I'm amazed when I look at you. Not because of how beautiful you look, but because of the fact that everything I ever wanted is right in front of me. 

Ember and Rhea looked at each other.

"Do you know each other?" The professor asked as he looked at Ember. Ember nodded, "Makes things easier, go sit beside her. She'll tell you anything that you don't understand"
Ember went and sat beside her,
"Okay now, let's start with the class. Everyone, open chapter three,"

The class continued. Ember looked at Rhea, "Good afternoon, Rhea"
Rhea gave him an ugly look and emitted a menacing aura, "Or not" Ember said.

Rhea took out her pencil case and started taking notes. She felt as if someone was continuously staring at her for quite a while and she knew exactly who it was. She looked at him, "Don't you have anything better to do except staring me like that?"

"Oh! Don't mind me" Ember said as he shamelessly continued the act.
"This is eve teasing. I can report you!"
"Why? I am just looking at your face,"
"Yes, and because of that I can't concentrate!" Rhea said.
"I can't believe I'm taking up your concentration," He smiled.

"Shut up! Do something and quit staring at me," Rhea said.
"I can't, I don't have a pen to write anything,"
"Pen? You don't even have a book!"
"Oh...Yes," He looked at his desk as if he just realized it.
"Are you an idiot? You came all the way here without a pen or notebook?"

"Well, I know you'll give me one" Ember said.
"You're hopeless" Rhea tore a sheet of paper from her notebook and gave it to Ember.
"Can I borrow your pen?" He asked.
"Sure" She passed the pen to him. He scribbled on the paper for sometime and then turned to Rhea "It seems like it doesn't work,"

"Yes it does"
"Really, then try writing your number here,"

"Yeah, show" Rhea snatched the paper from and wrote something on it. Ember read it,
"BASTARD" 
He passed it to Arjun. He saw it and wrote something back, "BC"
He gave it to Ember. Ember shrugged and passed it back to Rhea, "BEHENC-" She almost yelled, then covered her mouth and looked around. 

"Oh my God. I can feel myself losing my shit as I talk to you" She said while Meenu and Arjun covered that paper with swear words.
"I can feel myself losing my mind," Ember said.
"It's good that you're self aware" Rhea said, sarcastically.

After the class, a group of girls gathered around Ember.
"Wow! He has blue eyes!"
"And blonde hair!"
"Yaar, his skin is so white!" One of them said in Hindi.
"He should advertise Fair and Lovely," Another one laughed.

"These are the people who ruled us for a hundred years!"
"Neha, British people were colonizers, not Americans..."
"Whatever, my history is bad. And wait, British and Americans are different?"
"...Your geography is bad too,"

"Ember, can I touch your hair?"
"Huh? Yeah, sure," He smiled and they all squealed.
"It's so soft! What shampoo do you use?"
"Bvlgari Eau Parfumee Au The Blanc," He said.
"What? Wait, I know French. I can translate it, give me like five minutes"
"Google translate,"

"Look at him. He doesn't even have to do anything to get all that female attention," AJ said as he stood beside Meenu.
"It's called having good looks, Arjun. Something you will never relate to,"
"Yaar, jale par namak mat chidak,"
(Tn// Don't add insult to the injury)

"Hat, baklol se shakal to bus itna he attention dilwa sakti hai," Meenu said.
(Tn// Your ugly face can only get you this level of attention)
"Guys, let's go!" Rhea shouted from the door. Meenu and AJ ran after her, and so did Ember.

Meenu, AJ and Rhea talked amongst each other.
"Hi, Rhea!" Ember interrupted as he abruptly entered the conversation.
Rhea took a deep sigh, "What?"
"My man living in the greenery here in India," AJ said.
"What do you mean?" Ember asked.

"Female attention,"
"Ohhh! I got that even in the US," He laughed.
"Isn't everyone there white though?"
"Erm, no? It's not the color of my skin anyways, it's cuz I'm tall,"
"American girls love tall guys?"
"They do,"

AJ pressed his head on Meenu's shoulder, "Even American girls will reject me,"
"Pehle tu apne desh ki to pata le,"
(Tn// Date a girl of your own country first)
Ember laughed, "It's fine. Not all girls are that shallow,"

"Whatever you say! Meenu, let's go eat momos. I'm tired of being around good looking people, give me your ugly company,"
Meenu slapped his head and he ran away, with her following him, "GIVE WAY! A BULDOSER IS COMING THROUGH!" AJ yelled in Hindi as he ran across the crowd.

"He should stop calling her that. She's already pretty conscious about her weight," Rhea said.
"She doesn't seem to mind it when he calls her that though," Ember said.
"Of course she does,"
"You can see that in her eyes," Ember laughed. Rhea went to the parking area and unlocked her bicycle. "Are you an eye reader?" Rhea got on her bicycle.

"Of a sort," He smiled, "Want me to read yours?"
"Yeah, tell me what you see"
He pressed his hands on the bicycle, leaning on it and looking into her eyes. Her face turned a little hot, she could feel his breath on her lips.

And his eyes.

Oh his eyes.

"Well," She cleared her throat, "What do you see?"
He wanted to touch her hot face.
"Emptiness"
Her face lost it's expression. She didn't know what to say. He noticed.
He always notices.
Her.

He moved back, gently but fast, "It's okay, I can fill you up," He smiled.
"EW GROSS! Bye!" She started paddling while he laughed loudly.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Ember shouted. Rhea stopped and looked back,
"What is it?" She asked.
"Me!" Ember smiled and walked towards her with his fingers intertwined behind his back.
"Why can't you go in a bus, dumb blonde head? How about attracting world attention there?" Rhea said.

"I don't want world attention," He pressed his hand on the pillion and looked into her eyes, "I want yours,"
"Cheesy," She got down, "You'll paddle. I'm not carrying your fat ass around,"
"Okie!" He paddled while Rhea sat behind, facing towards the road they were leaving behind and enjoyed the evening ride on the bicycle. Their spines touched each other.

"Rhea," Ember smiled.
"Yeah?"
"Do you still paint?"

"...No," 
"Oh...Is there are reason behind it?" He asked.
"I...Don't want to talk about it,"
"Okay" He continued paddling.

There was an awkward silence, "Do you paint?" She asked.
"I mean...I try," He giggled, "I'm not much of a painter. It never comes out the way I want it to. But, I love seeing the paint melt into the canvas board,"
"What a simplistic pleasure,"
"I am a simple person. If I love something, I will do it. Like you, I'd do you,"

"Do me?"
He laughed, "Don't mind it,"
"Man, you're such a weirdo,"

"Better be a weirdo than a dead artist,"
"Yeah well, I am a dead artist, so?!" Rhea turned her neck towards him.
"It's okay, Rhea. You do not just wake up and become a butterfly," He turned his neck and looked at her, "It's a process," She looked at him. He looked ahead again and she turned back herself. The wind blew against them, carrying his scent to her as he paddled downhill over the bridge.

'What a nice smell' She had an image of flowers blurred into her mind. What shampoo did he use again? Even the name of his shampoo is weird. Suddenly, he stopped the bicycle in the middle of the street, "Well, this is as far as I take you, you'll be on your own after this," 

He got down and Rhea dragged herself to the seat, "Where is your house?" She asked.
"Just nearby, I'll walk down there on my own, don't worry about it. See you tomorrow," Ember started walking. Rhea suddenly grabbed the end of his shirt. Ember looked back at her,

"I am still uncertain about you but whoever you are, thank you," Rhea looked into his eyes. He smiled and stretched her cheeks, "What are you saying? We don't say thank you to friends, dumb brown head,"

He left, but she still felt that lingering pain in her cheek he left. She stood there, staring in the dark, because that was all she could see. She soon turned her bicycle away and paddled back home in the dark. Next day, Rhea stood outside the Art room. She fiddled her fingers as she looked at the walls through the glass door. They were covered with canvas boards. 

Her face lost it's colour, "I can't do it after all," She turned away.

"You do not just wake up and become a butterfly," She remembered blue eyes looking at her, "It's a process,"

"God, I hate myself!" She kicked the door open and it slammed the table kept beside it. All the paint laying on the table fell on the person who sat beside it, unfolding all the white canvas boards.
"Fuck-Sorry! Are you okay? NEEL?!" She yelled as he removed the bucket of yellow paint from his head. 

Neel looked pissed off. His uniform were covered with paint, and his head was yellow. He got up and whipped his hands to get all the plastic paint off of him. 
"OH MY GOD!" Ms Monika, the art teacher, exclaimed as she walked towards him, "Are you alright, Neel? How did this happen?"
He looked at Rhea.

"Nevermind that! Quickly, go wash it off before it dries!" She exclaimed, "Beta, you go with him,"
(Tn// Used to address a child)
"Me?" Arorhea said.
"Pour water on his head as he scrubs that paint off. Go off quickly, both of you,"

Neel walked towards the bathroom and Rhea walked behind him. 
"Wait! Why are you going in the boys bathroom?" She asked.
"Because I am a boy?"
"But I am a girl! I can't follow you there!"

He looked at her and grabbed her hand, "Who cares!"
He pulled her in with him.

"OH MY GOD! STOP STRIPPING!"
"Shut up, help me,"
"NO!"

-To be continued

Neel Dewan
Can't I Touch Your Heart