Half Girlfriend

I went back to my book.
‘What do you want to do after graduation?’ she said. Girls cannot
stand being ignored, that too for a textbook.
‘I’ve told you fifty times. Work in Delhi for a few years and then
go back to Dumraon.’
‘Hmm,’ she said, her eyes still closed. She sounded like the nosey
uncles who ask you questions only to dismiss your answers with a
‘hmm’.
‘Let me study, Riya. You also rest.’
I didn’t have a strategy, but I did have an intuition on how to
proceed. Don't act too interested at first; she will just launch into a
lecture.
My curt responses puzzled her. I shut her up whenever she tried
small talk. Finally, she grew quiet.
'I'm tired,’ I said, after half an hour of silence.
'I'm sleeping. Don’t disturb,’ she said. It was her turn to act pricey.
'I also want to sleep.’
‘Stay there. I’m a patient. The patient is resting,’ she said,
suppressing a smile.
I shut my textbook. I went to the side of the bed and sat down.
‘Riya?’ I said, my voice soft.
She didn’t respond, as if asleep. I lifted the quilt covering her. Her
tiny shorts had bunched up even further. I couldn’t help but stare at
her legs. She pulled the quilt hack over her as a reflex. A girl knows
she is being stared at, even in her sleep. I lay down next to her. I took
care to have the least amount of body contact. I shared some of the
quilt and shut my eyes.
We lay still for two minutes. She turned to her side, Her nose
poked into my right shoulder. Her hand touched my elbow. Even with
my eyes closed, I felt her warmth next to me. I turned to face her,
pretending to be asleep. Casually, I placed my left arm on her. She
didn’t protest. My left hand touched her long hair. Her nose was now
buried in my chest and I could feel her gentle breath on me. I slid my