Indie-America

11

 (((Edited•)))

  Monday morning was even more surprising. Simmi and Kendall talked a lot throughout breakfast and kept exchanging inside jokes. Mara spoke in whispers with Raman, mum, and grandma we're having easy conversations. My food got stale.
It's not like I don't like them getting along...it's just odd. And it's even odd-er that I'm not involved in this new change.
"Ravi. Won't you eat?" Dad asks me once he noticed the small bite of spaghetti I'd eaten.
"Yes of–" Luca's horn interrupts me, I see Mara's eyes light with joy.
"That's our ride. Bye." I say as I drag Mara out with me.
"Amara, what the hell happened in our house?" I ask as soon as we're out. She grins at me.
"It was hell at first. I would've given anything to be in your place." She makes wiggly eyes at Luca's car and I feel myself blush.
"Shut up." I'm smiling as I say it and that only makes her laugh.
She opened her mouth to say something but stopped when she saw Luca.
"Luca! What are you doing here so early?"
Luca starts talking."I'm–"
"Oh wait, don't tell me. You're driving us to school!" She's already opening the back door.
"How did you know?" He grins at her and she smiles at him brighter than the sun.
"I'm awesome like that." The door opens and she jumps in. I roll my eyes.
"Or...maybe I just explicitly mentioned that he was our ride."
None of them pay attention to my words.
I enter the car and buckle my seat belts.
"So should I continue the tale or do you guys do the serious dating conversations?" Mara asks casually but I choke on my spit. I'm about to mention that I never mentioned us dating but Luca shrugs.
"It depends on what the tale is."
I'm still recovering when Mara starts.
"So actually it started when mum came for dinner. Dad didn't dare ask her to sit with him and she didn't. In fact, she was about to leave again when grandma called dad 'Ravi' with the goal of irking mum. Of course, it did and then mum started her roll of hidden emotions that were so deep that once she finished, grandma was mortified. They went inside to talk some more and then Aunt SanJ locked all of us in your studio and we were forced to talk to while away time. It turns out we've got a lot of things in common."

I frown as I try to imagine all this going down.
"Did you wish I was there?" I turn to look at her as I ask because I really want to know. I guess this is my weakness.
Mara looks straight at me.
"No."

Ouch???!!!

Of course, she says this casually and doesn't really know to what extent she has hurt me. Even Luca winces.
"Oh...ok," I say and turn around again then try hard to not read too much into her words. She just said offhandedly. Nothing to it. I try to sleep but I'm too nervous about today and the least conscious part of myself is dissecting Mara's words. So I end up playing Candy Crush to refresh myself, it helps cause when Luca drops off Mara I don't force my smile. But of course, it falls the moment she's gone. The reality of today just hit me.
"You ready?" Luca asks, he sounds perfectly calm, probably because this little show today won't really affect his social life as it would mine...oh wait, you have to actually have a social life for it to be affected.
Either way, I nod then dutifully add:
"Just don't do anything stupid that'll catch me off guard."
He smirks and gives me a side-eye, "Like?"
"Don't kiss me, don't rub your hands on my jaws, don't make horny comments, don't call me babe."
His jaw is dropped.
"Don't call you babe? Babe what kind of relationship is that?!"
"You just called me babe."
"Ravi!"
"We've gone through this stage, Luca. We discussed this earlier."
"Ok if I don't call you 'babe' what should I call you?"
"How am I supposed to know? That's your job."
He rolls his eyes and opens his door, I open mine and get down.

   "Whattabout 'shorty'?" He asks once he's standing beside me.
I glare at him, "then you're just straight-up mocking me."
"Or I could just call you Vivi? I'll come up with something Ok?"
He adds once I give him another glare.
With a soft chuckle, he grabs my hand and leads me to the school.