Zahir caught the hesitation on my face instantly.
"Sam can't come," he said. "I'll drop her home."
"Come on!" Rahul protested. "We're decent guys. You don't need to be scared."
Shreyash nodded eagerly. "We'll all be there. It'll be fun."
Even Aakanksha chimed in, "Sam, just come! Please?"
Julia added shyly, "Yeah. Don't worry. We'll stick with you."
Everyone was looking at me.
Hell. Fine. I'll just be myself.
I straightened. "Okay. Let's go."
Zahir raised an eyebrow, surprised.
•••
The guys left on their bikes.
The girls and I shared an Uber.
Aakanksha opened her purse, pulled out a small makeup pouch, and began touching up her face and reapplying lipstick.
"Want some?" she asked.
"No," I said quickly.
Julia, who hadn't spoken to me much till now, studied my face. "You look a lot like the actress Sameera, you know?"
My heart stopped. My breath jammed.
Before I could react, Aakanksha snorted. "Yes yes, she is the actress Sameera. And she's dating nerdy Zahir."
Both girls burst out laughing.
My frozen insides thawed.
"I'm not his girlfriend," I said stiffly. "Just a friend."
"Of course," Aakanksha teased. "We understand."
I kept quiet.
"So Sam," Julia asked, "are you a programmer too?"
"No. I'm into finance-crypto, stocks."
She nodded, then leaned a little closer. "Hmm. I think I know why you don't like makeup."
I turned to her sharply.
"Why?"
"Because you're a tomboy, right? You don't like dolling up for men. Same here."
I stared at her.
She had an angular jawline, short boyish hair, and sharp brows. Her lashes were thin, her face androgynous-but she still wore makeup.
"But... you're dolled up," I pointed out.
She chuckled. "I'm not blessed with soft features like you. If I don't use a little makeup, these boys will call me names."
I had no reply to that.
•••
The bowling alley glowed bright inside the mall.
We formed two teams. I ended up with Rahul, Julia, and Shreyansh.
Zahir went to the opposite side.
Rahul groaned dramatically. "Great. Two girls in my team. We're doomed."
Julia protested. "Excuse me?"
"Just wait," Rahul said smugly.
He bowled-nine pins.
"See? I'm the backbone of this team."
Shreyansh did decently.
Julia... her ball swerved like it was drunk and hit two pins.
The other team roared with laughter.
Then it was my turn.
I picked up the ball, felt its weight, focused.
Swung. Released.
The ball rolled-
STRIKE.
All ten pins dropped.
Rahul shouted.
Julia hugged me.
Shreyansh high-fived me.
"Double booze for Sam!" Rahul yelled. "Our secret weapon!"
Neeraj yelled from the other lane, "Zahir, your girlfriend bowls better than you!"
My fist twitched. I ignored him.
And I kept scoring well.
Over and over.
Soon both teams were cheering. Even a few strangers glanced over.
"Three cheers for Sam!" Rahul shouted.
Absurdly, I felt... proud. And happy.
•••
After several rounds, Rahul announced, "Let's go to Pink Flamingo! Drinks, dinner, live music. Perfect end to the night."
I didn't argue. Too far in to back out.
Pink Flamingo was dimly lit-neon flamingos on the walls, a glowing purple bar, a small dance floor, the DJ thumping beats.
We found a table. Drinks arrived.
I gulped mine quickly-an attempt to forget my troubles.
"Want to freshen up?" Aakanksha asked. She and Julia stood.
I followed.
Out of habit, I turned left-towards the men's room.
"Sam!" Aakanksha squealed. "That's the men's washroom!"
Julia giggled. "Wow, you really chugged those drinks."
My face burned. I followed them into the ladies' room, heart pounding.
Inside, bright mirrors, perfumes, and girls fixing their makeup made me feel like I didn't belong.
After relieving myself, I stepped out and saw Aakanksha doing her touch-up.
"Want to fix yours?" she asked.
"No," I said instantly.
"Oh come on! Just lipstick. You'll look even better."
Julia added, "It's okay to doll up sometimes."
What the heck. I had been dolled up just yesterday.
"Fine," I muttered.
I tried applying the lipstick-and it smudged.
Aakanksha laughed. "Either you never use lipstick or you're drunk. I think you're drunk. Here-let me."
I let her fix it. She even added a little eyeliner.
"There. You look pretty. Check."
I didn't dare look in the mirror.
•••
Back at the table, the boys noticed instantly.
Rahul whistled. "Sam, you're glowing!"
Neeraj muttered something about Zahir being lucky.
I ignored him.
More drinks. More food.
Gradually, everyone drifted to the dance floor.
Aakanksha grabbed my hand. "Come!"
"I don't know how to dance," I protested.
"Just move! No one cares!"
I was too tipsy, too light headed to resist.
The beat vibrated through my bones. My body loosened.
Rahul came near me. "Thanks for coming. You lit up my birthday."
I gave a small smile.
"You have a mysterious aura," he said. "And mysteries excite me."
Oh God. The guy was flirting.
"Nice line," I said. "Not new, though."
"It's true," he insisted. "So? A hint or two?"
"Some mysteries are best left unsolved," I said, stepping away.
But he followed.
"Just one dance together? It's my birthday."
Aakanksha and Julia chimed in, "Come on, Sam! It's his birthday!"
I sighed. Fine. A dance wouldn't kill me.
"One condition-no getting close."
He nodded eagerly.
The DJ shifted to a slow song.
Rahul placed a hand lightly on my waist.
My breath hitched-but I let it stay.
We swayed. He even twirled me.
People clapped at the end.
I stepped back instantly.
Zahir stared at me in shock.
Neeraj whispered something about Zahir's girlfriend dancing with another guy.
I ignored him.
•••
It was nearly 1 AM when Zahir and I returned home.
He tossed his keys aside and turned to me.
"Dude... what was that with Rahul?"
"The dance?" I shrugged. "Nothing. He was begging for it. I figured if my fake female persona could make his day, why not?"
Zahir let out a massive sigh.
"Okay good. For a minute I thought you were... you know... transgender or something. Like a woman inside a male body. Nothing wrong with that-but dude, you confused me tonight."
I laughed and clapped his shoulder. "I'm a hundred percent male inside out, idiot."
He laughed too.
But later, when I changed into a borrowed nightshirt and looked at myself in the dim bathroom mirror-soft skin, shaped brows, faint eyeliner, a shadow of lipstick-
I didn't feel a hundred percent anything.
A shiver went down my spine.
Maybe I'd played the female persona too well tonight.
Damn. I needed to end this charade.
First thing tomorrow.
--
That's the end of Chapter 7. Do let me know your thoughts on the chapter. Comment freely. Drop a like if you enjoyed reading it.
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