Riya

I looked at the ticking clock again, my red-painted nails tapping on the desk. Usually, I was not this obsessed with the clock. But today, I couldn't wait for the day to end. Guilt was creeping up on me again.

I was rethinking the events of the morning.

Maybe I did step on some boundaries. But I only wanted to save him from the trouble he kept getting into these days. His angry face flashed in my mind again and again.

Relationships were delicate things. Whether it's family or friends, they needed careful tending. Losing a relationship meant losing a part of the mosaic that was you. Little disagreements chipped away at till there was nothing left of that relationship. The thought that it might happen because of a person, who I didn't even know, was eating my insides.

The clock struck, and the bell rang. I gathered my books inside my tote bag in a hurry, so I could catch Dhruv before he left.

Dhurv was a year ahead of me. Our fathers were brothers, and we were neighbors. Anger was not an emotion that he showed often. With his dimples and curls, he was a softy at heart. He would jump around and make everyone smile. Then, he got into college and joined the football team. After that, fights and anger were constant in his life. I would never understand the aggression that came with the game. Was that a mandatory thing? Was any of this mandatory?

I started walking to the ground, hoping to catch him. All of this made me anxious. I wish Siya were here with me. She would have easily handled anything that life threw in her way. I was not like that. I wish I were.

There was a smell of rain in the air. I thought the rain was done with us. But not.

I reached there but found the field empty. Half of the football team probably got suspended. Hence, the empty field. I closed my eyes in frustration. Taking a deep breath, I took my phone out and started looking for his contact. My fingers hovered above the call option and wondered if he would pick up when I felt someone behind me.

I turned around and came face to face with Abhay.

Abhay had a presence. Not the presence that lit the room. But the heavy one that made every hair on your body aware of its presence. The one that made you aware of your slowing breath. In and out. The lethargic breath would start to feel suffocating as if the air was not enough, and you had to part your lips ever so slightly to get the much-needed air.

The universe liked to play tricks with me, I guess. This morning I was wondering if I should stay far away from this person and now he stood in front of me in his grey T-shirt and blue jeans that fit him too perfectly.

"He's not here," he said in his husky voice, and I flinched.

"Huh?" Came my genius reply to his words as I tried to ignore the fact that I jumped at his voice.

"Dhruv. He's not here," he repeated as he ruffled his wet hair. He might have been coming from the gym.

How did he know I was looking for Dhruv? Wrong question to ask. I nodded, ready to get away from his perfume. What was it?

"And next time, don't jump in between our stuff. Unless you want to get some punches to your face." He turned around, ready to leave.

"How about you stop your stupidity before someone dies." He stopped in his tracks.

Anger makes you do things you should not do and say things that you -the calm you- would not approve of. Or maybe Siya and Ruhi's attitude was rubbing off on me. They would be excited to hear what I did today.

"Stupidity you say?" He tilted his head a bit. His calm demeanor made me grit my teeth for a second.

"Everyone knows why these fights keep happening." I tried to copy his calmness. But inside, panic spread through my veins. I could feel my legs shaking a bit. Confrontation did not come easy to me. Especially to a notorious troublemaker of my college.

"And why is that?"

"Because you can not fix your familial problems like normal human beings at home."

"How about you watch your tongue?" His demeanor might have been calm, but the hint of an unmistakable threat made my heartbeat echo in my ears.

I pursed my lips. I wish I could say I had a proper response for that. But that didn't happen. I could not come up with a sentence after that.

I liked to believe in the existence of a sixth sense in humans. The one that alerted us to the dangers. The one that triggered our fight or flight response. Siya and Ruhi both chose to fight every time. But I chose flight because even his light threat scared me. I did not want to make an enemy out of a guy who could probably get out unscathed even after murdering someone. Money and power was another game that I wasn't a part of.

I stepped back a bit, trying to mask the fear. "Then don't give me unsolicited advice."

I started walking away. I walked far away from that dirtbag until I was out of his sight. Then I stopped and took some much-needed breath, and tried to calm myself.

I covered my eyes for a while, cringing at my reaction to him. It wasn't even some intense conversation, but I almost shook like a leaf in a storm. My phone was still in my hand, and I contemplated if I should call Dhruv now or not. I decided against calling him and went home.

A drop of rain fell on my cheeks. I looked up and the tiny droplets turned into a drizzle.

And now I couldn't even enjoy the drizzle because of our interaction.

My thoughts lingered on the fact that for the second time, I was left feeling like punching something after an interaction with Abhay.

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Do you guys have any good comebacks?