from where it all started

“Hello Babi darling, it has been so long since you have been here, where have you been” said Josh’s mother as soon as she saw Babi at the front door of her house. 

Mrs. Crane adores Babi so much as she doesn’t have a girl child. She only has two boys Josh and Josha. She has known Babi since she was seven when she moved to states with her single father. Babi doesn’t have mother, so she has been a mother figure for Babi since then.

Babi hasn’t visited their home for like a month and Mrs. Crane feels like she hasn’t seen Babi since ages.

“Mom can you stop saying those cheesy lines. We are adults now. Babi come here.”    Josh yelled from his room while rolling his eyes in the air.

“So what you are adults. She is still kid to me and why is she coming here after a month?” Mrs. Crane.

“I don’t know ask her.” Josh said with a grumpy face.

“Nothing aunt…….papa was sick.” She said with a stammering voice.

“Come here we have lot to do today Mr. Maxwell wants those assignments by Tuesday.” Josh called her again.

“What’s the rush? Let her catch a breath.”

“As if she is not breathing now... come up here” Josh said with smirky face.

“Go sweaty otherwise he won’t stop yelling and his father is in middle of conference.” Josh’s mother told Babi after placing kiss at her cheeks.

 Babi is one of the top students in her class. She has long deep locks with dark deep eyes. She has a striking appearance which makes center of attraction in the class. Everybody thinks that she and Josh are couple as they are always together but they are best friends who have known each other for long time who often laugh at this. Babi lives with her father Mr. Garcia. She knows nothing about her mother and they never talk about that topic and she also doesn’t seem to be curious about her. They moved to states when she was seven from Spain.  She met Josh when she transferred to Lancaster high School. She and josh have been friends since then.

“Stop yelling like that I am coming. Can’t you be little bit patient.”

“No. Now close the door and let’s get started”

“Asshole!” Babi said while making sulking face.

“Come on it was already hard for me convince you to come here” said Josh while snatching babi’s bag and started prowling it as if he was looking for something and after sometime smile flashed over his face as if he found what he was looking .

 Hah!There it is now you can go ha ha ha”

“Can you stop being a dick and start working” Babi ordered while giving an eye roll.

“whaaat I was joking. Besides I needed this badly if I didn’t replace it tonight I am dead meat by tomorrow. My father will kill me”

“Then why did you give money to that stupid boy. All he does is drugs. He has money for everything accept for returning your money”

“Come on! It’s not like he wants to do that he is heartbroken right now. He needs something to escape from his own mind. I can’t ask him for my money now.”

Babi made a face like she wanted to barf  “have you always been that stupid?”

“Calm down darling. We should continue with our assignment.” 

“Ok so I pulled out some of the content from online. I want you to take a look at them and tell me which one is most relevant”

“Ok señora” 

“Stupid”

They started working on their assignment slowly and steadily. Babi was comfortable in Josh’s like her own. She has been here millions of times and sometimes stayed here when her father was not in town.

After working for almost two hours, they were half done with their work. They heard knocking at the door. It was Mrs. Crane, she brought some snacks for the kids.

“Open the door. Is it necessary to close the door?”

Josh opened the door and took  a plate of mac and cheese and coke cans. “ I was getting hungry how you know that!!”

She hit Josh lightly. “next time don’t lock the door. I have said it millions of times”

“Ok ok mom”

Mrs. Crane left and Josh locked the door again immediately

“Why do you lock the door? It’s not like we are doing something wrong”

“Don’t mind it”

They took a small break and started eating. Babi was on her phone, she was texting somebody constantly and smiling. It started to infuriate Josh. He snatched her phone and looked whom she was talking to.

“Hey! Give my phone back”

“Why so you can text your little boy again” Josh said while subduing Babi. “ I told you not to talk to that piece of shit again.  Why are you texting him. He is full blown jerk. I don’t like the way he looks at you.”

So what! So what if you don’t like him. You are not the one who is going to date him. Besides,   why are you behaving like you are my lover or brother. As a friend you should support me” Babi told Josh while struggling under him. They were two meters away from each other

     After hearing this he released Babi’s hand they got up

“Support! Oh yea! I would have supported you if he was decent guy but you don’t know him”

“Who do you like?  Have you ever liked anybody who proposed me. Ugh!”

“Will you like if I date any girl”

“Off course!  I am not saying to go around and be a fuck boy. If you genuinely like somebody then you should go for it.”

“Leave it you won’t understand”

“Whaaaaat”

“I said nothing” then he left room.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to get some air”

It’s not like she doesn’t understand Josh, but she is just playing dump because she thinks it’s going to ruin their friendship and its nothing but teenage infatuation. If it was any other boy then Josh, things would have been different but it’s Josh whom she doesn’t want to lose.

This is also the reason she hasn’t been here less frequently .

BABI POV

Gosh! I hate this so much. I wish I could avoid this topic for forever. I also don’t like him like that.

He doesn’t know I was on my phone to distract myself and avoid him getting close to me.

He is my safe place and don’t want to lose this beauty friendship just because of some temporary infatuation.

I don’t even what he is feeling is real love or he is just being protective. May be it is because I have never seen him talking stuff like that.

It’s not like he talks to me about that. Whenever we are at this topic he just lashes out at me. I don’t want to look like I am desperate for love.

He left with an angry face but he came back with a sad face and “let’s finish assignment”

I said ok and then he started narrating and I started typing. He started reciting with his husky voice. I am a slow typer and he speaks so fast it was getting hard to keep up with him.

“Can you please speak slowly? I am not a fucking typewriter.” I finely told him.

He started laughing and said “I was doing it on purpose for you to break”

This made me smile too but I kept it to myself and hit him lightly on his shoulder. We started working again.

“This is wrong. You have to write this line again” he spoke while holding my hand which was on the keyboard and correcting my mistake. I felt shivers all over my body.

It was already 11 of night until we were done. “Come down its time for dinner” I heard aunt’s voice. “And call Joshua too”

“You think he will listen to me.” Josh told his mom while going down to dining room.

“Sweaty you go and bring him down” she said to me. I am close to Joshua he is a sweat kid. I don’t know what issues he has with Josh but despite being brothers, they hardly talk if only it’s mandatory. But he and I are close. It’s like we have different type of connection. He is fifteen; I have known him since he was lil kid. He is very different then Josh. He is smart, intelligent and very adamant kid. If he asks for something, he wants it at any cost and he won’t listen to anybody, only I can get him.

I went to his room; he was playing game on his Xbox. His room was right beside Josh’s. I knocked and cleared my throat.

“Mom is calling you for dinner.”

He quickly stood up and said, “oh how long have you been here?”

“Don’t worry I just came.”

“Ok then let’s go” he said while leaving the room and closing it.

“Where have you been whole day?” I asked him since it was my first time seeing him today.

“I was in my sleeping whole day. I enjoy my weekend by sleeping you know I don’t like going out. I woke up at 6 in afternoon since then I have been playing game”

While he was speaking, he had a very bad breath. I instantly recognized the smell.

“When will you stop smoking? You are still young for all that stuff.” I asked him.

He dragged me in the corner and………..