Hide & Seek

Semester Done. Splash-Splash!

"Finally!" Miha sighed slumping beisde me on the warm sand. "We are through the mid terms."

"Yeah." I said and looked up at the bright blue sky.

It was sunday and after a long week of mid term exams we were sitting at the beach taking the break that we deserved. Except that, Nicholas was late.

Far ahead music palpitated at us from a yatch in the glistening blue water, the waves tranquil and undisturbed and I thought of all things that happened and things yet to happened, not like I knew future or anything just a slender feasibility of certain things.

My eyes were drooping slightly in the solace of the beach when someone sink beside me in the sand; Nicholas.

"You are late." I said.

He had his one arm behind his head and the other over his eyes. "My apologies."

I shook my head, smiling. "What kept you? You were supposed to be the first one here?"

He removed his hand from his face and glanced up at me, squinting. "My Dad is pretty excited about the prospect of scholarship and stuff. He got me into a discussion."

I wrinkled my nose. "Sounds boring."

"You cannot even imagine."

I had cerebrated about his opportunity in times and it had got me thinking what would come about when he would leave. There was still a year left before college and he was preparing ahead of time like any other productive student. I just couldn't imagine not seeing him at lunch, in hallways and passing me his adorable grin, throwing out random physics theories, bumping into him at weird places and how we happened to meet almost always, like atoms out there were pushing us together every time. Not seeing him, talking to him, his dramatic attitude, was hard to imagine and I didn't want that and even if it hurt me, there was the truth lying there, bare, in exposure, that soon he would be far, out of reach.

Miha said technology would keep us connected but what she didn't know was that the same technology could be the very means of aflliction we are going suffer when we realise he would be close as a wink but as far as sky to lands. I had spent years in the same technology looking for my best friend with aboritve results and I couldn't make myself to trust it now.

Few feets away, Rishi called. "Hey, Nick, wanna come in the water."

Nicholas sighed and muttered. "I hate it when he calls me that." Then yelled. "Nope. I'm quite warm, I'm enjoying it."

Rishi walked backward into the water yelling. "Hope, not in someone's arms."

Beside me Miha made a sound down her her throat. "He just didn't say that!"

Nicholas chuckled. "Come on! Girl power! Show him what you got."

Miha scowled at him and a shadow fell over us; Purav. "Hey, Miha, water is very cool."

"Yeah? Then why don't you take a dip? You sure need that."

Behind us from the bench Eshani snorted in her book and Nicholas stifled a laugh.

Purav frowned. "Oh, I'll show you what I need." And the next thing he was dragging Miha to the water. At first she protested but then gave in.

I watched them as they spilled water at each other when Nicholas snapped his finger before my face. "Hey, you here?"
I blinked. "Yes. I'm. Thats a ridiculous question."

He sat up shaking sand from his hairs. Warm wind drizzled through his hair making it more of a mess. His face glowed in the afternoon sun and wind broke at his wide smile, it was almost as if the sun was blushing when the rays started to turn a little red.