One Day At A Time

Chapter 47 - Tattled

Arnav had stepped into the dining room where the remains of the breakfast still lay in evidence amongst a scatter of empty juice glasses and mugs on the dining table and a few side tables. He glanced at the gang sipping on their hot beverages, watching Anjali in rapt attention as she made grand gestures narrating a major motor accident on the highway. It appeared that Kabir's friends had already left for Pune, as had been decided the night before, and the rest of them had their backpacks lined up against one of the walls of the room, ready to head out to Pune.

Anjali, who was facing the door, spotted him first and stopped speaking. Heads turned as they followed her line of vision and watched Arnav walk towards the table. His social smile still fixed firmly in place, Arnav felt every eye in the room follow him as he changed direction and turned to pick up his bike keys lying on a small corner table.

Drawing a deep breath, he smiled and braced himself for the brouhaha that would erupt any moment. "Ready to leave everyone?" He turned and addressed everyone. Everyone kept staring at him, unwilling to respond in any kind. Finally, his oldest buddy decided to let him off the hook.

"Yes. Very much." Akash stood up, stretching his arms in the air. "It's been decided that me, Payal, Anjali and Naaz will go in my car. Nikhil and Naina will drive back in theirs. And I suppose the Chauhan brothers will ride back together on their respective bikes with their respective...erm..?"

Arnav swallowed a smile. "Yes." However, the easy way in which Naaz was absorbed into the group warmed his heart. Akash and Payal had seemed a bit edgy with the news of her arrival since he had mentioned it. But now he hoped that maybe they had finally been convinced that she was nothing like the hard-crusted English floozy they had probably pegged her to be. He glanced at Naaz, who was busy checking some messages on her phone. "Naaz?"

Her head came up as she put her phone back into her handbag. "Sorry, yes. I am good. Not an issue. It's an hour's drive back anyway. Akash offered to drop me at the hotel. I'll check in and call you. Is that okay?"

Arnav nodded. "Sounds good. I will see you for dinner depending on what time we–"

"Don't trust him anymore, Naaz. He has distractions all around him. You might stay hungry all night." Anjali inserted, and everyone laughed.

"No." He smiled, a few spots of colour rising into his cheeks unexpectedly. "We should be home in an hour. I have some errands to run at home and with Akash. Besides, Khush mentioned Payal having an appointment at the salon in the evening today." He turned to watch Payal get off her chair and walk towards him. "Am I right, dulhan ji? "

"Hmm. Yes." Resting her gaze over his face, Payal's eyes crinkled. "But what is this, Arnav? What happened? It looks like a shaving cut, but —" She frowned as she studied his face. "—but you haven't shaved yet." She was still staring at the slight scrape on his cheek and then turned to look at Akash. "Akash, come and have a look."

"Looks like a scratch by a wild cat!" Anjali, who had joined Payal in solving the mystery by then, tried to help the conversation, a smile suppressed with all her might behind the impassive face. She inspected his cheek as well and cleared her throat. "I know those scary ones! I would stay miles away from them, Arnav."

"Seriously? I haven't seen a cat around, though." Akash remarked lazily after moving onto the sofa, his hands folded behind his head. "Not even a squirrel, for that matter. Not a wild thing unless I missed spotting a very obvious one!"

"Oh." It was Payal this time. "Maybe it's not a cat, then! Something on the pillow or bed, maybe? It could be a chip of wood or — but that depends on where and how you slept yesterday night. I mean, assuming you slept, that is." She pursed her lips together, her eyes twinkling at him.