The party

The party was on at full strength. Most people had settled into smaller groups of their own, chatting, dancing, joking, exchanging gossip, or just happily getting drunk. The lights had dimmed down a little; the alcohol had intensified its effect. It was easy to get lost in the crowd.

At one dark corner was Diya, madly gyrating to the rhythm. She had never drunk so much before, but, well, tonight was something else. Every single serene, smiling soul she saw in that room enraged her. She had lost both count and control, and gave in to the pulsating music and the adrenaline inside her. A couple of guys tried to come too close for comfort, but indifferent to the world, Diya danced on in full public glare. Tonight it did not matter.

The opposite corner was equally dark, but much more silent. The music was only the throbbing beats in the air here and the noise mostly chuckles of smiling people and semi-filled glasses. Pavani moved from group to group, making small talk, laughing at a witty remark, listening to a few tales and a few whines, until she finally settled on one corner seat alone, waring half a smile. All evening she'd had this one glass of margarita in her hand, but tonight she did not want to drink. She was bored, she was lonely and she just didn't fit in among the groups of people she was surrounded by. Someone loitered over and tried to flirt with her. She politely focused his attention on something else. And the party went on.

It was a strange party in a lot of ways. It was full of adults behaving in the most juvenile of manner. Diya and Pavani weren't the only souls with their minds lost in the din; many of them had forgotten carrying their souls tonight, and were busy maneuvering the evening to fit their own stories.

From where Pavani was sitting, she could see Diya clearly several scores of feet away. She longed for the carefree expression Diya carried on her face, for the sexiness of her uninhibited moves, for her ability to enjoy those moments. A wave of emotion threatened to choke her, and she decided to slip away from the party. Once outside, she slipped a text to the only friend who might wonder where she disappeared a couple of hours later when the party would end, and decided to walk. It wasn't so late in the night, but the road was fairly empty. A couple of cabs slowed down checking with her if she wanted a ride, but she was content on walking. She kept asking herself, why she couldn't be happy and enjoy herself like Diya did. There were no easy answers, she walked a mile before settling down at a coffee place window, watching the world happen in silence.

20 minutes later, she saw a cab stop across the street and a girl in white emerged, puking. It was Diya. Immediately, Pavani walked out and helped Diya sit on the pavement. She was crying. Pavani paid off the cab, and helped Diya walk in with her to the nearest bench. Diya was crying inconsolably, and all Pavani could think on was to hold her tight.

"Diya, are you okay?"
"Yeah...thanks. I'm sorry...I.."
....

They talked for more than an hour, and both ended up crying by the end. They'd never exactly been friends at office, each a little intimidated and a lot jealous of the other, but tonight they'd found in each other just what they needed. The world had been harsh to each of them, but intertwined between their fingers as they walked that breezy night, they'd found a soft spot. Broken hearts can sometimes mend each other.