Another Birthday!

The phone rang thrice before it was answered. Seher had to hold back her giggles before she spoke up.
"Happy birthday, baby girl. I love you!" Seher's excitement was evident in her voice.
"Seher, how many more times will you wish me? Come over, already!" Sia spoke, equally excited.
"Uh, Sia, about that. I'm so sorry but I won't be able to attend your birthday."
"What? You always do this to me! I don't wanna talk to you." The line went dead.
Seher snickered as she put her phone back on the table.

"She's pretty cross at me right now, so let's prepone the party by an hour."
"Your best friend, your choice." Diya stuck her tongue out at Seher.

Seher took a glance at the living room and smiled. She and her friends had planned this surprise party for far too long and finally it was being worked on. Roshni and Evelyn were sticking the balloons around and Diya was working on the ceiling decoration. Seher's work was done here, so left the three girls in the living room and went into the kitchen. She still couldn't get over the fact that she was making her sister bake the cake, once again. It was just so funny.
"Cake ready, Nish?" She asked, teasingly.
"You find this very amusing, don't you? Always making me bake the cake." Nisha looked at her sister accusatively.
"No! I just love the cakes you make." Seher planted a kiss on Nisha's cheek.
"This you're very good at." Nisha said, shaking her head.

She sighed in relief and looked at the cake on the kitchen counter. As she had planned, it was perfect. She walked out of the kitchen, to check on what the girls were doing.
"Alright, girls. Pull up your socks, we need to work quickly."
"Nish, you got flour on your face." Evelyn giggled. "Here, let me get it."
"How can anyone get flower on their face?" Roshni made a face.
"Rosh, seriously, shut up!" Everyone spoke in unison.

Once the whole decoration and cake baking were taken care of, it left them with one last task - bringing the birthday girl over. Of course Seher couldn't go, so it left the other girls in charge.
"I don't think I'm good at convincing, so not me." Roshni shrugged.
"As long as you don't want someone to bring her chained and blindfolded, count me out." Diya scratched the back of her head.
"Wow, you two. Way to go." Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Nish, maybe we both should go?"
Nisha nodded.
"Probably, yes. Nish and Evie are good at convincing." Seher smiled.

She was happy that her plan had worked out so well. Until now, at least. Once they left to bring Sia over, Seher had to get her gift ready, she remembered. It had taken her not much time to decide the gift. She had known Sia for a long time and it was easy to choose gifts for her. For all her friends, really. That was one of the reasons she loved them for, for being so easy-going.

An hour passed and Sia was there. She was looking so happy, it was like a boost for Seher's smile. She went over and hugged her best friend.

Roshni and Diya brought in a piece of the cake and smeared it all over Sia's face. Evelyn and Seher started laughing.
Girls! Don't do that! Ew! Nisha kept shouting, but she was barely heard.
More slices went on the faces. Evelyn was about to hit Roshni's face with a slice when she stopped her.
"Wait! There's cherry on that." And Roshni picked the cherry out and put it in her mouth. "Now, hit me."
Everyone started laughing so hard. Seher glanced over at Sia and smiled at her.
"I'm sorry I lied to you. And I hope you liked this." She half-shrugged.
"I love it, you idiot. You're so sweet! I love you!" Sia hugged Seher back, tight.
"Me too. We all do! Always."
"Always!" They all agreed.

A little like love.

"Hi, Dawn! Ryan here. Call me back."
Dawn played the recorded message for the millionth time since evening.
"Call him back already! I'm tired of listening to the message." Trish exhaled sharply.
"I don't want to." With that, Dawn hit the Erase button and walked back to her room.

She picked up her laptop out of the pile of clothes. As she checked her regular e-mails, she was growing more impatient.

Just a 'call me back' after all that he's done and he thinks I'll forgive him? Huh. She thought as she desperately checked for his e-mail in vain. She looked up when Trish entered the room. She had no idea how long it was since she had been at it, but now she felt embarrassed. She closed her laptop and raised an eyebrow at her sister.
"Tell me." Trish asked.
"What?"
"What's going on with you and Ryan? And for Christ's sake don't lie, I can see things aren't fine. So, shoot!"
Dawn sighed. She had kept it from Trish for way too long anyway.
"He.. He forgot Valentine's day."
"Whoa. And you're acting weird 'cuz of that?"
"Uh, yeah. He had promised to take me out on Valentine's day. And he forgot the day."
"Sis, honestly, that is why you've been avoiding his calls?"
Dawn nodded.

Trish mused on it for a while before she spoke up.
"He isn't the kind that forgets, right? You used to tell me that all the time. Why then didn't he ask you out?"
"I dunno."
"What? Didn't you even ask?"
"This is the first time he's called in a week. I left him more messages than a stalker would."
"I won't ask you how you know that. But, hey, give him a chance to explain himself."
"Stop taking his side. It's been a week! He could've left the same message a week ago." She half shouted.
"Well, yeah. You've got a point. But aren't you the one who always tells me to reason with your loved ones?"
"Not this time, Trish. This is different."
"Well, he could've said the same when you forgot his birthday. He didn't though, did he?" She pulled on one of her infamous smirks.

Dawn turned her gaze towards the framed photographs on her wall. She felt a pang of guilt as the images of his last birthday materialised before her eyes. She swallowed hard and stood up.
She went straight to her closet and looked for the photograph she had buried between a stack of clothes. It was of Ryan's and hers, when they had first met a year ago.
A handsome, young man dressed in a black tailored suit and a beautiful, young girl in a beige dress. The photograph was taken by Trish after Ryan had danced with Dawn for over an hour.

Both lovers of literature and philosophy, Ryan and Dawn had hit it off with the very first sentence. Trish would always wonder out loud how two boring people could find equally boring companions was above her.

Lately, Dawn had grown more accustomed to Ryan and his awkward timings. He'd work all day and most of the nights and she'd wait for his text before she would doze off. This new change had resulted in Trish's moving into a different room. She could barely talk to her boyfriend or sleep in there, what with all the never ending Skype calls Dawn and Ryan would have.

Everything was going smoothly until Dawn forgot Ryan's birthday. She wasn't the kind that forgot people's birthdays, she always remembered all of them. This was just a one-time thing. She had had her exams the whole week and had dozed off before she could wish him. Thankfully, he wasn't the kind that was particular about being wished for birthdays. In fact, he barely ever celebrated it. But like Trish rubbed it in all the time, it was stupid of her to have dozed off.

Maybe I should call him back, she thought and walked back to her desk. She didn't even have to tell Trish about it, she knew her sister would call him back. She gave Dawn a thumbs-up and left.
Dawn dialed his number and waited for him to answer. After five rings, she disconnected the call and typed a message.

'Hi.'

She kept her phone aside and shook her head as if to filter the thoughts. She wondered when she had become such a selfish person. Her thoughts were interrupted by an incoming message.

'Busy. Will come over in 20.'

Dawn jerked out of the chair and rushed to the mirror. She looked at herself and almost shrieked. She looked like a homeless wreck in her pajamas and uncombed hair. She knew Ryan's 20 minutes would never get over that quickly. Still, she quickly showered and changed into jeans and tee. She pulled her hair into a neat pony and put on a little make up. When she looked presentable, she braced herself for a wait of another hour or so and walked out of her room.

When the bell rang in the next few minutes, Dawn didn't even move from where she was sitting in the living room. She was sure it couldn't be Ryan. Trish opened the door, pouting.
"Oh, hey. All set to become a martyr?" Trish talked in her teasing tone.

Dawn craned her neck to see who it was at the door, but she couldn't see anything except Trish. The voice that followed made her shoot a look at the clock.
"Haha, is she ready yet?"
Ryan's voice, Dawn thought as she stood up.

Ryan was standing at the door, smiling at Trish like he was amused by her tone.
"You are.. early," Dawn muttered as she walked to the door.
"Dawn! Is that how you greet a guest?" Trish asked, clearly trying hard not to smile.
"Valentine, Trish. Her Valentine." Ryan replied.
Dawn's cheeks were flushed red. When Ryan offered his hand, she took it and smiled at him.
"I thought you never wanted to talk to him again!" Trish protested.
"Apparently, you can't resist my charm. Yes, Dawn?"
"Impossible." Dawn smiled at him.

Her.

Like the rising sun, she lights my life.
Like the falling snow, she mesmerizes me.
I was a caged bird, confined by bars,
With just a smile, she set me free.

Like the music that flows from her fingers,
When she plays the guitar for me,
Her words linger even after she leaves,
How she does that, a wonder it'll always be.

She picked me up from the deepest of hells,
And chased away the demons of my past.
Like the winter sun, she filled such warmth,
My heart blossomed with her love so vast.

~SB

First Novel Ever.

It's true that your journey as a reader depends on the first book you read. I've been a reader from a very young age and before that, my mother would read to me. I have always been a fan of comics and I had read many of them even as a kid.
But my first novel that I read myself, was probably 'Robinson Crusoe', which was a gift from a teacher in Grade Three. I read it out of curiosity and fell in love with the story. Of course I hadn't understood half of the story then (I know for sure because when I reread it as a teenager, the story was as good as new) but that did bring out the reader in me. I suddenly started looking out for books and I started reading the titles and the author's names whenever I found one. And that is how the bookaholic in me was born.

But the book (series, really) that shaped me as a reader was the Harry Potter series, by J.K.Rowling. It so happened that I was travelling on a train with my mother and was completely bored out of my wits. And I kept complaining to her about it. A co-passenger, a young guy, asked me if I'd like to read something and I jumped up in delight. I was barely nine and he knew that, so I expected him to give me a comic or, at least, a small book. But when he took out this big book, with a guy, a train and an owl on the cover I looked at him, surprised. He handed it over and asked me if I could finish the first page in five minutes. Always a lover of challenges, I took it from him and sat down to read. After what seemed relatively lesser than five minutes to me but apparently a little more than that, I looked at him and smiled. He shocked me by asking me a few easy questions about it, to which I answered quickly. I didn't expect him to be so happy about it, but apparently he was. He told me to read further and ask him if I had queries. I did as I was told and by the time I finished the fourth chapter, we had already reached our destination.
I closed the book and handed it over to him. I guess I must have looked like a lost puppy because he smiled and told me I could keep it if I promised to finish it. I said I'd and we parted ways.

It has been eleven years since that day and I still thank that guy for introducing me to Harry Potter and moreover to book series.
I went on to finish the series and then I watched the movies. I have followed and abandoned ships, I have loved and hated the characters, laughed and cried with them, and not to forget fallen in love with the Weasley twins over and again and, of course, with Sirius Black. I had my first 'I-wanna-kill-this-guy' moment when I was introduced to Voldemort. My first fangirl moment when I read about Viktor Krum. My first heart break when Cedric Diggory died. Understood what it felt like to lose a loved one when Sirius Black died. Cursed everyone I could find when Hedwig died. Cried like a kid when Dobby died and the other deaths that followed left deeper wounds. And this is just naming a few moments. I can't even get started on how the series inspired me with so many great quotes.
I still find people who ask me what is so special about the series that I just don't shut up about it. To them, I say, why not read it for yourself? And to those who still don't understand, well, I'm only human.

I might not be the same admirer of Harry Potter as I once was, but it shall always be the first loved series in my life.
For me, this series has been a life turner. It's because of these books that I fell in love with books and the literary world. So whatever I am today, in terms of literature, I owe it mostly to the guy on the train. And of course, to JKR. :)

Also, life is wonderful when you can forget the reality and dive into a book. Reading is indeed a boon and people very seldom realise it.