Live your life

Ravi Thakur. 35. Single father. English Teacher.

[ravi-thakur]

Hi everyone! I’m Mac and this is my bb Ravi. He is a new muse for me so it may take me a moment to get into his head a bit more. Under the cut I will put in some details and bullet points and then a link to his bio for more information. I am so excited to be here and plot with everyone!

Ravi Thakur Born in London, England 35 years old

He moved to Somerton when he was 12 and went to high school here. 

He dated Felicity in high school and she was his first love but they broke up when they both went off to college.

He went to NYU and got a degree in English and went back for his teaching credential

He is half-way to finishing his first book in his quest to become a published author.

He is a single father to a 5 month old baby girl named Ishani, which means Close to God.

He moved back a week ago from NYC to be closer to his family to help him with his daughter.

Death tw, car accident tw: His wife died 5 months ago because of a drunk driver and Ravi is recovering from a broken leg. They had been going to the hospital to have Ishani. 

He loves books and reads a ton.

He is quiet and mostly keeps to himself.

BIO ll WANTED CONNECTIONS

[ravi-thakur]

Ravi hadn’t really had a night out since before Iris had gotten pregnant with Ishani and it was long overdue for him. He found himself sitting at On The Rocks Bar with a beer in his hands, slowly drinking it as he watched the people around him, often rolling his eyes at people making a fool of themselves after having had too much to drink. He looked at the person next to him. “Please stop me if I even get close to acting like that.” He said with a point towards people who were stumbling around on the feet.

@alittlebitalex​

[ravi-thakur]

Ravi had a bad sweet tooth ad had found himself standing in front of Sweet Surrender, trying to find the will power to not go in and buy the entire store. He decided to go in anyway and he looked around at all the goodies that were sold in the store, trying to figure out what he wanted to get. “What’s good here?” He asked someone who was standing nearby him. “I know they should all taste the same as if they were bought anywhere else but...what do you like to get?” He asked. He picked up a package of gummy bears and looked at them in his hands. 

@jamiereynolds​

[ravi-thakur]

Ravi was in desperate need of coffee which is how he found himself at Full O’ Beans with a hot cup of coffee sitting in front of him while he had a stack of papers next to him. He was supposed to be grading the papers but he had found himself dozing off, even with the coffee he had already had coursing through him. He sat back in the chair, letting out a yawn and stretching out his arms and back, trying to wake himself up enough to finish grading the papers. When he reached over to grab the papers to read the next essay, he felt himself hit the coffee cup, spilling the hot substance all over the work.

“Shit!” Ravi exclaimed and then looked around, apologizing. He grabbed as many napkins as he could find as he tried to soak up the liquid. Shaking his head as he picked up the work he had been trying to grade, he headed towards the trash can with them, deciding to just give everyone an A on the papers and call it quits for the day as far as grading papers went. “I didn’t get any on you did I?” He asked the person sitting next to him.

@jackhollxnd​

[ravi-thakur]

Grocery shopping was Ravi’s least favorite errand, mainly because he always forgot something that he needed and he usually had to make a second trip back, and that was with a list written down. He had Ishani against his chest in the baby carrier and he was pushing a half full cart of groceries, half paying attention to where he was pushing the cart and the other on the list he had made. He was pushing the cart down the aisle when he felt it crash into something hard. He looked up from the list only to find it crashed into another cart, which had knocked the other cart over. 

“I’m so sorry.” Ravi said immediately and went around his cart to help pick it up. “I wasn’t watching where I was pushing.” He said as the cart was back on it’s wheels and he kneeled down as best he could with Ish on him. He started to put the stuff back into their cart, standing once things were back in. “I really should watch where I’m going, honestly.” He said with a laugh.

@rileynsullivan​

[ravi-thakur]

Ravi had just picked Ishani up from Little Duckies Daycare and had decided to take her to the park to get some fresh air for the two of them. He had been spending so much time trying to get his classroom in order that he had just been doing the basics with Ish, making sure all her needs were met at home instead of going out places and having fun, even if she was just a baby. He had finally figured out the baby carrier, having Ish against his chest as he walked through the park, enjoying the fresh air and the slight breeze that was hitting his skin. He was about to head off to finish the last of his errands to pick up some supplies for his classroom when he saw a familiar face. 

While he had seen Wesley at the school while they were all shut in, they hadn’t had too much of a chance to catch up with each other. It wasn’t often that Ravi had seen someone he knew from back in England and he was trying to make a point to check in with his friends more often. Wesley had always been a good friend to Ravi and besides Felicity, had been one of the ones responsible for Ravi getting comfortable in a new place. He walked up to the other and gave a small wave. “Hey man! Glad to see you made it out of the high school.”

@wesleycarver​

[ravi-thakur]

Ravi had asked his parents to watch Ishani while he went out to breakfast at timothy’s with Stella from across the hall. Though he did have an assignment to propose that would involve combining their class, he also selfishly wanted to see her outside of the school. Besides the people that he had known from his youth, there wasn’t many new people he had met just yet. Plus, he had really enjoyed Stella’s company at school. He got them a table and sat down, peaking at the menu while he waited for the other to show up. 

If he was being honest, he was a little anxious though, as this was the first time he really went out besides mandatory errands since Iris. It sent a shiver of nerves down his spine. He thought he was stupid for being so anxious about a simple outing to a diner. Ravi looked up as he heard someone approaching the table, setting the menu down and standing up to greet his new friend.

@stellagarcia​

[ravi-thakur]

charlottexhendricks​

Charlotte made a desperate expression as Ravi mentioned they can’t leave. She knew that, of course, but all she wanted was to just head out of the building and go straight to bed, wrapped up in endless blankets like a burrito. “Unfortunate job, really.” She raised her eyebrow, letting out a dramatic sigh. Get yourself together, Charlotte. However, her ears perked as the man reminded her they can go and get something to eat. “I say you’re a genius.” She smiled at him, “You’re a life saver, I didn’t think we’d be here for long so I didn’t bring any.” 

Ravi nodded his head slowly. “Everyone else gets to go home but we have to stay and clean up after everyone.” He said and looked over. “well let’s get going then. I always come over prepared. You just never know. Plus my mom likes to cook and she would not let me turn down all of this.” He said as he led her into his classroom and pulled out a big container of food. “It’s chicken tikka masala, rice, and naan bread. Delicious.” He said as he grabbed some bowls for them and started to get the food dished out.

[ravi-thakur]

felicityreddy​

Felicity looked down at the small child, a smile pulling gently at her lips. “Ishani. She’s beautiful, though I’d expect nothing less.” She expressed with a small laugh, though there was a slight pang inside of her. Was it sadness? Was it jealousy? Jealous that her first love had done the thing they’d spoken of doing together all those years ago, at a time when the universe was telling her that the reality was it would be incredibly difficult for her to have her own child. Perhaps a longing even, for a life she was so desperate to live herself.

Her hand lifted to cover her mouth in shock, her eyes filling with a sadness that he was sure he saw every time someone heard the news. “Oh, Ravi - I’m so so sorry to hear that, it’s terrible.” Her voice was soft, quiet, as she processed the news that the two of them were in town alone after a tragic accident. “Well, let me offer myself up to help as well.” She said, her hand dropping to rest on her chest, her head moving in a nod as if to reassure him. “As much as I can, of course. Whatever you need.”

Ravi had never imagined he would be talking about Iris with Felicity, much less about her death and it was bringing up some weird feelings, mixed together. It was a weird mix of sadness and nostalgia. “She takes after her mother, which is probably a good thing.” He said with a small laugh as he looked down to Ishani for a moment. When he looked back up at Felicity and nodded his head slightly. “Thanks. It’s still kinda fresh and stuff.” He said with a small smile. He couldn’t shake how he felt being back in front of her, even if they were in different places in their lives, it was still good to see her again, even if it was through the circumstances it was.

“Thanks Felicity.” Ravi said as she offered up her help. “I’m just trying to get her through this. There is only so long she will sleep in her car seat without fussing too much. That and I dropped about half of her formula on the way in. I never was the most graceful of humans.” He laughed, remembering how clumsy he had been back in high school.

[ravi-thakur]

djdesigns​

Running into Ravi at the school, meeting his and Iris’s child, learning that Iris was gone, it had a been a lot to take in, and DJ hadn’t been able to offer up much more than empty apologies. But she learned about the accident, Ravi’s injuries and recovery, and knew that there was more she could do. 

So DJ channeled her mother. She always said food brought people together, that food healed, and really in her family, food was about community and love. With a recipe in mind, one that Stella had helped walk her through a few weeks ago, DJ went to the store. She was back at Maggie’s house – her temporary home for the next couple of weeks while she sorted out her living situation post-storm – and got to work. In a few hours time she had two casseroles baked and prepped for easy reheating or freezing and headed out to address Ravi had given her.

And upon knocking on the door, DJ had a tentative smile in place. She had sort of dropped communication off with her friend after leaving New York, but she could be there for her husband and child now.

Ravi had been talking about Iris more than he had in months and part of him was taken back to the day he lost her but he knew it was a good thing to talk about her and healthy. He thought it might be a good way to try and move on instead of finding himself stuck in his grief as much as Ishani would let him be stuck. The baby had forced him to continue living instead of wallowing in his self pity like he most likely would have done without Ish in his life. When he saw DJ again at the school after so long, he couldn’t help but smile. She had been such a good friend to them, but especially Iris, but he had forgotten just how much he had missed her.

Giving her his address in case she needed anything was easy for him to do. He generally didn’t just give his address out but she trusted him. When he heared the knock on the door, he pushed himself up off the couch. He had been required to help clean up the school and then Ishani was still trying to sleep through the night so Ravi was exhausted. He let out a yawn before making it to the door, pulling it open to see DJ and a whole bunch of food. “Hey!” He said, excited though still trying to not wake Ishani up. “Wow...you didn’t have to make all this. Here, let me help carry this in.” He said as he reached for a bag.

[ravi-thakur]

charlottexhendricks​

@ravi-thakur​

Though it seemed like this week would never end, eventually the storm ceased and people were able to safely return to their homes. That excluded Charlotte’s mother, as the roof of her building collapsed, and now she had to stay with her while the place is being repaired. While she didn’t mind having her mother around, she wished it was under different circumstances; sadly it wasn’t only her apartment that was damaged, but her beloved bookstore which Charlotte grew up in, and loved so much. She was already in a bad moon when it was announced that all the high school workers would have to help cleaning the place, and while she didn’t complain, she sure did preferred to go home and not be here anymore.

She and Ravi, one of her favorite coworkers, volunteered to clean the hall near their classrooms (luckily they were quite close), and even though she enjoyed Ravi’s company, she mostly wanted to get this over with. “You know, I don’t want to sound like a crybaby, but can we go home?” Charlotte joked as she swept the floor.

Ravi hated that he was required to stay to clean up the school, part of him going back to being a teenager and having the ‘it’s not fair’ argument. Lots of people came and made a mess and got to leave, but not those who worked at the school. Ravi had been forced to leave the school to drop Ishani off with his parents and come back to the school they had all just been stuck in to clean up what was left behind. He started by his classroom, spotting Charlotte and laughed. “I don’t think so, unfortunately. We got stuck with this job.” He said as he picked up the last of the trash near him. He walked over towards her and set the bag down. “What do you say we take a break and eat some food?” He asked as he pointed towards his classroom. “I have enough food for two.”

[ravi-thakur]

felicityreddy​

Considering they were in the middle of a snow storm that had evacuated the entire town, she hadn’t really been thinking about who she might bump into. She’d figured that she would take some time later into the day to check in with her family and friends to make sure that they’d got to their own evacuation points safely. What she hadn’t taken into account were faces from the past, much less ones she hadn’t seen in over a decade.

“I know, I know, I can’t believe you’re actually here.” It was almost funny, running into one another in the very place they’d spent most of their time. Her eyes followed Ishani for a moment, her eyebrows raising as she connected the dots. “Your daughter?” She asked, her smile still wide on her face. Seeing Ravi all grown up, living his life, she was happy for him of course she was, but she couldn’t help the small pang inside of her that she hadn’t managed to get the same, not quite. “Come here, the least I can give you is a hug.” She chuckled, her arms stretching towards the other to pull him in for a hug. “You need to tell me everything, what’s brought you back to town?” 

Ravi could feel his heart rate rising with Felicity standing in front of him. He looked down towards Ishani and nodded. “Yeah. Her name’s Ishani and she’s about 5 months old.” He smiled softly at the baby in the carrier. It was crazy that his first love was meeting his baby. At one point in his life, he had thought this would be something the two of them would be doing together in their future but things didn’t work out that way and he had moved on with Iris. It was hard to have her taken away from him so suddenly. Shaking his head to bring himself out of his thoughts, he turned back to Felicity. 

When she reached out for a hug, Ravi set Ish down and wrapped his arms around her to return the hug. The touch was so familiar, something he had felt before and it brought a smile to his face until she asked what brought him back to town. “Um well...” He started, trying to find a way to word it without sending himself back down a spiral. “I came back for help with Ishani here. My uh wife died the day she was born and I struggled with a broken leg to care for her in the city alone so I came home so my parents can help, though now that isn’t even happening because I can’t even get her to them.”

[ravi-thakur]

jamiereynolds​

It was a lot warmer being in the high school than being out in the snow. He hadn’t really minded it but it was definitely far cosier being in here around hundreds of people, even if he WAS wrapped up in ten layers when he had to venture outside. He was glad that he’d been positioned at the school for a few hours so that he could help with handing out supplies to people. There seemed to be a lot of stressed parents here and frankly James didn’t blame them but he didn’t mind being a friendly face to help people out. If there was one thing he was good at, it was interacting with people.

He noted Ravi as he saw him walk through the doors and he could already sense that he was probably about to drop everything that he was holding so James began to move towards him and as he predicted, his things went tumbling to the floor. James already had supplies with him so he came over with a skip in his step and pulled out a towel from his bag so he could help mop up the mess. “You know, I feel like having a kid is similar to being a waitress. You’ve gotta learn to carry a million things at the same time and try and balance it all. And it’s an impossible mission half the time.” He stood back up once he’d mopped it all up and pulled a face at the now dirty towel. “Wow, those floors are gross.”

Ravi sighed to himself, rubbing his temple slightly before he saw someone coming over to help him. He had felt bad for making a mess but grateful to the person who had come over. “Don’t I know it.” He said with a laugh. “I don’t think I have mastered the art of the carry yet, obviously. I also should have brought her stroller but I didn’t think I could push it in and I definitely couldn’t have carried it in.” He said as he got all the stuff that hadn’t gone all over the floor back into the diaper bag. “Thanks by the way. It’s been a rough morning.” 

He had hoped they could just stay in their home but Ravi knew that wasn’t smart and he had gotten as much ready for Ishani and himself as he could. ”At least there is still some formula left.” He said as he looked in the bag once more to take inventory. He looked up at the towel and made a face. “Yikes. I guess that’s what happens when you combine teenagers and a lot of the townspeople right?” He said with a slight laugh.

[ravi-thakur]

alizasimmons​

Aliza laughed easily, waving for Ravi to sit back down again - while his leg was probably mostly healed, she didn’t want to stress it out more than it needed to be. Hearing about what had happened the past few months had broken her heart for him, but she was glad he was back - she’d always been a little disappointed when he and Felicity broke up, but kept her comments ( mostly ) to herself at the time. 

“You come back and the first thing that happens is a town crisis,” she joked, settling down on the floor with him next to Ish. She was a gorgeous baby - not that there was any such thing as an ugly baby ( usually ) sleeping away in her carrier, but Aliza couldn’t help but stroke her soft skin, a gentle touch that fortunately didn’t disturb the infant. “We had one of these right after Adam was born - he was a nightmare. Spent the entire three days we were stuck here screaming his head off. They eventually sequestered us to a classroom all on our own - so if you want that, just let her scream for a few hours. Everyone hates it.” 

“How are you doing,” she asked, knocking her foot lightly against his, “really? We haven’t had a chance to like, catch up - I’ve got some time. Talk to me, how’ve you been handling the move back?”

“What? You think I just bring all the bad weather on by being here? I’m not saying it’s not true, but...it’s not true....maybe.” Ravi said with a smile as he sat back down, running his free hand over his leg to sooth a small cramp that was starting to form in the injured leg. He had just finished healing himself but he still felt some discomfort in the leg, especially if he walked a lot or when it was cold, which were both happening. He had always liked Aliza and the friendship they had and had valued her friendship over the years.

Ravi couldn’t help but smile as she interacted with Ishani. “Oh trust me, we’ve been doing that in my classroom but we needed a change of scenery and I think we were pushing our luck with the surrounding teachers.” He shrugged his shoulders as he carefully put Ishani back into her carrier and covered her up, looking over towards Aliza. “I’m good.” He said and and looked over, knowing full well that she could see right through him. “It’s been hard.” He said as he sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Honestly, I never thought I’d be back but I needed help with Ishani. Iris would have known what to do you know? But me...I have no clue how to do this...”

[ravi-thakur]

djdesigns​

who: dj + ravi @ravi-thakur

where: bursted park high

when: event 2

DJ’s been hanging out in Stella’s classroom, and as the credits rolls on the latest film that’s been screened, DJ figures a quick couple laps around the school will do her muscles (and back) some good. 

She’s only a couple classrooms down the History wing when a shushing and cooing voice from another classroom pulls her attention. It’s familiar in a way that reminds her of New York, and when DJ spins on her heel to fly by the classroom again, her steps halt when she gets to the open door. “Ravi! Oh my gosh!” 

DJ tries to remember the last time she saw Iris and Ravi together in the city. She thinks it actually might have been a chance run-in at the cinema, and then she had seen Iris a couple months later for a lunch when she had started to show and was eating for two. 

When DJ enters the classroom, her eyes fall to the squirming, unhappy bundle in Ravi’s arms, and it really hits DJ how longs she’s been away from the city, and how long (too long) it’s been since she’s reached out to friends from back home. Especially friends that have welcomed their first child. 

Keeping her voice lower to not upset the child anymore than they already are, DJ says, “I should have sent a card ages ago, but congrats. Where’s Iris? I need to give her the biggest hug.”

Ravi had Ishani in his arms, rocking her back and forth, trying his best to calm her down into sleep. The last few days had gone like this which meant that Ravi himself had not had much sleep. He bounced her softly as he thought about how how first week here had been and how much Iris would have loved it here, even though she was a fan of the city. He thought about those he had left behind, people that had at one point felt like family, that he hadn’t talked to in a long time. He had felt bad that he had gone silent on his friends and left the city without much of a word but everything that happened in New York took a toll on him and he needed to get out. 

Looking up at the open door, Ravi couldn’t help but smile as he saw DJ. “Hi! What are you doing here?” He asked as he walked over towards her with Ishani in his arms. “I can’t believe you are here! Wow, it’s been so long.” He said and adjusted Ish in his arms. “Thanks, but no card necessary.” When she mentioned Iris’ name, he realized he never really told a lot of people about what had happened with her. “I uh..She...” He started, trying to figure out the right way to tell her. “She died....” He said softly. “Drunk driver while we were on the way to the hospital.” He swallowed a sudden lump in his throat.

[ravi-thakur]

Who: @stellagarcia When: During the snowstorm Where: The high school

Things were moving quickly for Ravi now that he was setting up a classroom in a new, yet somehow familiar because he had once roamed the halls as a student himself. He had only gotten back to Somerton a week prior and he knew he was lucky to already have a job. He had spent some time in the gym before making his way back to his classroom to let Ishani sleep in peace and continue to set the room up, hoping to finish it soon. He heard music coming from across the hall and he smiled to himself, checking on Ish once more before walking to the classroom, knocking on the door. “Hey!” He said with a smile. 

In the week that he had been back, Ravi had already found a really good friend in the history teacher across the hall. They already had been planning some joint lessons for their students, something he had never done when he was teaching in New York. The two had become inseparable at work. He walked into the room over by Stella. “You wanna tell me how your room can look so cool when you teach about old dudes, and mine looks terrible and I get to teach all the cool stuff?”

[ravi-thakur]

somertonbookshop​

@ravi-thakur​

“Oh, I’m sorry I appear to have walked into the wrong department. I was looking for the History department? I’ll admit it’s been a good few years since I’ve had to make my way around the school.” Lizzie chuckled slightly awkwardly as she stopped at the doorway to a classroom.

Ravi looked up as he heard someone say something, having been lost in a book meant that he hadn’t heard anyone come inside. “Well I certainly don’t teach history. They are on the other side of the hallway over there so you were close.”