Anika
As the day starts to wind down, I look at the pile of books and papers I have to go through tonight and somehow, I feel my blood pressure rising. Emily looks at me curiously as we pile into the car. "So, what are your plans for tonight?"
I sigh exasperatedly as I fling my books into the back of the car. "Study, study, study... oh, and did I mention, study?"
Emily chuckles to herself. "Ani, you should catch a break. Go to a party or even get a hookup."
"God, I wish," I mumble to myself. "My dad's just been so hard on me lately. Every time I take a break from reading chapters or writing long ass essays, he proceeds to lecture me on how I should study more often and that my grades are slipping, which they're really not," I roll my eyes.
Emily looks out of the window as I reverse out of the parking lot. "It'll be okay." She looks at me and a smirk appears on her face. "But remind me how you were able to sneak out of the house and go to that party that one night where you... ya know?" She wriggles her eyebrows.
I snort. "I didn't sneak out."
"Wait, what?" she screeches. "Then how the hell did you even get out of the house."
"I basically convinced my dad to let me go," I start to explain. "I was dressed in a super tight hourglass dress and he looked at me up and down and was like," I deepen my voice, "'Anika Desai, why are you dressed like that?' and I was like 'um, because I'm going to a party, and you're going to let me go,' and I looked at him dead straight in the eyes until he flinched and he finally said, 'fine, but be back at curfew.'"
Emily breaks out into heinous laughter as he claps her hands together. "Jesus, Ani! What a classic!"
A smile appears on my face as I merge into the main road. I've been dropping off Emily at her house every day, since her parents haven't really trusted her yet with a car. Not only doesn't she have one, but she drives insanely. She's gotten at least thirty tickets, five accidents and ran at least ten red lights. I'm super surprised her license hasn't gotten suspended yet.
And then Tyler picks her up every morning and I drop her off, because what are friends for?
I arrive in front of Emily's small townhouse in about five minutes. As she packs her materials up, she says to me, "Let me know how the whole Shaurya Roy Situation goes," she winks.
"I'll let you know," I roll my eyes as Emily gets out of the car. "See you later, babe!" She blows a kiss at me and I pretend to catch it.
Once Emily goes inside of her house, I sigh as I set the car in drive and go to my house. I let the windows roll down as my loose hair starts to smack me all over my face. The sun beats down on my face, since the sun always shines here in Oakland. Although, it has been getting a bit chilly since September is right around the corner, so looks like I'm gonna have to pull my winter clothes out any time by now.
About a couple of minutes later, I reach my house. The birds chirp and the trees sway in the distance as I grab my books from the back of the car and slam the car door shut. I feel sort of happy, since my father isn't usually home at this time, due to work. He works possibly every day 9-10pm and is stressed, as if he isn't all the time. Also due to the fact that we're on a money crunch, since my father got suspended from his old job-- which really paid off our bills-- because he had 'anger management issues' and proceeded to yell at every customer that approached him. I really don't blame him for that, though, because my mom had passed away two months prior.
My father wasn't always so uptight and strict. When my mother was still alive, we were a happy and loving family. And it's pretty safe to redeem that my father was, in fact, nice. But the day we saw my mom passed out in the bath tub and the fact that we had to rush her to the hospital and found out that she had cancer... well, since then, my father has been a living hell. I guess it was because he got stressed with all the hospital bills that popped in and out every single month, and also the fact that I was entering UCLA and growing up right before his eyes.
I open the front door and take a quick sniff of the home-like aroma filling my senses. My house is not the most massive home out there, but it's enough to make me feel safe. My father has been really financially stressed lately that there was no way that I would be able to live in a dorm or even afford my own apartment. Even with the job I do, also known as being a barista at Starbucks, it's still not enough to pay off my schooling. And I won't even have time to squeeze in another job because I'm just so drenched in schoolwork.
My feet immediately lead me to my small, yet very relaxing room. I place my books on my small bed and plant my butt on the mattress, intentionally feeling my eyes droop with intense fatigue. Sleep has been very minimum on me lately, due to the excessive amount of work I have left to do, so basically I've been walking around like a zombie on crack.
As I empty out the contents from my bag, my phone escapes from it and I feel my heart racing. I got Shaurya's number today! My mind races to the exact moment when Shaurya held my phone with his hands as he gently typed his number. I have to admit, I was drooling over his luscious hair.
Should I text him, though? One part of me urges to text him; you only live once! But the other part of me yearns to not text him. Besides, he's probably a complete player, like, I bet he goes to parties every weekend and flirts with girls like me, gets their numbers, and completely ghosts them in the next week.
Exasperatedly sighing, my head hits my pillow as I lay my hands on my chest. My hair flares around me as I feel my mind swirling around with complete random and time-consuming thoughts. As my eyes start to waver to the emotional picture of me and my mother placed on my bedside table, I feel tears brimming in my eyes. Every single day and every single moment, I always find some time to think about her and worship the legacy she left behind.
My mother was very soft-hearted and down to earth. She always supported me in whatever I did, and she was the only one who knew that I wanted to become an author, basically ever since I was a little kid. My father, on the other hand, wanted me to become whatever a typical Indian father wants their kid to become: doctor, engineer, or lawyer. Yet, my mother's obligations were so powerful he soon pattered down on his wishing for me becoming something he wanted me to become and started to slowly support me in what I did.
I immediately shake my head in despair, sniffling. But all of that unconditional love and support is gone. Because Mom is gone.
And now I've got nothing.
Shaurya
"Dude, our Chinese takeout is here, and you better get the HELL up or you bet your ass I'm about to eat all of your noodles!"
With no hesitation I gloriously throw the nearest pillow at the door as Nathan's screechy voice fills the room. He yelps as the pillow lands on him and he flings it back at me as it hits my torso. I groan and my eyes fling open with anger. "What the hell, dude?" I moan. "Let me sleep."
"Works for me," Nathan smirks. "Your noodles are mine! MWAHAHAHA!"
As he starts to walk away, I screech, "Wait! Okay, just hold up a second, I'm coming!" Nathan lifts his eyebrows at me and tilts his head as he slowly steps out of the room, prancing down the hallway. "Just don't eat my freaking noodles," I mutter.
Sitting up, I rub my head as I feel a faint headache coming on the way. I'm getting pretty much used to getting headaches at least once or twice a week mainly due to the immense amount of pressure my father's been hurling at me. Yawning, my feet lift me up as I trudge to the kitchen.
Delicious Chinese food fills the air as Nathan sits on the sofa, finding a movie to watch Netflix. "Hey, bro, what do you wanna watch today? Horror, mystery, adventure, or," he turns to me and wriggles his eyebrows, "romaaaance?"
"Don't even think about putting on a romance movie, I'm too single for that," I groan, plopping myself on the couch. Warm Chinese noodles are placed in a bowl in front of me as I gently place the bowl on the coffee table. "Put on horror," I suggest.
"Alrighty," Nathan nods his head and puts on Hush.
For the next one hour and twenty one minutes, Nathan and I interface only two emotions: either extreme fear or the intense longing to shit in our pants. An unholy girl shriek escapes from my mouth as I almost fling my noodles up on the ceiling while the scary ass mask-faced dude pops up on the screen and chases around the poor woman. Meanwhile, Nathan has basically lost his appetite as his bowl of noodles are on the coffee table, and he is currently in fetal position, rocking back and forth as he mumbles profanities to himself.
Once the movie credits start rolling in (thank GOD) I suddenly feel a huge wave of relief as I take a deep breath. "Remind me again," Nathan gasps, "Why the hell you suggested to watch a horror movie?"
"Well," I sigh, looking at him intently, "You were the one who agreed to the suggestion."
Nathan glares at me, then a look of defeat wavers on his face. "Touché."
After watching Hush, we then decide to watch a comedy movie, so Nathan puts on Mall Cop. Now, that movie was much more easy to watch than Hush because, well, we weren't cowering in fear. Instead, we were laughing our butts off until we felt tears falling down our cheeks. Paul Blart never fails to humor us.
The movie credits for Mall Cop appear on the screen and we realize that it is currently 10 o' clock. Nathan and I take a deep breath and take our dishes to the sink and wash them. Then, I start to go back to the living room, but Nathan suddenly grabs me by the shoulder. "Uh, uh, uh..." he raises his eyebrows. "Now, where do you think you're going?"
"Uhmm..." I awkwardly look at the living room and point back to it. "The living room...?"
"Okay," Nathan nods his head. "But don't you wanna grab something before you go?" Nathan slowly moves his eyes to the fridge and I look at him with utter disbelief. "No, dude. Not tonight."
"Aw, c'mon!" he whines. "Just a teensy-bit?"
"Nope."
"Not even a teeny-weeny bit?"
"Don't even think about it."
"Not even a single ounce?"
"Nathan, that's literally impossible."
"Fine. Then I'm texting the girl you were walking out with at literature that you are oh-so deeply in love with her and that you want to take her to bed immediately-- IMMEDIATELY, I TELL YOU-- and that you want to rip her dress off of her sexy body--"
"Okay, okay!" I shriek. I glare at him as I fling open the refrigerator door and pull out a huge bottle of vodka. "Yes!" Nathan whoops. "That's my boy!" He pats me on the back as I roll my eyes at him. I'd rather drink a whole bunch of vodka with a headache on the side than have Nathan embarrassingly text the girl I may like.
What? I said I may like.
I walk over to the living room with a bottle of vodka and two glasses cradled in my hands and see that Nathan is standing by the sliding glass doors that lead to our small balcony. "Hey, you ready for our Drink and Dump Session?" he asks.
A Drink and Dump Session is basically something Nathan and I have created at the beginning of freshmen year. Basically, once a week, Nathan and I sit at the balcony and get drunk off of a whole bunch of vodka and pour our feelings out to each other. May it be girl problems or school issues, whatever it is, we pour it out.
Literally.
"You betcha," I reply.
I step out into the cool air, letting the breeze lift me away. The sound of lake filters into my ears, casting me away into a peaceful aura. Nathan and I sit in our lounge chairs as I pop open the vodka bottle. Then, I take the glasses and pour the vodka out into them and Nathan immediately snatches the glass away and sets it to his lips as he chugs it all down in one go. "Damn," I chuckle. "I'm guessing you have a lot to talk about--"
"It's Emma," he moans, taking the vodka bottle and pouring some remnants into his glass. "She's all I can think about."
"I see that," I acknowledge him taking another quick chug. "But, dude, nothing's gonna happen if you don't, you know, step up."
"I know," he whines, looking at the view in front of us as he looks at the vodka bottle. "Aren't you gonna drink?"
"Nah," I shake my head. "Not right now. But continue."
Nathan nods his head. "Yeah, I just... dude, I've just liked her for so long and I'm hopeless. So freaking hopeless," he mutters. "I can't just be friends with her or I'm gonna go crazy, as if I'm not already."
"Just take a deep breath," I start to explain as I see Nathan chugging another bit. "As I've said before, just simply ask her out."
"It's not that easy," he interferes. "If it was, I would've done that already. And besides, that's easy for you to say."
"How come?" I question, scrunching my brows.
"Because," he mumbles, "You're Shaurya-this and Shaurya-that. You don't have to worry about financial issues or how to ask a girl out or when to ask her out or worry about your looks or anything, because you already have all of that," he finishes.
"Dude," I take a deep breath. "Trust me, there's way more to that. It's not as easy as it seems." And I'm not lying. So many people want to be me, and I honestly could not disagree with them any further. I've always wondered why everyone wants to be me, but as Nathan spills his thoughts to me, I finally found out.
"I don't know," he replies, shaking his head as he takes another sip. "I just want her, dude. I want her to be my girlfriend. To be the bearer of my children." I raise my eyebrows and he looks at me as if he couldn't believe he said that either. "Yeah, I know. It's that bad," he whispers.
I lean back, letting the cool air hit my face, my hair wavering around. "Do you love her?" I ponder.
Nathan looks at me and suddenly takes a deep breath. "I mean, yeah... I guess."
I glare at him. "Nathan Landings, answer clearly. Do you love Emma Abbott, or not?"
Nathan's face softens and a smirk suddenly appears on his impish face. "Yeah... yes, hell yes!"
"Say it louder," I smile, chuckling a little. "Yell it to the roof tops."
"Now, dude, I'm not so sure about that--"
"YELL IT!"
"Okay, fine!" He yelps and immediately runs to the railing. Then, he peers out, closing his eyes as he blurts out, "I love you, Emma Abbott! I love you! I love you! I love you!"
I burst out laughing and Nathan joins in on me, crouching forward. "Oh, God! That was crazy!"
I nod my head in agreement, smiling like a lunatic. Then, we sit back down once we have settled, and I take a quick look at the vodka bottle. "It's your turn," Nathan sing songs, poking my arm.
"Okay, okay," I mumble. Then, I grab the glass and quickly pour the vodka. Afterwards, I place the glass to my lips, close my eyes and tilt my head back, letting the alcohol come into my mouth. My insides immediately start to burn and I scrunch my eyes close. "Oh, God," I rasp out. "That's... that's some strong shit."
"Tell me about it," Nathan smiles.
I take a deep breath and lean back, taking another quick sip. My heart rate starts to fasten and I feel my mind swirling with rapturous feelings and I close my eyes. "I've been feeling stressed lately."
Nathan looks at me as if he's urging me to carry on. I take a deep breath. "My dad's been up my ass lately, as if he's secretly gotten some security camera drilled in me when I was born." I quickly chug down the remaining of my drink and lurch forward to pour some more. "And it's annoying as hell. I'm a freaking adult now. I can make my own decisions, date whoever I want to date, and be whatever I want to be." The words escape from my mouth from no filter, but I don't care. I can't keep lying to Nathan. I have to tell him the truth.
"What do you mean?" Nathan questions.
"What I mean is," I sigh, leaning back to take a few sips, "My father wants me to become a businessman, but I don't want to."
"What?" Nathan looks at me with confusion as his eyes are widened. "What are you talking about?"
"I don't want to become a businessman, Nathan," I start to explain. "I want to... Okay. My father has been wanting me to become once since I was a little kid. I just kind of went along with it first, because I was a kid. I didn't even know who I was," I sigh. "But, as I got older, a bit of light got shone on me and I finally found out what I truly wanted to become in the future. Unfortunately, every time I brought up to my father that I wanted to go in the different field, he got so... pissed," I frown. "He was just so adamant for me to go do something business-like and just remain there, yet he never had the audacity to ask what I wanted to do, not what he wanted me to do."
"Dude..." Nathan ponders, looking solemnly at his glass. Then, his sad eyes look up at me. "Why didn't you tell me? You know we're bros; you can tell me anything."
"I know," I grumble. "And I'm sorry. I just... I don't know."
Nathan presses his lips together in a thin line and sighs. "It's okay. I get it, you know? Parents are very pressurizing. They just won't get our generation," he explains. He looks at me with concern. "But... what do you want to become?"
I gulp, feeling my legs shake with anxiety. Nathan's the second person to ask me what I wanted to become.
I look at him intensely and take a deep breath. "Artist." I bite my lip. "I want to become an artist."
Nathan opens his mouth in surprise as a light chuckle escapes from him. "Bro, that's..." a wide smile appears, "That's so amazing!" He pats my back and I smile. "Yeah, I guess."
"Don't 'I guess' me," he rolls his eyes. "You need to appreciate your talents. And I bet you have plenty of that in artistry," he winks.
A smile spreads on my lips. "Yeah. Definitely," I chuckle.
"But, honestly," he raises his eyebrows, "Pursue in your talents, Shaurya. Don't let anyone hold you back."
"Not even my father?" I blurt out.
"Not even your father," Nathan immediately replies. "It's your life for a reason, man. Live it. Pursue it. And dream it."
I grin, shaking my head with laughter. "Damn. Since when have you turned into Martin Luther King Jr?"
"That's what bros are for," he smirks. "Giving Matin Luther King Jr-like speeches."
I nod my head in agreement, crossing my arms over my chest. A quick burst of wind comes into the air, the trees swaying along in response. Nathan takes a deep breath and looks towards me. "Is that it for our Drink and Dump Session?"
"Yup, should be," I quickly start to sit up, knowing exactly what he's about to bring up. Anika.
"Nuh-uh," he rapidly shakes his head, gesturing me to sit down. I groan and place my butt on the lounge chair. "I know we got one more topic to discuss," he winks.
"Uh, not really," I reply, taking a sip.
"Uh, yes," he replies. "Now... what's gonna on with you and your boo?"
"First of all," I pause, "She's not my boo."
"But you wish she was--"
"And second of all," I emphasize, "Nothing's really going on between us. We're just... talking. That's all."
"Interesting," Nathan strokes his chin. "And this girl's the same girl you were grinding against at that club, am I correct?"
"Nathan," I grumble. "We were drunk."
"Doesn't matter," he sing songs. "You guys are so in love with each other, but you guys are so oblivious to that matter."
"We are not," I lie. "I'm telling you. She's..." I take a deep breath. "She's way better than me."
"That may be correct," he nods his head, "Because your stupid ass is not admitting that you like her!"
I take a deep breath. "Okay, you wanna know the truth?" Nathan rapidly nods his head and I sigh. "The truth is... the night we shared together was magical, but that wasn't reality," I start to explain. "I don't even know her that well."
"Then get to know her," Nathan replies.
"I don't know," I grumble.
"Why not?" He leans forward. "She can be your rebound from Lexie."
"She's not a rebound, whatsoever," I hiss. "She's... she's way too special to be a rebound."
Nathan raises his eyebrows at me and lightly chuckles. "Dude... you like her way too much."
"I..." I gasp, "I do not!"
"Do too!" he fires back.
I roll my eyes. "Anyway, I... I'll have to see. It's only been two days. I'm gonna need more time to decide."
"Well, let me know what you figure out," he pats my back. "But right now, let's enjoy this beautiful weather and drink vodka like the stupid idiots we are." I laugh as he raises his glass and I raise mine. "To our poor livers," I toast.
"And to our shitty love lives," he finishes off. We both smile to each other and take a sip from our drinks.
*
A/N:
Please make sure to vote and comment!!
Wow, this was possibly the funnest chapter I have ever wrote, haha! Shaurya's friendship with Nathan is legit goals though :)
Also, let's see how Nathan's and Shaurya's shitty love lives progress! Stay tuned!
-Ru <3