Once Upon a Time in London

Chapter 23

It's funny how many of my days either unwillingly or willingly start and finish with thoughts of Rahul.

Be it any sudden urges to strangle him for being a pompous arse or trying to not think of how I almost humiliated myself in front of him.

Rahul's presence next to me at the moment brings the sudden annoyance that comes along with those thoughts of him back to mind.

"Yeah? Well you look...stupid in your black kurta" I hiss.

That was a lie, no man looked bad in a black kurta, especially not one that looked at you so intensely.

Rahul's lip slowly curls into a smirk.

"The truth shall remain unchanged Sharma, don't let Tina bully you into colours that don't suit your complexion" he replies back smugly, I can no longer tell if he's teasing or being serious.

"On the contrary, I think the lehenga looks good on Anjali, suits her rather well" Dev walks back, looking at Rahul blankly as he offers me the plate of pani puri.

I accept the plate from Dev quietly.

"False flattery will only get you so far" Rahul replies back instantly.

"I truly mean what I said Rahul, I would never lie to Anjali" Dev's eyebrows knit together.

"And you think I would?" Rahul mutters in annoyance, his eyes flaring at Dev.

I sigh, not wanting to be part of an unnecessary quarrel.

I eye my plate of pani puri instead, intending to eat it. However, in a rush to finish the dish and excuse myself from this awkward situation under the guise of needing a refill, I end up choking on the puri, coughing out awkwardly to prevent embarrassing myself any further.

Both Rahul and Dev, who were previously profusely whispering to each other, turn their attention to me.

"Are you alright Anjlai?" Dev asks, his voice full of concern.

Rahul simply rolls his eyes, "She's fine, let her eat."

I awkwardly place the plate down, "That's alright, I don't feel like eating anymore" I shoot them both a nervous grin.

Dev's eyebrows crease further, "I thought you were quite hungry though? Hold up, I'll be right back!"

Rahul mutters under his breath, "Ever wonder whether it was to get away from your running mouth?"

Before I can stop Dev, he dashes towards the food table.

I sigh as I stare at his receding figure.

"You keep surprising me Sharma, who knew your taste in men was so terrible?" Rahul's face is contorted into disgust.

"Hey" I whack his arm, "You know it's not like that, he just...expresses his interest slightly differently. And besides, isn't he your friend, you should know him better than me" I cast him a sideway glance.

"Ha, he has never been this awkwardly condescending around a woman before" Rahul mutters, shooting me a look.

"Well then, maybe he's only like that around women he actually likes" I emphasise the last word.

Rahul glares at me, a vein twitching in his jaw.

I smile back at him, satisfied at getting such a reaction out of him.

Dev walks back over to us, a plate of vegetarian pizza in his hand.

He smiles as he offers it to me, "Everyone likes pizza."

I barely get a word out before Rahul cuts me off, "She doesn't like olives."

Dev looks down at the pizza and I follow his line of sight, and sure enough halved olives are one of the toppings.