THE EMAIL
It was a usual Tuesday morning. Myra woke up at 9 AM. Her mother screamed from the kitchen, asking if she was awake: “Myra, are you awake?”
Myra was sitting on her bed, rubbing her eyes. She answered, “Yes, Mumma, I’m awake!”
She got up and went to the bathroom. After getting ready, she checked her phone once again—no new message. She sighed and went downstairs.
Her mother spoke to her in a sweet but concerned voice: “Myra, you’re not a kid anymore. You should wake up without making me scream at you.”
After hearing her, Myra went straight to the kitchen and hugged her mother, saying, “Mumma, I’m still a kid for you, na?”
Her mother smiled and said, “Yes, of course you are. Now go eat your breakfast—you’re going to be late.”
Myra smiled back. “Okay. And I’m not going to be late today.”
She finished her breakfast, grabbed her ID, and headed outside for the metro station. She was waiting for the metro when she called her friend Kavya, asking if she was coming or not.
Kavya and Myra are good friends. They met a few months ago, and Kavya also lives near Myra’s house, so they both take the metro and go together to college. Myra takes the Pink Line, and Kavya always meets her on the Red Line.
Kavya is a good friend. She isn’t like Myra’s other friends, and Myra also loves her company. They both attend classes together and hang out after college. Kavya is very extroverted but calm; she knows how to be someone’s shoulder when they have none. And Kavya really likes Myra’s music taste—and her homemade, mom’s-hand rajma chawal.
Myra loves music, and she always listens to it while waiting for the metro, and so she did today. But today, randomly, a song started playing. She skipped it, but the metro arrived. It was Reflection by The Neighbourhood. She loves this song; it actually reminds her of someone she doesn’t want to remember.
Then Kavya’s station came, and she entered the metro.
“Hey, Kavya,” Myra called.
“Hey, hey!” Kavya hugged her, and they both sat together.
Kavya asked, “How are you?”
“I’m good. What about you?”
“Yeah, I’m good too.”
“Do you know last night Shakshi bunked college with her brand-new boyfriend?” Kavya said.
“Are you serious? She got a new boyfriend? Wasn’t she crying over her ex, Kabir, and took the whole canteen’s attention?” Myra asked, surprised.
“Exactly! I was surprised too, but I saw on her story she was out the whole night partying with him. Maybe he is in a band or something—idk. She always comes up with a new boyfriend every week,” Kavya said with a little laugh.
“Oh, yeah. She is totally spoiled. Once I heard she was flirting with one of our professors,” Myra said with a laugh.
“Yeah, it was true,” Kavya exclaimed, and both laughed together.
After a minute of silence, Kavya asked Myra, “So what happened to you last night?”
Myra’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about, Kavya?”
“Myra, don’t lie to me. I know it’s hard for you, but looking at old messages isn’t going to fix things, right?” Kavya told her.
“Kavya, I’m trying, but some things, you know, are hard to forget. Like when you listen to music and suddenly a memory flashes, and you can’t stop yourself from overthinking,” Myra told her.
“Yes, I know, but it’s not your fault. It’s totally not your fault. And you should stop staying up late—it’s only going to ruin your health. Look at your dark circles!” Kavya said.
Their college metro stop came, and they both headed to their classes. Myra didn’t answer Kavya.
It was 5 PM in the evening. Both were heading out from college. Kavya looked at Myra—she was looking a bit low—so Kavya asked, “Myra, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m good. Why? What happened?”
“Nah, nah, nothing.”
“Uhmm, okay.”
“Let’s eat something,” Kavya told her.
“Kavya, I’m not in the mood right now.”
“Please, for me,” Kavya pleaded with a puppy face.
“Okay—only for you.”
Kavya grabbed her hand, and they both went out to a restaurant to eat.
“What would you like to order, ma’am?” the waiter asked.
“I would love to have one plate of veg momos, and for her, one paneer shawarma. Right, Myra?” Kavya said.
Myra looked surprised, but she agreed.
They both ate and chit-chatted for a moment and then headed straight to the metro, where both were busy on their phones. But suddenly Kavya noticed something.
“Myra!”
No answer!
“MYRA!”
Still no answer.
Kavya snatched Myra’s phone.
People in the metro looked at them like, what’s happening between them?
“Kavya!”
“NO, MYRA!”
“Kavya, please give me my phone back. People are staring at us—please don’t make a scene.”
“First answer me: why were you looking at those pictures, and why didn’t you delete them?” Kavya asked, a bit angrily.
“I’m sorry. I was out of my mind. Now please give me my phone back. I promise I’ll delete them later,” Myra told her.
“Please, Myra. It hurts me too.”
She handed her phone back.
They both sat in silence until Kavya’s stop arrived.
Myra broke the silence by saying, “Text me when you get home.”
“Okay, I will. And take care,” Kavya told her, and she left.
Myra was, as usual, listening to music and scrolling through her emails.
Promotions.
College notices.
Spam.
Then she saw a name.
Her thumb froze above the screen.
For a second, she thought she was imagining it.
No.
The email was real.
Suddenly, the noise of the metro seemed distant. Her hands started shaking. Her chest tightened.
She had blocked his number.
Blocked his social media.
“Why is he emailing me?” she thought
(Writer’s Note ♡
Thank you for reading Chapter 1! I’d love to hear your thoughts. And tell me—what do you think is in Vivaan’s email?)
