Love In Two Cities [COMPLETED]

9-May I Come In?

Two unspooled sarees lie on Pooja's bed, below a large pile of other clothes. She tugs the pallu of one saree, and it doesn't budge. She clucks her tongue and tugs harder, which sends a blood-red brasserie resting on top of the pile flying across the room, straight at Phelan's chest, who has just appeared at the door.

'Woah Woah..' he says startling her, holding it out, grinning ear to ear.

She gasps, whizzes to him, snatches it, and dumps it into the cupboard, all the while her face imitating a beetroot. She then turns to him, snarling.

'What are you doing here? Don't you have a business to run?'

Phelan leans leisurely against the door. 'It's late afternoon' he taps his wristwatch. 'Sleepy time'

'So then just go home and sleep!' she splutters.

'Had to talk, and you asked me not to call you' he throws up his hands.

'This is not a joke, Phelan' Pooja says gravely. 'My aunt is downstairs'

'Yup, she opened the door for me. And I returned that sweet box which you left at my doorstep. It tasted really good, by the way'

'You gave her the box?' Pooja widens her eyes in alarm and leans against the wall. 'That's it. I think I will get killed today. Seriously, why are you here? And remove your shoes before getting into my room! I can't believe Saru let you in like that'

So, he removes his shoes dutifully, and shuts the door behind him.

Pooja shoves him aside and reopens the door.

'Don't close the door' she says, despite her shaky voice.

'Okay, relax' Phelan walks smoothly past her and hops onto the bed. Pooja peeps outside the room. Her aunt isn't in sight. Yet. She turns towards him and is (frustratingly) at a loss for words.

Because the sight of him, on the bed, arms thrown back behind his head is so.....charming. Obviously, the 'I will hate him' mantra hasn't been working all these days. She has been having these cringe-worthy dreams about him, real-shameful stuff. Suddenly, she feels weakened. But then, she remembers.

You both should marry. You dance, he sings, and your children, you know, are gonna be one epic drama.

'See' she walks to him, hands on her waist. 'You can't just barge into my room, sprawl on my bed and laze around like this is your maavana mane'

'My what?'

'Can you please get up? You will just put me into trouble!' she snaps.

'Really?'

'Saru might come up any moment! If she sees you like this, she'll tell my mother, and I will have to face like two hundred questions from the two of them plus a complimentary closing lecture session. And for no mistake of mine!' she shakes her head, peeping anxiously outside the room again.

Phelan raises his eyebrows in amusement.

Pooja exhales. 'You will never understand' she says, picks up a saree, and starts folding it.

'You need help doing it?' He sits and picks it up another, and turns it around. 'Where does it start and where does it end?'

Pooja doesn't reply.

After a couple of tries, he puts it down. 'Can't. You seriously wear this stuff?'

'Yes. For Dhruva's graduation, day after tomorrow. And Henry's' She says, not sure why she is telling him all this in the first place. She then adds an afterthought, 'And your Bella's'