˗ˏˋ sparkling eyes and still waters 'ˎ˗

➷

When Mahika opens her eyes and finds light streaming through the window and illuminating the room that looks hazy and unfamiliar, she blinks in confusion. It takes a moment for her brain to register that she isn't at home and this isn't another one of those times when she fell asleep working on her assignments.

Surprised for a second time when she turns and sees a figure asleep beside her, curled into a ball with their face turned away, Mahika lets out a sigh.

Keerti always sleeps like a little child.

And even in her disoriented state, she makes sure she's careful when she gets out of bed, because Keerti is an extremely light sleeper. She keeps her eye on the girl to make sure she's still asleep even when she slides her feet into the house slippers.

Her fingers reach into her hair to smooth the tangles out as she makes her way down the stairs, covering her mouth with the back of her hand when she feels a yawn coming. The weather has gotten slightly warmer now; enough that she doesn't have to worry about wearing an extra layer of clothing over her full-sleeved shirt.

The house is bathed in silence, so she figures that everyone has gone to bed to catch some rest to gather some energy for the evening, since they're all supposed to go to the lake. Apparently, there's a temple around there that Akash's parents had wanted him and Naina to visit before they left.

Mahika is in no way a religious person, but she appreciates the calmness that comes from watching people gather together in one place to just believe. There's something serene about being in a space like that.

She's looking around when Maya, the same woman who had greeted them when they had arrived comes in, a smile lighting up her face at the sight of Mahika standing in the kitchen.

"Did you sleep well?" she asks, eyes kind. "Are you hungry?"

Those are the two questions Mahika is only ever used to hearing out of her mother's mouth. But then again, Mahika had immediately felt like Maya was an older sister to all of them as soon as she had met her. She had greeted them warmly and regarded them with the kindest pair of eyes Mahika has ever seen.

"I did!" Mahika smiles thankfully and shakes her head. "I don't want to eat right now and then sit out lunch with everyone."

"Ah-uh," Maya shakes her head and clicks her tongue in disapproval. "Sit down. I'll fix a bowl of fruit for you if you aren't eating anything else."

Mahika smiles sheepishly and obliges.

She would offer to help, but she would be more of a hazard anywhere near the kitchen than a help. So she stays put on the dining table, elbow on the table, chin resting on her hand as she watches Maya nimbly slice fruits for her into small pieces.

When she walks over to place them on the table with her warm smile already in place, she says, "These are handpicked from the local farm. You should all go there once while you're here."

Mahika's eyes sparkle at the idea. Because if the place has anything to do with greenery, she feels her chest burst with happiness. Growing up in the bustle of the city has deprived her of everything that isn't smoke and noise, and any chance to experience something that isn't a horde of vehicles is the same as stepping inside the gates of Heaven for her.

She nods enthusiastically, and just as she opens her mouth to say something, Arnav announces his presence in the kitchen by sliding the chair in front of Mahika back and plopping down on it.

Mahika smiles in greeting when she meets his eyes, silently chewing on an apple slice because she doesn't know what to say. They've met a few times in the past years but haven't really had the chance to get to know each other that well. From what Mahika does know about him, though, is that he happens to be the quieter of the three siblings. Not shy, just reserved. And the youngest.

He returns her smile and looks up to answer the same questions Maya had asked Mahika just a little bit ago, and Mahika is fascinated by how easy their conversation is. Apparently, Maya's mother used to take care of the cottage before Maya took over the job, which means they're technically part of the siblings' family at this point.

It also explains the homely aura of the place. Maya takes care of the house like her own.

"How far away is the lake from here?" Mahika asks, not just for the sake of filling the silence after Maya gets back to work and leaves Arnav and Mahika alone at the dining table, but also because she genuinely wants to know.

Arnav leans back and narrows his eyes in thought, ruffling water out of his recently showered hair. "An hour or so?" Then he shakes his head. "It's mostly because Akash drives very slow, though."

"This isn't Need For Speed."

Arnav looks behind Mahika just as she turns around to see Naina make her way in.

"We don't need him to race through the streets," she tells Arnav, walking over and putting her index finger on the middle of his forehead, pushing his head back. "Your driving makes the entire family panic enough for all of us combined." She points at his head. "Dry your hair right this instant before I chop it all off."

He groans. "I will. Where are the other two grandparents?"

Naina rolls her eyes as she takes a seat beside Mahika. "Akash is still asleep. Amo is taking a shower. She should be here soon."

"Don't tell her about the hair."

"I don't need to."

Mahika watches them bicker back and forth, smiling faintly at the sight. Akash's family had always welcomed her with open arms, and Mahika couldn't be more at peace knowing nothing has changed between her and his siblings after she got married into the family. If anything, they all seem more comfortable with each other than ever.

It's a bittersweet sight, because being an only child has sometimes caused Mahika to get terribly lonely. Her friends had always made up for the most part, but she always feels like the house echoes back her thoughts whenever she's alone in there. Seeing Naina and Arnav banter reminds her that she's going to go back to that life, and it's only going to get worse.

Because she won't be able to call Naina over, or meet her whenever she wants. She's going to be thousands of miles away, and then the distance isn't going to be the only thing between them.

Her miserable line of thought is broken by Amoli's voice, the words, "Arnav, if you don't dry your hair right now I'll stab you with the kitchen knife."

"Listen —"

"No. No food for you until you dry your hair."

"Why is everyone so adamant about this? It will —"

"We all know how quick you catch a cold," Amoli interrupts again, already walking over to physically push him out of his chair. He holds his hands up and lets out a laugh when she reaches out to smack him. "We're not going to spend this time taking care of you like a child. Go. Now."

He sighs.

"Fine. I'm going. Fine."

"Good. Get out."

He gives her a dry expression before getting on his feet and leaving the kitchen.

Amoli and Naina give each other a look as soon as the sound of his footsteps fade away.

"He's so stubborn," Amoli says and takes Arnav's empty seat. Naina shakes her head before turning to look at Mahika and pointing at her fruit bowl with her chin.

"You should have just had lunch without us. Aren't you hungry?"

Mahika shakes her head. "I'll just eat with everyone."

"Aw," Naina coos, reaching out to tweak Mahika's nose once before pulling away and stealing a grape from Mahika's bowl, popping it inside her mouth. She feels Amoli's gaze on her but tries to not show how much it affects her, rolling her eyes at the grin on her best friend's face and picking up a pineapple slice with her fork to hold it in front of Naina.

"Here, have your favorite. Or you'll cry about how I don't care about you for the next three years."

Naina gratefully takes the piece of fruit and blows Mahika a kiss in the middle of chewing it, earning a disgusted look from the latter.

"You're gross."

"You love me."

"Whatever."

"You're going to miss me so much when I leave."

Yeah, Mahika thinks as she lets out a non-committal hum just to tease Naina, chest squeezing with pain at the mere thought. Yeah, I really am.

-

Mahika tucks her hair behind her ear, eyes looking into the mirror for probably the hundredth time since the past hour. The unreasonable nervousness that she feels reflects in them so she takes a deep breath, the words calm down echoing inside her head.

The fact that she can't pinpoint what exactly it is that's making her feel like her heart is beating with the speed of a hundred miles per minute is only adding to strain on her shoulders.

"Mahi," Keerti's voice echoes from outside the door. "Are you ready?"

Am I?

The sun is beginning to set, which means they're supposed to drive to the lake any minute now. And although Mahika is anything but ready, she takes another deep breath and releases it before making her way to the door to open it.

"Why do you take so long t— oh. Oh." Keerti stares at her, wide-eyed. And then she blinks; once, twice. And then again. "You're — God, you're so pretty. I'm mad. I don't wanna go anymore."

Mahika stares at her with her own eyes wide, hand still holding the door open as her cheeks slowly begin to turn as pink as her salwar kameez.

"You look very pretty, too," she mumbles, and she means it. Keerti looks good in everything. Right now, she's in a similar outfit as Mahika since they'd decided to wear traditional clothing because they'd be visiting the temple, the gold of her suit contrasts so prettily with her tan skin that Mahika almost hadn't registered the words she had said.

Keerti opens her mouth but Sakshi's voice from downstairs interrupts them, so Mahika quickly rushes in and grabs her dupatta and her purse before they make their way down.

At first, she makes up excuses inside her head so no one would call her out on making them late. But then she realizes that she would rather have them think that she takes ages to get dressed than have them know that she was just standing alone in her room, in front of the mirror, panicking over nothing.

But when she reaches the living room and sees just Arnav and Sakshi waiting there, she lets out a relieved sigh, adding a quick apology to her greeting.

"It's fine," Arnav says as they make their way out. "Akash left with the others just a few minutes ago but he drives like he's stuck in perpetual traffic, so..."

And just like that, off they go.

The drive to the lake is silent minus the familiar music playing in the car that both Mahika and Keerti mumble along to, while Sakshi just stares out of the window and at the fields stretched across the miles around them.

The evening air is a bit chilly but it's calming instead of sharp against Mahika's cheeks. She closes her eyes and leans her head against the rolled-down windowpane, uncaring of the fact that her hair is going to be all over the place when the car stops.

The feeling is calming.

Serene.

Perfect meditation before they reach their destination because Mahika had no idea what she has coming.

When the car doors open and she steps out to find the rest of her friends waiting and her eyes draw to the one girl in particular, she feels her breath catch in her throat.

Amoli's dress is a shade of yellow that's almost as bright as her personality, her braided hair resting over her shoulder with tiny flowers tucked in it.

Mahika must be a fool if she has ever thought that she could even look at her in a platonic way. Not with her chest feeling like it physically inflates at the mere sight of Amoli. Not with her knees feeling weak the second Amoli looks at Naina and smiles at something that she says. Not with how the world seems to come at a standstill when Amoli turns and their eyes meet, the voices around them fading into a low buzz of nothing.

They both avert their eyes then, but in the next hour, it only becomes painfully obvious to Mahika that she's truly, utterly, and unquestionably screwed.

She realizes that over and over; when she sees Amoli with her hand dipped in the lake seconds before she pulls it out and flicks water in Arnav's face. When they all release their sky lanterns together and the light from them reflects brighter in Amoli's eyes than it does on the water. When their eyes meet again while they're making their way inside the temple with their heads covered with their dupattas, and Amoli gives her the tiniest of smiles.

So with an aching heart as the temple bells ring in her ears, she prays for something that she has never known before; prays even though she has deemed herself a headshaker of all things religious.

Happiness, she thinks, eyes falling close and lips trembling when no one's watching. I just want to be happy.

➷

a/n

it's almost six in the morning but i'm not sleepy so it's ok

the comments on this book make me very, very happy so if you're reading this, always know that i love you. very much.

thank you so much for reading! i hope you're all taking care of yourselves and having a good day/evening <3