"From the beginning, you knew I was crazy, loud, silly, imperfect, yet you chose to be my friend."
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Aahana felt way better as she drove to the office building the next day. Her mind was clear despite the doubts. She realized she couldn't keep quiet and replay everything in her head. She had to have a conversation with Atharva, and she decided to do it once he returned from Bangalore, no matter the circumstances.
This was exactly the reason she was blessed to have someone like Jay in her life. If he wasn't there, she would be in a puddle of tears, questioning her life.
Her time with Jay had not gone to waste. It was a day well spent with him being his usual self, cracking lame jokes and commenting about hot guys. It had made her smile for the rest of the day, something only he could do. After all, ten years was no joke, and their friendship was bound with trust and faith. Indestructible.
Undoubtedly, they'd instantly become friends when they'd met in high school. But the occurrence of an incident at the end of the final year had changed things and since then, they were inseparable and best friends.
She still remembered the awful day. The memory was fresh in her mind, however, anything but memorable.
Jay had always been aware of his sexuality. When his parents learned about him, they were totally understanding and accepting. A few relatives were upset and disappointed who he blatantly ignored. Aahana had no problem but the fear of rejection, discrimination, and prejudices had him keep it a secret from others. He couldn't pluck the courage to tell the world he was gay.
But for how long?
Their final exam was around the corner, so Jay had decided to come out before bidding them goodbye, for he thought they'd accept him.
But they didn't.
On the day of the farewell, nobody took it well. His friends looked down on him. They stopped talking to him. And if they did, it was teasing and bullying, continuous nagging about his sexual identity.
They had made his fears come true.
Aahana was his only friend throughout the last week, not letting him alone anywhere. She had tried to convince her school-mates but her words fell on deaf ears.
Not a single goodbye he had received on the last day.
It was like he had committed a crime.
Sexual orientation was a taboo subject and homosexuality was a sin in society. It didn't take much to be labeled as an outcast. Many had these stereotypical thoughts with judgment in their eyes and disrespect in their heart. If a person wasn't straight, they were viewed with a frown.
