10

Meera has been receiving continuous calls, and when I saw her ignoring them for a while, I checked, only to find her looking at another girl outside the theater. The other girl was also on the phone and seemed to be looking at Meera.

"Shahnaz, are you here?" (Meera was in shock)

Shahnaz was a college friend, as Aahan had mentioned once before.

Shahnaz immediately caught on when she saw Meera.

"What are you doing here?"

Shahnaz is saying this as if she wants to explain something, "Give me a chance."

"We are not friends, Shahnaz" (Meera's tone went from high to low)

Meera looked at me.

"Naina, go home. I'll meet my friend and catch up."

"Meera, who is this? Introduce me too."

Shahnaz said, "Hi Naina, I am Shahnaz, Meera's best friend."

Meera said, "Just friends. Let's go somewhere else and talk."

Shahnaz said, "Meera, don't hide anything from Naina. She's your friend. You've started making friends with kids nowadays, Meera."

Naina didn't understand if it was right to leave. As Naina left, Meera messaged me.

"Where are you?"

"Stopping a taxi."

"Wait, I'll pick you up. My car is parked outside."

Meera was visibly angry, and it showed on her face.

"What did Shahnaz do?"

"Long story."

"I have plenty of time. But let's talk over coffee in a cafe."

"Another time, I'll tell you."

After Naina left,

Meera kissed naina quickly on the cheek and said, "Trust me!"

naina wiped her cheek and said, "Are you going to explain things,."

Meera is thinking "There was something in her eyes for me, trust was its name"

We ordered coffee at a cafe and sat down.

Meera is telling to naina

"In school, some girls had played pranks on me during cold weather, and others had spilled ink on my shirt. After that, I had been scared to make friends, but in 7th grade, I became friends with Jagdish, a sweet boy who helped me with homework. However, after 10th grade, Jagdish changed, got a girlfriend, and I felt lonely for the first time. (His eyes showed pain, as if he had lost everything.)

I started living alone to avoid feeling that way. In the first year of college, Shahnaz became my lab partner. She had big eyes and curly hair. She was carefree and a bit crazy. Everyone called her Maggi. One day, fed up, I asked, "Why do you call her Maggi? Is anyone fat or dark among you? Did someone say something to you?" After that, Shahnaz started talking to me more. She spoke less but said good things. She became a good friend. I felt I had found a chance to make a friend again.

However, she started developing feelings for me. When she found out, her behavior changed, and she distanced herself. She got a boyfriend, and I kept calling and apologizing, but she wanted to move on and cut ties with me. I called her 700-800 times, sent flowers, hoping we could be friends again. She thought I didn't understand her love, but I lost a friend, too. (Meera spoke as if holding back tears, but her voice had a hint of sadness.)

Now, she came to meet me, looking so sweet. She's a crazy girl. I'm not homophobic; I understand her love. She should have understood my friendship too"

Naina is thinking, "It feels like love has overshadowed everything. Some people just don't understand the bond of friendship."

Naina's eyes welled up with tears, and Meera looked towards the window, taking a deep breath.

"You're crying? (surprised, with a smile) Stop crying, people will think I'm making you cry."

"Shahnaz was very selfish."

"No, love is selfish."

"Deep! Why doesn't my mind think like that?"

"To understand love, you have to experience it." (while holding the coffee cup)

Mixing her coffee, Naina said, "To experience love means I need a boyfriend. You probably know more about that."

"Are you guys a couple? Come on." (controlling laughter)

Naina asked in surprise, "How?"

"There's no fire between you two."

"Fire? Should I carry a lighter?"

"No, friend, Aahan's eyes show love, but I don't know about your eyes; you always seem lost, like in a daydream."

"Confusion reigns in my life."

"Clear it before my brother's heart gets more attached. What should I do for the fire? Any tips?"

"I don't know; I read it in books."

"I saw it in movies." Naina said anxiously.

Meera laughed, "Chill. However, you both are, it's fine. Don't compare it too much to movies; reality is not like a movie."

"What happened to the friendship chapter? Find a new friend? Or did you forgive Shahnaz?"

"I forgave her. She wants to introduce me to her girlfriend, but I don't want to go alone. Will you come?"

"As a girlfriend?" (with a hesitant face after saying)

"No (Meera controlled her laughter), just as a friend. You're not homophobic either, and that's good to know."

"Thanks, but I had no intention of becoming your girlfriend. I mean, a fake girlfriend."

"It's okay, Naina; you don't need to explain. I know you are into boys."

"What does that mean?"

"You're straight."

"How do you know that?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"I don't know either. Since childhood, I haven't liked boys or girls. Then I saw Aahan; I found him cute. After that, I saw the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Hmm, I'm listening. Hmm, listening. You like girls too."

"No, not all girls, just one person. I think she's beautiful. I just call it a CRUSH; I don't love her."

"Oh, a crush. Amazing. Who's the lucky girl?"

"It's a secret."

Meera stood up, kissed Naina on the cheek, and said, "Trust me."

Naina was shocked for a while, then touched her cheek, smiled, and said, "I can't tell her name. She's my friend, so I don't want to hurt her."

"Okay, respect your privacy, but if she's more beautiful than me, I feel a bit jealous."

"One thing I don't understand, Meera. It's so difficult for you to make friends, but it took you just one second to be friends with me."

"Because you're cute. I can't help but smile when I see your face." (Meera said with a smile)

Naina looked at Meera, started smiling, and wanted to say something in her mind, but it came out of her mouth, "Cute!"

Meera raised her eyebrows and said, "More than your crush?"

Naina stood up and said, "Enough, we won't talk about her anymore. Aahan is everything to me."

"Okay, sorry. Let's go."

Meera dropped Naina off at her home. Meera was sitting in the car, the windows closed, and she started crying loudly. It seemed like a burden she had been carrying for days had finally lifted. She gathered a lot of courage to share this with someone else, but she had tried several times before, and her tongue always slipped in front of Naina. Finally, she succeeded, and she felt as if she could fly in the sky. She smiled and parked the car, went home, and fell asleep.

When Aahan woke up to go to school, he saw that Meera was still not awake. It was 5 a.m. in the morning.

"Dee is sleeping so peacefully, with a big smile on her face. I'll take her picture and send it to Naina."

Naina saw the picture and said, "She looks so cute, sleeping like a child today."

Aahan replied, "I wish you're always in her life. It's happening because of your friendship; otherwise, where would she meet anyone?"

Naina said, "You're such a good brother."

"You're such a good friend. Thank you for bringing a smile to my sister's face."

"Enough, stop being an idiot. See you at school. Bye."

Naina smiled and plugged her phone in to charge it before having breakfast.