Agastya's smile faltered as soon as she walked past him. Giving some incredibly sweet lectures of life feels so easy- as in they were as easy as they were heard.

He himself was there so that he could take off his anger- but as he saw her, his anger disappeared.

Agastya never understood what was in her, was she just an attraction? Or a girl he loved?

He was never into dating, every time a girl asked him out, he somehow rejected them. Being a popular guy of school, many girls of his own class or his juniors were also interested in him, but for him, none of them caught attention.

He never felt that close.

But with Zara, the case was different. She wasn't the one screaming for attention- she just wanted some space. He  saw her first, when she was helping a small child on road, on the footpath. He was coming back, from celebrating  with his friends for the end of 10th boards. Next  Agastya saw her on the terrace walking in solitude, and the rest is history.

It wasn't her, but the peaceful aura she'd around her. Every time she came in front of him, something in his demeanour changed.

He suddenly acts different, flirtatious, which he usually isn't. His words got deeper meaning, which he usually didn't had in himself- depth.

It was never her looks- because for him, considering looks as personality was like touching a flame for its warmth but never noticing the light it casts.

He was never drawn to her body or her face, for him, her silence wasn't emptiness, it was filled with space, which his hollow heart never had. Her eyes, he don't even know when he was deeply drawn into it?

Something in him, always wanted him to wage behind her. He was really disturbed- everything which was going in his life, didn't even let him sleep. The constant need of appearing as that 'perfect, bubbly child' who no one pities on.

He hated since childhood, when no one saw that he wanted love. Nobody actually asked how he was, not even out of sympathy.

"I've started to think like a poet, what's so wrong with me? She really started to be the muse" Agastya muttered as he looked at the sky.

******

"Zara, where were you in the middle of night?" Vamika stared at her sister, as her gaze scared Zara. Her tone look serious, and strict while Zara bit her lips.

"On the terrace," Zara whispered back, in a contrasting slow voice. "What happened? Please don't tell it to anyone or else I'll be slapped by mumma"

Zara said in panic, as her mind circuited, exploding with the worst case scenarios when she'll tell the truth.

"Zaru? Do I look like telling this to mumma? Of course, I won't" Vamika said, hugging her sister. She could feel the shiver rush through Zara's spine. "I asked Sid, I knew, I was acting" Vamika said, passing a hand through her hairs.

"Then why'd you ask?" Zara asked, almost terrified.

"Mazak kar rahi thi pagal, why're you so scared of mumma?" Vamika joked, when Zara looked at another corner.

For Vamika, it was nothing but a random joke, but for Zara.... it was a screening of her past, when she was slapped anywhere, the burning pang in her heart where her mom hitted her anywhere.

She dreaded that lady, the noises in her head were so loud to think about good things.

"Di, I want to sleep" Zara whispered as she lay on the bed, hugging her pillow, she slept again.

Vamika couldn't quite understand her. Since last 6-7 months, Zara was same. She lost all tracks of her time, in the starting of her 10th she suddenly joined gym, her weight reduced in merely 6 months. Even when their father told a big no, their mother was at Zara's side for the first time in life. She always noticed her sister but couldn't argue ever. Zara was more indifferent since her teenage started and with every year she grew weirder.

She contacted a psychiatrist senior of hers- not taking Zara's name, but somehow she knew her sister was drowning- and the only way to take her out of this problem was to take Zara to Delhi.

******

FEW DAYS LATER,

Agastya tried acting normal, as Zara came out of her home. It was a random sunday, when all the girls had planned a girls day out, but Siddharth being himself interrupted girl's plan making it a group thing saying that how will they go all alone.

That in itself wasn't a problem, but the fact that girls were going to haunted house and they'll have to accompany them there. He was really scared of haunted houses and the last time he went to a place like that was in his childhood when he was 6-7 years old, but after that he never went.

"Tujhe kya jarurat hoti hai har baat mei apni tang aadane ki, abb dara na to dekh liyo" Zara said, as she smacks on Sid's head while he simply rolled his eyes.

"Maza aata hai mujhe hehehe, aur vaise bhi aaj Sunday hai to even I can go" Siddharth said, while Zara moved to Aaradhya who was standing.

"Hii Aaru" Zara said, as they moved.

Agastya took his noise cancelling earbuds, knowing well that Zara is sensitive to loud noises and he knew it very well that all of them are going to shout in that haunted house.

She was wearing a black shirt and blue jeans. Her arms were covered as usual, as she paired her outfit with a pair of hoops, and minimalist makeup.

Siddharth came and stood aside Agastya, while Agastya made a sulky face to express his disappointment to go in the haunted house.

"Bhai zindagi mein naye experiences lene chahiye" Siddharth said, while Agastya rolled his eyes.

(There should be some new experiences in lives, bro)

"What new? This is nothing but scary. Both me and Anirudh are scared of all this but we can't admit it in front of girls." Agastya whispered back in Siddharth's ears.

"Ab mana nahi kar skte hai chalo" he said as they took the metro.

"Why's no seat empty in the metro" Aaradhya sighed as they stood. Zara chuckled, looking at Aaradhya as she looked on the window, when she'd notice Agastya standing right beside her. A everlasting smile lingered on his face, he was wearing a light pink polo shirt along with blue jeans, his hands crisscrossed while he was looking at his phone, engrossed as he was scrolling through something.

The metro's AC were blazing, Zara eyes met Agastya's. "What happened, Zara?" Agastya asked, keeping his phone back to his pocket.

"Nothing" she shrugged her shoulders as she looked in the opposite direction. Agastya opens his phone again.

He was talking with his ChatGPT about how should he initiate a conversation with her. Anirudh giggled as he came closer to his ear.

"Have some shame Agastya, you're so good at debates even in classrooms, and look at yourself now"! Anirudh whispered in his ears, while Agastya rolled his eyes over his best friend.

"Shut up" Agastya muttered back, but Anirudh didn't stopped.

"You can ask me, I'll help you better than this stupid gadget" Anirudh said, when a chuckle came out from Agastya's mouth.

"Says the one who uses ChatGPT for every problem of his" Agastya laughed at him.

"And the one who's using it is the one who mocked me and told it to our entire friend group" Anirudh said, when Agastya glared at him.

"Are we even a group? More like straight line, just two of us"Agastya said, while Anirudh laughed.

Before Agastya could reply, the metro jolted to a sudden halt. Zara stumbled a little, and instinctively, Agastya's hand twitched forward—he almost grabbed her wrist, but stopped midway. She steadied herself, brushed her hair back, and went back to staring out the window, earbuds still in.

His heart, though, was doing somersaults.

By the time they reached the station near the mall, Agastya was walking beside Zara. As Zara was walking on the side of road, Agastya noticed her uncomfortable look. He walked down, pulling her to another side, he carefully placed his both the arms at a respectable distance guiding her to the another side.

She simply smiled looking at his sweet gesture, no words were exchanged in between them, but the silence was talking more than words ever could .

The tension between them was palpable,  Zara felt a bit of ease, and she didn't had the habit of walking on roads, while Agastya's demeanour remained unchanged, he looked at her then at the road. He was feeling hungry, when he saw a chinese shop on their way.

"Let's go na?" Agastya asked pointing at the shop when everyone looked at it.

"Yeah, we'll go to bowling after this and then haunted house" Aaradhya said.

"Wait a second, bowling?" Siddharth interrupted, while Aaradhya looked at everyone else than Sid.

"Yeah, we'll be going to bowling before, this was already planned" Shreya said, while everyone nodded.

As everyone else went inside, Aaradhya was also walking when a voice came from behind.

"Gusse mei bilkul laal naak vali emoji lagti ho" it was Siddharth, who was standing while crisscrossing his arms. Aaradhya turned as she raised her furrows.

(You look like red nose emoji in anger)

"At least I don't look like an animal, you dirty dog" Aaradhya said, as she walked.

"Dirty dog?" Sid raised his furrows when Aaradhya turned back and gave him a look.

"No, not dirty dog, why to insult the poor dog" Aaradhya said, when Siddharth left a humorless chuckle.

"Why're you always so desperate to find excuses and talk with me, god, Aaradhya" Siddharth said, as a smirk came over his face.

"Says the one who himself started talking with me? You're the one who always poke your nose in my matters, I never talk with you" Aaradhya said, as she entered the shop not even looking at him.

"Why the hell is she so feisty? I was just trying to initiate a conversation" he muttered, when he cursed himself under a breath, "but why'd I even talk with her? She is my competitor in exams and then she's merely my sister's friend or my friend's sister, why'd I poke my nose in her matters"

Siddharth muttered under his breath and finally went inside. The little Chinese shop smelled of fried noodles and cheap soy sauce, the air half smoky with steam coming from the kitchen. The red lantern lights gave everything a slightly warm but cramped look.

Vamika was ordering food, while Aaradhya sat with arms folded, clearly irritated. Zara and Shreya were gossiping about the new movie while Agastya and Anirudh were busy in teasing each other.

"Zara" Agastya said, passing her the menu, while she shook her head,

"I'm not at all hungry, you guys can carry on" Zara said, looking in an opposite direction. Vamika who was quiet since long now spoke.

"Zaru, I haven't seen you eating, how come aren't you hungry" she said, when Agastya looked at her. Zara held the cloth of her jeans tightly, biting her lower lip.

"I'm not hungry.... I ate when you were studying" Zara lied, looking at her phone.

Vamika was in no mood to confront Zara, because she noticed her since a year, she was acting the same and for her if her younger sister don't want to share, she didn't wanted to force.

Maybe Vamika gave up her beliefs about forcing her siblings to express.

In a few minutes, the order came. Agastya leaned a little towards Zara. "Umm, you should really try Zara, just have one momo?" Agastya said, forwarding the plate.

Zara hesitated, but then reached out. One momo turned into two. Then, while Aaradhya and Siddharth were too busy throwing insults across the table and everyone else was laughing, she quietly ate a third.

Vamika, who was tensed now started eating, while Zara felt lighter. The room felt warm, she hadn't ate much since two-three days. She doesn't even remember.

But the warmth wasn't long, in a few minutes only, she was spiralling, feeling guilty for eating.

"I shouldn't have eaten" her mind said in a loop, as she sat confused.

"I don't mind sharing" Agastya muttered, thinking that she was embarrassed just because she ate from his plate.

Zara didn't said a word, but just smiled back at him.

"Hmm"

***

The group was all loud, except for Zara and Agastya. Zara walked not even looking at Agastya, while he was looking on the group.

"We're going to bowling first" Vamika said, when everyone was super excited.

Agastya, who was walking beside Zara called her out.

"Zara"

"Hmm" Zara raised her furrows as she looked at him.

"You can take it" he said, passing his noise cancelling earplugs, while she took her own earphones.

"Thanks for your concern" she smiled as she wore the earphones, while Agastya tightly clutched the earplugs feeling embarrassed.

"Here it is" Zara pointed at the bowling arcade.

"Let's go" Agastya said.

The bowling outlet was buzzing with sharp lights, the steady clatters of pins falling, crowd laughing. Group of friends enjoyed it,

Zara was listening to songs, which canceled the sound of anyone's else shout.

"I'll be the first one to go, move aside you amateurs" Siddharth said, while everyone else rolled their eyes at his dramatic performance.

"Come on Sid, stop behaving like that, I'll be the first" Anirudh said.

"Are you guys sure that you'll be 16 this year?" Vamika asked, looking at the bickering over a turn.

"Come'n di age is just a number, I'll always be like that and it's better to be like this rather than being super grumpy as Zara" Siddharth said, pointing at his sister.

"Leave her alone, kitna piche pade rehte ho tum dono ek dusre ke" Vamika said, when Aaradhya cuts them.

"Di not just with Zara, he is the same with everyone, har kisi baat mein kabab ki haadi banta rahega" Aaradhya said, while Siddharth walked near her.

"Tumse baat ki kya kisi ne? Har baat mein tum bolti ho main nahi" Siddharth continued, he crisscrossed his arms to his chest.

"Hm... you're the one who can't stop poking nose in every individual's work" Aaradhya said, while Siddharth rolled his eyes.

He hated Aaradhya from her mere existence. It wasn't that I-don't-like-you kind of hate, but the every fibre of her existence.... He loved to demean her by every possible chance he got.

"Guys, can we play or are we just here to fight?" Agastya asked, when Siddharth stomped his leg.

"I want to be the first one" Siddharth said, as they entered their names.....

Agastya stood beside Zara, his body tensed as he was trying to find an excuse to talk with her.

He was sweating in middle of the full AC bowling outlet, which made Zara concerned.

"Are you okay Agastya?" Zara asked, noticing his red cheeks and sweat all over his face.

"Yea"

"You don't seem so" Zara continued, when Agastya looked at the another side.

"How did you started talking yourself, sahiba" Agastya bent to match her height, a smirk appeared on his face.

"We're friends, that's why?" Zara said, when he looked astonished.

"Really, friends?"

"That's the reason I tolerate you" she said, whispering in his ears.

*******

TBC <3