Can't I Touch Your Heart?

Chapter 22 Falling From The Sky

Summer in India is breathtaking, metaphorically and practically. You can look at the clear blue sky as you take a skin burning sun bath until you lose your breath and die from a heatstroke. With the tropical easterly winds during the summer season, the scorching sun is enough to melt the human skull. But with a wet handkerchief on her head and black arm length gloves, Rhea peacefully paddled her bicycle.

Suddenly, two guys in a car came near her and started driving as slow as her. The street was empty because no one get burnt in the afternoon sun. And taking advantage of the situation, started the classic eve teasing. They pulled down the glass and looked at her, slowly and supposedly seductively pulling down their sunglasses.

"Hey baby, riding a bicycle?"
"How about your ride this dick?" The one driving the car said. They seemed to be college students, skipping college to pick up girls in the heat. She ignored them and paddled faster. 
"Duph me niklana karo!"
"Gora rang kala na pad jaye~"
(Tn// Just a popular Hindi song)
They started singing or more suitably, yelling.

Rhea simply ignored them. It went on for a few minutes but then finally, Rhea applied the brakes and looked at them. They halted at once with her. She looked at them for a while and got from her bike.
"Rocky, bhai ja!" His friend insisted and he got from his car, fixing his collar and his hair. She walked towards him and he looked at her. 

Her red lips, pink cheeks, hair flowing in the cold breeze as she slowly walked towards him with a smile. It seemed like a dream. Neel came paddling his bicycle next and stooped after seeing Rhea with those guys. He got down from his scooter and walked towards them. It was finally his time to shine and save a damsel in distress. She reached close to and slapped his face and Neel stopped at once. He heard a high pitched frequency screaming in his head. He was fully awake now.

"Can I drive peacefully? The sun is so hot, my head hurts and then you! You sing so bad, my ears hurt too now! Who do you think you are? Arjit Singh?"
He just touched his cheek, "Erm, no,"
"Leave me alone," She pressed her handkerchief back on her head and got on her bicycle.

"Wait-" He walked towards her and grabbed her arm, "SOMEBODY HELP! HE'S TRYING TO RAPE ME!" Rhea shouted and continued shouting it. He got back into his car and drove off. She pressed her sneaker heels on the paddle and looked back, at Neel.

"Hello, neighbor,"
"Aren't you embarrassed shouting that?"
"Why would I be embarrassed. He's the one trying to molest me. HE should be embarrassed, fucking loser,"

Neel watched her leave and chuckled, "What a girl,"
He got back on his scooter.

She reached the Crash Course Center and sat on her seat.
"Finally, air conditioners!" She pressed her head on the table while Meenu and AJ sat behind her, feeding on Dark Forest cookies. She was starting to relax herself, when her nostril reacted to the sweet scent of Autumn Clematis. She looked up and looked at the same old blonde bangs.

"Is this seat empty?" Ember asked.
"Yes, and this one will be if you sit down" Rhea glared at him through her brown hair. Ember just stared at her for sometime. 

"You're such an earthquake," Ember sighed and sat beside her.
"And why do you think that? Because I'm so shameless?" Rhea asked.
"That doesn't even make any sense."
"And me being an earthquake does? 
"Yes, because you rock my world,"

"Are you calling me fat?"
"Not really,"
"Are you flirting or starting a fight, you pretty boy?"
"Yes, let's fight, with our tongues,"

"Shut up!" Rhea covered his mouth with her hands as she blushed. Ember licked her hands.
"Ew!" She moved away.
"Did I win?" Ember rolled his tongue over his lips and pressed his fingers on his lips.
"Man, you're so weird!" Rhea stared assembling her books on the table. 

"Sit down, everyone!" The teacher said as she entered the class. Rhea took a deep breath "Forget what just happened," She opened her books and notebooks. She started taking notes of whatever her teacher said. Ember looked at his desk "I wish I could, but I can't," He chuckled and his phone started buzzing

"Answer your phone," Rhea ordered him.
"I'll do it later," Ember smiled.
"Just answer it, pretty boy" Rhea stretched his cheek forcefully and he groaned, "Okay okay!" He moved away from that agony and pain which he experienced when his cheeks were more chubby. He looked into his phone and his face turned as pale as a dead squid. He stood up immediately as if he had just explored the world of laxatives and rushed out of the hallway with the teacher shouting at him. However, he was too glam to give a damn.

Everyone was shocked but the teacher had a reputation to keep so she ignored him in turn and continued the lesson. But what she had not expected was another person, who managed to offend her by running away from the class. That was Rhea.

"What the hell is going on?! Am I a joke to you people?!" She shouted after Rhea left. Everyone was quiet when AJ said "Yes,"

Rhea soon lost sight of Ember and didn't know where to run anymore. Where was he? Why would he leave the class so suddenly? She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, thinking what to do next when that scent hit her nose-Sweet autumn clematis! It was Ember! It was stronger on the stairs so she ran up the stairs, towards the terrace.

There he stood on the terrace, under the blazing hot afternoon sun, with his blonde hair giving off the brightest shine of golden, his eyes fixed upon the sky, making that classic 'Blonde guys under sunlight make girls swoon' seem very true! He suddenly turned back and looked at Rhea.

"What are you doing here? That's a good way to skip class," Rhea walked towards him and stood beside him, unaware that she's skipping class with him.
"I'm not skipping class-I'm waiting for someone," Ember looked back at the sky as if someone would just jump down the sky to meet him. Jesus?

"Hah! Do you take me for a fool? Why are you waiting for someone on the terrace? What-A plane will land here or something?" Rhea asked.

"A helicopter might," Ember replied and Rhea started laughing at his foolishness, thinking it to be another ones of his jokes. But he didn't laugh and soon she stopped abruptly. She looked at the sky and saw a small yellow dot, far away in the sky and it seemed to be getting bigger or what intellectuals would call it "Coming closer,"

"Oh! He's here!" Ember said.
"Who?"
They stared at the yellow dot as it moved towards them and slowly started to appear more clear. Finally, they saw two things, a guy with a yellow para glider, paragliding in the sky with a black helicopter, following him.

"What the fuck is going on in the world at this day and age?" 
Honestly Rhea, I don't know.
All I know is that...You got another blonde to deal with.

-To be continued