Hot Chocolate
Disclaimer: This is purely fictional.
Hoards of pretty, anorexic girls sauntered around; each one of them eyeing Harman, the stunning lead vocalist of the school's rock band. It had been only a month or so since he transferred to SAG High— just long enough for all the girls to go gaga over him. It was his birthday, and as the richest guy of the town, he invited the whole school to his super-luxurious birthday party—the kind you can only imagine when you are filled with a sudden desire of becoming one of those nouveau riche characters you see in movies. Glasses clinked as the elders celebrated the grand evening; and lurid music echoed throughout the hall as the kids occupied the dance floor.
I stood in a peaceful corner, away from the ruckus, and sipped my mocktail from the long-stemmed glass. The whiff of barbeque in the air made my mouth water. Harman sat across me on one of the couches nailed to the wall with his guitar on his lap. A few of his thousand fan girls gathered around him and tried to seek his attention. Someone called him out and asked him to join them on the dance floor. He mouthed a 'No thanks' and then whispered something into one of the prattling girls' ear. The girl nodded and grinned while the others exchanged glum looks of jealousy. And then, for a fraction of a second, his eyes met mine. I looked away and resolved never to look his way.
It was half past eight and with nothing to do and no one to talk to, I got utterly bored. I had always been a sort of an outcast since I was a kid and so, I hated crowded places. I could see Monica dancing to her heart's content with her boyfriend, Jay whom she began to date just two weeks ago. It was surprising for others to see how two different girls were best friends. If it had not been for her, I wouldn't have been here. Actually, she was not that keen to attend the party either but it was like this: Jay, her boyfriend was one of the members of the school rock band and a good acquaintance of Harman. Since Jay was coming, how on earth could Monica sit back at home? And then, she dragged me here along with her as well. It's not that I had any plan for the evening but this place was not really appealing to me. At a time like this, I thought, eating was the best way to spend your time! So, I helped myself to the delicacies extravagantly placed on the counters. A few girls looked at me as if I was an alien in the midst of humans. Someone—I forgot the name—once said that the best things in life are edible so I didn't really care what the girls badmouthed about me amongst themselves. 'You pretty canes are never going to experience the joy of having a full stomach,' I shot at them in my mind. As I filled my bowl with chocolate ice cream—my favourite, I noticed from the corner of my eye that Harman was staring at me. Or was he staring at the girls behind me? I couldn't tell but the very thought of probability number one made me uneasy. All the things I stuffed into my mouth churned inside my stomach. If it had been some other guy and not Harman in particular would I have the same feeling of uneasiness? Did Harman belong to a rare species with the ability of making your heart leap when his eyes bore through you? I had never experienced this. All of a sudden, Harman got up from the couch. Was he coming my way? Damn. Did he suspect that I caught him staring at me? Was he going to sue me for my weird eating habits? I wanted to run away. I never had a way with guys, especially with a 'prince' like him!
"Hey," he said as he approached me, holding his guitar in his left hand.
"Uh, hi," I replied. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks," he said. "We don't really talk, do we? I mean, I know more than half of the school in just one month time but we never had a conversation even though I see you often at school."
I had no idea how to reply to that.
"Well, I am a quiet person," I blurted out the obvious truth.
"Yeah, seems like that," he winked. What was wrong with him? Did he hit his head somewhere and mistook me for his dream girl? I mean, a girl with average looks, average figure, circular face and obsession for food cannot be any sane guy's dream girl—really.
"But you see, quiet people are actually interesting and fun," he said in an I-know-it-all-tone.
"Uh, I am not an interesting and fun person at all. Maybe I am an exception?"
"Nope, you are no exception, babe," he smiled. That was the first time someone called me that. Babe—the word once sounded sort of dirty and misleading to me but now it surprisingly sounded pleasing.
"How can you say so?" I interrogated. I couldn't believe we were actually talking.
"Well, I can prove it to you," he replied and snatched the bowl of ice cream from my hand.
"Hey!" This guy had lost it.
He took a spoon of what had been tempting me for so long.
"Give me back my bowl of ice cream," I said.
He kept down his guitar and leaned in closer, and before I knew it, he kissed me which tasted no less than the cold dollop of chocolate in the bowl.
The world turned upside down for me. Thanks to the unexpected kiss—my first kiss. My head went blank and I felt my heart throbbing in my throat…
And then the next thing I felt was a sudden splash of cold water on my face. I woke up with a startle. Much to my surprise, I found myself seated on a leather seat beside a window with scratched glass. I was in a bus! Where was the music? Where was the lavish food? Where were those pretty, gossiping girls? And most importantly, where was Harman?
"Wake up, sleepy head, and stop dreaming about food all the time," said a familiar voice. It was Monica sitting next to me.
"Huh? Where am I? We are supposed to be at Harman's place, right?" I said, baffled.
"We were there half-an-hour ago. We're going back home now. In fact, we are about to reach home soon," Monica replied.
"Oh," I mumbled.
"You were the one who insisted to leave after you finished feeding on your ice cream. You cleared two bowls in a go. You're such a food-a-holic!" Monica said, loud enough for the others around to hear.
"Ah, yes. I remember now," I forced a fake laugh.
"Good for you," Monica sighed.
It turned out to be a dream after all. Was I supposed to be happy or disappointed over this?
School was no fun the next day, especially with the declaration of Mathematics test's results. I passed with borderline marks while Monica couldn't make it. But what was worse was how my eyes caught Harman wherever I went. He was practically everywhere—in the corridor, in the library, in the playground, in the arts room and in the Chemistry lab. I disliked how I could feel my cheeks turning red every time I saw him. I disliked how the kiss played in my mind over and over. I thought dreams are easily forgotten. Why couldn't I forget the one I saw the previous night?
When school was over, I was glad. But my worst fear came true when I walked out the school gate and someone called me out. It was Harman with his friend, Jay, and of course Monica as well.
"You remained invisible the entire time yesterday but thanks for coming anyway," Harman said as he walked over to me. "I am treating these guys as thanks. It would be great if you join us because you are Monica's friend, I heard."
"Err, actually—" I looked behind at Monica who gestured me to accept the offer.
"More people, more fun," Harman insisted. "We can get to know each other. It's great to make friends."
Did he say 'friends'? A super popular guy was willing to befriend a clumsy, food-a-holic girl. I should have been in cloud nine but I wanted to maintain my composure.
The café was crowded. This was the first time I went out with people other than Monica and my family.
"This seems like a group date," Monica chimed in as she occupied the seat next to Jay.
I blushed. I looked at Harman who was sitting next to me from the corner of my eye but couldn't read the expression on his face. Did he not hear what Monica said?
"Okay," Harman said with his eyes kept down on the menu card he was holding. "Anyone wants ice cream?"
"I will have butter scotch," Monica replied.
"I will have the same," Jay said, and Monica giggled.
Then I suddenly realised that Harman was looking at me.
"What about you?" he said. "Chocolate?"
"Whoa! You hit the bull's eye. That's her favourite," Monica smirked.
"Chocolate will be fine," I smiled.
Harman smiled back and that was the best smile I had ever seen. I loved it more than the one I saw in my dream. The smile was warm. It was like sipping hot chocolate on a cold night!
-x-