Hey, you!
Have work and life been too hard on you lately? Then you definitely need to take a breather and do something relaxing. Like reading the story below! It’s got many fun elements like sarcastic humour, vivid imagery, subtle crush syndrome, meet-cute puppy-love vibes, minute references to B99, teenage girl drama, complaining about the “older” adults, etc. So grab a tub of popcorn and read on! I guarantee that this is going to be a fun ride for you!
Gentle reminder: The below text is a fictional story written by me. NOT a real life incident. Please don't text me asking if it's based on my own life. Because it's really, really NOT.
H’s Diary
Dear diary,
Hi! I’m back for yet another rant. I missed writing here, to be honest. I have missed spilling my guts out to you, with no inhibitions whatsoever. But I had no time to sit down and write about all the unbelievably interesting stuff going on in my life, until now. It was such a hectic couple of weeks, what with the exams, class presentations and the general existential crisis! But I’m back now, with much, much tea to spill! And it’s about a boy!!! (I’m practically dancing in my seat as I write this aah)
So much has happened and I want to tell you everything, especially about how great he smelled up close, but wait! No story, especially the good ones like this right here, should begin from the middle. So let’s go to the very top and I’ll explain everything to you, especially about how I ended up in an embrace with one of the most gorgeous men I’ve ever seen! (More internal screaming!)
So, it all started last Saturday, exactly a week before today..
After the week of internal exams at college, I was drained. My social battery was running low and I wasn’t much up for interacting with people, especially outdoors. So I had such great plans for my Saturday, like sleeping till noon, waking up to reels on Instagram, having breakfast at noon, taking a long shower by pre-evening, spending the rest of the day in bed, binge-watching Brooklyn Nine Nine, ordering in dinner despite mom’s protests and falling asleep with Jake’s goofy yet charming face still plastered to my eyelids, like a regular college going teen, you know.
But of course, my mother had different plans, for me and the rest of the family. She had invited over a bunch of people to celebrate Karthi’s new academic feat of clearing his CAT exams. (Stupid elder brother and his stupid studious brain, dammit!) Mom had invited a couple of my parents’ friends, some close & moderately annoying relatives, a few neighbours and the parents of some of Karthi’s friends. Oh, and all those people’s kids, who made the evening bearable.
Sometimes I think my extroverted mother simply wants an excuse to have people over. How did my introverted appa even fall for this woman 24 years ago?
Anyway, I was okay with all of this until around 10 a.m. that morning, which is when amma barged into my room, rattled my sleeping form and told me about the party, especially about the parts that involved the process of cleaning and decorating the house. BY ME!
I grumbled and tried to go back to sleep, but she kept turning off the fan and ranting about how lazy I had become. So I gave up, got out of bed and threw my original plan out the window.
For the rest of the day, I helped clean the house until it was spotless. I dusted, the maid akka swept. I wiped, she mopped. I decluttered and rearranged the items on the shelves. She rearranged the sofas and made the space look, well, more spacious. Then akka left and I did the decorations alone. Balloons, streamers and whatnot. As if my brother was a two-year-old and not a full-grown almost-22-year-old. But amma had insisted that the house look festive-y when she shoved the packet of balloons in my hand, on her way out the door to go shopping with Karthi, to get “new clothes for MBA”. Ugh.
Appa had taken care of the outside of the house. He had raked the garden, dusted the windows and doors, and washed the car. But why am I telling you all of this? This is NOT the main plot of this story! THE BOY is the main and only focus of THIS story. Maybe I am too, a little bit?
Okay, I’m gonna try and manoeuvre this rant toward him and me exclusively.
So around 4 in the evening, I took a second shower and this time, I had washed my hair, so the guests wouldn’t gag when I walked past them. The outfit I had picked out was simple - a long, white top with grey leggings. But when I walked into my room after the shower, I found a new shopping bag on my dressing table. Inside it was a simple, cute maroon dress with long sleeves. The dress was supposed to end at the knees, I guess. But against my 5’2 cuteness, it flowed down my knees and ended a few inches below.
“Amma?” I called out. No response. She was probably busy in the kitchen, making her excellent inippu paniyaram. I debated whether or not to put on the new dress. It was really cute, no doubt about that. Or about the fact that my mother wanted me to wear it for the evening. But I was always hesitant about trying on new clothes. What if I didn’t fit into it? What if I tore it in the process? Or worse, what if I got stuck and had to call mom for help?
But the dress was really pretty and very tempting. My mom knows that I am a sucker for maroon. Stupid cunning motherly love! URGH. (But still, all thanks to my mom & her excellent taste in clothes, for the wonders of that evening!)
First, I blow-dried my hair. Then cautiously, I put on the dress. I figured that it must be my size, since it adjusted to the shape of my body with no complaints. Then I walked into the kitchen to ask for amma’s help with the zipper on the back. She didn’t acknowledge the new dress at first. She helped me and went back to her cooking. As I was leaving though, she said, “Do you like the dress? I wasn’t planning on getting you anything today. But when we saw it in the store, Karthi said that we had to get it for you. I know that you’ve been asking for a dress and maroon always looks so nice on you. So we bought it anyway.” “Yeah, ma. It’s really nice. Thanks!” She smiled at me and then turned back to her sizzling paniyarams.
Is this how Indian moms show love? No I love yous, only “I have packed your favourite dish for lunch. Eat properly!” or “Here’s a cute outfit that I wasn’t planning to get you, but ending up doing so anyway!”.
In my room, I put on a little makeup. Nothing too much. Nothing even to the standards of Pokkiri Asin. Just some external support to accentuate my eyes and my lips. Maybe a little blush for my cheeks, I don’t remember well now. But I remember studying myself in the mirror. My short, dark hair fell against my shoulders, curtaining my face in soft waves. My chubby cheeks were in contrast with my sharp jawline. But I couldn’t focus on my face too long - the dress kept stealing my attention.
The blood colour dress looked great against my light caramel skin. It didn’t hug my body too tight, but lay over my curves comfortably. I turned around and examined myself from side to side in the mirror. This was my first time wearing a frock in nearly a decade, so I was a bit nervous. Nervous about how I looked, sure. But more so about the comments people might throw at my plus size figure.
I almost considered changing back into my top and leggings. But at the last moment, I resisted the urge. I told myself that I was wearing the dress for the sake of my mom (but maybe it was for me too). Amma’s voice came at that exact moment, asking me to come and help her in the kitchen. So I walked out of my room and soon, forgot all about my concerns.
Around 5.30, guests started arriving. So there was much to do. Greetings and introductions to be made. Respects to be paid. Snacks to be handed out. Smiles and laughter to be forced out. Eye rolls to be tamed in. Blessings, compliments and complaints to be received and so on.
Some guests complimented my dress. One of my chithis made a comment about my short hair, noting that she used to love it when my hair was long and straight. Kavi made an “ignore my mom” face at me which was so cute. Someone said that I looked better without my glasses on. I wanted to tell them that they looked better when I didn't have my glasses on too. But I simply forced yet another fake smile in their direction.
Everyone congratulated my brother who took it all graciously. I didn’t want the attention to turn towards me next, so I mostly kept away from the terrace where the adults were gathered. The younger ones were mostly downstairs, in the hall or the veranda. Some were talking about sports, some were playing games on their phones and a few were just watching the room. I was with the bunch playing Dumb Charades. Tharun, Sree (the new kid from the Pallava block), Madhu and Kavi were on one side. Megha, little Darsh, Praveen (son of appa’s friend) and I were on the other side.
Kavi was about to act out the next movie name when a young dude in blue jeans and a white shirt came downstairs and joined the game. I recognized him as Radha aunty’s second son, Akash.
As he walked towards our sofa to sit down, his gaze fell upon my dress. (Okay, I get how that sounds. But the gaze was not in a ‘perverted staring’ kind of way. It was more like a ‘Hmm, bold colour choice’ kind of way.) His gaze lifted and he held my eyes for 2 very loud drum beats, which I later realised had come from inside my rib cage. (YES, my dear diary. You’ve guessed right! He is THE DUDE!)
He joined our team and we resumed the game. But I was barely paying any attention to what Kavi was gesturing anymore. My mind was stuck on the cutie sitting 3 feet away from me, replaying the eye contact over and over again.
There were 2 people in between him and me, not giving me a clear view of the guy. But fortunately for me, Akash went next in the game! He looked very tall just then. Maybe 6 ft? As he was gesturing for the movie name, I was more focused on the slope of his jaw and the way his shirt was hugging his arms, rather than the game. He made eye contact with me once again, this time trying to get me to guess the second word in the movie title but I just got flustered and said “uhh”. Classic me.
Fortunately for me, Darsh, my little devil of a cousin got the answer right! “YES!” Akash said and gave the 10 year old kid a fist bump. He came back and sat down at his seat, with two people still between us. Little Darsh and Super Tall Akash quickly became so bonded. Together, they got more guesses right than the rest of us combined. And every time the big dude turned to look at the small dude, he also looked in my direction, often locking eyes with me.
Sree went next, then Praveen, then Darsh. When Akash got Darsh’s movie title right, my little cousin jumped up and down, so the big guy playfully lifted my kutty thambi up, as though he weighed nothing and placed him on his lap.
It was my turn next. I was sitting on the inside, near the bend in the sofa and had to get past a bunch of people to get to the front. So I was trying to make my way to the front and Darsh was trying to get out of my way and move to the other side of the sofa, when I slipped. Trying to keep myself from knocking down the bowls of snacks kept on the coffee table, I fell the other direction and nearly landed on Akash, who quickly held me by the waist and kept me from falling. I turned and came face to face with him and in my state of utter surprise and sheer embarrassment, I managed to fall even more into him!
I got up immediately. But Akash stood up with me, his one arm supporting my waist and the other hand on my shoulder. Guess where my own hands were? Perched comfortably over Akash’s muscular chest, near his heart!
(To be continued)
Part Two is scheduled to be out in a week. To thank my paid subscribers for their constant love and support, part two will be released under a paywall. So, to read the full story, consider upgrading to paid subscription. Do it now so you can get the post in your inbox and also because you love my newsletters so much! 🙈
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Sending you relaxing weekend vibes,
A. 🌻
Omggggg the last para has my heart <3 how could you ended it in a cliff hanger????? Can't wait for the next part
Simply, Wowwww!!!!