The date she had promised Vaibhav was looming near. As she stood in front of the mirror, Shweta marveled at how things had been when she had stood in front of the mirror almost two months ago. How nervous she had been and how it had felt as though her world were going to fall apart any minute and she had no choice but to fall apart along with it. She had been so convinced that it was doomsday and now; her world was intact. Almost as intact as it had been in the first place except for two little fractures; one of which she was terrified to fix and the other she didn't know-how.
Shweta hadn't still apologized to Riddhi despite wanting to know because she knew that the accusations that she had flung on Riddhi had not just been unkind. Those were not the kind of things that friends told each other and any friend who did that was not one. The more she thought about it, the guiltier it made her feel, and thus she had wrapped it up and placed it in the furthest corner of her head.
Shruti would be returning today for college now that her summer break was over. The house was in a frenzy with Seema fussing over every little thing that Shruti left around the house. Their mother had taken a leave knowing full well that if she left Shruti to pack on her own she would end up leaving ninety percent of the things that she was supposed to take. While their mother and Shruti ran around the house looking for purple t-shirts that had magically disappeared and charger cords that seemed to sneak out of the bags on their own, Shweta had been sent upstairs to pack Shruti's sneakers. Normally, when Shruti was leaving she felt a pang of envy and curiosity; wanting desperately to leave for college herself. To explore the whole new world that sat out there; beyond what was allowed in the periphery of her vision right now.
But today, that didn't bother her. Today was the day when the date she had promised Vaibhav would happen. Her mother had returned her phone to her and with some quick calculation, Shweta had managed to fix a good day for it. Seema would be busy with dropping Shruti at the airport, which was quite far since they lived in the outskirts, she wouldn't be home for a good seven hours. This wasn't just because the airport was far but because Seema normally waited for Shruti to board the flight before she commenced on her way home. Today, Shweta selfishly prayed for her sister's flight to be delayed.
Having packed the sneakers and put them in the deepest corner of the suitcase, all of her belongings thrust into those three square-shaped boxes, Shruti was finally ready to leave for college. Her earphones dangling from one end of her pocket while she held her phone in her hand, looking for her ticket one last time at Seema's behest. She had forgotten to carry her Aadhar card and that led the three to scramble into the house one last time. Finally, having found the Aadhar card, the ticket safe and snug; Shruti was truly ready to leave.
"I might be late," Seema warns Shweta as the early afternoon sun falls into their faces.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Shweta says, a little too eagerly and Shruti throws her a knowing look.
"Bye, Shweta. Have a good, good day!" She sings as she hugs Shweta and the latter pinches her making her squeal.
"Safe journey." She says, glaring at her sister as she helps their mother load the suitcases.
"Shruti, I hope you've packed everything. I don't want you making me return when we're halfway across the city." Seema says and Shruti nods her head hurriedly.
"Don't open the door to strangers!" Seema warns Shweta, as she revs the car, and Shruti waves her final goodbye.
"Bye!" Shweta exclaims as the car begins moving. "I won't."
Except she had no intention to keep the promise at all. Shweta and Vaibhav's idea of a romantic date wasn't really feasible or practical. What had initially begun as a plan for a nice meal at a café had been discarded hurriedly for the fear of nosy aunts and uncles who always seemed to walk around the area as they 'accidentally bumped' into the neighborhood children who were on dates. Movie halls didn't seem like a very good idea either; two hours of staying silent when all they wanted to do was talk. And kiss. They didn't want to risk being thrown out of the movie hall.
So, as they ran out of plans for conventional dates, they had come up with a new one. A movie date at Shweta's house. A white bedsheet that was to act as the screen had been neatly ironed the day before and a tiny yellow projector that did the rounds of an advertisement on both their Instagram feed had been ordered for and had arrived. Instant popcorn packets were ready and now all Shweta needed to do was prepare the setup and get dressed.
She had initially planned for the setup to be in the spacious living room but she went against the idea when she how the sunlight infiltrated the room; not very ideal for a movie date. Besides she wanted it to look like one of those pretty pictures on Pinterest with fairy lights and such. It felt a bit personal and intimate, inviting him into her bedroom but she decided to go with it. Besides, she would be lying if she said that she didn't feel the thrill at the thought of him in the room. Normally, her creativity was limited to drawing stick men on the edges of the margins of her Classmate notebooks during a particularly boring class. That, and filling in the comics with her pen that was printed at the end of the notebook.
But today as she struggled to place the sheet against the wall and string the fairy lights on the little cushioned space she made for them, she was proud of her outcome. With tiny cushions that she had grabbed from the living room, she had made a seating area, overhead which she had managed to dangle the fairy lights. The screen was ready and when she had connected the projector she looked around with triumph. The screen displayed the red Netflix emblem and when she pulled the curtains, the vision was even more pronounced. A little burst of excitement ran up her spine in anticipation of the date, the darkness, and the movie which would most likely go unwatched.
Finally, having dressed, applied a bit of make-up and winged eyeliner that Jameela Jamil would be proud of, she carelessly took a mouthful of popcorn and then grumbled as she realized that she got all of the dust on her carefully done lipstick. While she stood in front of the mirror, trying to carefully wipe off the dust without wiping off her lipstick, the bell rang.
The butterflies in her belly that had only been flying every once in a while, now seemed to have all awakened as they fluttered as shivers of anticipation ran in her body. Running downstairs, forgetting to throw the wet tissue and grasping it in her hand, she opened the door.
Looking just as charming as the day she had first seen him, his hair only a bit longer and falling into his eyes, was Vaibhav. And he had flowers.
"For you." He says, his eyes earnest and serious as he looked at her; making her feel as though she were melting.
"Thank you." She whispered- all of the witty repertoires she had planned in her head fading away as though they had never existed in the first place.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" He says, a single eyebrow raised slightly proud of his effect on her.
"Yes. Yes, of course." Shweta fumbled as she took the flowers from him and shut the door behind them.
"You look beautiful." He says, his right hand snaking from behind her and drawing her against his chest.
"You don't look bad yourself." She smirks, as she feels his hot breath against her neck; his mouth lowering to kiss her there. Throwing caution to the wind, she tilts her neck wanting to feel his lips against her skin. And when he does; she realizes how much she had missed him. His presence, tangible and touchable. It was as though the contact had made her doubly aware of his presence and when he pulls her closer to him, sucking the skin; the sensation a delight, she knows he feels it too.
"We have to stop." She says after a while and he pauses; "We have a movie to watch." She tells him, even though that is the last thing she wants to.
"Ah, damn it." He says, making her giggle at his impatience. "And just to be clear", she turns around to face him says the thing that had been bothering her about the date. "We are not going to be having sex."
"I know." He nods. "You haven't gotten your period, have you?" He asks.
"No. Not yet. And I don't want another pregnancy scare. The last one was brutal enough." She shudders.
"Well." He says, as he licks his lips and his gaze focusing on hers, "It's a good thing that kissing doesn't cause pregnancy."
"A very good thing indeed." Shweta agrees, as he lowers his lips against hers, pulling him close against her.
Somehow, they manage to detangle themselves, hearts pacing and smiles gracing lips that sat on faces with blushing cheeks. "Don't you want to come up?" Shweta asks, an inviting smile on her lips and Vaibhav laughs," Teasing me, are we?"
"No." She says, "I've got the set-up planned upstairs."
"The set-up?" He asks, confused. "What?"
"The set-up for the movie, idiot." She says, lovingly brushing the hair off his eyes.
"Oh, that." He says, still looking confused as if he'd forgotten all the endless text messages, he had received from Shweta about a projector that was so cute that she had decided that she wouldn't be moving forward in life without it.
When he enters her bedroom, his eyes widen. It's a lot to take in and he takes a step back. "Wait, this is your bedroom." He says, looking a bit panicky.
"I know. Where did you think I had planned the set-up?" Shweta asks him, turning back to look at the adorably confused look on his face.
"Um, I don't know. I thought you had a TV room or something." He says, still eyeing the bedroom dubiously.
"I'm not going to bite," Shweta says, unable to hold her smile.
"I wouldn't have a problem if you did." He says, smirking. "But we don't want you getting pregnant. Are you sure that the bedroom is the only place that we can watch the movie?"
"You seem to have a huge problem with my bedroom," Shweta says, pretending to be affronted.
"Well, the last time we were in one together a lot of chaos ensued for you." He says, the concern in his eyes melting her.
"This time, it won't," Shweta says softly, walking over to him. "I promise." She says, standing on her tiptoes brushing her lips against his gently. She steps back; having meant for it to just be a peck on his lips. But he had misread the situation, his eyes flutter open a second later; having not received the kiss he had been anticipating.
"You closed your eyes." She remarks, stupidly unable to wipe the grin off her face. It warmed her heart to see him so very much in love with her; just as much as she was with him.
"Well." He says, smiling awkwardly and then he smirks, "You're a dream."
This is too much for Shweta and she pushes against him, in the doorway still, as she kisses him the emotions pouring into her too much to take. It felt overwhelming, terrifying even to be loved so much. To be seen, to be heard with such clarity. What if it just made the absence unbearable when it left?
Vaibhav seems to feel the same, her only consolation is that he wants her with the same maddening desire and certainty with which she wants him.
"We have a movie to watch." Vaibhav reminds her breathlessly, as they break away from the kiss.
"Why did this have to a movie date?" Shweta groans and Vaibhav laughs, pulling her into the room.
"Because we can't have you running the risk of pregnancy." He says, flopping into the seat that Shweta had made and nodding his head in approval at her hard-work. "This looks wonderful. You went through an awful lot of trouble."
"Don't I always when I'm around you?" Shweta muses as he pulls her onto his lap, both his arms wrapping protectively around her.
"Why do you?" His voice slightly muffled by her hair as he places a kiss on her cheek.
"Because." She sighs, her voice the sweetest thing he'd heard all afternoon, "You're worth it."