to get out of school. Every since he remembers had wanted to prolong his stay in school, not because he likes to study that much just because he doesn’t like the idea of going back home.
“Hey…” He hearts the greeting in a soft voice after waiting for 10 minutes at the back door of the school. He turns with a wide smile which totally turn into a frown as soon as he sees two people standing behind the person he has been waiting for – Ankan and Saumya, Kahank’s friend from art stream. Now he understands the soft apologetic tone of her greeting.
“Hi everyone” Saumya greets, “I just came to wish you happy birthday Rishav then you there musketeers can go and enjoy, so happy birthday Rishav” Rishav smiles at Saumya while shaking the hand Saumya has raised. Just as soon as Saumya turns, Rishav scowls at Khanak and she gives a helpless look in reply.
“Why were you waiting here? You could have waited for me in the classroom.” Ankan asks.
Rishav glares at Khanak some more before replying “ I thought it will take you long too handle all the after school duties of vice school head boy and I was getting irritated with all the demands of birthday party”. Ankan nods.
Everyone becomes silent. Rishav angry at Khanak, Khanak apologetic, and Ankan confused as to why both of them are so silent. Ankan looks at both of them amused and gestures with his hands asking “what?” . Rishav shrugs.
“what are we doing here? What’s the plan?” Ankan asks them incredulously. “and do you guys even have a plan? If not then I am really going to get angry because I have already told Dada ji to not come and pick me up”.
“I don’t know anything! Khanak asked me to come here and to not be late if I recall, didn’t you Khanak?” Khanak narrows her eyes at Rishav.
“I have a plan, both of you don’t worry!” Khanak announces but doesn’t move.
“Khanak, do we even have a plan?” Ankan asks even after already guessing the answer. Khanak makes a duck face and shakes her head.
“If only you weren’t so cute, Khanak. If only!” Ankan grumbles and Rishav totally wanted to say “I know, right?”.
“so this is what we are going to do, we are going to go to a restaurant near my house, because dadaji has allowed me a very little time to stay out after school, after mine and Rishav’s PDA incident.” Ankan plans double quoting the word PDA – same word Khanak likes to use for the incident.
“Cool” Rishav and Khanak provide their agreement in unison.
****. ****. ****. ****. ****
“Rishav, sorry yaar!” Khanak apologizes walking fast to catch up to Rishav’s pace.
“I thought that special someone included you” Rishav says.
“well in my defense you both are a couple” Khanak giggles on her own joke but stops after seeing the flat look on his face. “he asked me what’s the special plan and I couldn’t lie on his face! And it was my lack of consideration that I forgot about him before making plan. He is also our friend,.. he was your friend even before I met you both”.
“Yeah I know! I also felt guilty” And Rishav did feel guilty after getting angry on seeing Ankan behind Khanak. Ankan is also their friend. But his guilt doesn’t change the fact that he has hoped to spend time with Khanak alone. And he can’t exactly tell all this to Khanak without revealing his non-platonic feeling toward her.
“I know right! And his plan was also good, food was awesome!”
“yeah” Rishav grumbles.
“But you know what we could go to my house. Mum must have returned from the boutique we can go to terrace and enjoy your hide-out” Khanak offers and Rishav really wanted to repeat the statement Ankan has said. If only she wasn’t this cute, if only!
“Okay let’s go!”
“So what was your special plan?” Rishav asks while standing against the terrace railing. Sun has already set and the orange light if evening is the only source of light on the terrace.
“Nothing much really! You know I am not good with making plans. I had just planned to buy a cake from local bakery and then come here and enjoy the cake with cold drink and you know just talk” Khanak fidgets nervously on her feet. And Rishav can see thoughts passing her. She is nervous about the plan she had made. “And I thought I don’t need to make extra effort you know?! Just spending time with the great Khanak is special enough for your 17th birthday.” Khanak jokes and he knows what she is doing, hide her nervousness behind joking.
“ Yeah it would have been special enough” Rishav tells her genuinely. Every thought of hiding his non platonic feeling down in drain.
“Oh! Wow!” Seeing Khanak blushing is his new most favourite thing to do, Rishav decides. She looks so damn cute.
Deciding that this much teasing and flirting is enough for today, he offers to leave as its getting late. They have just come there stairs down when she stops him by holding his wrist.
He raises his eyebrow as if to ask what happened and she just shakes her head, comes closer to him, and outs her arms very hesitantly around him. If anyone else were to see it, they would think this is the first time they are hugging but the wrapped thing is even if it’s not the first time it seems like it is something new.
Exactly at that moment anyone could have compared him to a statue if it was not for his heart which is hell bent on jumping out of his chest.
“Before I forget, Happy Birthday Rishav!” She Whispers in his ear, rises on her feet and kisses him, half her lips on his cheek and half on his lips. It was as if her lips brought him back to the word of living, Rishav raises her arms and puts it just inches above her hips and closes his eyes to enjoy the sensation. With his eyes closed, Rishav hopes to hold this one moment forever,.. to live his whole life in this one moment. In this moment he doesn’t care about anything, not his dreams, not the lack of sense of belonging he feels with his family,.. nothing! He only cares about the girl in his arms.
And Rishav realizes that in this moment he has his everything in his arms. But with this realization comes another that this girl in his arms deserve everything nice this world has got to offer. And he would be damned if he doesn’t bring those things to her.
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- The Day He Lost Her
- Chapter 5 - This Girl Deserves Everything Nice This World Has Got To Offer