Stay by my side

Chapter 6

Sumedh's POV:

As I listened to Mallika's accusation I couldn't control the hurt expression on my face. It felt like a sharp knife had been thrust into my heart and that too by the only girl that I cared for the most in my life besides my parents. I cursed myself for bringing up this topic and opening the old wounds that we both harboured. After that she ducked her head and concentrated on eating and plans of rebuilding my bond with her went down the drain.

It was about 10:30 when I finally reached home after dropping Mallika at her house. My mom and dad lived in Pune while I stayed at a small apartment in Mumbai. I picked this house because of the serenity this neighborhood offered as it was away from the bustling streets of Mumbai.

But today I couldn't enjoy the serenity owing to the underlying turmoil in my heart. I kicked my shoes off and they landed at different directions. I didn't bother to change and dragged my tired feet to the bed. Sleep evaded me even though I attempted for a good one hour. I finally gave up on the idea of falling into deep sleep, made some ginger tea and settled down on the easy chair placed at the corner of my balcony.

I looked up at the sky to see a canopy of stars greeting me. Those twinkling stars reminded me of the dangling star earrings that jingled from Mallika's small ears. Shit, I'm going insane. Get a grip Sumedh. Stop thinking about her. In spite of my best efforts I felt myself slipping into the blissful memories of Mallika and myself when we were the thickest of friends.

My father and Mallika's dad were best friends and also neighbours. Needless to say both of  us naturally became friends and we were known as the inseparable duo of pranksters. During childhood we would ring the doorbell of our neighbors and run away, break their windows with our sixers and create a ruckus during the festivals celebrated in the colony. Our parents had to often apologize for our naughtiness, but nevertheless they didn't scold us too much as we were kids.

Mallika and I complemented each other perfectly. She was the more outspoken one while I took some time in mingling with new people. She was a very good basketball player and also the sports captain of our school. I was a bookworm and the library was my safe haven. As teenagers we would ride our bicycles and in the midway our other two partners in crime, Harsh and Kriti would join us on our way to school. Life was peaceful like a calm river. But the calmness of life was interrupted by the ripples caused by the arrival of a new student called Aadi during the ninth grade.

Aadi had shifted to our neighborhood and joined our school. I was the class president and so was asked by the teachers to make him feel comfortable. I took him under my wing and introduced him to my gang. Aadi also turned out to be a basketball player and this provided him with the opportunity of building a strong rapport with Mallika. As days passed Aadi transformed into a shadow that would always follow Mallika everywhere. This behaviour of Aadi irked me a lot and I was also angry at Mallika for blindsiding me. This marked the beginning of the rift between us...

I woke up to the blaring sound of my alarm. I rubbed my tired eyes and glanced at the clock, 6:30. It was time for my morning jog. It looks like I had fallen asleep on the easy chair while reminiscing about my past. I got up and stretched my arms; my neck and shoulders were stiff owing to my sleeping position and I could feel a sharp excruciating pain at the back of my head. I mentally made a note to call my mother later and ask her about what medicines to take for headaches.

I splashed some water on my face to freshen up, changed into gym clothes and went outside for my usual jog. I fixed the bluetooth to my ears and turned on some relaxing music with the hope of alleviating my headache. After about an hour, as I was walking back home post my workout I received a notification on my phone.

It was a message from Jeevika, a name that I had long forgotten and would have loved to leave it that way.

"Hi Sumedh. How are you. I'm coming back home in two days. Hope we can meet up.🙂"

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Hi guys, sorry for the late update.

The past between Mallika and Sumedh will slowly be revealed in the following chapters.

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