Two Days Pass By.
Pallavi still hasn't spoken to Raghav about the night she fainted, or much of anything else. Raghav and Farhad are still trying to figure out where Anjali is now, or even get her phone number. The day that Amma was to be discharged from the hospital, Raghav found Pallavi decorating the guest room, and then saw another guest room completely changed, with new bookshelves and posters of Keerthi's favorite movies, painted blue, her favorite color. The room Pallavi was in was even sweeter, in the corner was a small Nataraja statue (the god of dance), and the bed had been lowered, probably to make it easier for Amma to get on it and sleep. Raqhav walked in and said, "this is nice, thank you, but what if Amma and Keerthi don't come?"
"Did anyone ask your opinion? I asked them to live here, they're living here. Baat katam."
"But I just meant— "
Pallavi walked out of the room without letting Raghav finish his thought. His anger bubbled up...but then looking again around at the guest room...it simmered again.
Downstairs, Pallavi had finished her breakfast, and she had just given whatever was left over in the pots to Reddy and the others on their plates, and she started to make her way out.
"Farhad," she said, deliberately avoiding Raghav's eye, "Amma is leaving the hospital at 4 today, Keerthi is bringing her straight here, and you told the movers to pack up their stuff and send it here by noon right?"
"Yes Akka, Raghav called—"
"Good." And then she was gone.
Raghav...standing speechless for one of the first times in his life at the bottom of the stairs. Amma and Keerthi were really coming home...really.
Raghav pored over his social media, and then he found it, Anjali's last comment on his instagram from two months ago. He called Farhad and had him find a tech guy to trace her number through her accounts, and in a couple of hours he had the number.
He dialed. No answer. He dialed again. A third time.
Finally a woman answered, "Hello?," It was Anjali. That same arrogance, disloyalty, was present in just one word from her.
"Anjali, I have to meet you, today, now."
"Raghav, oh baby, I don't know, I thought you hated girls like me...what changed?"
Raghav thought quick on his feet. He couldn't tell her the truth, she'd never tell him why or how she got Pallavi to do what they did together, so he lied...
"I have had a change of heart, you know, I was just looking through your pictures and I thought, how could I have rejected such a...beautiful lady," he gritted through his teeth.
"Oh really...well if I come over, we better be having a drink, because I start drinking early on Wednesdays."
"Of course, I'll put out my best whiskey," Raghav said, and hung up, disgusted with himself. Not for lying to Anjali...but maybe for inviting her over. But he needed the truth, Pallavi would understand. Wait, why did he give a damn what Pallavi thought?
Anjali knocked on Raghav's door at three, she was two hours late. Amma and Keerthi would be here soon, Raghav thought. He needed to get Anjali's story and get her out quick.
