Piyali

I noticed that Aditya had left blank for a figure to be drawn in his notebook. We were at the weekend classes. Usually, Aditya takes notes of the lecture in Braile script. But today the professor had explained a diagram and Aditya had no means to copy that. He had left the place blank.

At the lunch break's time, he had gone to the washroom and I had left him alone with his books. I flipped around his notebook and saw that in previous cases where he needs to study a figure, it was drawn on the paper hardly, so as its impression gets raised on the other side which he can learn by feeling with fingers. I guess he asks someone else's help to draw the figure in.

So I took his book and copied the figure to his book. I was bout to finish the figure when he got back. He slid next to me and, I finished the figure and pushed the book back to him. He felt the page of the book and smiled. "Thanks... Usually, I have to go and ask the professor to draw in the figure for me. And I used to feel so bad, as I would be troubling him. He already is doing so much by letting me attend his classes."

Aditya had explained to me how Prof. Shah had attended a function in the institute for visually challenged people, and he had ended up talking to him. And as Aditya charms everyone, he had managed to impress Prof. Shah, and Prof. Shah had suggested that Aditya should attend his classes.

"From now on, I will help you with the figures," I told him.

"Thanks." He smiled. "Esha said right about you. You are actually a good-hearted caring person.."

I slightly blushed. The way he said made it feel sincere. And I am not that used to compliments.

A few more weeks passed and Aditya and I were getting pretty much close are friends in the weekend classes. Well, I am not sure if we could be called friends. He had other friends there in class, and sometimes, he would just be surrounded by everyone in the class, and he will be talking and chatting with them. And I would sit at a corner just watching him.

Watching him talk to his friends was sort of fascinating. His smile and laugh never left him. And he has an incredible ability to make others laugh. I find myself laughing at some of his jokes. And whenever I sit and watch him, he seemed to be shining brightly, unlike anyone I have ever met.

So I am not sure if we could be called friends. We talk usually though. And he sits by me in the classes now. So I help him out sometimes with drawing figures. He taught me a bit of Braile letters, so I can label the figures I daw in his book.

Sometimes our hands will brush accidentality. And I sort of feel weird. It's strange. It is not like I am not used to boys. I have a lot of cousin brothers, and I am really used to Rohan's friends in college. I lent notes and clear doubts for Sachin, Gyan, Hari and everyone. But... Aditya, feel different. Maybe because I think he is cool. I really think he has an incredible personality.

Or maybe because he treats me treat me differently.

It had got late when the class finished that day. It ended an hour later than the usual time. So when we left it was dark already. Usually, Aditya and I take the Metro. His stop is one stop after mine. So we say goodbye at the metro train itself and I walk home.

That day however Aditya got down along with me. "I will walk you home," he said.

"That's okay. No need." I told him.

"No. Past 8 pm. It's dangerous to just let a girl walk alone in that time. That too in Delhi." He said.

"Okay," I told him.

We began to walk. The area of my house was a residential area and the streets are usually empty because there are no shops around, and people are all in their houses. So it's actually a bit unsafe to walk in that street alone at night. So I was glad that Aditya was with me. We talked about various things as we walked, and I told him how I was living there in this place since I was 4 years old and so.

"Here..." I said when we reached in front of my home. "We reached."

"Okay." He said, "Then I will get going." He said.

I was unsure at one. It was dark and this was an unfamiliar area for him. There was not even people around for him to ask for directions.

"Wait..." I told him, "It's unsafe for you to go alone."

"I do travel alone a lot, you know."

"But it's dark."

"It's the same for me. Light or dark." He said.

"I don't care. I am not letting you go home alone..." I said, and opened my house's gate and ran inside and rang the bell. My dad opened the door.

"Dad, my friend accompanied me home because it had got dark. Can you please drop him back  home?" I asked dad.

So dad, Aditya and I began heading to Aditya's home in dad's car.

"You really did not have to bother your dad," Aditya said, feeling bad about it.

"Oh No. No problem." dad said, "You walked my daughter home, made sure she is safe. Then, this is what I should do. But you can call me next time when it gets late, Piyali. I will come and pick you up. No need to bother your friend, when he... Well, you should be taking care of him, not the other way."

"I don't mind taking care of her," Aditya said. "And uncle, I am not incapable. I could have gone home on my own instead of bothering you like this."

"No. No. It's not a bother at all." Dad said. "And all of Piyali's friends are important to me as well."

So when we reached Aditya's house, his mom insisted that we come in. She was a nice sort of person. It felt like she was a strong-willed self-sufficient woman. I like that sort of people. I never found Aditya's father around in that house. And I have never heard much about Aditya's family from Rohan or Esha to know about his father. But since I did not see a father there in the house, I felt I should not ask.

When my father was talking to Aditya's mom, I walked into Aditya's room. Aditya had already gone to the room. I walked in. His wardrobe was open, And Aditya was searching for something. I walked closer and took a look. All his clothes had tags on them. Tags with things written in Braile. Each one of the cloth had a tag. I took a tag in my hand and ran my finger through them... Okay, so that's how he sorts his clothes and decide which one to wear.

"What are you looking at?" Aditya asked me.

"Your clothes have tags," I said.

"Yeah! Mom's idea. She tags them. She this one says 'blue t-shirt, with red graphics'." he said, taking a tag in his hand and running his hand through it. "Like this, I can choose what to wear."

"That's pretty intelligent of her."

"Yeah...Mom did come up with a lot of intelligent tricks like this for me."

I looked around the room. The room looked really really organized. It felt as if every single thing in that room was exactly in the same place it should be. And it must be because if things even move slightly, it will be difficult for Aditya to find them.

"You are the first girl that has come into this room," Aditya said suddenly. "So I am not sure if there is any guy stuff lying around."

Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see his boxer shorts on the lower deck of the wardrobe. I ignored it and turned my eyes away. He might have sensed it. He closed the wardrobe at once and looked embarrassed.

And I felt that he looks a bit cute when he is embarrassed.

"Piyali, shall we go?" Dad came to the door and asked. I nodded.

"Will catch you later. Bye... Good night." I told Aditya and left. Well, maybe just then... I wanted to be with him just for a little bit longer. And then I thought...is this what the other girls talked about? Then I shook that thought off. Because I really was not ready to admit my feelings of being attracted to a boy.