[20] Love Triangle
1216 Words
We stood like that for forty-two seconds. I didn't count but my guilt and pain were attacking at such a huge rate, I felt agitated. I felt pained. I felt bad.
He was doing this, wasn't he?
He was hurting all of us.
With such wrong. With such bittersweet lies.
"You-u-u..."
I stammered, weeping out my eyes like a loser.
For what reason, I didn't know.
"You loser!"
I screeched the moment his eyes met mine. The red cheeky imprint remained stern on his right cheek, as his face lifted to meet my gaze. I didn't flinch, instead stood with my palm in mid-air, guilty as hell for having committed the worst.
"You-u-u-"
"It's nothing big, Fami.....It's what happens when truth pains another..."
I bit my lower lip.
What the f**k is he saying?
Me and Harith...is what?
"You have to get things right before beating the s**t out of me"
With those words and leaving no space for my stammered, he turned around, and took the platter of dry figs from the table, and stormed off outside. I stood, stunned and shocked by both my and his actions. Was that true?
If yes, then how am I responsible? The slap, of course.
And him? The misunderstanding.
I fell on my knees, fed up, and felt my weird tears trickle down in the speed of rain drops.
"What difference do such misunderstandings make to us, FAHIM! How can you be such a creep and hurt me more? HURT YOURSELF MORE?-"
The bed's creak zipped my lips.
I looked up, to see the third person of our fight sitting on the bed. In a blue hoodie and loose shorts, he sat cross-legged, with a bowl of strawberries in his hands. His face was washed and so was his hair; testimony to those dripping water drops he failed to towel.
The countenance said he had heard everything,
Or at least a lot of it.
"You are not wrong"
I sighed and fell on the floor, confused.
Nibbling my nails, my eyes traced to him, who was keenly staring at me.
"Harith?'
"Hmm?'
"There is nothing like that right?"
"What?"
I met his eyes. They were clear and transparent like he had no idea. However, it felt hard to read him. Being this joker who joked around and messed with others' lives and played his life into silly jokes, he was so hard to comprehend at times. It wasn't easy to juggle him and make him speak his heart.
To be precise, he had never done it except for once at the canteen, though it was so full of jokes, I hadn't paid attention to the serious matters so much.
"Like between us....", I switched two fingers between him and me. My eyes were gawking at him, as he stared into my eyes. Puppy eyes.
"What difference will anything make?'
I was so shocked by that!
Had he actually said that?
I got up, fumbling,
"Harith, you gotta be kidding me!"
He shook his head, seriously,
"I'm all good and undrunk, Famisha. And it makes no sense to even hear that from you"
I sighed, confused.
Maybe it's how he had meant.
"Okay...so there is nothing..right? Can't you say a yes or no? I mean, then it would be easier for me to confirm...", I bent my head, embarrassed by this interrogation. It was silly, and a fight was making me do this. To a friend. To a supporter.
"What is this? Am I missing out on something? Some joke?", he laughed and sipped out of the Frooti. The same one I had left halfway when Fahim barged in.
I stared at him. He was too cool to be serious.
"Harith, you know....like...I don't know. I don't know why I'm doing this to you"
"Okay. So stop then"
I nodded and sighed,
"Sorry, but can't you just tell me?"
"Of something that is never there?", he smirked again and sipped more from the drink. Right, he was goddamn right.
What was I even calculating?
"Yeah?"
"Yeah..", I sighed and shadowed myself across him. Falling on the bed, I picked up the Frooti and slurped it up, only to find it more empty.
"UgH!"
"Sorry, lol!", he laughed loudly and got up. Then digging his hands into those large pockets, he smiled,
"You wanna go out tomorrow?"
"Where?", I grabbed the strawberries.
"Someplace! Let's ask Fahim to come along too! After coming to Khairan, shouldn't be taking us to places that are a hit here?"
Exasperated, I barked,
"Why? It's not like he does any good thing!!!"
I bit off the strawberries sepals and crunched it hard, in agony. Harith cleared his throat,
"OK. Then how about me and you? Shall we roam around a bit?'
I met his gaze. He wasn't averting his gaze or anything. Simply holding my glimpse until there was no more to it.
"Umm..you wanna?"
"Yeah! Then what?"
I nibbled my nails along with the strawberry.
God! What should I say?
If I go out with him, then there will be fire to understandings...
I mean....what is going on?
Why so much pressure?
"It's okay if you don't wanna go...I just thought...", his voice lit up, breaking this undesired silence. I met his stare, and then shook my head,
"Hey! It's not that...It's not you and me... it's like..you know..ugh! ..i don't"
He put up a palm, walking closer,
"It's okay! I get it! Give me a high five!"
His palm in mid-air, and that wide grin.
My mind broke for refusing him of my time.
I mean, why do that when Fahim wasn't anybody of mine?
Why should I let him control me?!
"High five?"
I nodded and gave him a straight one. For a second, our hands met.
His turned hot and mine, utter numb and cold.
"Umm...Harith, I can explain if you want"
He shook his head and those fingers away,
"It's fine...I did get so much of it. But it's better you forget anything that happened. It is;t doing you any good, as I see"
I looked down, guilty.
His concern for me.
It was the danger.
But how could I ask a friend who had been only there for me, throughout this dangerous circumstance to stop being concerned and worried?
"Harith, I can ..."
"No need."
He stopped the conversation with a sigh.
"You ate, right?"
I nodded, hanging my head.
He smiled and lifted my chin, then offered a smile,
"Hey, hey, snap out of it! I mean, throughout it must be a bad day. But know that, I wanted you to get some fresh air with the outside. Sorry okay?"
"No it's not that..", I wept a bit.
He shook his head and wiped off my tears, more worried. I felt his arms curl around my back, and so did mine to his. We hugged.
"It's okay", he said, caressing my hair; something not even Fahim had done yet.
"I..I.."
"No need. Take a rest. Let's enjoy tomorrow in his ancestral house! Shouldn't we enjoy?"
I nodded and buried my face in his neck.
The hug I needed the most.
And my crush hadn't given to me.
Instead, a good friend had.
Maybe I should have known, that's where the trouble started.
The trouble of a love triangle.
- Writer
