Nightfall ✓

Chapter 10

• chapter ten •

It was January when Sharon finally decided to ask me about my love-life. It was dark and snowing outside, so I lit a crackling fire in the fireplace and curled up in a blanket on the couch with my laptop, with chocolate cookies in my hand. Shadows were dancing across the room. There was nothing to do so I thought I would Skype her and catch up on her life, which was a mistake. The moment she picked up, she asked, "So...have you found any guy worth liking? Five months is enough to fall in love."

"Let's talk about something—"

"Look, it took a lot of self-control, but I haven't smoked a single cigarette since you went away." I raised my eyebrows. "Alright, just twelve," she muttered.

I sighed and then smiled shyly. "Okay. Well, there's this guy and I think I like him. I'm not sure." And then she started firing weird questions at me. It went something like this:

She: Would you spend an entire day with him?
Me: Duh.
She: Dance with him?
Me: Yeah.
She: Slow-dance with him?
Me: Yep.
She: Go for a date with him?
Me: Totally.
She: Kiss him on the cheek?
Me: Yeah.
She: Kiss him on the lips?
Me: Yeah.
She: French-kiss him?
Me: Maybe.
She: Take a bullet for him?
Me: I dunno.

"Well, you have a crush on him," she concluded.

I shrugged. I had a peculiar feeling in my stomach, and it was sort of like my skin was tingling with excitement. I hadn't felt like this in a long time.

"You're finally falling in loooooove," she teased.

I smiled. Then I remembered something. "Oh!" I cried. "It's January. How was the farewell?"

And she started blabbering: It was so awesome, I can't even begin. I wore a peacock-blue saree and Sana did, too. We missed you. We'd decided that we'd wear the same saree on farewell, remember? And you're such a bitch, you weren't even there. And if you ask me, this year's farewell was the best. The theme was sort-of Bollywood based. There was this red-carpet, and the juniors were at the sides, and they were cheering for us. The seniors walked like movie stars on the red-carpet, and the couples were holding hands and the teachers didn't even say anything, and then we entered the auditorium, where the stupid head-girl gave her stupid speech, and then we had the best-est lunch ever. And we had DJ after that, and Malik and I danced together. By the way, did I tell you about him? I met him after you left, and he's so amazing, and after the dance, he kissed me, and......(babble babble babble).
After that: Is he hot?

"What?"

"Your crush," she clarified, "Is he hot?"

"Not really. He's good-looking, but mostly he's smart, and—"

"You look happy," she interrupted.

"Huh?"

"You look happy today." She smiled. "You aren't moaning to me about your family problems and all. That's great. You still haven't shown me all of your new house, by the way." I smiled and turned the laptop around in a circle, letting the camera capture the living room; the huge TV, the orange couches, August Rain on the wall, the fireplace, everything. "You have a fireplace? God, you're lucky."

"I have a fireplace because it's snowing outside." Then, out of the blue, I said: "He has grey eyes, you know."

"Who, your crush?"

"It's Liam. Don't call him 'your crush' all the time." I pushed the laptop to the corner of the sofa and lied down on the newly-created space, tightening the blanket around me. I thought back to the first day I'd met him, thought about the sandwiches I'd given him, and then I started thinking about that football match so long ago, and then about that hiking trip, and the conversation I'd had with him on that hiking trip, and I remembered something which took away all of my excitement about discovering my feelings, and cracked my heart.