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Since Sweety was a child, it had always been the four of them. Daddy, Babloo Virji, Beeji and herself. Her dad being a designer meant that they were always invited to weddings all over the state and it was their tradition to go together as a family. Their room assignments too, were always the same. She and Beeji bunked together, while Daddy and Virji shared a room. At first she used to be annoyed at this because she wanted to be with her brother who was infinitely more fun than Beeji. But as she got older, this arrangement worked out fine for her as Beeji usually kept to herself and gave the young girl her privacy to write in her diary or sketch in her book. Tonight though, was different. It was their last night there and Kuhu had asked her to meet on the rooftop at midnight. Sweety was nervous; not about meeting Kuhu, but about sneaking out of the room. She had waited for the telltale signs of Beeji sinking into a deep sleep. The light snore, the even breathing, and the stillness. Now it was time for her to cross the short distance to the door and make her stealthy exit. She picked up the letter she had written for Kuhu that evening and slowly tiptoed across the floor, praying to every God out there that none of those floorboards would decide to develop a sudden creak. She had left the door slightly ajar earlier on so that she wouldn’t have to unlatch the noisy lock now. Leaning on the wall next to the door, she nudged it open slowly with her foot until there was just enough space for her to squeeze through. Once out, she pulled it back to an almost shut position and hurried down the hallway as quietly as possible. She was bursting with excitement. Here she was, going to meet her....lover? Girlfriend? She didn’t know what they were yet but that didn’t stop her heart from racing at the thought of Kuhu.
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“Burberry Weekend......for....men!” Sweety remarked suddenly, jerking upright.
It was a few hours shy of dawn now and they were lounging comfortably on the same cot Kuhu had taken her to yesterday. Sweety had wiggled her way into Kuhu’s embrace and was now resting her head on the girl’s shoulder. “What?” Kuhu asked, confused.
“Your perfume! It’s been driving me insane these past couple of days!” Sweety responded, proud of herself for finally figuring it out.
“Oh. Do you not like it? I can stop using it if it bothers you,” Kuhu offered, a bit embarrassed that the girl went this long before expressing her distaste.
Sweety snuggled impossibly closer, brushing her nose against Kuhu’s neck and inhaling deeply. “I love it. I think it might just be my new favourite scent.” Sweety smiled against her neck, causing Kuhu’s breath to hitch a little.
"Why men's perfume though?" Sweety asked innocently, lifting her head to look at Kuhu.
"Why not?" Kuhu challenged. "Why should a label dictate who wears something? It smells good. I like it. You clearly like it. So why shouldn’t I wear it?”
“Huh. I guess I never thought about it that way. But it makes sense. Plus I do love the way it smells on you.” Sweety responded, snuggling into Kuhu’s neck once more and inhaling the clean scent. They sat like this in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Sweety shot upright again.
“Oh God I almost forgot!” She exclaimed. “I....I have something for you, nothing fancy or anything. Just a little something I wrote...for you,” she added shyly, pulling the envelope out of her pocket and passing it over. Kuhu looked at her curiously as she pulled the letter out. She carefully opened it before redirecting her attention from Sweety’s nervous expression to the elegantly written script on the page.
Time felt like it was stretching out to Sweety as she watched Kuhu read her letter. A series of emotions seemed to pass through the girl’s face as her eyes travelled over the page. At the end, she looked up at Sweety with watery eyes and a soft smile on her face. Sweety’s face broke into a huge grin and Kuhu pulled her into a tight hug. When they parted Kuhu reached out to caress Sweety’s cheek but before she could reach, the girl held her hand and kissed it ever so gently. They both blushed.
“Would it be ok if I kissed you?.... On the cheek?” Kuhu asked timidly; Sweety nodded. They shifted closer and Kuhu reached out again to caress her cheek, before leaning forward slowly. She checked in with Sweety one last time and then pressed a light but lingering kiss on the girl’s cheek; just barely on the edge of her lips. They both sucked in a deep breath at the contact and Kuhu moved her hand to the back of Sweety’s neck to pull her in for another embrace. Sweety closed her eyes and reveled in the moment. Years of torment and suffering, of believing that she would never find love, that she didn’t deserve it, all of that was being uprooted by this amazing woman holding her safely in her arms. They remained like that until the sound of something clattering downstairs pulled them apart. They smiled shyly at each other before deciding to call it a night. Sweety stood up and extended her hand to Kuhu. They both promised to meet again in the morning and shared one last embrace before going their separate ways.
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Sweety couldn’t help the bounce in her step as she skipped down the corridor towards her room. So wrapped up in her good fortune she was that she didn’t notice the dark shadow lurking around the corner. As she approached it, a strong arm reached out and grabbed her, dragging her into an empty room. She was thrown roughly onto the bed and before she could even sit up properly, Babloo had already started slinging vile insults and accusations at her. Her ears were ringing at the sound of his curses and her eyes filled with tears. She sat quietly and blanked him out, choosing to ignore his insults in favour of dwelling on the girl who made her happy beyond her wildest dreams.
“Pack your things. We’re leaving now,” was the last thing she registered him saying before he pulled her out of the room and towards the one she shared with Beeji. A single tear rolled down her cheek; for her short-lived happiness, the girl that would be waiting for her on the rooftop at sunrise, and for the contact information they had yet to exchange.