Olivia walked out of the gym and headed towards the woods. Going a little deeper she spotted a stream. There was a waterfall at the center of the forest that kept similar springs running. This one was the farthest from the source, hence much smaller and shallower, however the water was crystal clear and the tiny pebbles could be seen getting swept away by the current. Its rocky bank provided a peaceful scenic spot to dip your feet and enjoy nature's beauty, forgetting everything else. Unless there was heavy rain, the current was not dangerous.
Sometimes students secretly gathered on the bank to hold picnics because the area was off limits without supervision. However they were never completely on their own due to the heavy surveillance especially in the forest area.
Olivia walked a little closer and looked around. She spotted Koushik sitting under a tree, curled in a ball, hugging his knees and hiding his face behind his legs such that only his fluffy hair and eyes were visible. He stared at the stream absent-mindedly. Usually, a cold wind blew from the mountains but it was a summer time afternoon so the breeze was light and warm.
Just as she approached him, Koushik said with a mirthless chuckle, "Go ahead. What are you waiting for? Laugh at me. I created a challenge for myself for no reason and gloriously failed. If not for you, a skull fracture was inevitable. I'm also shameless enough to walk out without thanking you. Hell, I couldn't even stand up to those bullies for mocking me! I just.. I just ran away like a coward."
His voice was heavy and cracked.
"I just came to return your uniform." Olivia took it out.
"Just keep it here." Koushik sniffled and patted the rock beside him without looking at her.
Olivia looked at him and then at the uniform in her hand. Then she sat down beside him keeping a suitable distance.
"Why were you crying?" She spoke after sometime in a soft flat tone.
"I was not." Koushik retorted in a broken voice.
"Hm." Olivia hummed.
"You don't believe me? Look, I'm not crying!" Koushik sat up straight, wiped his face and stared at Olivia indignantly.
He had rubbed his cheeks so hard that it turned red and started stinging. Still, he frowned and looked straight at Olivia as if that would convince her. But she just stared back with a blank face. Koushik was trying so hard to prove her wrong that he did not blink for several minutes straight and that caused him to tear up.
"Sure, it's raining." Olivia gave him a side eye.
"Dammit this is because my eyes became dry!" Koushik said through sniffles holding his eyes which had started stinging.
Olivia looked at him and squinted, trying to understand if she was intruding in his personal space. She was caught between wanting to get him to talk or leave him alone.
'It's said that talking to strangers about your feelings help right? Maybe talking to me will help him release some of the pent up emotions? But what if I'm pushing him to do it? He isn't obligated to share his worries with me. God, this so frustrating! Haaa, okay, let's try one more time. If he refuses I'll go.'
"Why were you crying?" She asked again trying to sound as gentle as possible.
"You aren't going stop asking until I answer, are you?" Koushik sighed.
"This is the last time. I won't bother anymore if you refuse." Olivia shrugged.
Koushik silently scrutinised her face for a long time, searching for any ill intention behind her persistence. Olivia had helped him a few times in the past but those were different because it simply involved physical assistance. Now it seemed like she was trying to understand him, as a person, not help a new student out of a crutch as the School Captain.
'Well, Bikram has been telling me speak about it anyway, guess I'll try it with Olivia. She doesn't seem to be someone that goes around spilling other's secrets, hope I'm right.'
Koushik let out a deep sigh and started speaking, "Listen, what I'm about to share is very personal to me so please keep it a secret."
Olivia sincerely nodded.
"So.. I, haah, damn this is difficult." He ran his hands through his hair, tugging them a little.
"Ahem, this dates back to my trainee days. I had joined with my best friend.. Ekalabya." His voice choked as he said that name, the one he tried to avoid even remembering let alone speaking till then.
"He was my buddy, my brother, my everything. We grew up together as neighbours, went to the same school, and f*ck even had the same dream career. We were practically soulmates. We joined Bali Entertainment together and started training to be a duo. He was an amazing singer, like always ranked among the top 10." A big smile formed on his lips as he reminisced those days.
"We always wanted to be a singer duo. Being idols were never in our plans but things happened and the higher ups said we'll have to form a four member idol group to debut. I was skeptical about it but Ekalabya insisted we meet our bandmates. Rishi and Bikram were nice people. There had never been direct interaction between us but I had seen them from afar a few times. Definitely talented individuals. Hence we formed Antariksha, Ekalabya had suggested that name, he said that one day we will be like the galaxy, encompassing people all over the world with our songs. Then began our training as idols which was vastly different from what me and Ek were used to. Rishi and Bikram were training to be idols from the beginning so our schedules had to be changed so that we could catch up to them.
"Oh, you seemed to have come to help me up." He looked up at Olivia in a daze.
"I remember now... I saw your shadow... you had extended your hand to me but I.." he gasped.
"Oh gosh, I... I was so out of it I just slapped your hand away. I just did not seem to register anything that was happening around me. I simply wanted to get away from there. Away from those laughing sounds. I am such an embarrassment to our band. And I'm sorry I ignored you when you came up to help. I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. I... I did not mean to insult you. Please forgive me." Koushik bent over his knees and cried crouching down.
Olivia stared at him silently. She could see his back trembling not just because he was crying but because he was also feeling that sense of shame wash over him again when he recalled the incident.
She slowly extended her hand and ruffled his hair.
'Gosh, I had wanted to do this for so long. So today is finally the chance huh? It's so soft, silky and fluffy. I can't stop myself from ruffling it.'
Although she had a straight face her usually emotionless eyes had a trace of warmth in them.
Koushik raised his head and looked at her with a confused expression. He was still crouching and just lifted his head. He looked very pitiful with his sad look.
'Ahem, I think I should stop.' Olivia got a hold of herself and took her hand back after ruffling his hair one last time.