Page 7 of Storm
“Yes God, why did you give it to me in such abundance and just about nothing to my dear friend here? That is so unfair!” Zee almost yelled in a dramatically fake painful voice, stretching his hands towards me while staring at the sky.
Ass!
I thanked the universe that I was wearing my favourite lavender sweatshirt, over my black skinny jeans. I refused to be humiliated in anything that was not my ‘power jeans’. If it is not a thing, it should be. New skinny jeans, just give you a big-girl aura. I totally felt it.
“I didn’t know jeans did anything other than make the ass look good.” Zee scoffed making a show of checking out my ass, “But as you say.”
Before I could do more than scowl at myself for being loud in my thoughts, and him for hearing them, he went on smirking in amusement, “You have really pulled off the tight sweatshirt look by the way. Lavender and girly...Of course!” Zee gave me an admiring thumbs up, which I took as a dig. Completely.
Just because he looked as if, he had stepped out of a magazine cover, did not mean I was any less. I would show him next time.
“Umber, I'm leaving.” I fumed.
“So am I.” Zee chuckled, giving a slight push to my back, sliding me inside the house.
“Suck it up Sani! We do not have money for the cab. Zidaan has come here especially to pick us up, leaving all his work behind.” Umber gave me a look and I caved in nodding half-heartedly.
Because, c’mon! A cab was a thing of leisure; I could not afford, having given off all my money to the bony bitchy beautician.
Still I could not help but feel suspicious, from the fact that Umber was taking Zee’s side, the person whom she barely tolerated even on a perfectly fine day.
My thoughts took a
turn, seeing Zee smirk. Not wishing to lose a chance, I passed his victorious smile with a quip of my own, gaping at Umber,
“He works? I didn’t know that!”
“What do you think I do with my psyche patients?” Zee narrowed his eyes. Smile vanished. Scowl on.
“Jellying-up like we do with likeminded people?” I shrugged innocently.
His jaw dropped to my satisfaction.
But he recovered quickly.
“Not so much these days, as you haven’t been around for a while now.” Zee smirked in a take that kind of way and before I could think of a retort, he closed the front door behind him, making me wonder why weren’t they moving if he was gonna drop us!
“Guys, stop it now. Remember we have a party to prepare for.” Umber groaned from the dark brown couch, she had made herself comfortable on.
I rolled my eyes at her enthusiasm,
“It’s not tonight. Even the bride and her groom won't be as excited as you are.”
“Of course, they are anything but happy about the mistake they made in deciding to marry in the first place.” This came from Zee who did not believe in love.
“Yet they wanna shout out to the world, ‘we got married’. As if, we do not know. And they actually think everyone is oh so giddy for them!” I laughed along with him.
Not realizing it until much later, Zee had trapped me into talking to him like good old times. Cheeky!
“Sani if you hate parties so much, then why do you go to them?” Umber turned towards me in curiosity.
Unashamed, I answered,
“Same reason for which everyone else goes. Free delicious food and catching up with...” I stopped myself short as the wound pressed inside my heart, realizing what I was about to say, catching up with family and friends.
Among so many of my family and friends, Zee was my favourite. But, since a long time, he had drifted apart from me without ever giving me a reason. I still had no idea what went wrong that day. What was my mistake?
It was ten days after my birthday. Zee had invited me for an outing he planned for all of my cousins he was friends with, to a place far from Seattle. A secluded spot, whose name I could never remember. After he had stated to me the many wonders, the place held, and how much we would enjoy spending the day exploring it, I did not even break an excited smile. He was sure as hell that I would get on my knees to thank the-ever-smart-him, for planning to make my life by taking me to that glorious place.
