Olivia walked out of the gym and headed towards the woods. Going a little deeper she spotted a stream. Water from the nearby waterfall has constantly kept the water in it running. The pebbles could be seen as the water was crystal clear and the stream was also quite shallow. The little pebbles on the side got swept away by the gushing water. The speed of the water was just about right to dip your feet in and feel the water run under your feet and not feel like you'll get swept away. The stream was mostly not dangerous unless it was a super rainy and stormy day.
Sometimes students tried to sneak in here when they wanted some quiet as this area was restricted unless they had a supervisor and they always got caught because it was not an easy feat to escape Ketu's surveillance.
Olivia walked a little closer to the stream and heard a sniffling noise besides the gurgling of the stream. She looked around and spotted Koushik sitting under a tree.
He was curled in a ball hugging his knees and hiding his face behind his legs. Only his fluffy hair and black eyes were visible. He stared at the stream absent-mindedly and sniffled once in a while. Usually, a cold wind blew from the mountains but the time was afternoon and it was still summer. The shade of the tree and the light warm Breeze made the environment pleasant.
Olivia walked up to him and stood beside him quietly.
"Go ahead. What are you waiting for? You also came to make fun of me right? Go on. I know I'm stupid for messing up like that. And... and those falls were so awkward and embarrassing. I really made a fool of myself there. I know." He wept.
"I just came to return your uniform." Olivia took out his uniform.
"Just keep it here." Koushik sniffled and said without looking at her.
Olivia looked at him and then looked at his uniform in her hand. Then she sat down beside him keeping a proper distance.
"Why are you crying?" Olivia spoke after sometime in a soft flat tone.
"I'm not crying." Koushik retorted in a broken voice.
"Hm." Olivia hummed.
"You don't believe me? Look I'm not crying!" Koushik sat up straight, wiped his cheeks and stared at Olivia indignantly.
He rubbed his cheeks so hard it became red and started stinging. He looked at Olivia who also looked back at him with a blank face. But even after some time when he did not get a result and from the stinging pain in his cheeks new tears started flowing.
"Sure, it's raining." Olivia finally replied.
"You... you're making fun of me right?" Koushik sniffled again and tried hard to wipe his tears off.
Olivia looked at him and squinted.
'Geez, even when he's in such a state where his hair is messy cheeks are red and marked with tears and he's sitting on the ground so sloppily how come he still looks like a deity? If this was a movie I bet he would be surrounded by a bright white light in the background with petals floating all around.'
"Why are you crying?" Olivia asked again.
"You won't stop until I answer right?" Koushik looked at her accusingly.
"Probably." Olivia shrugged.
"Fine listen. I admit I wanted to show off to you that I am also quite strong and as a result I used a weight which was a bit too heavy was me. As a result, you know already, it fell over me and I would hurt myself if you hadn't caught it in time. So thanks for helping me again. Then I felt ashamed of that stupid accident and tried to hide my face from you. I tried to do some other activities but guess what I was too ashamed of what had happened and... and became afraid that I failed to keep up my image as an idol and then... I... I started shaking and lost my balance and fell over. They... they were laughing at me... again... I did not want to behave that clumsily, believe me, but... but I was so tensed for embarrassing myself so many times I couldn't stop trembling. I... I tried... I really tried but... my hands were cold... I couldn't breathe properly... I... I... just ran like a coward." Koushik hid his face in his hands and said in a shaky voice.
"Oh, you seemed to have come to help me up." He looked up at Olivia in a daze.
"I remember now... I saw your shadow... you had extended your hand to me but I.." he gasped.
"Oh gosh, I... I was so out of it I just slapped your hand away. I just did not seem to register anything that was happening around me. I simply wanted to get away from there. Away from those laughing sounds. I am such an embarrassment to our band. And I'm sorry I ignored you when you came up to help. I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. I... I did not mean to insult you. Please forgive me." Koushik bent over his knees and cried crouching down.
Olivia stared at him silently. She could see his back trembling not just because he was crying but because he was also feeling that sense of shame wash over him again when he recalled the incident.
She slowly extended her hand and ruffled his hair.
'Gosh, I had wanted to do this for so long. So today is finally the chance huh? It's so soft, silky and fluffy. I can't stop myself from ruffling it.'
Although she had a straight face her usually emotionless eyes had a trace of warmth in them.
Koushik raised his head and looked at her with a confused expression. He was still crouching and just lifted his head. He looked very pitiful with his sad look.
'Ahem, I think I should stop.' Olivia got a hold of herself and took her hand back after ruffling his hair one last time.