The Worst Morning Ever

*SLAPP*

"How dare you do that?!"

I screeched and smacked the man in front of me across the face, instantly making him and myself the centre of attention.

He immediately hung up his call and faced, a bit shocked at being slapped. He noticed the attention we got and asked in his low throaty voice, completely confused..

"Excuse me? "

Is he kidding?! THIS IS NOT A FREAKING JOKE! He touched my private part in public! Cut the public part, he isn't allowed to do that. And it wasn't an accident! So what, if he has a pretty face and a sexy body... So what, if I was talking to Pax and the place is really crowded? That doesn't give him the signal to harass a girl! I felt his hand on my bum, creasing it! And of course, I wasn't going to say that aloud. I still have some dignity and self-respect for God's sake. Oh boy, you have got on the wrong girl's bad side for sure.

I was furious. I splashed my iced coffee on his face and threatened him in a low voice.

" don't you ever-- and I mean EVER in your life, try to tease a girl like that again!"

I growled and stomped off with an almost empty cup of coffee and Pax on my tail with our order. That Waste-of-a-pretty-face actually dared to make a move on me?! Huh! Guts!

Watching him trying to wipe his white shirt, a feeling of satisfaction crept through me.

Hahaha! That’s a coffee stain! I hope that was his new shirt, and a branded one too!

It was already 9:20 am, and we waited in the car having our breakfast, in front of the company building. The signboard of the building read ‘Storykari’. It is a content creation company and the one I really wish to work at.

"You know what... you are an Idiot! That guy was so hot! Just like a model... Why did you splash coffee on him? What if even he has to attend the interview? hehe.. maybe I could as--"

Pax started questioning about the incident at the cafe, and then went astray, talking away in her own fantasy. His phone number, then girlfriend, then secret office romance and then started comparing him with Ahaan and whatnot! Ohh God.. from where does she get the brains to think about so much nonsense!

I started thinking how crazy this morning went

.

.

.

.

.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

With an irritated groan, I slammed my fist onto my alarm clock to shut it up.. cursing at how early the sun would wake up and kick the lazy-sleepy moon out of the horizon without any prior notice!

I was about to re-enter my sweet little dream, in that comfortable and cosy bed-- but then... I felt something cold on my face... something wet..? first it was a drop... and then---

"Ahhh Mommm!!"

I was startled, completely awake and irritated.

"Morning sweetheart..."

"why do you have to splash water on me every morning! I was having such a dreamy dream!"

I asked, rubbing the remaining sleep off my eyes, still irritated by the fact that the once cosy and comfortable bed was now a bit squashy and uncomfortable...

Mom chuckled

"What? I helped you wash your face! It's called sweeping sleep service in-bed... and it's something only your mom can give you!"

Ahh... there she goes again... Ever since I discussed shifting into a condo with Paakhi, she has been so dramatic! just wanting to make me realize that there is no place like home, near your parents.

*Facepalm*

I climb out of my bed, water dripping from my hair and soaking my t-shirt.

"Atreyiii"

my mom sang... I turned around with a scowl.

I clearly hate mornings more than anything. If someone spoke to me in the morning and survived, well, then I must really like that person.

"I made your favorite omelette roll~" she left my room with a handful of laundry...

I shuffled into my bathroom and almost had a heart attack when I saw my reflection in the mirror. My hair was knotty and half-drenched, thanks to my mom's special service. I had dark circles under my big brown eyes, and there was dry saliva on the outer corner of my mouth. I smirked at my reflection, nearly forgetting how I looked last night

"Woww! I am a natural beauty!" I mocked at the reflection.

Frantically freshening up, I bathed, dressed up and tamed my bird's nest to make myself look presentable and at least the human that I think I am supposed to be. Nearly, about half-hour later, I once again looked at my reflection for a brief moment and saw a girl with nut-brown eyes and waist-length curly dark brown hair staring back. Nothing special about her. She was a normal-looking girl with fair but sun-kissed skin. Just an average 21-year-old college student--

"humph.. morning nonsense.. There is nothing normal about you Atreyi Sahai.."

I flipped my hair, giggling at my small bitch type prep talk and fetched my bag from the side table.

I then adjusted my watch, wrote the spare hair tie on my other hand and sprinted through the kitchen. It was indeed my favourite omelette roll...

I wrapped a couple of rolls with tissue and hurried to the front porch of my house before dad caught me.

I smirked when I heard my dad shout in his hoarse voice

"Atrriiii!!!"

Oops, better luck with your credit cards next time, dad. I giggled and almost immediately shuttered when the icy cold wind of early December hit me.

Standing on the porch, I was about to take a huge bite out of my roll when an SUV roared to a halt right in front of me... Sighing, I hopped in and took the passenger beside my childhood friend, Paakhi Sood, nicknamed: Pax.

I brushed one of my hands through my thick, dark brown curls in an attempt to tame them a bit

"Good morning!"

I tried to start a conversation... Usually, Pax is a bit cranky during the mornings, so she doesn't really talk to anyone until it's really something important. But today she surprised me as she wished back in her small voice sounding a bit raspy?

I turned my heavy head from late-night sleep to her when I heard her whimpering. Well, that wasn't new except for the fact that she was WHIMPERING and not WHINING like the angry little baby she is... So it's probably not due to the evil of the sun rising early!

"What is it?!"

I asked her, not wanting to feel sorry or anything... because the rule that makes us bond stronger is: NO PITY. We hate when people feel sorry for us and comfort us out of pity. It feels so fake! So I sound angry... as if her boyfriend left her pregnant to hook up with someone else. Lol..

"I-I miss my mom..."

She barely uttered a whisper and I knew it was something related to that stepmom of hers. I stared at the exotic car freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. It had the fresh and calming fragrance of lavender with an undertone of the woody effect of Khus.

The smell of it brought back the events of the past. Pax was just a pure-minded young teen who came back from school one day to find her dad had remarried, not more than a year after her mother died. Her new mother, or stepmother, brought her daughter with her, who was a year younger than Pax. I remember how Pax ran away from her home and went missing for days when she came to know about the marriage. After searching high and low, we found her in the trunk of her mother's SUV hugging her childhood photo with her mom.

She then stayed at my place for a month till her father convinced her to go home. No, she doesn't have a Cinderella-type family background, but her family has not exactly been supportive and attentive towards her. She was ignored and sometimes mentally abused by her family.

I felt anger crawling up my nerves as I growled

"What did she do now?"

I am pretty sure I saw Pax flinch from my peripheral vision... oh, how she hates to see me like this! I turned to her and saw her staring at the road. Maybe she felt my stare because the next moment the engine of the car roared again, and we were abandoning the conversation... seriously? Oh right, just great!

I let the conversation hang in between and proceeded to take a bite of my breakfast... finally... but ohh! The roll is all crushed and mushed under my closed fist. Seems like I have to go empty stomach ~

Today we were going to attend our last interview among the companies we had applied to. It was the last month of our college, and we were quite determined to find a job at the same company.. or at least in the same area. It's already 9 in the morning and the last interview of the month starts at 9:30 am.

In our group of four people, Pax and I were the only ones who shared the same goals and interests in terms of career. However, Kaashvi and Ahaan have some other plans. So both of us decided to stick together forever! Hahaha, however childish it may sound, that's our current goal---

Pax drove us to the café nearest to the company's main building.

Gladfully, we could eat something before going for the interview, or else when they ask a question, my growling stomach would answer in its alien language.. Hahaha

A half-hour since we left the conversation forgotten and Pax was back to normal again! And let me tell you, when she is normal, she speaks a lot. And I mean a LOT, lot. Her full routine, who she found on the dating app, what were the cute outfits she saw on Instagram, what hot guys she saw, new story ideas she had to share, what she ate, what she made, everything! It is a headache, but then, it's been 11 years, and I am used to it by now.

The one thing I love about this nonsensical girl beside me is, however bad a situation might be, she can get over her sadness within 15 minutes, and be back to the chatty bubbly girl she usually is.

She was telling me about this new condo she came across, where we could live together after college so that she could escape from the so-called family and I could escape my drama company, who have already started to worry about my marriage.

But then, I felt something on my body. We were standing in a line to order, and it was pretty crowded than usual, so I thought maybe something bumped into me, but again I felt something touching my butt, or rather it felt like a palm or something. I turned around and lost control over my heels when a pair of warm hands prevented my fall.