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The Third Wheel
#WritcoStoryPrompt77
Have you ever felt jealous of other couples? Have you ever felt like being the third wheel? If so, tell us your story.
Myra looked at the floor of the bathroom. It had been recently cleaned, but not to her standards. She was a hygiene freak and hated spending any minute more in these public toilets than was necessary. She had even enhanced her bladder capacity over the years, so she didn’t have to frequent those chambers of filth.
But Ved had sent her after Kiara, who had rushed to the restroom crying. The news of a famous politician dying of cancer had resurfaced the tragic memories of her mother.
Kiara had lost her mother to cancer just before leaving for college. Her father had pushed her to move on.
“Your mother would have wanted this,” he had said before buying her a new backpack for the journey ahead.
Kiara had met Ved and Myra on the first day of college. Ved and Myra had hit it off instantly, but Kiara took four months to open up… rather break down. Finally, she had hugged Myra and wept for two hours in the corner seat of the street cafe, finally letting go of the grief she had encountered a few months ago.
After that day, Ved had made it a personal goal to cheer her up. So, sneaking in gol gappe in the first and last classes, the trio devoured sitting on the last bench. The distance between the professor and the crunch of the savoury saved them from any punishment but brought a smile to Kiara every time.
Every Friday evening was a movie night. They took turns to buy the tickets for whatever flick seemed bearable. If no new movie were released, they would rewatch the old one but go to the theatre. The theatre manager had started even saving them seats.
Every Sunday was dumb charades and F.R.I.E.N.D.S. day. They watched the episodes for hours at a stretch and then picked up the game, taking a break only for hunger’s calls.
On one evening, for Dhoom 2, Kiara had chosen to do a terrible gesture of fireworks instead of a bike ride, and Ved had still guessed it right. The look they exchanged the moment Ved announced “Dhoom!” was filled with awe. But, it was confined to just the two of them.
Myra had instantly picked the vibes and felt a knot in her chest. It was the first time she was not part of an exchange of emotions in their group.
She had quickly recovered from the momentary ousting until she faced it again a week later. Ved had gone to buy them ice creams one night after the classes. Kiara was rambling on about their last class of Organisational behaviour, while Myra’s attention was consumed by the dirty countertop of a nearby aloo-tikki vendor. They had returned to the present moment only when Ved returned but with only two cones.
“Sorry, My, they were out of butterscotch.”
“But I also eat chocolate, Ved, you know that”, Myra was telling him while he handed over the Nutty Buddy flavour to Kiara. Their fingers touched briefly, and they gazed at each other for a moment too long.
This time, Myra had felt the same vibes somewhat stronger.
The classes had started to become rather long. Now, Myra never got a chance to sit in between them even if she wanted to. Ved always managed to scoop in between them when he couldn’t directly sit with Kiara, saying,
“Hey, I want to be the guy with two hot girls! Myra, move!”
They had gone to watch Avengers End Game, which was Myra’s pick. She loved the action and had put her foot down, ignoring the pleading glare from Kiara to change the genre to a rom-com. In the theatre, Ved had again occupied the seat between them. Only this time, he had ears only for Kiara. His head was permanently tilted to her side, eroding the flavour entirely from the buttered popcorn sitting on Myra’s lap.
It had become increasingly troublesome to ignore the feeling of being left out. The only thing keeping her sane was the few moments alone with Kiara when they discussed everything except Ved. Myra had started talking to other people in her batch but couldn’t find the same comfort level.
Myra’s birthday was approaching fast, and that had given Ved a reason to spend time alone with Kiara, officially.
“My, please go. We have something very important to discuss!”
“Why can't you do it over the phone? I am sure you guys are chatting all the time!”
Receiving a blank glare from the two of them, Myra had stepped away before either of them could spot the moistness in her eyes. She was terrible at confronting and speaking her mind.
Hoping something good would turn out of her being officially shunned out of the group, she had started spending more time in the library. There, she had met Aadhya, a simple girl who always kept to herself.
As Myra started frequenting the library more often, leaving Ved and Kiara to plan her birthday, hopefully, she began having deeper conversations with Aadhya. Slowly, they learned almost everything about each other, their families, their likes-dislikes and their innate fears.
“I fear the day I will flunk my exams!”, Aadhya had exclaimed, raising her eyebrows, “What about you?”
Myra didn’t have to think hard, “I fear being left alone.”
***
The day had approached, and gladly, Myra had received calls from Ved and Kiara sharp at 12. They had gotten on a call before calling her together. Ten seconds later, Aadhya’s number had started flashing on her screen, and Myra had, very gladly, taken their leave.
When Myra reached the college building the next day, she was dragged to the cafeteria by Ved.
“Where's Kiara?" she asked.
"Waiting for you!" Ved told her ecstatically.
The moment they reached the door, a smile had surfaced on Myra's lips.
"Surprise!"
At least twenty-five people were there in the cafeteria, which was decorated to the T. Kiara was beaming in the front in a white knee-length skater dress with long sleeves. She looked gorgeous compared to Myra, who was sporting a plain pink top with a short white skirt. Aadhya, standing in the corner of the gathering, was wearing a printed blue floral shirt dress that she looked exquisite in.
A shiny 'Happy Birthday!' sign was hanging from the middle of the ceiling. There were blue, pink, orange and white balloons on the floor and some on the walls. Myra could picture Ved rubbing the balloons on his hair to make them stick to the walls without tape.
Ved pushed her from behind towards the centre, where a cake was placed on a tabletop. Myra moved slowly towards the cake, mouthing "Thank you!" to all the "Happy Birthdays!". When she reached her spot in front of the cake, her smile faded.
It was Nutty Buddy flavour from the ice cream parlour.
Shoving the lump in her throat, Myra quickly picked up the knife to cut the cake and get it over with. Tears threatened to expose her true feelings, and she was losing the battle.
"Wait! Let me light the candles first.", Ekaansh stopped her. The moment he lit the candles, Myra blew them out.
"Well, someone is in a hurry!" Ved whispered to her amidst the growing "Happy Birthday to you.."
She forced another smile without looking at him and cut the cake. She gave a piece to Kiara and then straight headed to Aadhya, ignoring the look on Ved's face.
***
Kiara stepped out of the toilet with puffy eyes. Myra looked at her and gave a weak smile. She wasn't sure what to do. She stepped over to Kiara and placed a hand over her shoulder while Kiara washed her face.
Looking up at her in the mirror, Kiara returned her weak smile,
"Thanks, My, for being there. Sorry, I lost control of my emotions. I still haven't recovered from losing my mother."
"I will always be there whenever you need me, Kiara", Myra reassured her.
They stepped out of the restroom and headed back to the couch at the corner of the street café. Kiara resumed her seat next to Ved, who looked at her consolingly.
Myra picked up her bag, waved at them and turned. Ved called after her,
"Hey, where do you think you are going, My?"
"To meet my friends", she replied curtly without looking at him.
After a moment's pause, during which she felt his gaze upon her, he asked,
"What if Kiara runs off to cry in the bathroom again?"
"I am sure you are there for her. That’s what friends do, isn’t it?” Myra turned her heel and walked away.
***
© Ishitta Nigam
Have you ever felt jealous of other couples? Have you ever felt like being the third wheel? If so, tell us your story.
Myra looked at the floor of the bathroom. It had been recently cleaned, but not to her standards. She was a hygiene freak and hated spending any minute more in these public toilets than was necessary. She had even enhanced her bladder capacity over the years, so she didn’t have to frequent those chambers of filth.
But Ved had sent her after Kiara, who had rushed to the restroom crying. The news of a famous politician dying of cancer had resurfaced the tragic memories of her mother.
Kiara had lost her mother to cancer just before leaving for college. Her father had pushed her to move on.
“Your mother would have wanted this,” he had said before buying her a new backpack for the journey ahead.
Kiara had met Ved and Myra on the first day of college. Ved and Myra had hit it off instantly, but Kiara took four months to open up… rather break down. Finally, she had hugged Myra and wept for two hours in the corner seat of the street cafe, finally letting go of the grief she had encountered a few months ago.
After that day, Ved had made it a personal goal to cheer her up. So, sneaking in gol gappe in the first and last classes, the trio devoured sitting on the last bench. The distance between the professor and the crunch of the savoury saved them from any punishment but brought a smile to Kiara every time.
Every Friday evening was a movie night. They took turns to buy the tickets for whatever flick seemed bearable. If no new movie were released, they would rewatch the old one but go to the theatre. The theatre manager had started even saving them seats.
Every Sunday was dumb charades and F.R.I.E.N.D.S. day. They watched the episodes for hours at a stretch and then picked up the game, taking a break only for hunger’s calls.
On one evening, for Dhoom 2, Kiara had chosen to do a terrible gesture of fireworks instead of a bike ride, and Ved had still guessed it right. The look they exchanged the moment Ved announced “Dhoom!” was filled with awe. But, it was confined to just the two of them.
Myra had instantly picked the vibes and felt a knot in her chest. It was the first time she was not part of an exchange of emotions in their group.
She had quickly recovered from the momentary ousting until she faced it again a week later. Ved had gone to buy them ice creams one night after the classes. Kiara was rambling on about their last class of Organisational behaviour, while Myra’s attention was consumed by the dirty countertop of a nearby aloo-tikki vendor. They had returned to the present moment only when Ved returned but with only two cones.
“Sorry, My, they were out of butterscotch.”
“But I also eat chocolate, Ved, you know that”, Myra was telling him while he handed over the Nutty Buddy flavour to Kiara. Their fingers touched briefly, and they gazed at each other for a moment too long.
This time, Myra had felt the same vibes somewhat stronger.
The classes had started to become rather long. Now, Myra never got a chance to sit in between them even if she wanted to. Ved always managed to scoop in between them when he couldn’t directly sit with Kiara, saying,
“Hey, I want to be the guy with two hot girls! Myra, move!”
They had gone to watch Avengers End Game, which was Myra’s pick. She loved the action and had put her foot down, ignoring the pleading glare from Kiara to change the genre to a rom-com. In the theatre, Ved had again occupied the seat between them. Only this time, he had ears only for Kiara. His head was permanently tilted to her side, eroding the flavour entirely from the buttered popcorn sitting on Myra’s lap.
It had become increasingly troublesome to ignore the feeling of being left out. The only thing keeping her sane was the few moments alone with Kiara when they discussed everything except Ved. Myra had started talking to other people in her batch but couldn’t find the same comfort level.
Myra’s birthday was approaching fast, and that had given Ved a reason to spend time alone with Kiara, officially.
“My, please go. We have something very important to discuss!”
“Why can't you do it over the phone? I am sure you guys are chatting all the time!”
Receiving a blank glare from the two of them, Myra had stepped away before either of them could spot the moistness in her eyes. She was terrible at confronting and speaking her mind.
Hoping something good would turn out of her being officially shunned out of the group, she had started spending more time in the library. There, she had met Aadhya, a simple girl who always kept to herself.
As Myra started frequenting the library more often, leaving Ved and Kiara to plan her birthday, hopefully, she began having deeper conversations with Aadhya. Slowly, they learned almost everything about each other, their families, their likes-dislikes and their innate fears.
“I fear the day I will flunk my exams!”, Aadhya had exclaimed, raising her eyebrows, “What about you?”
Myra didn’t have to think hard, “I fear being left alone.”
***
The day had approached, and gladly, Myra had received calls from Ved and Kiara sharp at 12. They had gotten on a call before calling her together. Ten seconds later, Aadhya’s number had started flashing on her screen, and Myra had, very gladly, taken their leave.
When Myra reached the college building the next day, she was dragged to the cafeteria by Ved.
“Where's Kiara?" she asked.
"Waiting for you!" Ved told her ecstatically.
The moment they reached the door, a smile had surfaced on Myra's lips.
"Surprise!"
At least twenty-five people were there in the cafeteria, which was decorated to the T. Kiara was beaming in the front in a white knee-length skater dress with long sleeves. She looked gorgeous compared to Myra, who was sporting a plain pink top with a short white skirt. Aadhya, standing in the corner of the gathering, was wearing a printed blue floral shirt dress that she looked exquisite in.
A shiny 'Happy Birthday!' sign was hanging from the middle of the ceiling. There were blue, pink, orange and white balloons on the floor and some on the walls. Myra could picture Ved rubbing the balloons on his hair to make them stick to the walls without tape.
Ved pushed her from behind towards the centre, where a cake was placed on a tabletop. Myra moved slowly towards the cake, mouthing "Thank you!" to all the "Happy Birthdays!". When she reached her spot in front of the cake, her smile faded.
It was Nutty Buddy flavour from the ice cream parlour.
Shoving the lump in her throat, Myra quickly picked up the knife to cut the cake and get it over with. Tears threatened to expose her true feelings, and she was losing the battle.
"Wait! Let me light the candles first.", Ekaansh stopped her. The moment he lit the candles, Myra blew them out.
"Well, someone is in a hurry!" Ved whispered to her amidst the growing "Happy Birthday to you.."
She forced another smile without looking at him and cut the cake. She gave a piece to Kiara and then straight headed to Aadhya, ignoring the look on Ved's face.
***
Kiara stepped out of the toilet with puffy eyes. Myra looked at her and gave a weak smile. She wasn't sure what to do. She stepped over to Kiara and placed a hand over her shoulder while Kiara washed her face.
Looking up at her in the mirror, Kiara returned her weak smile,
"Thanks, My, for being there. Sorry, I lost control of my emotions. I still haven't recovered from losing my mother."
"I will always be there whenever you need me, Kiara", Myra reassured her.
They stepped out of the restroom and headed back to the couch at the corner of the street café. Kiara resumed her seat next to Ved, who looked at her consolingly.
Myra picked up her bag, waved at them and turned. Ved called after her,
"Hey, where do you think you are going, My?"
"To meet my friends", she replied curtly without looking at him.
After a moment's pause, during which she felt his gaze upon her, he asked,
"What if Kiara runs off to cry in the bathroom again?"
"I am sure you are there for her. That’s what friends do, isn’t it?” Myra turned her heel and walked away.
***
© Ishitta Nigam
