My Dearest Reader

Stories are pieces of treasures. Millions of worlds filled with magic and excitement, drama and chaos. Sometimes stories help you find treasure. Other times, they help you value your treasure. It really depends on you more than the story. But there is one story for every soul.

They help you find meaning in yourself. In the world.

Sometimes they help you find love.

Love that threads through time and connects itself to the thin pages of a story no one reads. They say the line between love and hate is a thin one. Thinner is the line separating our main characters for this chapter.

Born in the same year, same month, same day and same moment. 

The same country, same little town, same hospital.

Heck, even their families were friends. Best of friends.

Everything was the same. Even their temperament. Hot, furious and angry. The difference being that one was quiet and the other loud. 

So to the readers who fell in love. To the two who lived the same yet different lives.

It was a simple love really. But simple did not mean common.

Nothing about Ananika and Kleuren was simple. 

Both considered prodigies in what they did.

 But when you break your little world. Stepping into the already broken one. That is when you realize how small you are. And how terrifying the rest of the whole world is.

Pampered and sheltered, covered in hatred sent to the same university in the grand jungle of New York.

Their parents booked the same room. 

Now while they were not lesbians, they were still roommates.

And in these stories, roommates end up together. 

Carrying the luggage and heavily cursing each other out, both walked into the shabby room their parents had booked for them. They finally had escaped from their parents' shrewd eyes. Just to fall into each other's arms.

Ananika kicked the door open. Carrying two bags. Heavy and filled with Kleuren and her things. Why was she carrying? Because in the most romantic game of chance, Kleuren had won. 

Kleuren snickered. He always won at rock-paper-scissors. How would he not, when the only sign Ananika did was the paper one. He always won. 

She threw the bags on the respective beds and sat at the edge of the bed. She sighed. The travel had been awful. Having to stay with her sworn enemy.

She looked at the guy. He was looking inside his bag. 

"Kleuren, you bastard!" She yelled at him.

He turned around with a raised eyebrow. She stuck her tongue out. He rolled his eyes so hard it felt like it would fall out of his eyes. He then flipped her off and started working with his bags. 

She looked at the rest of the room. Her parents told her that it had a kitchen and bathroom and a shared bedroom. 

They needed to clean the room a bit.

But otherwise the room was fine. 

She removed the bags from the bed and laid it to rest on the ground. She looked at the cream coloured ceiling. It sounded like a dream. The small town was left behind. It was a new city.

And maybe she finally would be able to put make up and turn a face into the prettiest it ever could be. It was her dream. She believed it was a dream of every makeup artist.

It probably was not. 

But she liked to believe it was. That made the whole world a bit bearable.

She took her phone. Reading a story was the most important to her. The struggle for freedom always felt relatable. But her life was very good. 

Still. 

Humans liked to fight.

"Kleuren, what if I suck at this?" Ananika turned towards Kleuren's bed. Facing his back.

"Then, you suck." He turned towards her. His green eyes glowed as he switched off the lights.

"You suck." She threw a pillow at him. She could hear him giggling.

He hummed.

"You don't need to worry. If you fail, you can make my face your canvas." His voice was soft. A delicate tone that he only showed Ananika.

"Yeah. I would take you up on that." Ananika's black eyes glowed.

"Hope you won't." Kleuren smiled. Ananika did too. And they both knew.

"Heh."

And she slept well. Very well.

And the next day.

And the next week.

It was a disaster.

She was a nervous wreck. She broke expensive things and got scolded.

It was Sunday now.

She sighed. She opened the door and walked towards the bed and fell down. She slumped down on the bedside. Opening her phone. She saw a notification. She quickly opened it. 

Feeling giddy and happy. The whole moody feeling vanished. She read the chapter. Each line, each word. Quietly and slowly. 

The door opened.

Kleuren entered while on his phone. Sitting down on his bed. Him holding his breath. 

He shifted in her bed.

Ananika spared a glance at him.

"Why isn't there more?" They both said at the same time.

Suddenly looking at each other.

"Reading too?" At the same time again. Kleuren scoffed and Ananika rolled her eyes again.

"What do you even read?" Kleuren asked quietly.

"Record of Arrogance." Ananika looked down at her phone. Typing a comment.

"Oh." He was silent.

"Oh my god." He walked towards her. Quick and rapid steps.

"What?" Ananika raised her eyebrows at the excitement on Kleuren's face.

"The one by pinky?" Kleuren spoke so suddenly that it did not register with her at first.

Then she screamed an array of 'Oh my Gods.'

Both of them screamed.

And they screamed for a good while. Before falling onto the ground. Kleuren's dyed purple hair ended up a mess. Ananika's brown skin was beetroot-ish.

Both of them had found a reader they could share their story with. Normally people would not be as ecstatic. But it was a secret story.

It was a story to only those who read.

To the only readers.

All night. Talking and talking. About some characters. Some plot. They even got some beer.

They never talked for this long without fighting like dogs. Even when they were young. You could always see Kleuren sitting far away, annoyed if someone talked to him. And ananika talking to everyone.

"You know this university sucks." Kleuren started, she nodded at this. The topic had long strayed. The beer numbed their brains.

"But more than that, I think I suck." He hiccuped. She muttered something similar.

"I always thought I was meant to be this grand artist." Tears formed in his eyes. Ananika reached out to him and he placed his head on her shoulder.

"But I am lower than trash." His voice a whisper. He did not want to hear his own words either.

"I know right." At this, Kleuren was about to raise his head. Ananika softly stopped him from leaving.

"I meant I got you." She kept her head on top of his.

They settled down for a second.

"Can I do your makeup?" She asked, rising from her position.

"No."

"Please."

"Why?"

"Because you are the prettiest person I know. Plus you promised." Ananika pleaded, her voice the softest it ever had been.

"Flattery will get you nowhere." She could feel Kleuren's warmth.

"But." He rose from her shoulder. He looked away. His ears red.

"You can do it." He turned, his eyes bright.

She suddenly got up and rushed to their bags and took the makeup out. A bit groggy from the alcohol in her system. The foundation, lipstick, mascara. The everything. She took it all. And ran. Ran like her life depended on it. She knew this opportunity may never present itself again.

Kleuren looked at her. 

He smiled. 

"You are the prettiest person I know too." He muttered. A secret between himself and himself.

"Did you say something?" Ananika's words were frantic. In hurry to find the perfect foundation.

"No." He shook his head.

Then it was silent. 

Ananika put on makeup on him. Her concentration did not fade. He looked at her. He just looked at her.

Until she said it was fine.

"The lipstick is too much." She mumbled.

"Why don't you kiss it away, then?" Kleuren knew he was going to kill himself later.

Ananika froze. Then something snapped. She held his shoulder. Softly kissing his lips.

"Now it looks better." She licked her lips, smirking.

"Fuck you." His voice was soft. 

"I won't mind that." She laughed.

"We have uni in two hours." As the alarm clock rang, he said.

She hummed, standing up. Then holding a hand for him.

"So?"

"Yes."

Ananika smiled.

It was over. Their grade school fighting was finally over.

She was going to miss that.

And wow they were roommates. They can fuck whenever. Were her thoughts.

"Stop thinking what you are thinking." Kleuren groaned.

"I will. Shut up." She walked to the bathroom to freshen up.

They both got ready in a few minutes. The train was not far from there. Ananika had to remove all of his makeup. Mumbling about how pretty he looked.

They both walked out.

"Wait." Ananika held Kleuren's hands.

"What." Annoyance laced his voice.

"I want a kiss." She placed a finger on her lips.

Now fully sober. He felt more drunk.

"Fine."

He stood there, preparing himself.

Gently holding her face, he placed a quiet peck on her cheeks.

She smiled and he looked away. Opening the door as quickly as he could.

When she walked out, he had held out a hand for her to hold on to. And so for the first time. These two walked quietly.

They got into the train.

Sitting silently.

"How long have you loved me?" She asked.

"I don't know." He shrugged, thinking about it.

"Same." She looked at him and grinned.

She then looked at her phone.

"A new chapter." her voice laced in excitement.

"Wait really?" His eyes widened. Suddenly worried. 

"Yes. yes." she opened it.

Reading it. Her eyes widened. She seemed to read it again and again. 

He took the phone from her hands.

"Oh."

"Man, this place sucks ass." She sighed.

"I know right." He wanted to cry.

The message was a simple goodbye.

With four readers. It was a wonder it stood this long. But they were surprised. Really really surprised. Nothing they could do. They loved that story.

They both sighed. 

The train slowed down. But it was too soon for a stop. 

The lights flickered. Voices of murmurs and mumbles filled the air. 

Suddenly, there was shaking. The whole train started to shake. People started to stand up looking around, out of the window. Some were trying to break the window. There was screaming and shouting. Ananika and Kleuren held onto each other. Scared. They stood up too. Looking around at the chaos. 

"If I die, don't ever fall in love again." Her grin was rocky. A collage of emotions.

He laughed shakily. His face mirrored hers.

Then the train crashed. They could feel it. The end of everything. Something hit Ananika in the back of her head. Hard. And she fell down. She saw Kleuren stuck, his eyes scared. As though he was about to lose everything.

But the last thing her eyes saw was a message.

My Dear Reader,

I won't be continuing this story.