I was stuck in this loop, desperately trying to avoid his eyes. I kept playing with my hair or plunging into loud talk with my friends, lekin main apne aap ko Subho ko dekhne se rok hi nahi pa rahi thi (but I simply couldn't stop myself from looking at Subho). And the moment he was noticing, I'd quickly look away, pretending a stain on the table was the most interesting thing in the room.
Then, finally, the tension broke: the waiter arrived with the birthday cake!
"So, Subho ka cake aa gaya!" Everyone screamed, the excitement palpable.
"Chal bhai Subho, now come on, make a wish, cut the cake now," the voices cheered him on.
Subho stood up, the knife in his hand. The cake was centered, candles flickering, and we all shouted the Birthday Song so hard and itne zor se that I swear, main sach batau toh, my ears felt like they were about to burst.
Ankush nudged him. "Bhai, make a wish and blow the candle!"
He did as he was told, with all the necessary gravitas.
Next, he started slicing the cake, giving a performance worthy of a film award. "Seriously, bhai, zyada natak mat kar!" Rohini joked, making everyone laugh.
Everyone clapped and cheered.
"The first piece belongs to me," he announced with a wide, cheeky smile, enjoying the laughter before taking a tiny bite himself.
Then came the ritual of feeding. He went around the table, one by one. Ankush, being Ankush, smeared a big blob right onto Subho's cheek, and Subho, laughing, immediately returned the favor. They stood there, two boys covered in frosting, laughing like maniacs.
Then, he reached me.
He held the fork out, offering the bite. His eyes held mine for a second, that signature teasing smile playing on his lips, before the noise and distraction of another friend pulled his gaze away. He moved on, leaving the fork withdrawn and me in sudden silence.
Main kya batau, mere saath kya hua . My entire body was shaking from the inside out. My heart wasn't beating; it was doing a violent, acrobatic leap!
"Okay! Enough cake now, guys, bahut ho gaya ," Priyan and Shakshi called out. "Come on, let's play a game!"
"Ha, good idea, bhi!" Rohini and Ankush agreed instantly. I quickly nodded too, needing the change of pace.
The Game We Hate
Subho didn't object. He seemed up for anything.
Rohini stood up, clapping dramatically. "Guys, we are playing 'Truth and Dare'!"
"Bro, I am not playing this game, maine bola," I muttered fiercely.
"Nahi!
"Come on, it's just a game, yaar," Priyan pleaded.
Par main 'No' bol nahi paayi Priyan ko , so...
"Okay then..."
My heart was immediately pounding again. I know my friends. I hate this game, man! I took a deep gulp of my drink, trying to prepare myself.
"Chal bhai Subho, you are the birthday boy, you go first!"
The Glancing Blow
Everyone started cheering for him.
Subho rolled his eyes, but a smile touched his lips.
"Fine, main dare le raha hu," (Fine, I am taking a dare) he declared, accepting the challenge.
The group immediately plunged into a dark, secret discussion.
Finally, Shakshi delivered the dare. "Alright, then, you have to feed someone cake—but you can't choose your best friend!" They all started laughing and teasing him mercilessly.
Subho looked slowly around the table. He cut a small piece of cake, and his gaze flicked towards me—that single, dangerous, heartbreaking glance—before he quickly moved on, completing the dare by feeding it to Priyan.
They all laughed, but I sat there, frozen.
That tiny, deliberate glance, that decision to look and then ignore, left me in a kind of trauma for a little while.
Then......oh no !
~To be continued...