Solve

"Why are you getting all this unhealthy food?" he asked the girl who took the cup noodles with him. Derek grew concerned.

"I will be alone, I don't have food at home," she replied.

"Then get it from a hotel, why eat all the junk?"

John walked in watching the talk.

"Derek?"

"Yes pa, do you mind if I ask you a favour?" he asked his father.

"What is it?" John asked. Its then he noticed the girl. "Taaliyah, hey," he greeted her. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I came to get some food uncle," she said and smiled.

"You live nearby?"

"Yes uncle, behind this shop, I live in the colony behind this,"

"That's close by," Taaliyah smiled and nodded meanwhile Derek kept staring at her. He could not understand why and what is that she is not liking in him.

"Pa, can we get her dinner? She is going to be alone, her grandfather is sick and the whole family is in the hospital," he said to her.

"My dear, is he okay? I remember seeing him once or twice at school dropping you,"

"No, he is critical, Uppa left to hospital so," Derek was shocked to hear that. He understood how lonely she must have been and scared.

"You two wait here, I will go get some food," John said.

"No it's fine uncle, it's okay,"

"No am glad we ran into you, we would not have known or else," John said gladly. "We ran into two of your friends today then," he looked at Derek and said.

"Two friends," Taaliyah looked at Derek and back at John. He did not look happy. He pulled his father's shirt asking him to not tell her.

"What's her name? Yes Min Ah and her father, we dined together," John said. "We decided on their guitar class," John said everything. "Okay wait for me, I will be back," John said rushed out to get food from the same hotel they went to.

"Pa," Derek called. "She likes biriyani the most, get that," he whispered to his father. John smiled at his son.

Taaliyah stood there broken. 'Have they grown closer enough to have dinner with their families, but Derek never showed interest in interacting with his family when am around,' she thought inside which gave her pain that spread like wild fire, where various emotions purgated.

They sat on a table, close to the glass in the shop. It was completely silent, except for the customers who asked for things.

"Why are you not asking anything?" he asked her breaking the deafening silence between them.

"Should I ask anything?" she asked. He inhaled.

"Yes, it's awkward," he said.

"Am not responsible for that, you are,"

"What did I do for that?" he asked her raising his voice a little.

"You like ignoring me so why bother about whether I speak to you or not?"

"I was not ignoring you," he said.

"Really? I see, okay, my bad I thought you were ignoring me, sorry I did not know you were busy with her so that you forgot to reply me," she stabbed him with her words.

"Hey the dinner meeting was not planned, pa took me and I ended up there with her, so fathers sat there speaking for sometime," he explained.

"Okay," she said and turned her head.

"What okay? it's not okay, you don't look okay," he pointed out.

"Okay, fine, let me be," she said.

"So I am not supposed to be friends with Min Ah but you can walk around the campus with Danny and I have to be quiet about it right?" It's then it struck Taaliyah. She realized that he had seen her and Danny walking after school to the gate.

"I did not," she said. "I know I did nothing wrong,"

"Is it so? Walking around with a who is in love with you and you say you did nothing," Taaliyah stood up shocked. "What?"

"Were you that dense?" he asked her. But he forgot the fact that he had leaked the secret among the boys to Taaliyah. "Sitdown," he ordered. She listened to him. "It's a secret you are not supposed to know," he said. "Keep it with you,"

"Danny is the one in love with me?" she asked with disappointment.

"Yeah, why? Should others be too?"

"No," she said immediately. "Leave it," she said. "Just be careful around Min Ah," she adviced him.

"I know what am doing," he said to her and ignored her words.

"hmm," she said nothing more. She left the topic she had no interest in knowing how interested Derek is in Min Ah. Moreover she wanted him to pursue with music with all her heart and she did not wish to sadden him with her words and make him hate her.

John came with the food. He handed Taaliyah the hot biriyani. She thanked a lot. She took the bags and walked out of the shop. Derek paused and looked at her for a moment. Then he handed her a chocolate, her favourite bounty. She smiled and looked at him with teary eyes. She did not get them, her hands occupied with things. He inserted them in one of her bags and left.

Taaliyah stood there watching him leave. And she walked back home. She took out her phone and dialled Nara. She badly needed someone to keep her company to not feel scared. She had locked the doors and and even locked her bedroom door. But it was her first sleeping all alone in the house. Nara kept her company video calling and discussing about her adventurous kitchen life everyday. Suddenly Taaliyah began to share about her school life.

Nara was surprised to see how her sister is sharing her matters. Taaliyah discussed about everything. The way teachers are, students are, about Min Ah, and how she is meddling with Derek and her.

"Oh my god Taaliyah, you kids, Is she really getting between you two? And is he okay with it?

Taaliyah realized that she spilt alot than she intended to and tried to change the topic. A message appeared on the screen. It read, 'Goodnight,' and it was from Derek. Taaliyah smiled and hung up her sister's call.

She began to text Derek and she drifted off to sleep after few messages. But Derek laid awake for the whole night. He was disturbed and had to take few music classes online.