Ember got down from the car and a maid and butler followed him to a huge building. As he entered the building, everyone got up and bowed. All the other workers of the house bowed and greeted him as he walked through the halls and finally, he entered the lift. The lift's door opened into a huge hall, with a chandelier overhead and around ten maids and butlers setting the table.

A blonde man with blonde beard and Prussian blue eyes sat at the table as the maids laid the soup. He was Ember's father, Harnston Helberg, "Have a seat. Loraine will be here any second," He looked at Ember.
"Why do you want from me?" Ember asked. His voice and eyes were colder.
"We are about to launch a new project soon. Stop wandering on streets and get some work done,"

"I'll get it done before the deadline. It's up to me how I spend my private time,"
"Stop wasting your time, you don't have much of it anyways," His eyes were cold too.
"...Alright,"
"Also, I thought we should have dinner together," He said, "I want to see your table manners,"

Ember sat on the chair and picked up the fork and knife. The maids laid the appetizers for him.
"Oh right." Ember mumbled and turned towards his father "I wanna join a crash course center. The one in the City Central Mall"

"What is that?" Mr Helberg asked,
"Something like a tuition," Ember said.
"You can get any private home tutor you want rather than going among commoners and crowd. The air outside is just full of filth, barbarians and poverty, an uneducated assemblage of useless people," Mr Helberg said.

"We were one of them once," Ember took a bite of the cutlet and his father stopped eating.
"Fine, I'll send Mr Jake for the documentation,"
Ember finished the cutlet and the maid brought in the main dish. It was dosa. Ember smiled, "I love South Indian food,"
The maid smiled, "I know, Ember,"

She was about to keep the plate of dosa before Ember when his father stopped her, "What do you thinking you're doing?"
She looked at him, "Serving you, sir?"
"With that?" He upturned the plate on her floor, "Can we please eat something more edible. That looks like a towel wrapped in diarrhea, take it away and get us some bread!"

"I'm really sorry, sir,"
She cleaned up the food from the floor, "And, don't address my son by his name again,"
Ember looked at his father and then at the maid. He leaned down to help her, "Ember, don't move,"
But Ember got on his knees and cleaned the food.

"EMBER!"
He kept all the mess back into the plate and got up,
"I'm full,"
"But you barely ate anything," The maid looked up at him. Ember smiled at her and walked towards the door.

"Ember! Behave yourself!" Mr Helberg said from behind.
"Good night," He slammed the door and walked into the hallways of the building.

He saw the shadow of a person approaching him from ahead. Ember dragged his feet as he walked ahead. As soon as they crossed paths, he said "Must you always speak so uncouthly with father, Ember?" He had a deep voice with a British accent. Ember stopped but did not turn back and said, "Must you always poke your nose where it doesn't belong, Loraine?"

"Why do you care about the servants? They are paid for doing what they do,"
"Just because they are paid, doesn't mean we don't respect them. That maid is older than me, and I will respect all elders who deserve respect, irrespective of our status. Pretty sure if mom was here today, she'd do the same,"

Ember walked away, towards the pantry. He tiptoed his way and looked at it from the corner of the wall. The maid was throwing the dosa into the dustbin. She looked up and looked at his black boots, "Sir-"
"Ember," He smiled, "Didi, can you cook me something Indian again?"
"But your father doesn't like it,"
"I do," He said, "I'll eat it inside the pantry,"

She smiled, "Come. I have some chole,"
"Yay! I love chole!" He walked inside the pantry with her.

. . .

It was an April morning but it was hot nonetheless. As the breeze passed through her pigtails, Rhea went downhill and soon, she was at the school gate. She parked her bicycle outside the gate and locked it. Suddenly, she felt a heavy weight on her back. Someone covered  her eyes "What do you want, Nikki?"

"Oh man! How did you know it was me?" Nikki asked as she moved her hands away and they began walking towards the school building.
"I'm not stupid like you," She said.
"Do you know I met an old friend yesterday evening? My lord, it was unexpected!" Nikki said.

"Old friend? That reminds me, I met him again" Rhea said.
"Him?"
"That blonde pretty boy who claims to be my childhood friend" Rhea said.
"Just say his name" Nikki said.
"Ember..." Her face turned red. She remembered what happened the last time she called his name. She looked aside in embarrassment.

"I can't believe it, but seems like he lives nearby if you met so quickly or it could be destiny~" Nikki said.
"What?" Rhea said as she turned towards her.
"I can imagine it going from Ashiqui 2 to Jism! Ugh!"

"Ew. We're not even friends yet. He's just a nuisance," They entered the class and Nikki began talking to her other friends. Rhea walked towards Neel and sat beside him. He was studying! He had a book in his hand. She looked at the cover, "How to be a better painter"

'He is a painter?' Rhea looked at him.
Soon, the class started and Neel went to sleep. During the break, Nikki walked towards her seat and called her outside the canteen to have lunch. They both sat in the basketball field audience seats with some other girls randomly sitting here and there.

"So, which Wednesday club are you taking?" Nikki asked as she took a bite of her roti.
"I have no idea" Rhea ate her cold Maggi.
"I will take the music club,"

"I can't play any instrument so I can't take that," Rhea shook her head, 
"I can play the guitar, a bit,"
"Really? I love guitarists!" Rhea smiled.

"I prefer basketball players" Nikki said.
"Jocks huh," Rhea said.
"Yes! A hot body covered with sweat can cure any ailment!"
"Like AIDS" Rhea said and Nikki began laughing. Rhea thought about the book that Neel was reading that morning, "I wonder if he is in the painting club," She mumbled.

"You are going to join the painting club?" Nikki asked.
"No," Rhea shook her head. Nikki just looked at her. Soon, the bell rang and they walked back to their class.

In the afternoon, when the heat was at it's peak and the ground was liberating heat, the school was finally over. Rhea paddled back home in the hot sun, dripping with sweat, she took out the keys and moved towards the door. She changed, had her lunch and then left for her Crash Course Centre.

"Hi, Arorhea" Meenu said as she waved at Rhea when she entered the classroom. AJ sat beside her, eating a bread pakora.
(Bread Pakora is a much loved snack of deep fried and savory bread fritters from the North Indian Cuisine)
"Yo!" AJ said, "You want some?"
"No thanks," She sat in front of them.

The doors soon opened and the class stood up to wish the teacher. He was a fat old man with grey hair "Sit down everybody. I have an important announcement. We've got an exchange student from the US. This is the first time he is attending a crash course so everyone be nice to him."

'We are having a lot of foreigners around these day,' Rhea was sweating. The class was noisy again, with a series of discussion among people.
"Come in, Ember,"
"Yes," And there he walked into the class with his high neck golden boots and a black shirt. He was really tall, really white and beautifully blonde.

His blue eyes scanned the class for sometime as if he was searching for someone and when his eyes stopped at Rhea, he smiled at her. He joined his hands, "Namaste. I am Ember Helberg. I am from Los Angeles, USA. I'm looking forward to getting along with you," He smiled but only at Rhea. Everyone gasped.

"Oh my god, he's beautiful," Some girls whispered.
"Blue eyes! Blue eyes!"
"Hey! Isn't that Ember? You childhood friend?" Meenu asked as she looked at Ember. AJ was mind blown too.

Rhea looked at him,
'Abe ye chata kya hai? Kya karke maane ga ye!?'
(Tn//What does he want? What is he gonna do?)

-To be continued

Ember Helberg
Can't I Touch Your Heart?