The UnWanted Passenger #YourStoryIndia

Male egos and competition.

It's nice to have a valid Competition. It pushes you to do better. - Gianni Versace.

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Chapter six: Male egos and competition

The time Mahaya returned home, she saw her brother's car already parked in.

She frowned at that because her brother normally stayed up until late on weekdays.

She stopped at his floor on the way.

Kartik Roy's apartment was a typical apartment that any twenty-eight old boy could own.

The only thing surprising was that it was always clean.

No thanks to him of course.

As she stepped in she heard loud noises from the living room.

As Mahaya entered, she saw her brother and Yashraj playing video game.

"I knew I shouldn't have gifted you the Call Of Duty." Mahaya shook her head as she placed her purse on the couch.

"Are you kidding?! This is the best gift i have gotten from you! And it's so much better than those stupid clothes you got me last year." He grumbled as he furiously pressed some buttons on the remote player.

Yashraj laughed loudly as Kartik cursed.

"You mean the designer ones?" She raised an eyebrow, not really caring if her brother's back was facing her

"I'm going to kick your ass, Rathore." Kartik swore as he fumbled with the remote player.

"More like kiss my ass. I haven't been defeated even once." Yashraj boasted.

Mahaya's competitive spirit fluttered.

She had to clench her fingers into a fist so that she wouldn't snatch the remote out of Kartik's hand and defeat Yashraj.

She would kick his ass.

Mahaya was sure of that.

There were only a few things she wasn't the best at.

But Call Of Duty wasn't in that list.

"Damn. I've lost my touch." Kartik cursed as he played, literally on his knees.

"You never had one." Mahaya snorted as she sat down, watching their game.

As expected, Kartik was defeated.

He wasn't a video game guy. He was the one who played football, badminton, volleyball, chess and all of them at national level.

That's the reason he never needed a gym membership.

He was always fit.

Kartik cursed again as he watched his player die.

Mahaya jumped onto her feet and stood behind Kartik.

"How could you die so easily? It's like you can't play." She teased, trying to provoke him.

It worked.

Kartik handed his remote to her as a challenge, which Mahaya gladly accepted.

Male egos are one of the most fragile things in the world.

Mahaya smirked as she settled down beside Yashraj.

"Now, the game begins." Mahaya announced as she pressed the start button.

This span of one day that Yashraj had known Mahaya, she seemed like that sophisticated, controlled lady who never seemed to let lose.

She always seemed so collected and in control of everything going around that people without any hesitation, without any questions, automatically followed her lead.

She was the alpha. She was the dominant.

And Yashraj couldn't help but be aroused by that fact.

He had grown a sudden interest in her.

And it was all because she was definitely kicking his ass at Call Of Duty, a game which he owned.

She had so gracefully killed him that Yashraj didn't mind dying.

"And that's how it's done." Mahaya concluded as she kept her remote controller on the carpet.

She stood up, rubbing her hands together as she pointed at the two guys who were looking at the screen, trying to control their sorrow.

Their pride had been wounded, deeply.

Mahaya understood that.

That's why she couldn't help but sass before leaving.

"See you girls later!" She grinned as she went for her floor.

--•--

It was later in the evening when two people entered her floor.

It had to be those two, else her buzzer would have buzzed rather loud.

Mahaya was reading the newspaper, sitting in her track pants and sweat shirt.

Her brother greeted her by opening up a can of Mountain Dew from her fridge while passing one over to Tanya.

"What are you two doing here?" Mahaya asked.

"Well, we all decided to go to a restaurant for dinner. Wanted to know if you would come along." Kartik answered.

"We all?" She raised her eyebrow in suspicion.

"Tanya, Yashraj and I." He replied.

"Yeah, who's this guy anyway?" Tanya asked as she slummed on the couch.

Mahaya glared at her.

"Just a stranger Mahaya dragged along the other night." Kartik waved it off like it was no big deal.

"He's cute." Tanya pointed out.

"You're engaged." Mahaya reminded her.

Tanya rolled her eyes.

"Right. By saying he's cute, I'm virtually licking him." She said sarcastically.

"Why is he here anyway?!" Mahaya grumbled, complaining for the first time since his arrival here.

Though Mahaya did appreciate the boost to her ego a couple hours ago, she didn't want him living with her.

"I asked him to stay." Kartik replied.

"Why?!" Mahaya asked, horrified.

"Please. A control freak like you with something you can't control? It's more fun than watching FIFA." Kartik smirked as he and Tanya high-fied.

Mahaya stood up.

"You guys get going. I won't be joining you. Dad and I are going to jogging early in the morning." Mahaya replied as she tied her hair into a messy bun.

Mahaya was daddy's little girl and any plans with her Dad were always a priority.

Kartik rolled his eyes as he gave Tanya a hundred rupee note.

"Told you she'd not come." Tanya sang as the two of them stepped into the elevator.

Mahaya resisted the urge to face-palm.

Her brother and her sister got along fine.

Mahaya would be lying if she didn't thought they would date.

Which they didn't.

Instead they turned out to be better as close friends, more like family.

With a soft smile on her face, Mahaya retreated to her room.

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