"Not so long ago, I was alone and lost and then you came along and I was home. thank you for finding me
After 10 years of disappearing, when Ember Helberg returns to India to meet his childhood crush, Arorhea Laghari, he discovers that she has compl...
It was a Saturday morning, a day after Mark and Miranda left. It was cold, winter morning, dark and foggy. Maple stood in the terrace garden, wearing a long, chestnut coloured coat and trousers, blowing hot air on his hands, pale and dry. "You woke up pretty early today," He turned back, it was Mr Helberg, he smiled, "Good morning, dad,"
"Good morning," He stood beside him, "Something's bothering you?" "Dad, you said we are young and we enjoy our youth, but people seem to hate it when I do that," "What did you do?" "Be a poly relationship,"
He shook his head, "What? What is that?" "Just a relationship with many partners, but the consent is involved and Miranda agreed to it. I don't know why she got mad," "Maybe she did it for your sake," "Me?" "Maybe she didn't like it, but since you did, her love for you let her give that away. But seems like she finally knows what she wants, and that's not you,"
He looked ahead and grinned, "She's going to come crying back, I know her," "Respect a girl, Maple. She's not your toy," "Girls are stupid. They go against their own promises," "Because they are driven by emotions," Mr Hleberg said, "Try to think in their perspective, its not very hard to figure out what a woman wants from you,"
"Let it be, I don't have time for this anymore. For now, I want to focus on Ember, he needs me more,"
. . .
The dawn light touched the floor of the rook through the huge glass windows. The white sheets covered a blonde head. It was Loraine. He opened his eyes and looked ahead at the piano kept right before the bed.
He got up and stretched his arms. He looked at the wall clock hanging on the wall. It was eight in the morning. He walked towards a closet placed on the wall and opened it. He was in white pyjamas and green bathroom slippers. He took out a coffee mug and poured some milk into it from the fridge.
He stood at the balcony and drank the milk. He looked outside at the garden. Maple was jogging. Ember must have gone to work by now. He finished the milk and kept the mug in the sink. He freshened up and walked out of the bathroom. He picked up one of his ironed shirts and dressed up in black jeans and a white shirt.
He air dried his hair and combed them. He wore his shoes and picked up some books from the bookshelf behind the piano. It was fifteen minutes nine till then. He sprayed some deodorant on his shirt and walked out of his room.
He reached the dining hall and sat on a chair. The maids quickly arranged the table with the food. He ate the appetisers, the main dishes and the dessert along with some snacks. It was a fact-- Loraine ate a lot but never gained any pounds.
Maple ate a lot too but he measured the calories he was taking and exercised a lot because he would gain weight even by breathing. Ember didn't eat a lot in the first place to gain any pounds.
After breakfast, Loraine left the hall with his books and reached the fifteenth floor and went inside a huge room. Maple was already waiting for him on a chair. He went ahead and sat on another chair. It was nine sharp. The teacher entered the room and kept his books on a podium before the board "Today, we will be studying how to balance sheets," He said.
Maple was already planning on sleeping while Loraine diligently took notes. After half an hour, Ember came into the room "Sorry," He quickly sat on the third chair and looked at the board "Till where?" He asked and Loraine showed him the notes.
After three hours, the class finished and they were free to do whatever they wanted. Loraine picked up his books and pens and walked out of the halls. He reached his room and kept his books on the bed. He sat on the study table and completed all the homework for the day.
It was one by then and his piano instructor knocked at his door. He opened the door and greeted his teacher. He listened to his pieces and taught him new ones. The session ended by two. After the instructor left, the maid brought in some fruits for him. He ate up while reading a book and then decided to practice till three.
Then, he went back to the dining hall to have some lunch. Ember wasn't there like most of the time. He finished eating when he heard his voice in the halls. He left the table and looked outside. It was Ember and Rhea. Ember looked at him "Hey,"
Loraine looked at Rhea and turned back "Wait-- Loraine, can you just take care of Rhea for a while? I need to go out to pick up someone from the airport. He is an important client," "Take care of me? I'm not a baby!" Rhea shouted. "I'm not a babysitter," Loraine said. "Please, just this once?" Ember begged and Loraine decided to give in.
He left Rhea with him and went out with a carefree look on his face. Loraine went back to the dining table and continued eating. Rhea sat beside him. He was eating fish and chips-- An awkward combination for an Indian like Rhea.
There were also dishes she couldn't recognise "What is all this?" She asked. Loraine pointed at the dishes and identified them for her "Haggis, neeps, tatties, bangers, mash, steak, kidney pie and Sunday roast," "You don't look like it but you eat a lot--What the fuck-- Kidney pie?"
"Yes," "Ew!" "... That's pretty disrespectful," Loraine stared. "Sorry but seriously--" "Then again, everyone has opinions and we need to respect them no matter how annoying they are," "Aren't you being rude now?" "Yeah so?" "Nevermind,"
Loraine ate up everything and cleaned his hands. He wiped then dry with a towel and walked out of the dining halls as the maids started cleaning up. Rhea followed him to his room. He unlocked the door and walked inside.
He walked towards the closet and took out the coffee mug again. He washed under the tap and poured some cold milk into it. Rhea followed him everywhere even as he did that. He threw some coffee beans and sugar cubes inside the milk and stirred them with a spoon. Rhea stood right behind and peeked through his shoulder as to what he was doing.
He washed the spoon in the sink and kept it aside. Then, he turned back and gave the cup to Rhea. Rhea looked at him, pulling down the sleeves of his shirt. He looked at her "That's for you, idiot," He told her and she quickly began drinking it.
"It's too cold!" "Cold coffee is cold," "Why would you serve me a cold beverage in the cold?!" "Can you stop being so ungrateful? There's no stove here as you can see," He glared at her and she quietly began drinking the cold coffee.
"Now, sit quietly as I practice," He instructed her and she sat on his bed. "If you pour that coffee on the sheets, I'll cut your hands," Scared, she sat down on the carpet. "Better," He sat at the piano and brought his fingers right above the keys. He closed his eyes and Rhea stared at him.
Rhea looked at him, astonished. How could someone play such a difficult piece at such a young age? "What's it called?" "It's my original. I haven't named it yet," "Tell me when you name it," "Whatever,"
- To be continued
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