Zara's POV

Supposedly, my father was a good friend of his father, so we'd to go at his home for dinner today.

"You look so hot, Zaru" A voice came from behind, it was Vamika di complementing me. I was wearing a blue, floral full-sleeved frock. My hairs were open and I wore the small rose gold hoops paired with pink sandals.

I smiled at her, when mumma entered my room. She'd some cream on her hand, which she was ready to apply on my face and neck, because supposedly she can never accept that her daughter's complexion isn't fair.

My mom is the reason, why I hate and always will hate the concept of  makeup.

My mom can never love me, until I reach the standards she has set for loving, and most probably I can't change myself to be loved.

I do whatever I think is necessary for me, but when someone else intervenes, I can't.

And somehow, I sometimes wonder, what was so wrong with me that my own mother couldn't love me?

I was in a loop of my own thoughts when my mom practically coloured my skin with the cream. Urgh, It was soo sticky, my skin seems too white.

"Mumma, what did you do? It's not even my skin tone appropriate!" I almost shouted in frustration, when my mom frowned at me.

"So what should I do? look at your dark skin!"

"Mumma, she isn't dark, come'n it's her skin colour how can you say that" Vamika di stood up in my defence.

"Come'n Vamika, no one in our family is this dark, she's just gone on your father's side family" mumma taunted me. "From study... to manners... to skin type"

"So what's wrong!"

Fuck. Papa heard it.

Perfect, how can this family go anywhere without fighting? And all the responsibility of this fight will come on me.

My parents love each other for sure, but whenever they fight, it somehow always comes at me.

"What happened?"

Papa asked, thank god he didn't heard anything or most probably I'd have been slapped by my mom again.

"Nothing, she's just overreacting as usual, let's go" my mom said, when I bit my lips.

"Zara, you'd come back to Delhi, mumma is just..." Vamika di said, when I shook my head.

"Where will I stay di? Even you're going to shift in the hostel! Don't you remember that our family will have a partition? Do you want papa to spend more money on our living?" I said, rolling my eyes.

"At least you don't have to suffer, mumma is always chill until it comes to you... I don't know but she becomes.. insufferable." Di said,

"Come'n di, I can survive this shit, vaise bhi I'll be in abroad two years later, and then our dynamics... they won't matter anymore." I told her. I had decided to leave the country as soon as I'm done with my 12th and honestly, I'd no intention to come back— due to many reasons.

Di let the conversation die, as we were called downstairs. I don't understand the ruckus for going to the home which is just next door to ours.

We walked as papa rang the bell of his house, while his father side hugged him.

"Namaste uncle" Me, di and Sid spoke in a tuning, Sid looked quite tired today, he barely sleeps all night studying due to his non med. I pity on my brother sometimes.

"Kids grew so fast, Ritwik!" His father said, while my father just passed a smile. As we inside, I realised that we weren't the only family— but Shreya's and Anirudh's family were also there.

And to my shock, they all knew my father well. Hell no.

"Turns out that our parents are friends too" Anirudh said, enthusiastically. But for the first time, Agastya felt dull, as if the entire vibe of him was gone.

"Agastya, take all kids to your room!" His father announces, when he obediently nods and opens the door of his room.

It was my first time when I'll be going to his room. The door had a label of "no entry" at its entrance. The room was minimalistic. The room had the shades of black and grey in it. It had the posters of some famous figures whom I don't know.

I was just noticing at his room, when we made an eye contact. Our eyes met, but not to drift but to stay and look at each other. The noice in the room suddenly silenced, the only voice I'd hear was the hum of AC,

I don't know how to describe, or what is it, but it's quite a friction, that draws my eyes to him. Our gaze lingered on each other for minutes.

I broke the eye contact with him, when I looked at the stack of books on his study table— and a small box kept beside it...

Shreya, me and Aaradhya sat on the one side, while the boys sat on the bed. Vamika didi, was out with mumma.

"Zaraaa... let's tell today's incident to Aaradhya no?" Shreya asked me when I laughed remembering the incident.

#AUTHOR'S POV

Flashback.

It was the third period, as Agastya and Anirudh were sitting together. The teacher had a meeting to attend, so they were given some work and the teacher left.

Anirudh was trying to chill down Agastya, he was stressed because of many reasons, and foremost reason was to cancel his plan of studying with Zara.

They were talking when Anirudh realises that Agastya's eyes lingered on his thighs.

"What are you thinking?" Anirudh asks, his mouth half open.

"I'm just looking at your thighs, they're so..." Agastya said, biting his lips, when Anirudh looked at him traumatised. "I know, this will either make our friendship stronger or I guess,"

"No...no... Agastya..no" Anirudh said, which alerted Zara and Shreya who were already enjoying whatever they were saying. As they looked behind.

Agastya was touching Anirudh's thighs. Their eyes widened, sweat left on their forehead.

"What the fuck, Agastya?" Anirudh muttered, trying to make him leave his thigh, while Agastya kept on looking at him.

Zara's eyes widened, while Shreya almost fell from her chair.

*****

"What happened after that," Aaradhya asked, her voice interrogative, and really interested to dig in further.

"Come'n Aaradhya, what else they laughed— and Anirudh laughed more"

"Crazy" Aaradhya said in disbelief.

"I've an idea" Zara whispered.

"What?" Shreya asked.

"Let's write a BL on Anirudh and Agastya" Zara suggested, when both Aaradhya and Shreya burst into laughter. Boys looked at them,  when Siddharth passes his drink to Agastya.

"Drink it," Siddharth said, passing his already drunk coke to him.

"No" Agastya said hesitantly.

"Why, because I drank it?" He asked, when Agastya nods.

"Spit in this" Siddharth said, when the girls looked at each other.

"You're so disgusting" Aaradhya mumbled, as he spits in the coke.

Siddharth mixed it and drank.

(Based on author's brother real life)

"Yikes,  disgusting" the girls said,  when Aaradhya comes with an idea.

"Let's write a bl with love triangle" Aaradhya said, when they three laughed again, but the boys stood clueless. They looked at the girls all confused, and tried asking the girls who shook their heads and Aaradhya brought her diary.

"Zara, you look creative, you read too!" Shreya insisted, keeping the diary in Zara's hand.

"Me?"

Zara questioned, her teeth gritting her teeth, when both of them nodded.

"Come'n, yeah!"

Zara spiralled, she looked blankly at the paper.

.....

Tbc <3

Why do you think that Zara hesitated to write?

😋

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And tell how was the chap?