Flaw

The soft crease on an ironed shirt

The gentle sputter when a motor starts

The fog cutting through spring mornings

The guilt hidden in the noblest of heart

12:20 AM; Sreya’s room

“How cheap of him to ask me out on the very first day!!” Sreya was furious. She was literally shaking with anger when that boy – “what was his name? Yes, Akash” – casually came and offered a date. “How could he?”

“He was constantly checking me out.” Sreya tried to ignore him the entire evening, but his eyes were following her wherever she was going. “Even he deliberately asked for mint flavored blue lagoon when I ordered one at the mock tail counter. He was stalking me!!”

Angry and exhausted, Sreya took the phone from her bedside table & opened Facebook. “What the bloody hell! He has dared to send me friend request on Facebook so soon!” She saw a notification in her messenger, she could not believe her eyes! There is even a message from Akash.

Sreya has had enough. She is not going to tolerate this. She has already decided to find out who he is from her family and going to let this incident known to all. She will embarrass him in front of everyone.

This guy, with his somewhat long messy hair and rimless spects, was following her. He was wearing moccasin, sign of a lazy person. He cherry red color shirt’s sleeves were folded absent-mindedly; who folds sleeves on a formal occasion?! “No dressing sense”. He kept biting his nails, “so unhygienic! How could he think that he could speak to me? That also ask me out on the very first day? Send me friend request and message me on messenger?”

Sreya was furious. She kept aside her phone and closed her eyes to compose herself. “messy hair, rimless spects, moccasin, cherry red shirt, absent mindedly folded sleeves – WHAT THE HELL!” How did she notice so much? “When did I notice so much?”

“This guy don’t even know how to speak to a lady”. Aakash was direct in his approach. He came to Sreya and said, “I have been seeing you the entire evening; how “unreal” you look in that pinkish saree of yours’. I would like to have a chance of seeing you “real”, maybe in a salwar suit or jeans.” This was the pickup line. Sreya, being a near perfect idealistic girl, beautiful & descent, was furious in no time. He straightaway told Aakash to get lost. To this Aakash responded, “I have already lost myself”, turned towards his old, undusted car and drove off.

Sreya reran the entire evening in her mind. She suddenly jolted back to her senses. “Was I noticing him as well? How could I know what type of shoes he was wearing?”  There is not a single quality of Aakash that Sreya liked. But she did notice him. Her subconscious was playing with her. Her mind has stopped working, she doesn’t want to think any further. “He sent me a message. Let me see.”

She opened the message, it read “Sorry, I think I was being casual. I should have been more respectful while talking to you”.

Not everything with Aaksh is a FLAW.