When Shy Met Naive

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

I completely underestimated the cold tonight. Karl as always was well armed to keep himself warm on the chilly winter night, compared to me. “So are you done with the assignment for tomorrow?”Asked Karl, in a rather jaded tone, just so that he could have the assurance that he wasn’t walking with a blood-thirsty vampire, which he suspects me to be, for the past two months.

“Is that the best you could come up with to break the boredom of the moment?” to which he just pulled a face suggesting that he was completely agreeing to what I said.

But no matter what, he was the best person to wander in the streets of quaint Bergen city, when you want to unwrap your mind off anything. This time too, like the many other times the subject hovering my mind, all day was- Myra.

“Please don’t get lost again in the dream, where you and your ladylove, are enjoying an astonishing view of the Norwegian fjords in the warm company of each other’s arms, because it seems very impractical at this junction of your relationship” Which caught me completely off-guard.

“Where do you get all this stuff into your head? Wonder why you aren’t sitting beside Aron in the Public Economics class anymore”, to which he just shrugged and kept walking.

“So what really happened when you went to meet Myra today?” he asked me for the third time since we left Magnus.

“She was with Annette and I didn’t really know if she would like the fact that I approached her for the very same reason, for which she has stayed away from me for the last two months, in front of Annette.”

“So why don’t you meet her after the last lecture finishes tomorrow? Because as far as I remember Annette does have a lecture in the afternoon, which means that Myra while walk home alone.” , he said with negligible amount of  self-pride, for the fact that he had his best friend’s ex’s and her friend’s lecture timings at his disposal.

“Eirik, I guess it’s time for you and me to part ways”, listening to which I realized that we has arrived my home. “See you tomorrow at the college, bud. Goodnight.” Saying which he side hugged me and left.

I knocked on my wooden door, only to be surprised to not have it answered till my next knock. It was unlikely of my mother, who always waits patiently for me to return from Magnus safe and sound, to not open the door immediately and assure herself that her tiny 22 year old boy had reached home safely. It was the third knock that the door was opened by my father. “Is everything fine? Why didn’t Mom open the door?”

“She is has gone to meet Myra”, he said with a rather uncertain tone; listening to which the world seem to crumble under my feet. “What possible work could she have with her? And why does she need to go meet her without even asking me, forget asking, I don’t even know about this”.
I was about to take the car keys and drive to her place when I saw Mom enter the gate.
Her face was insipid, unlikely to her bright one with a gleaming smile plastered on her face which could melt you within seconds and make you forget all your problems. Therefore this scene made my stomach churn and a feeling so unfathomable and appalling gripped my heart that I felt as if I couldn’t breathe. Mom patted me on the back, doing the only thing she does to me after I return home and headed straight to the kitchen. I felt as if my legs had just frozen like my mind after seeing Mom returning from her secret rendezvous with my ex.
“Hey, it might not be that bad” Dad said putting his arm around my shoulder and taking me inside. Mom was still in the kitchen. “Go ask her what happened, instead of imagining the worst Son”

Dad was right, but the constant and valid dread that what happened might be worst than my imagination, made a shiver run down my spine. “It’s nothing to do with Myra”, her soft voice broke my spell and, trust me, left me flabbergasted. “Mom that’s not all, and you know that”, I said entering the kitchen, only to be greeted with the familiar aroma of apple pie.
“Yes, I do know you have questions, to which you want legitimate answers, which I will provide, but after dinner sweetie”
“Mom you know that this is the worst kind of punishment you make me go through. It’s worst than the silent treatment. This suspense punishment kills me Mom” I said with a trailing tone.
“You know the rules and also know that they aren’t meant to be broken”

“Ohh please Mom quit this game. You know it’s already killing me, yet you won’t budge to tell me what happened even after knowing that you are fault for meeting Myra without even telling me, forget asking.” Anger slowly made itself evident on the landscape of my mind.
“I am not at any fault regarding anything. If you don’t want to eat the dinner, you are free to do so. Be clear about one thing though, that I wouldn’t be talking about this before having dinner.” she said and started arranging the dishes on the table.
“It’s just two dishes today Mom”, I said unsympathetically and left the kitchen seething with rage