The morning sun peeping from the red curtains woke Alisha up from a really unsatisfying sleep. The alarm clock punctually beeped up at 6 in the morning. She shut it off and went back to  bed before the 'next alarm rings'. "wake up!! you're going to be late " the second alarm was knocking on the door already. "coming ma" Alisha said non reassuringly. Her hand instantly drifted to her phone by habit. A plethora of messages flared up her phone. She ignored almost all of them. Suddenly her eyes lit up.

"Looks like sleeping beauty's finally awake "

A little smiley was all Alisha could manage to write in reply.  

"Get up Ash right now ". Her mother's voice intervened before she could revel this moment of bliss. Alisha picked up her robe. She's always had the habit of sleeping in her knickers at night. She brushed her teeth and rushed for a bath . The hot water was all ready. While taking a bath she looked at her face in the mirror. Her pimple had finally vanished. She could do a little dance right now. She rook another long look. She was beautiful as if she didn't know her boyfriend had eulogized every part of her body in every way possible in the English language. Her straight brown tresses matched her brown eyes perfectly. She did a little roll of her hair as it glanced round her neck down to her breasts.  Her unruly hair was a befitting portrayal of her inner self;in shambles and not fit for the world..Alisha did a little twirl of her hair as she looked in the mirror. She bit her lips and gave the mirror one of the many seductive looks boys got Gaga over. She turned a little so that she could have a better look at herself . The hot water together with her fantasies was making her pretty wild. Her naked body was exuding the sweet aroma of her favorite imported body wash.

She was high maintenance and she expected people to treat her that way.  Alisha gave herself up to the sinful commands of her brain. She cupped her breasts and showed themselves up to the mirror. Her nipples hadn't yet turned brown and was still the beautiful pink she was born with. That was one of the many things she was secretly proud of. Alisha gave them a little rub and an inaudible moan escaped her lips. It has been a while since she's been like this. She loved the feeling of her body responding to all her slight touches. She gave the areolar a rub and let herself revel in the sensations.

"what's taking you so long".  Alisha s mother screamed from the other side of the door.  "just be there Ma" Alisha managed to say in between her rampant breaths. Her nipples has become hard now but she had to stop  . She wouldn't wan mom angry. Alisha didn't want to; it felt so heavenly. She tugged at both of the nipples hard one last time because they were begging for attention.  She gave one quick moan and got ready to finish her bath hoping the warm water would calm her down and it did. .

Ever since she was little Alisha had been given strict guidelines as to what she should do and what she shouldn't. Even from her very childhood it had been made clear that there was a fixed way to do things and trouble awaited her if she didn't follow them. But smoke can never be contained by wicker baskets and she was more potent and black

the blackest of them. Her rebellious nature always found ways to break free from these shackles of paternal restrictions.  The chains could never bog her down. Alisha was thinking all of these when it was her mom's voice that broke her train of contemplations.  

"Ishani is here already.  What's taking you so long.. Have your food and HURRY UP!! " Alisha could hear her mom's voice from the other room. She hurriedly wore her class 12 uniform ;white shirt with ash colour checked shirt. She was about to storm off when mom stopped her again" have that sandwich will you? " .." I will " Alisha grabbed the sandwich and stormed out.  

Ishani was there standing at the end of the staircase.

" hello Bitch what took you so long".  

" I'm sorry , slept a lot late babe " Alisha said throwing the sandwich in the dustbin.  

" your late night adventures,  you sure you slept in your own bed " Ishani said with a smirk.  

Alisha gave her a playful fist followed by an exaggerated show of pain." your boyfriend been teaching you all this? ".  Alisha gave an expression Ishani could not read.

"The damned English teacher would be after us again if we're late .  She's such a vampire" ,

to change the topic.

Alisha pretended to be cross  " you could be a bit more civilized in your speech sometimes ". . She knew it was coming.. Ishanis infamous "hell with the world" look.. She lolled out her tongue scrunched up her nose thinned her eyes and rose  that middle finger up in a weird snake like motion.. Alisha roared with laughter right there on the road and said after mimicking her expression "you wouldn't be able to show that majestic finger of yours to the vampire if we're late ". Ishani laughed.

They were late as usual but the" vampire " miss Francis seemed to be in a good mood so she let them go. Both the girls sat on the last bench as usual.. Alisha took a nap behind her English book.  She was not the only one ;the drone of miss Francis'

"Arms and the man" was enough to put an army to sleep. They should have sent her to the borders to make the enemy sleep. Meanwhile Alisha napped on  ..

It was the 3rd period when Alisha woke up. .  "it's the P T period aren't you gonna move out.  You got a basketball tournament coming don't you ". . Alisha made a grunt showing her disapproval.  "sleep you lazy bum; I'm going out of play"..

Finally getting her alone time. Alisha could finally reconcile with the events of the morning . She took her mobile out ; it wasn't allowed Obviously to have mobiles in school but she wasn't the one to do things according to the book Anyway.

She saw the little text from the morning.

"looks like sleeping Beauty 's finally awake "she read it again.

Getting out of this trance she glanced at the other messages  in the inbox. Her boyfriend had written a poem.

Alisha read it twice. .  She didn't know what to think. She felt like she had just become transparent. She felt as it someone had just stripped her of all her reservations,  all her secrets and seen through all the fascade she had put up for the world. Alisha had been read, seen through all the things she didn't want seen. She wasn't sure about this relationship and was sure it was just to make her forget the pangs of her first relationship.  But somewhere in the nothings she talked about with her new boyfriend she found a profound sense of oneness: a connection unlike anything she ever felt. If she had any doubts about him. the poem sealed it. It was as if she herself had written All this in her heart's diary.

Suddenly she was overcome by a sense of a guilt as well as relief.  She had still managed to hide her biggest secret. It was safe, safe in all the waking moments of her subcosciousness, safe in the last picture she sees before going to sleep.  But she felt guilty now guilty of the fact that she says the "I love you" to a guy while meaning it for someone else. She was angry at herself for having these conflicting feelings.  He was just someone to make her fforget her past relationship. . That's alll he was that's all he eever will be