Chapter 4

"Loving can cost a lot but not loving always costs more, and those who fear to love often find the want of love is an emptiness that robs the joy from life." – Merle Shain

"So, you've two younger sisters?" he asked me as we walked side by side through the morning grandeur teeming jade field.

Even after I got ready and went down to eat breakfast I hadn't seen him. I'd hunted him on the way. I even suspected whether he had gone into one of my sister's rooms. But conject not; he was upended in the middle of my courtyard, admiring my mom's pretty shrubbery. He only appeared before me when I was ingesting my breakfast. He just roamed around the kitchen observing the dishes and eyeing them lusciously yet wretchedly, realizing he can't eat. I'd already figured that out. He was somewhat enthusiastic looking around. But when Liya came cat-walking, late as usual, I saw him staring at her. He even stood beside where she was eating, watching her carefully. I shot him a glare when I saw him checking her out from top to bottom. As the protective big sister I am, I won't even allow a ghost to check out my sister. He immediately stepped away and smiled guiltily at me. Hmm...why had I anticipated that already? The flirt he is!

"Yeah.." I mumbled, running my eyes through the equations on my flashcards.

"And they're beautiful" he commented, with a roguish intimation in his voice. I saw him glancing at me sideways.

"I know," I sighed, concentrating and reciting the equations again and again.

I could say he was trying to initiate a conversation but was hesitating because I was currently studying. And I appreciate his effort. It must be hard being a social butterfly entombed with the definition of an introvert, which is me!

"Oh and Jimin, don't ever eye my sister like that," I said, my strictness evident.

"Like what?"

"Seriously?" I turned to him. "You don't know?"

"I was just... admiring my fan" he vetoed my allegation.

"Fan or not she's my sister. I won't allow it" I scowled at him.

"Aren't you being a big protective sister?" he tormented with an inane smile.

"Yes, I am" I agreed. "Next time I see you doing something like that, you can find someone else who can see you, speak Korean, and abide you."

"Woah Woah I'm sorry. It's natural for people to admire beauty" he retorted.

"And it's quite natural to find people who can see ghosts" I fired back.

"Okay!" he elevated his hands in mort surrender. "I won't admire your sister's beauty".

"Not in this anyway," I gestured to his ghostly form. "If you really want to admire her beauty come to India and date her when you wake up from your coma."

"Huh? I thought you won't even allow me to set my eyes on her?" he widened his eyes.

"Nope" I popped the 'p'.

"I thought you were jealous, Mia," he said right away.

I scoffed. "Jealous of what? Your chipmunk face?"

"Yah!" he touched both of his cheeks. "I'm called 'cute, sexy, lovely' by my fans".

"They were just trying to make you not feel bad about yourself being ugly among six perfect handsome guys" I tutted, putting on a sympathetic face.

"What?!" he looked alarmed. "No!!!"

I laughed at his rejoinder. I haven't laughed in months like that. I literally had tears in the corner of my eyes. I saw him slowly smiling at my laughing bend-over form.

"Mia?" a voice called out from the front. My giggle stopped instantly as we both turned towards the owner of the voice.

"Are you alright?" asked Vishnu, who was a guy in my school. He looked flabbergasted, his jet-black hair parted sideways as he tilted his head.

"What-" I straightened myself and my expression went blank. "I'm fine" I replied flatly.

"Okay...?" he murmured, eyeing me suspiciously. "What were you laughing about anyway?"

"Oh," Jimin looked between us, obviously not understanding a word we were saying."I was just laughing thinking about my sisters. You know, they're chaotic," I rolled my eyes nauseatingly, bolstering the fib slickly.

"Aah, I know they are" he laughed.

Vishnu is in the same class as Liya, yeah, two years younger than me. He's a geek just like me. The difference is he's a prevalent social figure as he is good-looking while I'm predictably tarnished. We were science club assignment partners and developed friendship as we are also neighbors. Well, a little secret too. He likes Liya, a lot. We talk like a big sister and younger brother sometimes and he made me promise not to tell her about it. I decided not to interfere either; it's their business. Besides, I won't upsurge his optimisms though his feelings are frank because my sister is a playgirl.

"Can I accompany you, sis?" he asked, as we matched pace.

"Sure" I glanced back, where Jimin was following us like a lost puppy.

~~~

"Just teleport there, Jimin."

Both of us were standing at the bus stop and I was muttering under my breathe amid the lurid babbles of people around us.

"But I don't know how," he stood right beside me, still examining people and his surroundings with wide eyes, taking in everything starting from the enormous election posters wedged all over the brick wall before us to the two boys who were cataloging the newspapers that’s to be delivered impeccably to their endorsers.

"Then how did you teleport to my house?" I gritted my teeth and smiled back at an aunty who smiled politely at me, acknowledging my momentary presence.

"I just did. I wanted to follow you and puff! I was inside your room in a jiffy," he explicated, undulating his hands in the air. "Why can't you take me with you on the bus?" he pouted visibly. I swear, this guy is a toddler in a man’s body.

"Jimin, see these people?" I pointed towards the crowded bus stop including students, teachers, and other individuals going to their respective workplaces. "All of them are waiting for the next bus".

"All of them?!" he exclaimed, glancing at the pointed crowd.

"Yep and even if you get inside the bus passing through people, where will you stand? Unless you can sit at the roof of the bus" I enlightened the man-child.

"What about you? How will you get inside the bus?" he looked back at me with wide inquisitive eyes.

"It's called the art of mounting a bus in Kerala," I friskily said like a duke. "You'll see,” a wink followed right after.

He was still confused, staring at everything probably figuring out what I meant.

"Well, what's the name of the place?" he finally asked, after a moment of scrutiny.

"Kozhikode," I said.

"Koyi- what??!" he said, with a face of abhorrence.

"Koozheekoode. Yeah, it's a mini tongue twister for you, dude"

"What kind of name is that?" he folded his hands, shaking his head, disconsolate.

I chuckled grossing a few glances from a cluster of giggling school girls beside me. I smiled innocently at them muttering a 'good morning' to which they smiled back and gave each other weird looks. Girls! Note the cynicism.

"Here comes the bus!" exclaimed a girl beside me as she ran towards the front, rudely bumping into some of them, earning beautiful profanities and displeased faces.

"Okay, gotta go" I hurriedly turned to Jimin. "If you can't teleport make sure you don't lose your way."

With that, I rushed towards the horde to get on the bus. Ready for war!

~~~

"You look like you just returned from a war" Jimin gurgled, eyeing my messed-up form.

I was busy fixing my loose ponytail and straightening my unduly wrinkled uniform after dismounting the bus rather safe and sound, possibly tearing someone’s dupatta or breaking someone’s peg on the way. A wow task indeed. I stabilized my breath and attuned the strap of my bag, and turned to him.

"Because it kind of is" I shrugged. "I see, you made it".

When I'd stumbled out of the bus, I saw Jimin standing a few meters away from the school bus stop. From his mien then, I could say that he was kinda lost, looking all around the place. That's when I strolled to him as he exhaled contented seeing me.

"Yeah, I did" he hailed happily, clapping hands like a seal.

"Can I ask how, for future references?" I asked as he followed me to my school gate.

"Oh, I just willed myself to follow you," he smiled. That's weird. I haven't heard anything of that sort anywhere. Sure ghosts can teleport but never not knowing the environs. I should write all these down somewhere. It's not every day you get to see ghosts.

"It's pretty hot in here right?" he asked, watching the people fleeting by and at both sides of the road.

"Yeah. Can you sense heat?" I asked, still inquisitive about ghost characters.

"Nope. I just guessed by the way you're dressed." 

"Well observed," I was rapt.

We finally touched our destination; school.

"Wow~" Jimin gaped at my school with mouth wide open. "This is your school?!"

Honestly, there is absolutely nothing to gawk at in my school. Just an emblematic school in the country. But for the kpop idol Lee Jimin this might be a first-time experience of coming to India and seeing gear. Yeah yeah, Kerala is known as God's Own Country and all, with its distinguishing green crude exquisiteness and complementary blah blah blah. To me, it's just a LAND FULL OF COCONUT TREES.

I’m deliberate, Jimin is very rivetted by the florae all around the school. My school is known for its love for floras and foliage. Everywhere you look, there are lush plants and aesthetic trees. It's a pleasant troposphere for students because the salubrious air on the campus is literally a paradise.

"Your school is awesome!" he still observed everything with wonder, his eyes bursting with delight and marvel like a kid. Everything about him was juvenile.

A kitschy butterfly ascended in front of us. Jimin giggled like a schoolgirl in a high-pitch voice and competed behind it into the depth of the orchard. Trust me when I say that I've never seen a 23-year-old guy deport themselves like this. He looked so innocent and adorable, laughing around with the tiny creature. His optimistic smile causes his cute diminutive eyes to form crescents and a trifling dimple on his right cheek when he laughs widely. This sight alone is enough to make him seem a true seraph right out of heaven.

A small smile just couldn't help but form on my lips.

I wonder why he'd to be tangled in an unfortunate accident almost losing his life.

 Shaking off the daze I was in, I decided to leave him there in his world to walk into my class.

~~~

"Okay!" Shameer sir clapped his hands, finally handing all the question papers to the anxious students. "You'll have 1 hour. After that no writing is allowed, got it?" everyone nodded vaguely, attention on the distributed questions.

I was jotting down my name and details when a head popped out of the blackboard. I saw the head looking all around the classroom before his gaze adhering on me. Jimin grinned broadly and passed fully through the blackboard into the classroom. He glided towards me who by the way was sitting on the second row.

"Why did you leave me alone?" he folded his arms and pouted right in front of me. "I was frightened you know"

I unheeded him and started writing the exam. Even if I didn't disregard him, there was no way of replying to him in a class where pin drop silence was installed with a scale in its hands.

"Are you ignoring me?" he asked me with a blue face.

Still, I didn’t do anything.

"Mia~" he whined.

Now, it's annoying me.

I looked up at him a shot a glare. "Ahem, I'm writing an exam," I coughed.

"Oh, oops" he scoured his head looking at the answer sheet. "Sorry"

He then proceeded to roam around the class peaking into everyone's answer sheets and once in a while snickering. He was seriously taking my concentration away but I managed to finish the test easily as the questions were quite simple for my liking. I checked my answers again and again to rectify any blunders.

"Psst" I heard a voice. "Mia".

I silently reeled around and saw Jimin hovering at the very back of the class, behind the last bench students. He gestured towards two boys who were huddled together with heads dipped down.

"These are copying" he whispered, pointing at them.

Huh? Why the susurrant? Even if he shouts luridly, no one will hear, right? I guess he might have forgotten about that. Silly guy!

I merely stared at him. What's he implying? I can't do anything about that. If I tell the teacher, he won't believe it because how am I supposed to see them 5 benches apart unless I'm some sort of a diety.

"Oh, you can't do anything" he realized then." I guess I will. They can't just copy easily when others studied hard." he was thinking about something now.

I twisted back to my paper, keeping him out of my thoughts for now. After a couple of minutes, I heard a loud screech that caught the courtesy of everyone in the class as we all turned around in the direction of clamor’s source. There sat the same two boys completely drenched in water with a staggered plus perturbed expression. Everyone in the class burst into laughter but I stared at the ghost who was laughing piercingly, crouching on the ground.

"HAHAHA LOOK AT THEIR FACES" he laughed out loud, pointing at the muddled boys which fortunately only I heard.

"SILENCE!" Shameer sir shouted, fastening everyone's mouths successfully.

But Jimin's muffled laughter was still heard.

Everyone was eagerly waiting for what was coming next. Shameer sir is our Class teacher and he's literally a monster when he's angry. And yes I could see him enraged and shooting daggers at the two shook boys.

"Rashid and Ramu!!!" he shouted, making the boys flinch with fear. "What the hell are you doing in between the exam? Are you having a bath in the class?!!"

Everyone hooted mutely under their breath.

The boys were so shaken that they didn't answer anything, just stared at the water bottle which was lying dead on the floor beside them.

So, Jimin poured the water over their head, huh?

"S-Sir w-we d-didn't d-do anything-g" Ramu stuttered stiffly. "That water bottle just poured water on us" he pointed at the bottle on the floor, lifeless.

Everyone roared with laughter.

"I SAID SILENCE!!" Everyone went hushed again.

"So, you are saying that a ghost poured water all over your head, HUH?!" he overlapped his arms over his chest with a harsh look over his face.

Oh, little did he know that's exactly what happened. I looked over at Jimin who was watching them with amusement in his eyes though he had no idea what they were talking about.

"S-sir we don't-"

"At least, when you are lying come up with a reasonable excuse" Shamer sir rubbed the bridge of his nose with frustration. "I'm fed up with you boys. GET OUT and stay outside for the rest of the day"

"But sir-"

"GET OUT!"

The boys got up and dragged themselves out with heads draped low.

"Yay! Serves them right!" Jimin fist-bumped the air.

I should talk with him at home. Or worse things can happen. Of course, what he did was great but I can't let people face the paranormal fear you know they'll freak out if people saw a water bottle floating in the air and pouring water over their head. I can't just let the balance in nature break. There must be a reason stuff like this is hidden from people. Am I overthinking? Nah, it's for the best.

I glowered at Jimin as he walked up to me like he had won a race. His smile was immediately replaced by a frown probably seeing my dirty look.

"What? Didn't you like it?" he asked, crouching down beside me.

I continued glaring at him as I had no way to shout at his face for his deed. So I controlled my antagonism and turned away from him. 

"Hey Mia, what is it?" he kept asking, trying to catch my attention.

I ignored him and for the first time ever, willingly started a conversation with my classmate who was surprised when I talked to her. 

"Yah! You can't ignore me," he shouted to which I rolled my eyes and continued chatting to her.

~~~

For the rest of my class, he kept bugging me and talked non-stop. At one point when he stopped talking I thought he gave up and sighed internally. But when I glanced up, I saw him standing next to my Chemistry teacher and mirroring her actions making bizarre expressions on his face. She had the habit of waving her hands all around while teaching and he paralleled them perfectly. I had the impulse to burst into laughter then and there but held it in miserably, putting on my infamous blank expression. When he saw me not reacting, he started jumping up and down the classroom, dancing bizarrely. I had read that he was an amazing dancer but didn't expect what I was beholding in front of me. He dangerously started to wiggle his limps with a silent beat. He danced like a ballerina, skipping around the classroom. He really was an entertainer.

I couldn't help it anymore. I smiled gently at his actions.

I was the best person at hiding my emotions and no one could persuade me when I am angry. But for the first time in ever, this stranger whom I'd met only yesterday was able to make me smile like this. I don't know but I couldn't be angry with this fluffball ghost.

Jimin smiled extensively seeing my small smile as he stopped whatever he was doing and ran towards me with his arms wide open. He stood beside me as I stared at him and his open arms.

"Oh," he retraced his hands and rubbed the back of his head. "We can't hug".

I playfully rolled my eyes and looked forward as Jimin leaned on the wall beside me with a satisfied smile plastered over his face.

~~~~

Naively, a lenient spot was forming inside me for this ghost over here.

The taciturn ramparts I built around my heart were slowly melted by his warmness.

And this was the start of something new.

Something both of us had never experienced.

But yearned for, deep inside.