izzie

𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐓...𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓...𝐈𝐙𝐙𝐈𝐄 .ᐣ

indian minor matt girl vanilla hello kitty cats spiderman blue rap rnb diet coke books black nail polish kajal converse bollywood romcoms scorpio baggy jeans

selcouth (adj.) unfamilar, rare, strange, and yet marvelous

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© izzieinatizzy - do not copy, modify, translate or feed any of my works to ai.

.ᐟ.ᐟ loser!matt x kitty!reader

WHIPPED

heads turned as matt sprinted behind kitty in the hallway. some smirked, some shook their head fondly, some didn't even bat an eye. but no one commented on it, because everyone knew - matt sturniolo was whipped for the quiet girl who sat in the back of class.

"kitty! hey! kit!" matt tried calling out, but clearly the noise-cancelling headphones covering her ears did their job too well. ultimately, he reached her, and tapped her shoulder, panting heavily. she turned around, surprised. "oh, hey, matt!" she said, pausing her music and taking her headphones off. "i've been shouting at the top of my lungs!" he accused, making kitty shrug. "maybe i heard you and just didn't want to look," she said, walking away. he was quick to fall into step with her. "oh, please. we both know you can't resist me." he quipped. she raised her brow, but didn't comment on it.

"was there any reason you were looking for me?" she asked as she reached her locker. usually, matt would've noted the subtle irritation in her voice, but he wasn't exactly paying attention then. instead, he gasped overdramatically, placing a hand on his chest, throwing himself on the locker next to hers. "as if i need a reason to talk to my favorite person in the world!" he said, eyebrows moving exaggeratedly.

"get on with it, sturniolo."

those five words made matt sober up real quick. because kitty didn't use his last name to address him unless she was really mad. the last time was when he'd dropped coffee all over her notes accidentally. he had to rewrite them by hand and get her a croissant from her favorite café, which was thirty minutes away. that happened almost eight months ago, and she hadn't been seriously mad at him since.

but she looked pretty mad that second. and that's when matt noticed - the bags under her eyes, the dullness of her hair visible even through her messy bun, the paleness of her skin. and when matt peered into her locker, he could see what looked like twenty cans of energy drinks.

"that much caffeine can't be good for you." his voice hid a certain tinge of concern under his uncaring façade, but she simply rolled her eyes. "since when do you care?" that caused matt to pause. "you know i care." he said, his voice quiet. "you need to rest, kitty. when was the last time you've slept?" she shrugged. "last night. dunno why you'd think otherwise." she lied, carefully avoiding eye contact. before matt could ask her anything else, she quickly changed the topic. "why were you looking for me?"

he sighed, wondering whether to press on, or let it go. ultimately, he settled with the latter. he unzipped his bag, pulling out kitty's english file. "uh, mrs. smith wanted me to give this to you." she tried to reach out for it, but matt instantly sidestepped her. "before i give it to you...i wanted to ask you something." kitty crossed her arms. "matthew." but matt was just as stubborn, if not more. he mimicked her stance. "go out for lunch with me."

she sighed. "i would, but i have an assignment to complete." "i'll help you with it." he said instantly. "over lunch." he added quickly. matt could practically hear the gears of her head turn, and he could see the second she relented. after all, he was the one person who knew how thorough her research methods were and double checked every single article he came across before sending it to her. "fine. but less talking, more studying." he handed her the file, winking. "we'll see about that. pick you up at one." and with that, he walked off.

© 𝐈𝐙𝐙𝐈𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐙𝐙𝐘

.ᐟ.ᐟ rapper!chris x sweetheart!reader

JEALOUS TYPE

it was a saturday night, and the triplets and rhea had dragged you to a party hosted by chris's close friend to celebrate a 100k listeners on spotify. you had drink after drink and chris, who knew you could not handle your alcohol at all, was assigned to look after you to make sure you didn't get in trouble, a task which was extremely easy, because after the third drink, you flopped down on the couch and refused to move. all chris had to do was sit next to you and pretend to pay attention. but he wasn't doing a good job of pretending either, scrolling on instagram and liking every model's post he came across. you frowned as he commented a fire emoji on one's picture in a bikini. "hey, who's that?" you asked, leaning over his shoulder to peek into his phone, all etiquette forgotten. chris didn't seem to mind, though. "a friend." he responded vaguely.

"she was pretty." you said, but it sounded less like a compliment and more like sulking, making him grin, even though he didn't look up from his phone. "y'jealous, baby?" he teased, liking another picture of a girl in a club. you instantly tried to deflect. "me? pfft. why would i be jealous? i don't even know the girl!" chris hummed, tilting his head slightly to look at you. "exactly. no need to be jealous." you nodded, your pout still not fully gone. "mhm. no need. she's just your friend. like i'm your friend."

you didn't notice the way chris's voice softened. "yeah. you're both my friends." "yep." there was silence for a few minutes before you shakily got up. his gaze instantly snapped to you. "where you goin'?" "bathroom." "need me t'come with you?" he asked. you shook your head. "i think i'll manage." "y'sure?" he asked, trying to mask his concern as you wobbled. "nope. but i'll be fine." "if y'say so, kid." he muttered, his gaze returning to his phone.

somehow, you made your way to the bathroom, legs trembling but determined. you did your business, and were just washing your hands when a girl walked in. she seemed oddly familiar, and before your drunk brain could remember who she was, she spotted you and made a face. and that's when it clicked. she was the girl chris was hooking up with a few weeks ago—vicky. you'd walked in on them once. you hadn't seen chris with her since, and you were sure she thought you were the reason.

your assumptions were proved right when she sneered. "you're chris's girlfriend, aren't you?" "i'm not his girlfriend," the response automatically flew to your lips. she scoffed. "oh, please. i'm not stupid. he got this weird look in his eye when you walked in. like he'd been caught or something." you shrugged. "so? maybe he didn't want me walking in on him having sex." she rolled her eyes. "whatever, girl. it's not like i care. he settled for less, anyway." she said, pulling out her lip gloss. you couldn't help but flinch. normally, you didn't take insults to heart, but she had this intimidating sort of aura around her. and she looked the part too - black hair slicked back into a high pony tail, silver hoops hanging from her ears, eyeliner sharp enough to cut through your self-confidence, black dress not leaving much to the imagination, and heeled boots. she was, in short, eye-catching.

when you returned to chris's side, he didn't immediately noticed your subdued demeanor, barely looking at you for more than a minute. but when the silence stretched on, he finally looked up at you. "y'dumb now?" he asked, nudging you slightly with his elbow. you didn't respond. he waved a hand in front of your face. "hey." you blinked. "oh, sorry. were you saying something?" he scoffed. "yeah, i was. what's up?" you shook your head. "nothing." he raised a brow. "y'sure? 'cause i've been tryna get y'to shut up for hours, but y'returned from the bathroom all silent." you sighed. "it's nothing, promise." he shrugged. "suit y'self." and went back to scrolling on his phone.

but you couldn't help it. after a while, you asked him quietly. "hey, chris?" he hummed in response. "do you think i'm...pretty?" his response came after a few seconds. "wouldn' be havin' sex with you if y'weren't pretty, kid." he said, arm casually snaking around your waist to pull you into his side to make space for a couple crashing on the couch, lips locked so deep that it was difficult to tell whose limbs were whose. you frowned. "i'm being serious." he looked at you then, really looked. "so 'm i."

he studied the pout on your features and sighed. "look, 've seen a ton of pretty women, a'ight? n' you...y're in my top three, if it helps." when he looked at your expression and realized it didn't help, he sighed. "who made y'feel this way, kid?" he asked, thumb stroking your waist subconsciously. you muttered her name so quietly he had to lean in. "who?" "vicky..." you said. chris rolled his eyes, leaning back again. "of course." he muttered. "y'don' gotta listen to a word she says, y'hear? she's been goin' to ev'ry girl i ever hooked up with, 'n tellin' 'em they don' matter. she's jus' jealous 'cause i told her i didn' wanna date her."

you swallowed, things suddenly clearing up in your head. "oh." you muttered, your head ducking to avoid his gaze, suddenly very interested in the bracelets on your wrists. he grinned, settling back again, before saying one last line, his eyes still locked on his phone:

"besides, no one can replace you, ma."

© 𝐈𝐙𝐙𝐈𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐙𝐙𝐘

matt and chris drinking thums up was NOT what i was expecting for this week's video

SIX MONTHS LATER . . .

"where are you?" chris said, as soon as vivaan picked up his call. he'd been waiting for them to pick him up for almost fifteen minutes now, and there was no sign of them, even though they promised him they'd left half an hour ago. "we're comin—biscuit! settle down!" vivaan called, exasperated, making chris snort. "you brought biscuit?" he snickered. vivaan sighed. "yeah, he heard the word 'drive' and shot out before any of us could stop him." vivaan said, sounding exasperated.

"well, at least someone's excited to see me." chris joked. "haha, real funny. in all seriousness, though, misty's been dying to see you." and from the background, chris could hear misty yell, "cut it out!" a fond smile came over his face. he video-called misty every day for the past six months, and sent her pictures of every single pretty thing he saw, with the caption, 'this reminded me of you'. he was pretty sure there was a whole compartment of his suitcase dedicated to things he'd got her from other countries, not counting the gifts he'd got for vivaan and ananya.

"okay, we'll be there in five." vivaan said. "awesome. i'll be waiting. y'know, like i have been for the past twenty minutes." chris responded drily. "chill out, sonic. patience is a virtue." vivaan reminded, making chris roll his eyes. "yeah, yeah. just hurry up."

exactly three minutes later, a very familiar black sedan rolled in. it looked a bit more beat-up than the last time chris saw it, but he didn't care. his eyes were fixed on the three people in it - specifically a girl in the backseat, grinning as wide as possible.

misty leapt out the car before it could even stop, and flung herself into chris's arms in excitement, knocking the wind out of him. "woah!" he exclaimed, placing a hand on her waist to steady her. "easy, thunder." she pulled back slightly, and chris studied the sparkle in her eyes and the smile on her lips, before leaning down and kissing her for the first time in six months. their first kiss had been awkward and clumsy, but this one felt...real. solid.

as misty pulled away, vivaan tackled him in an equally - if not more - enthusiastic hug. he fake-sobbed on chris's shoulder as he clutched his t-shirt. "i missed you, man!" chris rubbed his back soothingly, playing along. "i know, i know. shh...calm down."

biscuit, not wanting to be forgotten, instantly nosed his way between chris and vivaan's legs, and chris crouched down to give him all the head-rubs he could.

he saw ananya leaning on the car, watching him fondly, and she nodded in acknowledgement, making him salute playfully in response. "damn! what did you bring, the whole continent?" vivaan muttered, trying to lift chris's suitcase into the trunk. chris laughed. "here, lemme give you a hand."

the suitcase now safely lodged in the trunk, vivaan slid into the driver's seat, while chris joined misty in the backseat. as if not believing he was here, she wrapped him in a tight hug again. "i missed you." she whispered. "yeah. yeah, me too." he said, suddenly wondering why his eyes felt wet.

he pulled back after just a second too long, tucking a strand of misty's hair behind her ear, smiling as she blushed. "you excited for japan?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer. he'd been planning a trip to japan with misty, and she'd been talking about it every time they called.

"oh, my god, yes! i've been researching a bit about the places we can go to and i found so many cute things—" chris nodded along as she rambled, watching her as her hands moved as she talked. some romantic hindi song played on the radio, and biscuit napped on the car floor, using chris's shoes as a pillow.

and chris decided that this was what he wanted. forever.

a/n : ladies and gentlemen, izzie's first series is officially over!

tags - @oopsiedaisydeer @sabprincess @babyt0matoes @sturnskiss @kelbrave @sorrybirds @ilovemykittymeow @privatelyowned-t @urfaveprettypsycho @bambidreamzzz @luver4chris @chrepsi @idkwhatthisis2009 @angel-sturn1 @urfaveprettypsycho @viviansturns @mattsdivaa

⤷ GOT ROOM?

w.c. : 3.9k

in which . . . an emotionally vulnerable chris is forced to apologize and spend time with misty in extremely close proximity. after spending one last day in mumbai, a bollywood romcom leads to a messy, emotional and awkward confession. for the first time, chris wonders if staying is actually such a bad thing.

the next morning, it took chris a few seconds to gather his thoughts and remember what happened the night before. and soon as the memories came rushing back to him, his heart plummeted to his stomach. he sat up, rubbing his eyes blearily, already feeling guilty. he wondered if misty was up. he wanted to apologize, but what for? in all fairness, he knew he'd told her the truth, no matter how harsh it was.

the blankets pooled around his hips as he leaned on his left hand, resting behind him, while his right rubbed over his face. he heard a bedroom door open and close, and he swung his legs to the front of the couch and leaned forward to see who came out.

ananya appeared in the hallway, clad in pyjamas with little avocados on them. she started when she saw chris awake, and then her expression became guarded. chris's heart clenched, aware of the fact that she was angry at him on behalf of her friend. she crossed her arms over her chest, her stance radiating hostility.

"misty awake?" he asked, his voice deep and croaky from not being used for so long. "and if she is?" ananya demanded. chris sighed, standing up. "i need to meet her." "why? so you can say something even more hurtful? save it." she shot snappily, adjusting her body in such a way that she acted as an obstacle between chris and the door separating them from misty.

"i want to apologize to her." chris stated, crossing his arms, mirroring her detached stance. her glare softened a fraction, before she nodded toward the door. "go ahead. and leave the door open. i want to hear your guilt." she said, before stalking off to the washroom opposite to the bedroom.

chris barely registered the sound of her locking the washroom. he couldn't hear anything over the beating of his heart, and he clenched his hands into fists, before releasing them. he contemplated returning to the couch and dozing off again. but he could hear his elder brother's voice calling him a pussy, and he could also hear misty's voice calling out his name, and the combination was too dangerous even for him and he, impulsively, rashly, stupidly knocked.

he heard the rustling of sheets, the sound of feet hitting the cold floor, and the soft padding of steps toward the door. it lasted maybe ten seconds, and he could barely breathe. and the door opened, and it all fell apart.

"i'm sorry. i'm so, so, so sorry. for everything. i'm sorry for not...not listening, for blaming you, for ignoring you, for snapping at you. i'm sorry, misty. i really, really am. i just...wasn't thinking straight, and you telling me to stay activated some hidden hurt part of me, and i don't want us to stop talking just because i was being a dick and couldn't handle someone finally asking me to stay—"

chris winced as the words stumbled from his lips, but he didn't try to stop them. he studied misty's appearance - sleep-mussed hair, loose t-shirt and shorts hanging off her frame, and bunny slippers on her feet. her lips were parted in shock as she registered the words spilling in a rush out of chris's mouth. ultimately, she interrupted his rambling with a call of his name.

"can you come inside?" chris blinked. misty was...inviting him...inside? he snapped out of his reverie with an eager nod. "yeah, yeah, no problem."

he followed her inside, noting the interior of vivaan's bedroom. it was pretty generic, posters lining the wall above the bed, which was covered with crumpled blankets, cushions, and a hello kitty plushie which chris knew belonged to ananya. there was a desk in the corner with a pc, headphones still plugged in. there was a rug in front of the bed in the design of an 8-ball.

misty shut the door behind him, and all of a sudden, chris was hyperaware of their proximity and location. he cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck, opting to sit on the gaming chair in front of the pc over sharing a bed with misty (even if they were just sitting).

she sat cross-legged on the bed, silently assessing him for a few seconds before saying, "you really hurt me, chris." that made him flinch, his shoulders tensing. "um, yeah, i know. i already said i was sorry." chris said, cursing himself internally for sounding so aggressive. misty's eyes narrowed, and he hastened. "i just...i don't usually apologize to people, and i know that's not an excuse but i...um...i want you to know i care about you." smooth, chris. real smooth.

misty sighed, angling her body to face him better. "i'm sorry, too." chris's eyebrows shot up. what was she sorry for? "i know it was wrong and immature of me to ask you to stay. i know this whole trip was just...a trip to you, but i really felt connected to you, and i wasn't ready to see you leave." chris nodded, his throat forming a sudden lump that prevented him from speaking. misty went on, "i really care about you, too, and i understand that maybe leaving is the best thing you can do for the both of us." chris nodded again, even though he disagreed vehemently with the last few words.

"i...i'm glad we...uh...agree. i...i'll never forget you, misty." he promised.

for a second, he thought there was a flicker of sadness in misty's eyes, before it was shrouded by the usual cheerfulness. "you better not!" and she leaned over to gently punch his shoulder. "promise you'll text me every single day, with tons of pictures?" she held out her pinky. chris looked at it, back at her face, and down at her pinky again. "you're making me pinky-promise you?" she gasped. "don't say it like that! if you break a pinky promise, i can cut your pinky off!" chris raised an eyebrow again, but linked his little finger with hers, trying to ignore the sparks shooting through his body at the contact. "fine. i pinky-promise i'll send you pictures of my destination every day. happy?" she nodded, beaming.

suddenly, the door burst open, and vivaan sauntered in. misty and chris sprang apart like they were teenagers that had been caught kissing by their parents. "good morning, lovebirds! i trust you two have made up?" vivaan bellowed benevolently. ananya rushed in behind him, panting. "sorry," she tried to say over vivaan's shoulder, "i tried to tell him that you guys needed private time." "nonsense, nonsense! i'm hardly being a bother!" vivaan exclaimed, waving a hand dismissively. chris shook his head fondly, while misty aimed a pillow at vivaan's head.

at around 9am, they all sat down for breakfast. ananya had made poha, which was a kind of yellow flat rice. it was flavored with various additions, including something labelled bhujia sev, which was just small pieces of crunchy noodles. the meal was tangy and chris loved it already.

as he sat with an empty plate, stomach satisfied and feeling content, he stretched his arms above his head, stretching lazily. "so, what's the plan today?" "well, first, i want you guys to take a shower, because you stink. then we're going to the museum, because misty's been pestering me for weeks now. then we might go to the nearby park. oh, and since it's a saturday, we're having a movie night! we're watching a bollywood movie - yeh jawaani hai deewani. you'll love it." vivaan recited the day's events with ease. chris blinked. "that sounds stressful." vivaan shrugged, scooping up the last bite of poha on his plate before standing up. "stressful, but fun. don't tell me you're gonna chicken out?" he teased, making chris deliver a glare that could cut through glass. he chuckled, going to the kitchen to put his plate in the sink. he reemerged with a black towel slung over his left shoulder. "any of you gorgeous ladies wanna use the washroom?" both misty and ananya answered in the negative, so vivaan headed to the washroom for a shower.

in two hours, all of them were dressed and ready to leave. vivaan was dressed in loose jean shorts, paired with a white vest, a light blue button up over it, unbuttoned. ananya wore a white sundress, a brown purse resting on her shoulders. chris opted for the classic combination of baggy jeans and a t-shirt, while misty donned a pink indo-western tank top with jeans, sunglasses resting on her nose.

they headed to vivaan's car once more, wincing at the heat of the car's leather. chris once again found himself next to misty. he still felt awkward around her, because he was fully aware that the air hadn't cleared between them completely. nevertheless, it was better than last night. at least he wasn't going to lash out anytime soon.

something chris hadn't noticed the previous day was how recklessly vivaan drove. now, though, he was clutching the window ledge at every sharp turn, his heart speeding up almost as fast as the car. "slow down!" chris chimed when he found his voice. "what're you talking about? this is slow!" vivaan replied, puzzled, making chris mutter a silent prayer.

they reached the museum soon after. vivaan dropped them off at the entrance, urging them to go ahead and buy the tickets, promising he'd be back after parking the car. ananya quietly led the way, walking over to the ticket counter, which already had a long line. once more, chris was awed by the diversity of india. there were a few beggars napping in the afternoon sun, their arms thrown across their eyes to block out the sun's rays. there were parents clutching the sticky hands of little children, and there were many young teenagers there, clad in green t-shirts and jeans, evidently there for a school trip. some of them held ice creams, and chris had to look away, lest he started craving one too.

the museum in itself was impressively large, a towering, imposing figure, with intricate architecture, clearly well-maintained, judging by the lush green walkway, and the way it looked almost new. chris was almost lost in the beauty of the building, and was only snapped out of his train of thought when a grumpy old woman prodded him impatiently. he apologized hurriedly, realizing that misty and ananya were already quite ahead, and ananya was already paying for the tickets. beyond the ticket counter, he could see vivaan waiting for them, tapping his foot eagerly.

ananya purchased the tickets, and beckoned chris and misty. she led them to the entrance, where they stowed away their bags, and grabbed one audio guide each. it was a small, bulky, remote-like structure, with headphones attached. misty explained that they had to enter the three-digit code of any artifact, and the audio guide would provide information about that specific artifact.

chris was in awe. he never actively chose going to the museum. he preferred something faster, louder, bolder. but when he entered the chhatrapati shivaji maharaj vastu sangrahalaya, he was seriously reconsidering his choices. there were over fifty thousand articles on display - coins, paintings, sculptures, weapons.

chris was used to travelling alone, and had the others not been with him, he would have toured the whole place in an hour or so. however, misty wanted to read every single plaque and piece of information there was, even though vivaan complained that she had been there tons of times. she waved him off, leaning over to read about the himalayan art, nose scrunching in a way that chris found unreasonably cute.

it took them around three hours to finish the whole place from top to bottom. chris's mind was reeling, and his camera was filled with pictures of the things he found most interesting. vivaan led them back to the ground floor, and they hurriedly turned in the audio guides and grabbed their bags.

a faint jingling sound caused all of them to look up, a smile already forming on misty and vivaan's faces. and when chris turned his head to look at whatever they were seeing, he felt a smile on his lips as well. because there was a short, stout man with an abundant amount of hair on his upper lip, wheeling an ice cream cart. ananya sighed, but vivaan had already shot off. misty paused, glancing at ananya, but ultimately, she followed.

ananya shook her head, but chris caught the corners of her lips tipping up as she leaned her hip on the hood of the car. chris mirrored her stance, arms crossed across his chest as he looked at misty and vivaan buy ice creams for all of them. "you're an idiot, you know that?" if chris didn't recognize ananya's voice, he wouldn't have believed his own ears. he blinked. "are you talking to me?" "who else would i be talking to?" she answered, in a tone that implied that it was obvious.

chris scoffed. "and why am i an idiot?" "because you're in love with misty, but you don't admit it." chris was caught off-guard yet again. he paused for a minute, taken aback. "that obvious, huh?" he muttered sheepishly. "it's hard not to notice. you get heart eyes whenever you look at her." chris felt his face screw up in indignation. "okay, i'm not that bad." ananya raised her brows. "i'm not!" he defended. "besides, she has a boyfriend." he murmured, almost sulkily. ananya frowned. "no, she doesn't." "yes, she does. i'm dumb, but i'm not blind. i saw her swap spit with some dude at the party vivaan dragged me to." chris said, and somehow, saying it aloud made it seem more real. ananya exhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. "he wasn't her boyfriend."

chris whirled around to face her. "what?" "that guy isn't her boyfriend." but before chris could question it further, vivaan and misty were back, holding two ice creams each. vivaan handed ananya a heart-shaped one. "for my sweetheart." he said, winking, making misty look like she was about to throw up. ananya accepted it with a soft 'thanks', her cheeks suddenly red. chris whistled. "smooth."

misty gagged, and handed chris a chocobar, which he unwrapped casually. he made sure to not toss the wrapper on the ground, stuffing it in his pocket for when he saw a dustbin, and noticed that the others did the same subconsciously, as if it was a habit.

chris couldn't stop thinking of what ananya had told him, and wondered if it was true. misty wouldn't date a guy that referred to women so rudely, right? but then...why would she make out with him? his head spun with questions, and he barely noticed his chocobar melting, dripping on his hand.

chris noticed that misty had a bit of chocolate stuck to the corner of her lips, and reached out to wipe it off with his thumb, his hand tipping her chin up to take a closer look. the action took maybe a second, but he registered what he'd done after he withdrew his hand. misty suddenly looked very hot and bothered, and vivaan looked away pointedly, while ananya seemed very interested in the wooden stick of her ice cream. chris cleared his throat, trying to play off the way his stomach did a little swoop when he thought about it.

after finishing their ice creams, vivaan said he was craving a subway, to which ananya replied that she noticed one on the way to the museum, and suggested they take their lunch to the park and have it there, and everyone agreed.

chris opted for a chicken sub, while misty and ananya shared a vegetarian one. vivaan opted for a chocolate chip cookie, his sweet tooth never satisified.

they took their meal to the park. vivaan found a blanket in the trunk of his car, and spread it on the grass so they could sit comfortably. "what's the time?" misty asked, taking a bite of her subway. vivaan tapped his phone screen, munching constantly. "3pm. we should reach home by around 4:30. we can chill until 8, and then we start movie night. agree?" everyone agreed. "what movie are we watching again?" chris asked. "told you, bro! yeh jawaani hai deewani." "right, right...uh...what does it mean?" "it means 'this youth is crazy'." explained misty, making chris frown. "is it, like...some type of deep, philosophical movie?"

vivaan snorted. "nice one. no, it's a rom-com. and one of my favorites." chris raised his brows. "didn't think you were the rom-com type, viv." he teased. "hey, neither did i. but that movie is a masterpiece." "if it's that great, then i'll have to watch it." chris said, to which all three gave solemn nods.

after an hour of lazing about at the park, munching slowly on their food, the group decided to return home. they got into the car, and chris peered out the window, looking at the evening sun painting the sky shades of pink, yellow and orange. he was transported to the sunset he saw at the marine drive with misty. he didn't click a picture, just closed his eyes for a few seconds.

he didn't realize when a few seconds turned into an hour, and before he knew it, he was being shaken awake by misty, who was yawning herself. "we're home." he said, her hair mussed up and eyes droopy.

they dragged their feet to the apartment, and chris lazily pet biscuit as he licked chris's fingers, evidently sniffing the chicken subway he'd consumed not too long ago. vivaan stifled a yawn behind his palm, muttering something about a nap, and retreated to his bedroom, while ananya had to reply to a few e-mails, and make a few calls. as a result, it was just chris and misty, sluggishly flicking through the tv channels, ultimately settling on young sheldon.

two hours and four episodes later, vivaan exited from the bedroom, still yawning, and t-shirt crumpled. "nothing like a good nap to cheer you up, amirite?" he said amicably, settling on the couch. "what you guys watchin'?" "young sheldon." misty replied, not taking her eyes off the screen. "where's ananya?" misty idly gestured to the dining table, where ananya's voice drifted in. ananya—usually so calm and docile—sounded unexpectedly authoritative and dominating when talking on the phone.

vivaan asked her a question from the couch in hindi, making her cover the receiver end of the phone and raise her voice to reply. "you guys are gonna play, right?" vivaan asked, to which misty hummed in agreement. "huh?" "ludo. you'll play with us, right?" "sure. how hard can it be to beat a bunch of kids like you?"

it was hard. harder than it looked, because chris lost all the three rounds they played, and all of them to misty probably because he wasn't cutting any of her tokens. vivaan said something that sounded eerily similar to 'simp' every time it happened, making chris shoot daggers.

after the game, vivaan ordered chinese food, and ananya started the movie. chris settled on the couch with ananya, while misty lazed on the armchair, and vivaan sat on the floor with biscuit's head resting on his lap. the movie progressed, slowly, but chris couldn't look away. the story explored a theme of a young man who never wants to stay, and a very special someone who convinces him to.

as the movie ended, chris blinked. that...seemed oddly familiar. he could still see the actor's face when he shut his eyes. ananya was already asleep. vivaan gently picked her up bridal style and took her to his bedroom. misty and chris were alone. biscuit was dozing on the floor, breathing out in short puffs. "how'd you like the movie?" misty asked softly, turning around to face him. he swallowed. "it felt...relatable." misty nodded. "yeah, it did."

misty hesitated, before asking, "can i tell you a secret?" chris nodded, studying her sudden reluctance. "even though it's selfish of me, i still don't want you to leave." chris sighed, looking down at his hands. "misty, don't...don't do this. not right now." "i had to say it. i really, really like you. i needed to tell you. there's...always room for you here."

for a few seconds, neither of them spoke. the room seemed to hold its breath. then..."can i tell you a secret, too?" he asked. "of course." she whispered. "i really, really like you too." he confessed, not meeting her gaze. "i have since a long time. but then...i saw you kissing that guy at the club and i thought you...i thought he was your boyfriend. and i couldn't deal with that. so i was a bit of a dick to you. i can't stay. i mean, i can. i just...i don't want to. i like you, and i like everyone here, but...i want to see the world. i want to meet new people. i want to...i want to keep moving."

misty nodded. "i understand." he looked at her. "you do?" she nodded. "asking you to stay would be like asking me to quit being a tour guide. i know it's what you love doing and i never want to take that away from you. also, for the record, the guy at the club was my ex. we'd been stuck in this toxic on-and-off thing and i broke it off after i saw him with another girl that same night." she explained. "oh."

she paused, before saying, "if...if you can't stay...at least promise me...that we'll always be friends." he shook his head. "no." "no?" "no." and he leaned in, giving her enough time to pull away, before closing the gap between them, and kissing her. it was short, and a bit clumsy, but chris channeled every emotion he had in that kiss.

he pulled away, pressing his forehead to hers and said, "i can't be just friends with you, misty. not even if i try. and i can't let go of you either. so please...can we just try?" he asked. misty swallowed. "it's not that easy, chris." "i know it's not." he said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "but i don't want easy. i want you."

misty smiled, looking down shyly. "is this what watching romcoms does to you?" "it definitely helped," he agreed, making her smile widen. "but i've been meaning to say this for a while now. it's true. every bit of it. so...what do you say?" he asked. "i think...i think i'm ready to try."

chris grinned, loud, unapologetic, and free. "thank you. i'll make sure you never regret it." misty leaned in, kissed his cheek, before getting up to go to her room. chris sat there in shock, touching his cheek where her lips had touched.

the bedroom door opened, and vivaan walked out, hair messy, yawning. he saw chris's grin and raised a brow. "what's got you all excited at 1am?" he asked, voice deep from sleep as he uncapped a bottle and chugged it. "don't freak...but i think misty's my girlfriend now." vivaan spat out the water, choking. "what?" "i...i asked her out. somewhat. and we kissed." vivaan shook his head. "man, we have to stop leaving you two alone."

vivaan shook his head at chris's still-grinning, dopey, lovesick expression and patted him on the shoulder as he went to bed. "night, man." "night..." chris said, settling on the couch, mind racing with the thoughts of a very special girl indeed.

and as he drifted off to sleep, chris didn't even notice the way he was already planning his next trip to india.

"oh...b-b-but i find it cringe!!"

⤷ CATCH FLIGHTS, NOT FEELINGS

w.c. : 3.4k

in which . . . chris, coping with heartbreak for the first time in his life, returns to mumbai after eleven days. trying to maintain the façade of normalcy, he attempts to socialize and act normal. but feelings cannot stay bottled up for long. what happens when everything begins to fall apart?

chris was on the plane, returning to mumbai for the remaining two days. he tipped his head back against the seat, closing his eyes, and sighing quietly. two days. just two more days, and then all of this will be like a bad dream. two days, and he'd delete misty's number, and forget all about this trip. he promised himself that he'd never return to india again, because a girl had ruined a whole trip for him, and she didn't even know it.

he'd been in delhi for three days, calcutta for eight. initially, misty had reached out, asking him why he left so abruptly that night. he didn't respond. and over time, she stopped asking him, too. he wondered if vivaan had told her what happened. he wasn't too sure if he wanted her to know. he shifted to a more comfortable position, the stiff seat making his back ache. he dug around in his bag for his wired earphones. his hand brushed against the wrapper of uncle chipps, which he had finished on the flight from delhi to calcutta. he paused for just a second too long, and then fished out his earphones, connecting them to his phone.

as the starting beats of 'name in the sand' by lil skies floated into his ears, he couldn't help but think of misty. he wondered if she cared. he wondered if she knew. he hoped she did, but at the same time, the consequences were too scary to think about.

he reminded himself that he only had to tolerate this aching feeling in his heart for two more days, and then he'd be free of this attachment. and he promised he'd never love anyone again. maybe, deep down in his heart, he knew that he couldn't love anyone like he loved her. the echoes of her laugh, the glow of her smile, the scent of her perfume, the way she fit perfectly in his arms...he knew that it was either her, or no one else.

he bit the inside of his cheek. don't think about her, don't think about her, don't think about her. he tried to shift his brain to lighter topics - the trip to bali, the prospect of seeing his family soon, the thought of meeting vivaan again. but she lingered everywhere, like a parasite he couldn't get out of his head. he wondered if she'd like bali, he thought about introducing her to his family, not as a fleeting friendship in one of his tours, but as his girlfriend. the thought seemed more appealing than it should have.

he shook his head, as if trying to get her out of his thoughts. it didn't work. he turned up the volume, not caring if the passenger next to him could hear his music, as long as it drowned out his thoughts.

and while it worked, while he found refuge from his thoughts for a total of two minutes, the music couldn't drown out the pilot's smooth, suave voice drifting in through the intercoms. "ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. we will be landing in a few minutes, kindly return to your seats and keep your seatbelts on, thank you."

the intercom crackled, and the flight attendants came out once more, instructing people to fasten their seatbelts, close their tables, turn off their mobile phones. chris stayed numb, watching everything with a passive gaze. he had been on enough flights, and knew the protocol by heart. this was routine, familiar, comfortable. this was, he realized, with a bittersweet pang, home. and he doubted anything could ever replace the feeling. not even a smile which lit up rooms.

he could smell the excitement of those who were visiting mumbai for the first time, and he could sense the tired joy that only settled in your bones when you neared the place you belonged to. this flight was filled with both types of people. and chris was neither of them. he was the traveler, an impartial judge, who was never too attached to one place. at least, that's what he was until a few days ago.

he silently began to pack up before the air hostess could even reach his seat, and she instructed his neighbor to shut the tray table. chris could catch the faint hint of exhaustion in her voice, hidden behind the red lipstick and sharp eyeliner. he thought about her struggles even as she passed on to the rows behind him, marveling at how everyone had their own struggles, and he'd never know anyone's life fully, even if he tried. and it was with sour amusement that he realized...no one would know his life, either. not the insecurities rotting away in the cavity of his chest, nor the awe he felt when he saw something he'd only ever seen on television screens.

he felt the telltale swoop in his belly, the clogging of his ears. a child cried somewhere on the plane at the pain in her ears, and a mother rushed to shush her cries and soothe her tears. chris was used to the sensation, and it barely affected him, even as the flight descended lower. he felt the force of the wheels meeting the asphalt of the runway, and the rolling of the wheels as the plane slowly lowered speed.

"ladies and gentlemen, welcome to mumbai. temperature reaches about 29 degrees, and it's a sunny day, so make sure to stay hydrated." the captain spoke, and the intercom crackled once more as the flight attendants guided the people towards their exit. chris stayed in his seat, preferring to get off when the plane had emptied out a little. mechanically, he took his phone off airplane mode, checking the messages with a detached gaze. a news article from his dad, an old meme from his brother, and three messages from vivaan, asking if he landed. he shot him a quick thumbs-up, choosing to ignore the other messages, and stood up, stretching, joints groaning in relief after the long hours cooped in a confining seat. he swung his bag over his shoulders, and headed toward the exit, smiling at the flight attendants standing at the door, even though it was hollow.

as he made his way to the airport, the blazing sun burning the ground under his feet, he felt his phone vibrate in his hand. vivaan's name flashed on the screen, and he picked up indifferently. "hey, man, what's up?" "chris! have you landed?" vivaan's voice carried in, energetic demeanor that chris could feel even though they were miles away. "uh, yeah, just...heading to the luggage belts to grab my suitcase. why?" "great! i'm coming to pick you up from the airport!" vivaan said, clearly pleased. "what? viv, you don't have to." "i know, i know, i'm the greatest friend ever. save it." "no, i'm serious." chris sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "la-la-la, i can't hear you! call you when i reach, okay?" and before chris could protest, vivaan cut the call, leaving chris to stare at the reflection of his face on the black screen. chris cursed to himself, slipping his phone in his pocket and making his way to the luggage belt.

half an hour later, chris was standing outside the airport, suitcase next to him, as he squinted at his phone's screen dimmed under the sun. he pressed on vivaan's contact name, already tired of his shenanigans. vivaan picked up on the second ring. "my guy!" "where are you?" "patience, man. meditate a little. cool that fire in your heart." "vivaan." chris shot through, voice sharp, but controlled. vivaan chuckled. "to your right, big guy."

and chris angled his head to the right, and rolled his eyes when a sleek black verna rolled slowly, almost cinematically, toward him. vivaan sat in the driver's seat, ananya next to him, and in the backseat sat...oh. chris's heart sank as he shot them a tired grin, and vivaan got off to help chris lift his suitcase into the trunk. as vivaan opened the trunk, chris grabbed his wrist. "what is she doing here?" vivaan shrugged his hand off, and shifted a few things around to make space for the suitcase. "i have no idea what you're talking about." "don't play dumb." vivaan lifted chris's admittedly heavy suitcase with ease. "she's my friend. and she's your friend too." "you know damn well she's not just a friend to me!" chris snapped. "well, that's not exactly my problem!" vivaan placed the suitcase in the trunk, panting.

"how could you, man? you know i'm not ready to face her yet!" chris accused. vivaan put his hand on chris's shoulder, squeezing gently. "i know that, bro. but you'll never know if you're ready, chris. it's a leap of faith." chris squinted. "did...did you just quote...a kids' book series?" vivaan squeezed his shoulder again. "maybe." chris laughed. "you're an idiot." vivaan grinned. "made you smile though, heartbreak boy." chris shook his head, smile still on his face. "let's just go."

he sat next to misty, and she instantly hugged him. he awkwardly wrapped his hands around her, judging from her reaction that vivaan hadn't told her about his feelings. he wasn't sure if he was happy or not. he pulled back a little too fast. "um...hey." she punched his shoulder, and he barely felt it. "hey? you've been ignoring me for a week, and all you say is...'hey'?" he shrugged, not meeting her eyes, choosing to focus his gaze on a stray thread of his ripped jeans. "connection was trash in the hotel." she didn't take her eyes off him, and nodded. "right." then she brightened once more. "i'm glad you're back, though! we're gonna make your last two days in india memorable!" and chris hoped that he'd imagined the slight strain in her voice when she said that.

"uh, viv, my hotel's just around the corner. just drop me off there, i'll be fine." vivaan laughed, and chris didn't know why. vivaan kept driving straight. "dude! you missed my hotel!" "you seriously think we're gonna let you spend the last two nights of your trip in some five star hotel?" vivaan scoffed. "no, no, no. in your dreams, white boy. you're staying with me." chris rolled his eyes. "real funny." "who says we're joking?" ananya's quiet voice piped up.

"i already paid!"

"get it refunded!"

"i don't wanna be a bother, man."

"too late."

"come on, chris, we'll have fun! it's movie night!" misty begged, and how could he say no to her?

vivaan grinned. "chill out, dude. my place rocks!"

and chris was inclined to agree.

vivaan's house was comfortingly messy. a blanket lay messily crumpled on the couch, a rocking chair held a pair of headphones, and there was a half-empty can of diet coke on the table, the humidity warming it up. warm lights filtered from the ceiling, and the thick curtains were drawn shut. a black labrador yipped excitedly when they came, paws slipping against the wooden floor as it rushed to get up, instantly bounding over to vivaan, tail wagging excitedly. "chris, meet biscuit!" chris raised a brow at the name, but didn't comment on it. the dog sniffed him all over, and chris petted it gently.

misty flopped down on the couch, feet dangling over one of the armrests, as she sipped the diet coke on the table, before making a face. "it's warm." "yeah, no shit, dumbass, it was in the heat the whole day." vivaan shot, pushing her legs off the armrest to sit on it, fingers pulling at his shoelaces. misty glared. "go put it in a glass for me and add some ice cubes." she ordered, tipping the can toward vivaan, making him snort. "god gave you your own two legs for a reason, moron."

ananya quietly took the can of soda and headed to the kitchen. vivaan threw his shoes next to the door and went to the washroom. now it was just chris and misty alone in the living room. he sat down awkwardly on the rocking chair, wincing when it started moving a bit too fast for his liking. he placed his bag gently next to the chair, taking in the rest of the room's interior.

there were a ton of house plants everywhere. the house smelled faintly of ananya's perfume, a fact he tried to overlook. he could see her in the kitchen, adding ice in a glass and pouring the coke for misty. he heard the running water in the washroom, and watched as biscuit quietly curled up on the floor next to the couch. misty's left hand, which was dangling off the couch, lazily stroked his black fur as she scrolled on social media with her right.

ananya came back, and chris let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in. she walked over to misty, handing her the glass, and asked her something in hindi. misty sipped the coke, thought about it for a moment, and then replied. chris didn't even try to pretend like he wasn't listening, but it wasn't much use. he pulled his phone from his pocket, the cool glass a sharp contrast to his warm palms as he texted his family that he had reached mumbai.

the hours passed, spent lazily curled up in different corners of the room. the air conditioner cooled chris's body and brain, and allowed him to think rationally. he knew misty realized something was wrong, and he knew she thought it was her fault. and even though it was, he didn't want her to feel that way, because it wasn't her fault that he fell in love with her. she saw him as a friend, if even that, he reasoned. ultimately, he knew ignoring her wouldn't work, because that would just make him think about her even more. so he decided to act normal. well, as normal as he was with her around. his body had strange reactions, and it was frankly quite embarrassing, like a fourteen year old boy watching a romance movie with his parents.

a few hours later, ananya, who had been busy cooking dinner, called them to eat. the food was simple - roti, which was a thinner, softer and less oily version of a naan, and okra and onions fried in oil. they took their plates to the living room, and vivaan switched on the tv, scrolling through the apps to display a cricket match.

"oh, which teams are playing?" chris asked interestedly. "kkr and rcb." vivaan answered shortly, his mouth stuffed. chris's brows furrowed. "huh?" misty smiled at his confusion. "it's the ipl—indian premier league. it's played between the indian states. today, it's between kolkata and bangalore." chris nodded, understanding dawning on him. he tore a piece of roti, scooping a few pieces of okra, and stuffing it into his mouth. "which team do you support?" he asked turning to vivaan. "all smart people support rcb." he answered, making ananya scoff. "yeah, because smart people support a team which won once in eighteen years, right?" vivaan rolled his eyes. "mad that mi didn't win against rajasthan?"

"oh, shut up." ananya muttered, making vivaan laugh as he tucked her under his chin, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "don't worry, babe, i'm sure the rcb versus mi match will be worth watching. if they remember how to play, that is." he teased, rubbing her shoulder in a mock-comforting manner, making ananya slap his arm, unable to hide her smile. chris wondered which one mi was. as if she could sense his thoughts, misty leaned in and murmured. "mumbai indians. that's mi."

"thanks," he muttered back. and then, because he couldn't help himself, "which team do you support?" misty thought about it. "if i wanted to sound intellectual and boring, i would've said i don't support any team, because the ipl is just a way for brands to get advertised and publicised. but if you really wanted to know, it's chennai super kings."

"i'll have to watch them play, then." chris said, to which misty eagerly replied, "oh, we should all go watch a match one day in a stadium!" but as soon as she said it, she deflated slightly. "but you're leaving, aren't you? day after tomorrow?" chris swallowed, looking at the tv screen once more. "i...i am. day after tomorrow." the words felt strange on his tongue, almost...bitter. those eleven days away from misty, he prayed the trip would end soon. but now, sitting next to her, he wished he could freeze time.

"why?" she whispered, but her voice was strong. "why what?" chris countered, stubbornly refusing to meet her gaze. "why are you leaving?" he sighed. "misty..." "no. no, don't do that to me. don't...don't give me a perfectly valid reason, and don't tell me that you were never planning on staying. i know that. believe me, i do." she exhaled through her nose, smiling humorlessly as she tipped her chin up toward the ceiling, head resting on the couch cushions. the empty plate sat next to her. chris swallowed again. "i never hid the truth." "i know!" she burst, capturing the attention of ananya and vivaan, who were assessing some player's batting. "i know you never hid the truth from me, and i know this was always temporary, i know that!" "then why are you acting like this?" "because i don't want you to go!"

chris let out an exhale that might have been a laugh if he hadn't been so angry. "you don't get to say that. not after what you did. you're the reason i'm leaving, and you telling me to stay is...it's just ridiculous. don't. just don't. cut the crap, misty. and don't act like you care. you showed me you don't."

misty's expression broke, and for a second, chris felt like the worst person on earth. he wanted to gather her into his arms, and wipe her tears away and tell her that he wasn't going anywhere. but then the sight of her kissing another man resurfaced, and the gush of anger came rushing back in full force. "it's too late now. i'm going, whether you like it, or not. because you don't get to make that choice for me." he said, his voice cold, final, unshaking.

misty wordlessly got up and walked to the bedroom, locking the door behind her. ananya instantly followed her, pounding on the door. vivaan turned to chris, eyes blazing with fury. "what the fuck is your problem?" chris scoffed. "my problem?" "yeah, your problem, dipshit! why the fuck would you lie?" chris shrugged casually, not taking his eyes off the tv. "don't know what you're talking about. i didn't lie." "don't start. you said she's the reason you're leaving!" and chris finally turned, slowly, to look at vivaan. "you think she's not?" vivaan's anger faltered. "what do you mean?" "i love her, vivaan. i've never loved anyone like her. she made me feel safe, seen, good. and she fucking took it all from me. all my life, i've been pretending like i don't need a home. and i met her, with all her attitude, and kindness, and sarcasm, and love, and i realized that maybe...maybe i found someone to call my own. someone to call my home. and she took it from me, man. she ruined it all." chris didn't know when he started crying. the tears were just dripping down his cheeks, staining the collar of his shirt. "it's best for both of us if i leave. i'll move on. she doesn't need to move on. she'll forget about me in a few days." "don't say that..." vivaan pleaded. "you know it's true." chris let out a wet laugh.

an hour later, chris lay alone on the couch. the crumpled blanket from earlier was wrapped around his frame. the tv was switched off, and the only source of light was a bulb in the kitchen. ananya and vivaan were in the kitchen, and chris could hear snippets of their conversation:

"—cried herself to sleep—"

"—broke his heart—"

"—didn't deserve it—"

"—needs a bit of time—"

ultimately, they switched off the kitchen lights, and retired to the guest room for the night. but chris stayed awake for a long time, staring at the three-bladed ceiling fan. he wondered if it'd make a difference if he stayed. what would happen? what would change?

and a small, traitorous voice whispered in the back of his head:

"you'd have a home."

⤷ MAN ENOUGH

w.c. : 2.2k

in which . . . on the last day of chris's stay in mumbai, a mutual friend forces him to face his feelings head on, and take risks. ultimately, a lovestruck chris decides to confess to the love of his life. however, his plan unexpectedly backfires, and he is left with the remnants of the glow of the smile that was once reserved solely for him.

today was officially the last day of chris's mumbai visit. he'd be leaving bright and early the next morning, and he wouldn't even have time to say bye to misty. his clothes were scattered all over the hotel room, and he was getting anxious as the time of his flight drew nearer.

he was messily stuffing his boxers in one section of his suitcase, when his phone rang. he assumed it was misty, but when he glanced at the contact name, an unknown number flashed at him. he picked up. "hello?" instantly, vivaan's bright voice blasted through the receiver. "hey, man! how you doin'?" "pretty good. what's up?" "uh, listen, ananya, misty and i are planning to go to this club later tonight. you in or what?" chris sucked in a breath through his teeth. "i dunno, man. i've got an early flight tomorrow, and i got a lotta packing left."

"oh, come on! it's your last night in mumbai! tell you what, if i come over and help you pack, you have to come. deal?" vivaan insisted. chris sighed, already giving in. "fine, whatever." chris could practically hear vivaan's triumphant grin when he said. "awesome! heading to your hotel now."

as promised, in an hour, the doorbell of chris's bedroom rang, and he opened it to find vivaan with a large grin on his face. he was dressed in a graphic t-shirt, baggy jeans hanging off his frame loosely. his hair was messy, and he had a black backpack slung over his left shoulder. chris winced when he saw how scuffed his nike sneakers were, but vivaan took no notice, dapping him up in his warm fashion, and making himself comfortable as he moved inside.

"woah. you weren't lying when you said you have a lot of packing left. anything i can do to help?" "nah, i got it. what time are you guys heading to the club?" chris asked, folding and shoving a t-shirt into his suitcase with practiced ease. vivaan shrugged, plopping down on the couch. "we're planning to go at eight, but we all know the girls are gonna take an hour to get ready, and we'll be late, so..nine-ish? what time is your flight tomorrow?" chris stayed silent for a minute, simultaneously trying to recall his flight timing and fit a pair of shoes in a miniscule space. "uh...nine thirty. so i have to be at the airport by seven, max." vivaan whistled. "that is pretty early," he agreed. then, he perked up with a smile. "oh! i almost forgot to give this to you." he unzipped his bag, rummaging in one of its compartments, before pulling out a massive light green pack of chips and tossing it at chris.

chris caught it, fumbling, almost dropping it, and read the label. "'uncle chipps'?" vivaan hummed proudly, zipping the bag and placing it next to him on the couch as he sat more comfortably. "for the flight. you're welcome." chris snorted, shaking his head, but carefully placed it in his backpack, which was decorated with an assortment of pins.

"thanks for the help in packing, by the way." chris said drily, zipping up the suitcase which closed after a great deal of effort and placing it next to the wardrobe. vivaan waved a dismissive hand. "don't mention it," making chris roll his eyes. "anyway, how're things between you and misty?" vivaan asked slyly, a teasing smile on his face. instantly, chris looked at him. "why, did she say anything?" vivaan hummed knowingly. "no. but judging by the way you're blushing...something did happen. a little birdie told me you guys went on a date of your own yesterday...what's that about?" chris sighed, lying down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "it wasn't a date." "oh, reeeeally? well, then...what'd you guys do?" chris rubbed a hand over his face. "we...went to the marine drive, had a vada pav. had lunch in one of the cafes, went to a fair near her house, returned to the marine drive to watch a sunset. that's all."

vivaan raised an eyebrow. "that sounds more like a date than any date i've been on. and that's saying something." "it wasn't a date, vivaan." chris repeated, his tone more firm. "stop lying, man. why won't you accept that it was a date, and you enjoyed it?" vivaan pushed. "because if i admit i enjoyed it, it'll make me want to stay!" "and what's the big deal about that?" chris pushed himself up on one elbow to look at vivaan. "you won't get it." "try me." vivaan challenged.

chris sighed, laying down on his back again. "i can't stay. i can't commit. i have the world to see, i have so many places to go to, it...i can't give up on all my dreams just because of some girl!" "but she's not just some girl to you, chris. and don't you dare lie about that." "no...no, she's not just some girl to me. but...you have to think about it, man. i'm scared. what if...what if i give it all up, and in the end, it doesn't work out?" "hey," vivaan leaned over, grabbing chris's shoulder. "dude, think about me. i had the biggest crush on ananya, for maybe the past, what, five years? and instead of manning up and facing it all head on, i was a chicken, and i was scared, because i thought about the 'what-ifs' too. but look at me now. i just went on a date with the girl of my dreams. if i'd done it five years ago, i would've saved myself a shit ton of time."

"but that's the thing, man! you practically live with ananya. you see her every single day! i'm not so lucky. i leave tomorrow. if ananya would've rejected you, you could've talked about it, and you'd still be friends. misty and i aren't that close. and texts won't fix everything." "you could come back." vivaan argued. "that won't be the same and you know it." chris scoffed. vivaan sighed. "look, man. you need to take risks. you...you've gotta do it. today." chris's head snapped to look at vivaan, searching for the hint of humor. there was none, only stern seriousness. "no way, dude." "you have to, chris. tonight, at the club. i'm not giving you a choice." "think about this rationally, bro!" chris exclaimed. "i am. and this is the most logical option. what's the worst that could happen? she rejects you? tough luck, because you're gonna be in delhi in less than twenty four hours."

"and when i return?" chris asked hesitantly. "when you return...you can talk it out." vivaan shrugged. "i'm not great with feelings, viv." chris spoke, resigned. vivaan snorted. "trust me, i can tell. but hey," his tone softened. "neither am i. and i still got the most perfect woman i could ask for. so...who knows, maybe it works out?"

"i dunno, man." chris rubbed his eyes. "you've gotta take the risk. i'm serious." vivaan said firmly. "big talk from the guy who took five years to confess." chris grinned. vivaan scoffed. "yeah, shows that i'm more experienced than you. listen to your elders, and man the fuck up."

and exactly five hours later, chris was in vivaan's car, being picked up from the hotel to go to the club. vivaan was dressed in the same clothes, but he'd resprayed his cologne, and tried unsuccessfully to tame his hair. chris was in a black button up, a few buttons undone, and jeans. "just remember, it's all gonna work out." vivaan soothed. "and if you feel like chickening out, take a shot. always works." "i'll be plastered in the first two hours, then." chris muttered.

as soon as they entered the club, vivaan made a beeline for misty and ananya. ananya was in a denim miniskirt and a red halter top, paired with red boots and a purse. and misty...chris damn near stopped breathing when he saw misty.

she was in jeans, and a black corset top, with heels. her outfit was, chris admitted, pretty standard for the club, but it didn't matter. because she looked stunning regardless. she was swaying easily to whatever song was playing, and she held a drink in her left hand. as soon as she saw chris, the most gorgeous smile took over her face, and chris almost said 'i love you' right then and there.

it had been two hours. chris still hadn't confessed. taking vivaan's words to heart, he'd taken shot after shot, but liquid courage failed him just then. ultimately, he had to pull vivaan into the washroom, shooting a sorry look at ananya. "bro, i'm cooked." vivaan sighed. "not again." "dude, i can't do it." "why the fuck not?" chris made wild gestures with his hand. "she's...she's so perfect." vivaan made a face. "she snores when she sleeps." "see? perfect! this was a huge mistake, i'm just gonna go back to the hotel and—" "and what? wallow in your self-pity?" vivaan cut in. "chin up, man. look, splash some water on your face, walk up to her, and just say it. here." he handed chris a bottle of chilled water, and patted his back. "i'm right there with you."

chris chugged the bottle, and felt his wits coming to him again. "y'know what? you're right. i'm gonna march in there, and i'm gonna say, 'misty, i love you, and i really wanna be with you'. and i'm gonna be fine with whatever response she gives me." vivaan whooped. "my man! you ready to knock her socks off?" chris looked at him, drunk brain unable to process. "she's wearing socks with her heels?" vivaan shook his head. "let's just go."

but when chris and vivaan walked back out, he felt his heart drop to his stomach. because there, right in the center of his line of vision, stood misty, lips locked with some guy's, her body wrapped so tightly around his, it was difficult to tell whose arms were whose.

chris rushed back into the washroom, door slamming behind him. he braced his hands on the counter, eyes filled with tears. he didn't care if vivaan followed. but judging by the way the door flung open again, he was right there. "chris..." "don't." chris surprised himself with how rough his voice was. "don't say that it's fine, don't say that. it's all gone. i fucking love her, and she won't ever know about it."

vivaan stayed silent, slowly coming up behind chris, and touching his shoulder. and chris broke. "she...man, it's all gone. and you know the worst part? it's all my fuckin' fault. y-you were right. i should've manned up, i should've said it before...i..." chris couldn't form words after that. vivaan soothed him silently. "it's...i'm sorry for you, chris."

vivaan sucked in a sharp breath. "wait here. i'll go...tell ananya we're leaving, and then we'll go back to the hotel. sound good?" chris nodded, not trusting his voice to speak. he didn't look up, but he felt vivaan withdraw his hand from his shoulder, and he heard the door swing shut.

he waited there for what felt like hours. eventually, the door opened again, and in walked the man misty was kissing. he took one look at chris's face, and his grin vanished. "yo, you good?" he asked gently. chris nodded mutely. "what's up?" he asked. chris let out a humorless laugh. "the girl i was in love with was making out with some random guy, and i was gonna confess tonight." the man tutted pitifully. "i mean...that's women for you. they're all a bunch of...y'know, whores. don't sweat it, man. plenty of fish in the sea." and chris swore he cracked a tooth with how hard he was clenching his jaw.

the man patted his shoulder, and it took everything chris had to not recoil from the touch. and as the man exited vivaan walked in. his face paled when he saw the man. "hey, was that—" "i don't wanna talk about it." chris cut him off shortly, and he didn't look up, because he knew vivaan would have a sympathetic expression, and chris already felt like shit. "c'mon, man. let's go." "y'know what he called her?" chris said abruptly. and he looked vivaan dead in the face this time. "called her a whore. called all women whores. and this, this is the guy misty likes?" he laughed emptily again, shaking his head. "i'm not saying i'm perfect, but i sure am a better person than that douche."

vivaan sighed, and gently pulled chris from his train of thought. "we should head to the hotel." and chris allowed himself to be led outside. he didn't search for misty. he knew she wouldn't be searching for him.

for the first time, in possibly ten years, chris sturniolo felt like people couldn't cure the loneliness in his heart.