March 2005

The school day had been uneventful. Aditya had succeeded in managing to bunk the first period and he would have gladly stayed in the nursery the whole day instead. It was all going good until a certain someone was brought in.

Dehydration was what the nurse had said.

The nurse hung the IV and stuck the needle into Vikram's wrist and he lay there, unmoving.

Aditya looked at him intently. Here, like this, completely knocked out of his senses, Vikram was somewhat bearable. Maybe more than just bearable.

Aditya's eyes panned over the peace that had overtaken Vikram's face. How long had it been since Aditya had slept so calmly? Days? Weeks? Months? He had no idea. Time had become fluid since his entire life went spiralling down last year.

"Do you know him?" the school nurse asked Aditya when she saw him staring at Vikram.

A short nod followed on Aditya's part. He did know him. More than he'd like to admit.

"Can you look after him for a little while?" the nurse asked. "I have medical supplies coming in so I need to get to the main building. He'll be asleep so you don't have to worry much."

Aditya nodded again. He had only heard half of what the nurse had said. He was still preoccupied with Vikram and his everlasting peace.

The nurse left soon but Aditya didn't take note of that. His eyes were focused on the tiny freckles on the bridge of Vikram's nose that extended under his eyes on both sides. They were light, almost invisible, like treasures that could be found only when you were looking for them specifically. Aditya had never known anyone with freckles on their face and he had to admit, it was kind of fascinating.

He had known Vikram for almost a decade now and yet this was the first time he was able to properly see the face of the boy who hated him and his guts. Aditya was aware, very, very aware of how much Vikram hated him. Many others did as well, but for some reason, only this guy's hatred affected Aditya.

Maybe it was because the others didn't matter. They were all either scared of Vikram or too ashamed to associate with him. But then, here Vikram was who treated him like he had always treated him. Until last year, Aditya had people in school he called friends. He was popular and everyone wanted to either be him or be with him. A lot of things had changed between then and now. A lot of people changed but Vikram hadn't. Even if it was his hatred, that was the only thing that had remained constant in Aditya's life.

And maybe, that was why he had eagerly accepted Vikram's challenge last night. For some reason, Aditya made Vikram nervous and it was an enjoyable sight. The freckled boy wasn't intimidated by the tall football player, and yet he seemed like Aditya had shaken his entire life. And if Aditya were to be honest with himself, he couldn't wait to see what Vikram had in store for him.

"This is going to be fun." Aditya said to himself just before he noticed Vikram slowly opening his eyes.

"Dehydration." he said softly, making his presence known.

When Vikram squirmed a little on discovering Aditya in the same room as him, Aditya had to bite back a smile. This is indeed going to be fun.