Priti gives me a look that hasWhat the fuck is wrong with you?written all over it, but I ignore her, reading the next few texts Amrit’s sent me.
@amrit_ka_achar
I should’ve thought about that before hitting send on my previous text
I’ve been a nervous wreck the entire day
The entire day? Over silly oldme? I nearly squeal as I type out my reply, shaky fingers goofing up a few spellings. But it doesn’t matter, because Amrit Acharya has been a nervous wreck. For me!
@notkrishnakumar
Don’t be! My phone’s been on flight mde all day. I omly saw the text just now
I wonder if I sound too eager and should be playing more hard to get. It’s what my friends would tell me, but I’m so sick of doing that. I’ve been tiptoeing around Amrit all summer, dropping hints but never really making it obvious (not that I was particularly good at any of that). If I hadn’t, if I’d trusted my gut about Amrit’s feelings for me, I probably would’ve had my tongue in his mouth last night.
Instead, I’m here, still a unicorn and stuck in a car (a very comfortable car, granted) with Priti and Rudra. I need a new plan of action. I need to be genuine about what I want and not fling this last shred of a chance out the window.
@notkrishnakumar
Look, Amrit. I really wanted to kiss you last night.
This is the first time I’ve ever been this direct withanyone. It feels unreal but freeing. Like I’m finally catching up in a race I’ve been falling behind in for so long.
I set my phone aside, facedown, and open the window, letting the cool night air whoosh into the car. It’s beautiful outside, with the dark silhouettes of trees and hills against a navy-blue canvas sprinkled with stars. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, clasping my hands tightly in my lap as my heart turns into a hot-air balloon.
When my heart is the size of my fist again, I pick up my phone and gingerly open the chat.
@amrit_ka_achar
I’m such an idiot.
I should’ve kissed you before I left. I wanted to.
@notkrishnakumar
This doesn’t feel real to me
Like wow... you like me back. Kick me.
@amrit_ka_achar
Never. But yeah...
I clutch my phone to my chest. The wind pushes my hair onto my face as a car with bright headlights zooms past us. Through the gaps between my strands, I spot a sign sayingFood Mall, and Rudra swerves onto a road that forks off the highway.
We find a free spot in the huge parking lot, and I’m surprised that although it’s just past nine p.m., the mall is brightly lit up and packed with people.
“We’ll take twenty minutes, max,” Priti says, undoing her seat belt. Rudra and I nod, and the three of us get out of the car.
I practically hop up the small set of steps to the food mall. It’s a rectangular, open plaza of sorts, with a bunch of eateries crowded along the perimeter and seating arranged at the center. I desperately need a coffee if I have to stay up until we get to Baner.Withmilk and sugar, not the tasteless, bitter brew Rudra had earlier.
I pass a street corn thelawala and the heavenly scent of buttered corn peppered with masala wafts to my nose, briefly interrupting my quest for coffee. Before I know it, I’m asking the vendor for a large serving of masala corn (with extra butter, please) and digging into it with an ice-cream spoon.
Then I stop by the café, get a mocha, and start walking, checking the place out.
To my utter delight, there’s a book stall on the opposite side of the plaza. Under a big banner withSai Book Fairprinted along it in boldletters, there are tables piled with paperbacks, and a staircase winds behind them, piled with even more books. I excitedly rush toward it, coffee cup in one hand and masala corn in the other.
I scan the stacks on the tables first and then shuffle up the stairs, finding the collection slowly becoming better the more I dig in. It looks like there’s another floor up there, which means more books.
