ANISHA'S POV
It was already 2.13AM and I was still up. I did not know what to do; but going to bed was certainly not one of my options. So many times I had looked at Dylan's number in my phone; my fingers hovering above it, but I could not bring myself to dial his number. I could not disturb his meeting with his parents. The dinner which Mrs Silva had prepared was still on the table, obviously very cold and untouched. How could I have eaten? I was worried and stressed…the truth is I had no word to describe the feeling that I was going through. Part of my heart wanted to call Valentina, but I had no idea what I was going to say to her.
I flipped through the TV channels and failed to find anything that could calm me down. At one point tears even flowed down my cheeks, without me realizing. I quickly wiped them off and stood up before I walked around in the room. I played a few songs on the piano, but no matter how much I loved music; at that point it seemed to fail to console me.
Walking back to the velvety sofa, I curled myself on it and waited to hear the sound of the door clicking open. After waiting for what seemed like a thousand years; the door did finally open. Pete walked in, with the saddest face I had ever seen. Behind him was Dylan. He walked slowly in and I could not help but see that his eyes were red and, were they swollen? No. Not swollen. I sprang to my feet and faced them both. Mrs Silva emerged, yawned and then asked, "I may serve some food now; may I, sir Dylan?"
"No thanks. You may go and rest." Dylan responded.
Mrs Silva seemed relieved, for she really looked sleepy. She gave a slight bow and left the room.
"Did the meeting take this long?" I asked, not knowing what else to say. I glanced at the huge clock on the wall, and looked back at the two men in front of me. Pete sat down, and Dylan sank into the sofa next to Pete.
"Was it that bad; the meeting? It was very long, wasn't it?", I asked.
"It ended a few hours ago. Dylan and I were at my place. I just thought he and I needed to talk." Pete told me.
"Oh! I can excuse you! I can leave if…"
"No! that's not what I mean, Anisha. I actually meant that Dylan was in a very bad shape. I needed to talk to him a bit, to comfort him. He's the one who said he wanted to come here, to be with you." Pete stated.
"I guess I can go now, Dylan?" Pete raised his eyebrows at Dylan.
"Thank you, Pete. You have always stood by me. I truly appreciate you, Pete!" Dylan and Pete gave each other a brief hug, and Pete smiled at his friend.
"Call me if you need anything," he spoke as he left the room.
Left alone in the room with Dylan, I did not know what to say or do. I took one step forward and gathered courage to ask again, "was the meeting that bad?"
Without saying a word, Dylan raised his hand to take mine in his, and he pulled me close to him.
"Come sit with me", he said.
I sat close to him and he pulled me very close. My head was on his chest, and I could even hear his heartbeat and his breathing right on my forehead. It was one of the most peaceful moments of my life.
"How was the meeting…" I asked him.
"Forget about the meeting. Let's talk about us." He said. Silently, I looked up at him and he kissed my forehead with a forced smile. I could see pain behind that smile. I could see a lot of issues hidden behind the smile. There was pain and somehow, I felt like I would not be able to reach to that place; to be able to give him the comfort that he evidently needed.
"Do you remember that days when we used to visit you at the children's home?" he asked.
"Of course I remember. How could I forget?" I smiled as the memories played in my mind.
"Well, Anisha! those were good days. Good old days…" Dylan seemed to be trailing deep in thought. He smiled into space and heaved a sigh. Silently, I waited for him to say more; for it was evident that he had a lot on his mind.
"Anisha, I remember one Thursday; when we were supposed to stay and have lunch with you guys. At Olga Children's home. There was a lot of food; and there were about twenty of us; for that day we brought along the Octavias and some other friends. Pete was there, obviously; together with his dad. It was just a week before Christmas."
"I think I remember it. When your family donated stuffed toys for everyone."
"Yes! It was that day. Anisha; on that day, while we were eating, I kept looking around, asking myself where all the children were. I remember we were in the dining room ,and it was well decorated. But then, I wanted to see if you had eaten as well, for I thought to myself, what's the point of us eating all this nice food, if the children here won't get any of it?"
"Really? You were concerned about the children?" I asked, already starting to feel happy.
"I was. And I asked to be excused. I walked around, searching for the children. I was searching for you, to be specific," he let out a small laugh. "And then I saw a long queue of children, holding empty plates. All of them were heading towards the serving point; where I saw some ladies serving some potatoes and a slice of bread to each child. And as I looked closer; I saw you. I saw you Anisha. You were the only child among the ladies who were serving the food, and you happily dished a small portion of potatoes to each child. I saw the queue growing smaller and smaller, until all the children had their food; and the pot seemed empty; for a man carried it away to wash it at the open sink. I saw you, without food, smiling as you found your way around the children who were seated and enjoying their meal. I saw you chatting away to a number of the children; you fixed their hats, you helped to close their buttons; you tucked in stray hair, you comforted a sad child, you laughed and spoke to them. And I had a question…from looking around, I could swear that you were not the oldest child in the home. There were older boys and girls; yet they never showed the same responsibility as you. You seemed to be the mini parent to them all; you played the role of protector; you showed them all love. You even went without any lunch just so that the other children could eat."
"Oh! I think I remember that day. You were watching me? I wasn't aware that you watched me," I said in a very small voice. Somehow I was beginning to get emotional.
"I was" Dylan began to speak again. "I watched you, and from there I ran back to the dining room ,where our table was set. There were all sorts of food for us; it was too much! I quickly filled up my plate, with the intention of bringing the food to you, but my family would not have that. My mother said she was already worried that I had been out for so long, thus I could not leave the table anymore. I badly wanted to bring that plate to you, but I failed…."
"You did? I never would have known that if you didn't tell me just now," I said, for I had no other words to say.
"Well Anisha; I have always wondered how you manage to put others first. You forget yourself as you make sure that others are happy." He said to me.
"Thank you for such kind words. I never realised that I was that person…I mean I had never considered myself as someone who puts others first."
"From just watching you, I learnt a lot in life. I can never leave you, no matter what anyone says! Life is more about what is inside of us, not the money that we flash for all to see. I prefer a golden heart; and you have that golden heart." Dylan's voice suddenly started to sound defensive.
I sat up to face him. "What did your parents say?" I could not help but ask, for it was obvious to me, or if anyone would have been present; it was going to be obvious to them too, that Dylan was going down memory lane as a reaction to how the meeting with his parents had gone.
"They don't need to say anything. Whether they say anything or not, I already know what I want. I lost you once Anisha, when the home closed. And I almost lost you when we were locked in that room full of gas. I almost lost you yet again, after you were discharged from the hospital. I will not lose you again."
He pulled me back into his arms, and I rested my head on him. My mind wondered if a day was ever going to come when he would tell me what was said in the family meeting. And the way he spoke to me and about me…it sounded like we were in a relationship. I wanted him to tell me. I wanted him to open up and let me know how he felt about me. I had crushed on him for years; which girl had not? And now that him and I had become friends…or whatever it was that we were; I wanted us to clearly define for each other what we were to each other. Did he still need more time to get to know me better? Did he like me as a friend? Did he feel I was a bit low for him; since I was not from a rich family? Did he need more time to make his decision? I wanted him to make the decision; and I wanted him to do so fast. For in my heart I knew without a doubt that I was hopelessly and desperately in love with Dylan. But was he in love with me too? It was only for him to say; I did not have the guts to ever ask him….
With these thoughts in my mind, I trailed off to sleep, waking up when the sun's rays shone through the dim room. I was in bed. I looked around and picked my phone to check the time. There was a message from him. With a shaky hand I opened it;
"hey sleepy head. I'm taking you to lunch today. Prepare to leave at 2PM. I will pick you."
My face melted into a smile and I felt happiness welling up from inside of me. I jumped off the bed, threw the curtains open and smiled at the sun's rays. "hey sleepy head. I'm taking you to lunch today. Prepare to leave at 2PM. I will pick you", I read the message aloud, and my smile grew even wider. It was amazing how much joy was brought to my heart by just one simple message from him.