20 Unspoken wishes

Zara marvelled at Ryan's skill, at how he had managed to capture her smile, her face and her body. She could only imagine what thoughts must have been going through his head when he was painting her.

It made her feel as if he too had cared for her, that there was still hope. For a long time she sat clutching the painting close to her heart, trying to feel his presence around her. For many times in the past few months, she had thought of him with a dull ache, wondering what made her yearn for him and want him so badly. It wasn't as if they had been in a relationship, hell they even hadn't been friends.

She dialed the number, but it went to voicemail. Hi, Ray. If you are hearing this, please come back, please, and hung up. Behind one of the trees in the distance, a pair of blue eyes was looking at her, as they had watched her every single day since vanishing from her life like mist.

He had had his phone to his ear but didn't answer. He heard the voicemail over and over. His eyes were filled with yearning and longing. Zara noticed a movement outside and grabbed the torchlight. She flicked it on and checked the trees and the bushes but couldn't see anything. She stood there for a while before returning to bed and switching off the lights.

She cried herself to sleep, still hugging the note tightly. After the boy had been sure of Zara falling asleep, he scanned the perimeter, but no dark shadow was to be found. He looked at the window one last time before retreating.

As promised, Jake had taken his duty of driving Zara to school sincerely. He also never directly or indirectly hinted at their earlier conversation when they had been out for a walk. He behaved exactly the way Zara had asked him to. Zara ought to feel happy, but she didn't.

Veronica lectured her about how she was a typical girl crying her eyes out for a guy who was not returning and turning down someone who liked her. Zara kept the information about the painting and the note to herself. It was her treasure, and she didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else.

"Get yourself together, Z, enough moping. Most girls are lucky to date one guy; you have the chance to date two. So what if Ryan left? He is the son of a business tycoon; do you really think he would be interested in you forever? Besides, you spend, what, a few days with him? He did it out of courtesy; an intelligent girl like you should have figured this out by now." Veronica went on and on.

Despite Zara's earlier frustration, she could now make sense of Veronica's argument. It had been close to five months since she had met Ryan, and here she thought maybe he had wanted her, too. Yes, the painting had given her some hope, but then it had been way too earlier that he had painted her. Maybe, it was all casual flirting in his eyes.

I am stupid, thought Zara. Maybe he had now moved on in his life. She decided to try and forget Ryan, who was a mere fantasy and be more open to life. Though, she warned Veronica to not go shouting at Jake that Zara was available. Veronica smiled and punched her hand in the air to have accomplished her mission.

They both giggled and binge-watched her favorite TV show. Her mother went shopping and bought lots of veggies and meat on Sunday morning and invited Jake for dinner as well.

The girls helped her cook and were pleasantly surprised to see Jake on the doorstep. Jake announced, "It's bad manners to make beautiful ladies do all the work. I am here to help."

Over the next three hours, Jake overtook the complete responsibility of the kitchen, expertly chopping veggies, grilling meat, and baking apple pies. Zara and Veronica watched in awe as he maneuvered the kitchen, juggling knives and saucepans.

Veronica asked him curiously, "Say, Jake, did you train as a chef somewhere?"

Jake replied while beating the eggs, "No, actually, I live alone, and you can barely survive on take-out food."

"What about your parents?"

"I am an orphan. I call myself Mr. Turner's grandson, but we are not related. I was raised in an orphanage where Mr. Turner often visited. All the children called him Grandpa, and the name stuck. Besides, it feels nice to have someone to call as yours." His gaze lingered on Zara a second longer than necessary at the last line before he began stirring the saucepan.

Jake bit his tongue and scolded himself. He had been so careful over the last few months, he had gained Zara's trust, and she had begun to open up to him. He had said that he would be ready for her. This was the first time in months that he had hinted at his feelings.

Veronica looked around and went to help Zara's mother. Zara stood where she was unsure of how to react. When Jake looked up at her, he mouthed a sorry to her that broke her heart. Under the pretense of wanting to change, Zara went to her room.

She wasn't sure how had she ended up in this mess and could see no way of clearing it. Jake was a decent guy who never crossed the line, yet her heart feared he would leave her too- like her father, like Ryan. The fear of losing him kept her away from enjoying the time they had together.

Veronica came upstairs after a while to check on her. Zara hugged her friend, who comforted her.

"I'm tired, V. I don't know what's right or wrong anymore."

"Shhh…we will talk about this later. Your mother took lots of efforts for today's dinner. Let's make her happy. Come on now, go wash your face."

Zara did as directed and went downstairs with Veronica. She hadn't seen her mother so cheerful since a long time; hence she put on her best smile. Jake avoided looking in the direction she was seated or talking to Zara. He asked Rose and Veronica to pass on things and was seated the farthest from her.

After dinner, he wanted to help clean the kitchen and do the dishes, but Rose sternly asked him to have the pies and sit back. He stated he was full and bid them goodbye without even glancing at Zara.

She ran to her window and saw him jump up the wheel and angrily take a U-turn. Their eyes met for a moment, and she could see the pain in his eyes and on his face. He drove off without glancing back.