|Chapter Three|

The cool breeze intermixes with the bright noon sunshine to give it a moderating effect. Sighing contentedly, Aisha skips over to the edge of the terrace which is bordered by black safety rails all along the length. Nitya can come here as well, it's pretty safe, Aisha thinks.

Both her parents are out today. While Pranjol has a meeting with the executives, Tulika has gone to Lotus Valley to inquire with the administration about her and Nitya's admissions. Nitya, being her peppy self, has accompanied Tulika to the school.

Leaning her back against the black rails, Aisha lets her dark, damp hair to dry underneath the sun. She does have two hairdryers which work perfectly fine but being the factual person who knows everything and anything about hair, she knows that letting the hair dry naturally is the best way out there. Hairdryers may be convenient for the person, but for the hair, it's torture if overused.

It's quite peaceful in here as well, she thinks as she smiles to herself.

Maybe Bandra isn't that bad after all.

Buildings of varying heights are situated everywhere around with a few trees here and there. People stroll about busily in groups and cyclists pass by briskly. Aisha's smile falters a little when loud footsteps rush up the stairs. Her smile disappears completely when she takes notice of the person who's showed up on the terrace.

It's the same guy from the stairway. The one who had stepped on her shawl.

Aisha immediately straightens her back as she gazes at him with steely eyes and a clenched jaw. The guy has his hair tousled in the opposite way, his dark brown eyes scanning the terrace and pausing on her.

"Hey," he passes her a lively smile.

Aisha only furrows her brows in confusion. Did this guy forget already that she was the one whom he had interpreted to be a tribal who wouldn't understand Basic English?

Before anything proceeds, a loud voice booms from the bottom of the stairway. "Veer!?" the voice roars.

The guy's eyes widen with panic. He jumps into action, taking the narrow, iron stairs which lead up to the water tanks. Aisha mutely watches as he reaches the topmost tank and sits over the top, his legs dangling off the tank.

Before she can question what the hell was happening, a second person appears on the terrace. Aisha practically blinks at a rapid rate when she takes notice of the boy. The guy is the exact copy of the first one! Or is she hallucinating now?

The guy pauses on his steps abruptly, his expression softening as he takes notice of Aisha. "Um...hi..." he fumbles with a response.

Aisha simply blinks at him with the word 'stupid' written on her face. It takes her a moment to recognize those hazel brown eyes. This was the guy who had made her trip and fall, not the former one!

"Good afternoon," Aisha speaks, her voice a balanced one.

"Have you seen my brother, Veer?" the guy asks rather awkwardly. "He's my twin and has got brown hair and is as tall as me-"

"He looks like you, so I don't think I need to get the descriptions," Aisha cuts him off, feeling a smirk grow on her lips.

The guy blinks at her and realizes how stupid it was an idea to explain how Veer looks. Nodding, he speaks again, "So have you seen him?"

Aisha glances back up at the watertank where Veer is perched. The boy clasps his hands and silently begs for her to cooperate from where he's seated. "No, I haven't," Aisha shakes her head, averting her eyes back on the guy in front of her.

Sighing with frustration, the guy runs a hand through his hair before nodding. "Do let me know if you see him, please," he says.

"I would if I knew your name," Aisha points.

The guy grins sheepishly before slapping a hand on his forehead. "Stupid me," he mutters before strolling over to where Aisha stands. "I'm Vivek, Vivek Deshmukh," he speaks as he holds a hand out for her to shake.

Aisha takes a moment before shaking his hand and quickly letting go. "And I'm sorry for what happened yesterday," Vivek adds quietly.

Passing him a small smile, Aisha lets the grudge to finally slip away. "It's okay."

"So I'll see you around," he says, shrugging awkwardly. Aisha realizes that Vivek isn't the type who is too good with leading conversations.

"Sure," she nods, not embarrassing him any further.

Turning, he leaves with silent strides. The moment he's gone, Aisha turns to look back at Veer who is now heading towards her with a grateful smile plastered on his face.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Veer goes on chanting with quick succession as he reaches Aisha. Before she comprehends the course of actions, Veer's wrapped his arms around her, hugging her warmly, swaying her with him.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy there," Aisha speaks, attempting to extricate herself from the sudden embrace.

"You just saved me from being strangled to death!" Veer speaks, finally letting go of Aisha.

Smiling an uncertain smile, she takes a step back, maintaining a considerable distance from the guy in front of her. The sudden hug has definitely stunned her. "What happened exactly?" she asks Veer.

"Oh, basically mom got my shoes washed and they haven't dried yet, so I put on Vivek's ones," Veer explains. "That dude hates it when people wear his stuff."

Glancing down, Aisha takes notice of those red and white sneakers. They probably look like a decade old with worn out shoelaces and the red fabric turning slightly dull. But they are neat and spotless. It is clear that Vivek took great care of these shoes despite them being old.

"You guys moved in Saturday night, right?" Veer asks, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah," Aisha nods, leaning back against safety rails.

"From...?"

"Assam."

"Oh," Veer nods. "That's a long journey."

"So do you and your brother always go out on early morning walks?" Aisha asks, recalling that Vivek was dressed in sports gear the day they met at the stairway.

"Let me correct you there," Veer speaks with a chuckle. "Only I walk, Vivek practically runs like he's being chased by a pack of angry street dogs."

"Why?" Aisha asks, chuckling with him.

"He's gonna give a trial for the school's sprinter which is gonna happen about two months from now and is pretty serious about it. Says he wants to represent the school this year no matter what," Veer explains, gazing up at the skies, his dark hair brushing against his forehead.

"Ah," Aisha nods. "And what about you?" she asks.

Veer looks at her confusedly. "What about me?"

"What do you wanna do?" she asks Veer.

"My dreams are rather vague," Veer shrugs his shoulders.

"But vague is good, it's limitless and has no boundaries after all," Aisha argues.

"Smarty-pants," Veer comments, earning an elbow shoved into his ribs.

"Well," Veer sighs with a smile. "I want to work for nature, you know. Not something which earns me fame or money but something that helps the air that I breathe in or the land that I walk on, you know."

"Aw, look at you, you nature-loving soft-hearty," Aisha teases, to which Veer grins.

"Call me a teddy bear for all I care, it won't change my dreams," he shrugs.

"Fine by me," Aisha shrugs back with a sly grin.

"Wait, you're not seriously gonna call me teddy, are you?" Veer asks, realization finally dawning over him as his smile disappears.

"Of course not," Aisha smirks. "Teddy."

"Oh dear God," Veer sighs with a horrified glance directed up at the skies.

___________

Author's Note:

Here was some more of Veer and Vivek! I hope both the boys' characters came off clear to an extent?

So, like Vivek, how many of you have got something precious that you take great care of? Something which is lifeless and may appear insignificant to others, but for you, it's priceless? Lemme know in the comments.

For me, it's my Ma's bracelet. She used to wear it when she was about fifteen and I have had it since I was twelve, so yeah, it means a lot to me.

See ya until the next update!
*Waves a goodbye*