Chennai Terminal || WLW Novel || Indian Sapphic

16. Love of My Life Again

I woke up today, looked at my phone and smiled. With me following her now on all my socials, and her following me back, I felt healthy. It was wonderful.

I brushed my teeth and heard my doorbell ring. I opened and it was ebay. They had a few boxes and letters, some small and some humongous.

Some praised me screaming their joy and excitement, some "threw up on their grandma's couch" and then some who threatened to bring back the og couple (but that ship has sailed).

I checked my phone today for the 40th time for one particular message from a certain someone. I swore not to initiate the conversation first, for the sake of my pride. I trembled around my phone like an addict who was tied with fresh drugs around his hands.

The old Madhu would've probably proposed and have started marriage plans but she is long gone.

I walked to the kitchen, stared at the TV, fed and walked with Nandhu (my dog has the same name as Nayan's Son but we're not telling her anytime soon), wandered here and there and something struck me as I saw the clock. I wore a jacket and brushed my hair and rushed outside.

There was a constant almost annoying notification sound just going Tring tring tring tring.
It was Erin.
I rushed to the bus stop to see her waiting.

She had her full bridal kinda makeup on because apparently she thinks some dresses don't look as good when the makeup is on. Idk maybe she is right, I'm not an expert on that.

We stepped on this empty bus and sat next to each other. I had the window seat, obviously.

She was just constantly scrolling through Pinterest and saving random wedding gown pictures to "wedding inspo". My head was almost out the window just feeling that fresh cold breeze hit on my face. Oh, I saw a little girl from the road recognise me. That was fun. And as I was feeling the breeze, I saw something.

The bus was passing Coney Island in Brooklyn. I found a thin blue line on the side, just sparkling. It was crowded, but wonderful.

New York is filled with beaches. It's such a pity I had no time to visit even one. Maybe, just maybe, I would visit them with Nayan one day. We will have fun, like we used to. We'll kiss and hold hands, maybe even have a home, if that's possible.

-
"I wonnnnnn" I screamed running.

I looked back and she was at the start line, just side eyeing me and smiling, pretending to be playing with the sand.

"Bitch!!" I screamed with the people looking at me.

We usually race at the beach, and she wins every time. After which we would get something from the little vendors who sells peanuts and stuff.

I did not carry cash around me, so she paid for everything. I pretended to be humble and not buy anything in the beginning, but things change.

We did not kiss that much, but that doesn't mean we didn't feel anything anytime one 'accidently' grazed the other's hands.

We don't go into the waters though, neither of us are brave enough for that, nor we could afford to get caught by our family if our clothes had sand in them.

Occasionally I would write "M hearts N" in the sands, but the waves would wash it away.

-

"You smell that?" Erin goes. "What?" I say and smell and it stunk like shit. "oh yes" I say and shrink my face and look around with my hands on the face. There were so much people in the bus who had boarded in the little while I was dreaming. The person in front of us probably just farted, or puked we couldn't tell. We stepped down from the bus (not because of the smell, we had reached our stop) and Erin checked the map in her phone and started to walk. I walked with her in the side.