Loved You First ! Zarry !

Chapter 1 - H : Collision

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental or only for recreational purpose.
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Charles Bukowski –

"there is a place in the heart that
will never be filled

a space

and even during the
best moments
and
the greatest times

we will know it

we will know it
more than
ever

there is a place in the heart that
will never be filled
and

we will wait
and
wait

in that space."

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H

Bad reputation from 10 things I hate about you blares on my jeep. I know it's an odd choice, but I feel like it. School is finally over for the day and I can't wait to finally take a quick nap after practice, get one with my bed. My bones hurt. As I jam with the blasting music, I take off both my hands of the steering wheels to snap my finger and clap. Bad decision.

In a snap second there is a bike in front of my Jeep out of nowhere or from that small turn on my right I spy from the corner of my right eye. I put my full power behind the brakes and the vehicle comes to a jerky halt. I am not sure did it touch the rider or not but the bike is now lying on the road right with its owner.

We are right at the center of the road surrounded by pretty houses lined one after the other in a row. It's a pretty affluent upper middle class neighborhood so people have good money but not enough to be a snob. Hardly anybody is around to notice the collision or the after math.

I quickly get down from my jeep as the guy is picking himself up and he takes off his helmet. Since I was busy panicking, I didn't notice his slender frame or a hint of sleeve tattoos peeking from his rolled up denim jacket. But now he is shaking his long undercut hair like one off those race car drivers and I blank out for a hot second. There is anger in his eyes, ready to fight but then he looks at me and his face becomes rigid.

"What the hell H?" He finally says in a cold distant loud voice.

"Sorry I wasn't looking and you came out of nowhere." I am shaking a bit.

His old ragged jeans have ripped at the knees and he is bleeding. Though he seems to be unaware of it.
"My house is a two minute drive from here, please let me help you clean that up." I point out.

For a minute I feel he is going to fight me on this but then he lets his anger go and just gives a quick nod.
I hope his bike is still working as I doubt he would have insurance for it. I stand there just gawking at him as he elegantly picks up the motor bike and starts the engine. I take my seat in the Jeep and lead the way.

After we have parked both our vehicles in my garage, I invite him in through the back door.

"It's bleeding, might get your carpet dirty" He points at his injury.

"Nonsense. Follow me." Carpet is least of my concerns right now.

He places himself on one of our wooden dining chairs and I quickly hop inside our laundry / store room to get the first aid kit. He is staring at my trophy collection ostentatiously displayed by my mom on one of the walls. I have played some sport or the other all my life hence the umpteen big and small laurels.

"Z, can I?" I try to get back him attention with antiseptic and cotton gauge in my hand. He gives me a tight quick nod. Never the man of too many words, was he!

I slightly rip more the outer cuts of his denim near his right knee. The wound isn't deep but the upper layer of the skin is badly bruised. I clean him up, put some burning liquid to disinfect the wound and patch some cotton gauge to avoid infection. He doesn't even flinch, always had a higher tolerance for pain. Unlike me his skin is golden, blessed by a god given natural tan. I am sitting on the floor and look up at him once done with my first aid. He is silently staring at me.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

"No it's alright."

As I look into his golden brown eyes, I feel his earlier anger softens a bit. And then he does something unimaginable

"How have you been H?"

He asks as he put his fingers on my head combing through my half damp curly hairs. I melt in his touch. Now he is playing with my hair and I can feel myself purring like his Cheshire cat.

Why, why it had to be him?

Two years ago we were the best of friends and then we all did something stupid, we haven't spoken much since then.

"Alright I guess. My parents got a divorce and now Mom travels all the time for her job. Gems left for college. So it's just me now in this haunting big house."

"Must be lonely" He pricks exactly on my unseen wound.

"You have no idea" I reply while getting up from the floor and taking a mop to clear few drops of his thick blood spots spattered on the floor.

He smirks.

"Ya, I have no idea I share a cupboard size bedroom with my younger sister who is violently going through puberty and gets pissed about every other thing."

Z use to live in a house similar to mine and his dad was a pediatrician. But few years ago they lost him to cancer and his Indian side of the family refused to give anything much to his white mother as most of his Dad's investments were in India under family members control. She just got hold of his bank account but the money ran out soon as they had already spent on his treatment. So they sold the house and his mother remarried some guy who works in manufacturing. Now they live in shadier neighborhood. I have never seen any Cancer take away a man so soon before he could put his business in order.

"You are always welcome to stay here, kill two birds with one stone." I suggested without thinking much.
He laughs at my absurd idea.

"I might take you up on that offer since I am definitely not getting along with my step dad in that shoebox house of his."

"You are always welcome here." I stare at him sincerely.

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Thank you for reading !!!