Olivia's cheery laughter uplifted the atmosphere while the cool breeze rustled the leaves making it an rhythmical flow. The swing's pulse was altered as a thud pulled her out of a trance state. "What the - ?" she gasped as confusion flooded her stomach. She stopped the swing and examined the scene. At her feet laid an enigmatic stone covered in a wrapping of paper. She worringly glanced around. After ensuring no one noticed her she stuffed it in her dupatta and staring at the blank ceiling as her heart raced.
His doppelganger Noah stood at the balcony. "Hey there, kite girl!" he smirked, "What's that you've got?"
"I've got nothing," she retorted, face warming up, before proceeding to encase herself into the house, almost hitting Ali who was stepping out.
"Are you blind? Did you not have a look?" he complained as his forehead rubbed in circles from annoyance.
"Watch where you're going," she defended herself as she stepped on his foot.
"Drama Queen," Ali murmured under his breath annoyed as he made his way to the cricket field.
"Daughter in law! Where's my tea? It's been ages!" the begum yelled while Ava was cooking while the attention was locked on the TV.
"I'm making it! Sit down!" Ava barked back while resting her elbow on the countertop while her hands covered in white flour.
"Your daughter is out late again. She is too young for this," Alia Begum said while staring at the kitchen.
"Maybe I should put poison in this water and end the story once for all," Ava said in a dramatic manner, filling a glass with glucose. Alia put her hand on her chest and was shocked.
"Why do you always say things that are completely not acceptable?"
"Where is Olivia?" Ava said while checking on the time. With each failed attempt to reach Olivia's friends, her heart sank deeper, and she felt a knot of anxiety setting in the pit of her stomach amidst the silence. "Olivia, where do you even have the audacity to be right now?" she said in a tone barely above a whisper when tears blurred her vision.
Olivia looked pale when she finally decided to show up. "I'm home..." she whispered, but they both knew there were too many things that remained unspoken and that lingered in the air.
"Where were you?" She asked with a shaky voice that revealed her obvious panic.
"Only with friends…" Olivia started but was cut off by Ali who mocked her saying, "Yes, right. More like with that loser Noah."
Ava watched them, and she could tell that a storm was on the way. "That is enough! Both of you are racing past the acceptable."
At that moment, Olivia sensed the weight of secrets and expectations and all the tensions coiling tighter. That's when Ali exclaimed, "I was planning on making some kebabs for dinner, but perhaps I should just set them on fire instead."
Olivia's heart was sinking at this point. She understood that one wrong slip could lead to a downward spiral. "Ali, don't say that!"
Ali smiled with a shrug on his shoulder and said, "Why should I? I might as well deepen the drama."
Dread seeping into her heart, Olivia directed her gaze to Ali. "You really do not get it, do you? None of this is playful!"
Olivia understood that sometimes the hardest battles were the laughter mixed with the turmoil that surrounded them.
"Listen," said Ali with a serious tone. "If you're going to love, make sure to do it right. Don't hide. Love is all about trust and not just longing."
Olivia listened to him closely. As a final reaction, she responded with, "I'll remember that," followed by returning her head back to align with the rest of her body.
The setting sun casts its orange radiance throughout the room, thickening the darkness. The mark that Ali left me with and the approach that the love letter with my dupatta sparked from deep within will always remain imprinted in my mind. The journey to properly setup all of the complexities within my heart though has yet to begin.
'To be continued…'