IN LOVE WITH MY BEST FRIEND

Punit sat in his car; his tall frame stretched out in the driver's seat. He ran his fingers through his silky hair and adjusted his soft, kind eyes on the camera. "I'm gay," he said, pausing for a moment. "Well, not really. That’s what the others think. If you ask me why, then, let me tell you, it took me a couple of years to figure that out." Punit frowned and leaned back against his seat as the traffic around him ground to a halt. He decided to go live on his YouTube channel to speak his mind. "Apparently, people have this notion that guys into fashion designing, or the nursing profession are by default gays," he continued, shaking his head in disbelief. "I know, right? Crazy! I don't even know where they got that idea from! And maybe I'll never find out. But hey, you don't see any of them hitting on other boys. At least most of them. And even if they do, so what? That's their choice. That doesn't make nursing or fashion designing the official course for gays." Punit glanced

PUNIT’S POV  Okay, got what I need, and now I’m headed home!  We’re planning to cook some khichdi tonight. And she’s a great cook, have I told you? Give her any ingredient, she’ll make something great out of it, and one look is all that she takes to get ideas.   So, where were we? Ah, yes! That day, she headed to the principal’s office to complain. Well, it didn’t work. Ask me why I’m not surprised. That guy was a chicken and didn’t have the spine to lift a finger against the chairman’s son. Well, I can't blame him. He has to save his ass. He and he alone must, because, no one else will save it for him.  So, one afternoon, as I was taking a cautious stroll in the school grounds, (cautious because, you know... this bully Sibal would be lurking in the corner waiting to bash me up) I chanced upon a ruck

It was the annual school fest and I had big plans. Really big plans! I’ll be honest, I was shit scared. For one, people were for sure going to laugh me out the gates. Two, Sibal would laugh me out to space. The very thought of it made me shudder. But it was now or never. It was hard finding the stuff I required for this feat, but I did, and I just had one more thing to do. “So, what will it be?” asked a senior girl sitting at the desk. She was entering the names for the fest in the notebook before her. “Fancy dress,” I stated and moved out after making sure that she got it right. I literally strutted down the corridors, as if I’d just enlisted myself in the army. Well, it was as good as that. Yup, fancy dress. That’s what I had signed up for. I had a never before unique idea up my sleeve, but I was scared. As I strolled down the third-flo

Post her solo performance, Ankita hurried down the corridors in search of Punit. She was kind of worried and hoped that he was okay. Two, their duet was up right after the fancy dress competition. She wondered if he was in the state to do it. She hoped he was. But knowing him, she highly doubted that. She was about to whip past the empty classroom around the corner on the top-most floor and take the flight of stairs to the grounds when she saw him huddled inside.“Punit?” She walked in through the door. He looked up from the terrible state that he was in. He was a mess. The kohl around his eyes was smudged from crying, his face was pale and sweaty and his hair was all roughed up. Sniffling, he ran a finger under his nose and looked away. “What?” She shrugged, completely shocked at his state. “I suck,” he blurted in a clogged voice. &ldqu

Punit scrunched up his face and stayed under the table, hoping that they would spare him. He didn’t have the guts to face her, not after promising a stellar performance and giving muck in return. “Punit, drop it, man, she’s gone,” came Vaidehi’s voice after a while. He pulled out, his face red and sweaty from bending over for so long. “She’s gone?” “Yup!” He sighed, feeling so flustered. “See! What did I tell you!!? She’s still mad at me! Or else she would have talked to me. But she didn’t! See!!!” “Why do you want her to make the first move? Even you can talk to her, right?” “And get myself killed? No way!” “She won’t do anything,” replied Vaidehi. “Right!” His words were dripping