Little Bad Girl

The naughtiest girl I have ever known is my little baby sister. Well, she’s not that little – four more years and she’ll be done with school, but anyone who knows her well, starting from our neighbors to relatives, could vouch that she is indeed the most mischievous girl they have ever known! Even though she makes my life hell with her tomfoolery, she’s the person who adds spice and flavor to my otherwise mundane routine.

When she was little, the only people she would go to were my mother and grandmother. I desperately tried to make her come to me using chocolates and balloons as baits but the little devil knew better; the moment she got what she wanted, she would slip out of my grasp and run to our mum. However, as time has passed, I have secured the topmost position on her list of favorite people. Frankly, at home, she’s the only person who finds me funny – my parents do not understand sarcasm and all my quips and jokes would have fallen flat had my sister not appreciated them. I often find myself watching a perfectly harmless movie with my sister, but the moment our parents pass by, the characters of our movie end up sharing a long passionate kiss and my sister and I look at each other from the corner of our eyes gasping to keep our giggles to ourselves, and once our parents leave, we burst out laughing, unable to believe our apparent misfortune!

My sister isn’t a fan of vegetables. She screws up her face at every vegetarian preparation and if my attention falters for a moment, all her greens end up in my plate while I remain blissfully unaware of the transaction. When it comes to helping herself to the proteins, it’s like her eyes are fitted with physical balances and she minutely scrutinizes every piece of fish or meat before selecting the largest one even if it’s bigger by just a millimeter. My sister isn’t the flatterer type. She’s not afraid of voicing her thoughts. She is highly opinionated and sticks by her views till the very end. Changing her mind is a very difficult task. My sister is a die-hard fan of football and she literally goes crazy during the world cup season. She’s a connoisseur of good music and digs out nameless tracks by unknown musicians from every nook and cranny of the internet. At the same time, she’s also treasure trove of beauty tips and tricks and doesn’t shy down when it comes to sharing her vast knowledge on any subject.

My sister fills up my life with joy and excitement and I can say for a fact that she had made me a better person. She is the one person who sees through my pretense and always knows when I’m lying. Beneath her arrogant “I don’t care” attitude is a wonderful selfless person who makes my life worth living. She’s the one person I know I can count on forever. And however much I detest her incessant nagging and hooliganism, I know my life is empty without her.

Is It Over??

Sana rested her head on the frame of the bus window. It had been a long day at college. As the cool evening breeze gently caressed her face, her thoughts went back to Raj. Raj was at the other side of the country pursuing higher studies. It’s been five years since they last met but time and distance didn't have much impact on the bond they shared. “A boy and girl can never be just friends”, a friend had once told her. Recently, she had been wishing otherwise.

Five years ago Raj was just another guy; their conversations consisted only of “Hi”, “Hello” and “Happy New Year”. But in the past two years the relationship has evolved beyond measure. Never before had Sana felt so connected with someone so far away. It was almost unreal how two people with no common friends, no common events, and no common tastes could talk to (or text with) each other every single day, all day long. Time flied unnaturally fast when she was with him. She loved his voice, his opinions, his mentality, his approach to life and his sense of humor. Talking to him completed her; she had never felt more alive. But people are never satisfied with what they have, they always want more, they want better. Sana was only human - she wanted more too. It was immensely difficult but she finally gathered enough courage to propose. Big mistake! Having gone through a bad breakup, Raj didn't have the strength to do it all over again. Sana was important to him but he loved her as a friend and wanted things to remain that way.

It hurt terribly for a couple of days, but then Sana wasn't ready to lose him. She would not let her ego demolish the wonderful bond she shared with Raj. If friendship was what he wanted, that is exactly what he’ll get from her. In a very short while, the two of them were again chatting with each other 24x7. Sana was glad that there was no awkwardness between the two of them; she was elated to have him back in her life. But Raj wasn't happy - Sana didn't flirt with him anymore. Even when he tried to strike up a little romance, she would change the topic. The truth was Sana just didn't have the strength to go through it again. She had convinced herself that she too wanted to be his best friend, nothing else – and there was no undoing it! After a while even though she tried hard to feel romantically about Raj, she just couldn't bring herself to do it anymore! Someone else had caught her fancy. Just when she thought everything was going well, Raj tried to propose. Big mistake! She loved Raj but he was a good friend and she wanted things to remain that way.

It was the last time she talked to Raj. He didn't try to contact her. She didn't have the guts to face him either. When you talk to someone everyday all day long, and then suddenly discontinue all communication, it feels very empty. She felt empty. She missed him. She missed their conversations. She missed her friend. Was it really over or was it only for the best? “Ticket Ticket”, the conductor called out in a gruff voice waking her up from her train of thoughts.

Let Me Love You

This had never happened before in the two years that Dyna had known him. His rugged handsome looks had always enticed her. But it was a casual infatuation, just like the other fifty odd men and women who charmed her mind. It was only recently that the two had had started communicating with each other on a regular basis. That was the inception of the warm feeling emanating from her heart.

Over the course of time, Dyna had convinced herself to ignore such baseless romantic feelings. For a girl like her, falling in love was very easy; the path that followed, not as much. Love scared her, so she usually chose to tactfully avoid it. This time too, as soon as she realized that she was falling for him, she forced herself into believing that he was way beyond her league. It worked for a while, but then came the turning point. It was late at night while Dyna glued her eyes to the screen of her desktop waiting for his next email. He wanted to share some of his self composed songs with her and Dyna watched with bated breath as his voice slowly downloaded into her machine, and oh the bliss when it began playing!

Her breath felt heavier and she could feel her heart pounding on her chest as his voice from the headphone whispered into her ears. A warm unknown excitement gripped her. This has never happened before. All her restrictions had failed! A sudden pang of jealousy streaked through her when she realized that she wanted to be the object of his affection, she wanted to be his muse, she wanted to be at least a small part of his thought which was so beautiful that it had captivated her through a simple tune, rhythm and voice. She listened to him over and over again and felt a strange connection with him, but did he? Probably not. History was repeating itself; once again she was stealing glances at him.  Once again she was reaching for the non achievable only to be greeted with disappointment and pain.

She didn't know if she had the courage. A crowd of “What if?” encompassed her as she remained undecided about what to do and what not to do. She did enjoy his company and intellect but that didn't mean he felt the same way. Was the desperation worth it? There was a lot to gain and even more to lose. Remaining undecided only felt like the right thing to do at the moment.