Bit Broken.

Sealed?

"Hey! you two are here. I searched for you every.... " Tara came with a coke can in her hand. "What's wrong with your face?" She held my face and lifted it. "Have you been crying? What happened?"

"I want to go home...I am so sorry but..." I kept pulling the dress down. I felt disgusted.

"Tanvi  but what happened?" Tara squeezed my hand. I put my face on her shoulder. "Did anyone do something? Did I do something?"

"This scoundrel..." Vijay kicked the boy on his stomach. The boy moaned holding his stomach. "He touched her inappropriately, thank god, I reached...."

Tara pulled me closer. Her hands resting on my waist. I felt the coke can touching my back. "I am so sorry. I'll take you home." I felt so safe.

"I am so sorry..." I mumbled, I pulled up my head, "You stay...I'll take a cab." I didn't want to go home alone but I didn't want to spoil their party mood.

"Are you kidding? How can I let you go alone!" She looked at me clenching her teeth. "Vijay do you mind...I'll..."

"Not at all...Take her...I'll take care of the situation here.."He pointed at the guy, who was now puking out stuff. "Just message me or something when you two reach....I'll see you tomorrow in class." He smiled. He wasn't that bad after all. Now that I knew that Tara was a lesbian, Vijay seemed a decent guy. I for the first time noticed his face, brown eyes, a long but a bit crooked nose and thick bushy eyebrows. He looked cute and not stupid.

We reached the car that was parked outside the pub. Tara handed the coke to me. "Drink it. You have had nothing."

I nodded and drank the whole thing. I was thirsty.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah...now I'm fine. Don't worry. I was just..."

"Are you hungry?"

"I'll get something at home..." Dad wouldn't keep anything. I had told him that I would eat out. But I didn't have the energy and courage  to go anywhere wearing that dress.

"Your stomach is making weird sounds ....Are you sure?"

I sighed. "I don't want to go anywhere, wearing this.." I confessed.

"So you think what happened was because of the dress?"

"No but....I am really not comfortable. This is not me!"

Tara laughed. "Yeah...this is not you. Get in the car. I'll get something from here nearby."

After a while, Tara came with a packet. She got inside the car.  It smelled delicious. This was the first time I was having my dinner in a car. Now it's kind of a ritual though.

"You know Dad would be very angry if he gets to know that we are eating inside the car." She giggled.  She opened the pack. Hot Garlic Noodles. I was drooling. She passed me the fork.

"You lie to him very often?" I stuffed some noodles in my mouth and passed the fork back to her

"Yeah...I have to. I don't tell everything to him. I cannot. Even when I was in the US, he sent a man...kind of like a bodyguard, he would follow me everywhere. It was annoying. Dad knows that I lie to him."

"I too have kept many things from Papa..."

She stared at me for a while. Our eyes got locked.  "Can I stay at your room tonight?" I asked. "Papa will sense that something is happened and I don't want him to worry."

"Yeah..." She looked at me wistfully. "Of course...Tanvi if you have something in your mind...You can tell me. We are friends right?"

I suddenly remembered what the king had once said... 'You and Tara can never be friends.'

"Yeah." I nodded with a smile. I had many things to tell her but I wasn't sure yet. 

In her room, I changed into one of her night gown. Satin. It was the first time I had felt that fabric. Tara waited for me in the bed. She kept looking at me with a naughty smile as I walked to the bed.

"What?"

"Do you want me to unhook that again?"

"You did that!" I gasped.

She laughed. "Yeah..it's not good for health you know," she continued laughing. "You do that or else I could..."

I felt the tickle again. She touched me that night. Does she want to touch me again? "I'll do it myself. I unhooked my bra and quickly crawled into the blanket. She hugged me around my stomach.

"You are cute." She said hugging tighter. I could feel her heart beat. Just cute?....I wished she would say something more but she closed her eyes and soon was asleep. May be she didn't feel for me that way...May be she only wants me as a friend. I kept staring at the lips, the hair, that baby face and fell asleep.

........................................................................................................................................................

It was the middle of the second semester when the class representative announced about  the annual meet. There were dance, drama, photography, sports and other sort of clubs and we were to enroll ourselves in at least one club. I was out of the drama phase, I didn't own a camera, I didn't have enough talent for dance...I am a terrible dancer.  So sports was my only option. I was into healthy stuff anyway, it was the easiest for me. But Tara was opting for dance.  Yeah...I took dance.

"Did you chose your partner yet?" A random boy came up to me.

"Yes dude...she has a partner." Tara came from nowhere and stood beside me with a beautiful smile. The dimple would kill me one day. Her wavy hair tied in a pony, white boat neck crop top and a short checked blue short skirt.

I turned towards her when the boy was gone. "Who is my partner?"

"I am." She kept her hands on my waist. "You are supposed to keep your hands on my shoulders."

"Tara...I am not good at this. Actually I am really bad at dancing and I...."

"Ssshh" Tara stopped me keeping her finger on my lips, "I'll teach you."

The music started. The pairs were supposed to follow the choreography that the teacher had told us. I could remember a whole chapter word to word but somehow I didn't remember a single step. I just threw my hands and legs in random directions.

"I told you I am really bad. This is embarrassing!"  I whispered to Tara. "I am spoiling your dance too.." Oh! her scent.

"stop talking...just enjoy alright!" Tara lowered her gaze and gulped, she looked back at me, "Are you cold again?"

Shit not again!

"Yeah!" I nodded nervously.

"Why are you so conscious about everything?" She said. She kinda looked annoyed. "Why did you take up dance if you are that bad?"

"Because you..." I stopped. Looking at the ground, finding words to make it less weird.

"Can't you just tell me what is in your mind?" Her upper lip raised.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing...Come with me." She took me to the store room behind the dance studio. She took me to a corner. Broken benches and desks all around. Some dance props kept on one side.

"What happened?" I was becoming restless.  She came closer. And closer. And closer. If she comes any closer, I sure would...I am gonna...

"Kiss me already!" She uttered coming even closer. There was no space between our chests. I felt her rhythm. I felt the heat.

"What!" my gazed tossed between her eyes and her lips.

"I cannot stand your silence anymore..."

"You know?"

"I know you have feelings for me...I cannot control myself anymore...I..." her voice had a shrill.

"Were you teasing me all this time?" My breathing had become faster.

"I was dropping hints like an i***t and you kept ignoring like an i***t! You..."

I at once grabbed her neck with my one hand and her waist with other. I sealed her lips with mine. I sucked so hard. I tasted blood. I had cut her tongue or lips or both." I pulled back. "I am sorry!"

"Hey...you stole my kiss!" She panted, licking the blood on her lips.

"You stole my breath, princess....I am taking it back." I too panted. I wanted more.

"You can keep my kiss...I am not giving your breath back anymore." She winked.  She reached for my n****e and motioned her index finger around it. "I always wanted to touch these. " She licked her lower lip and swallowed. I don't know how rapid my breathing was. It felt electrifying.  I was again drawn to her lips like a magnet. I continued kissing her as she continued teasing me.  Her hands went down, tracing my stomach reaching between my thighs.

"Don't..." I uttered catching my breath. "Not now...I am bleeding."

"I know." She grabbed my breast and squeezed softly. I flinched at once. "They appear tender...Gorgeous." She took my hand and rubbed them between her thighs. She was totally wet. Totally wet for me. "I want to touch you so bad...I love you!" Her hazel brown eyes formed a thin layer of tears.

"I love you too...Princess." I finally whispered after about thirteen years. I finally had the kings 'piece of heart.'