I Am Guilty

11. Friend

"Good morning, Sir. How are you now? I heard you were unwell?" Rashmi asked, approaching Arjun who had come back to work after three long days.

Arjun smiled.
"Much better. How is everything here?"

"Nothing to worry about. Just the routine work is going on." She informed, handing him the files.

"The auditors will be here by 11 a. m.  I have arranged all the documents that you wanted."

Arjun opened the file and looked at the bunch of papers.
"Good. And thanks. I will take a look at this. Just keep the last reports ready in case they need them. And yeah... Call Kunal, tell him I won't be available for lunch today."

Rashmi nodded and walked away to do her bidding.
The meeting that was scheduled to start at 11 a. m., commenced at 1 p. m.
Arjun was engrossed with a panel of auditors and provided them with all the required data.

Kunal had called Rashmi for the fourth time to know if Arjun was done with his meeting.
"No, Sir. It's the financial yearly audit. Looks like it will take longer." She replied, looking at the closed meeting room.

He hummed in response and asked her to inform Arjun that he would pick him up at the end of the day.

The owner of the hotel, Mr. Mehra had come down to pay a visit and the meeting finally concluded successfully without any NC's after six long hours.
Arjun wrapped up the documents and walked out of the meeting room when it was past 7:30 in the evening.

He found Kunal in the main lobby of the hotel, flirting with one of the receptionists. He shook his head in defeat.
Taking long strides he approached both of them and the girl straightened up and blinked at him. He handed her the documents and asked her to follow her to the locker room to secure them safely.

"What were you doing with her?" He hissed, when he and Kunal were alone in the later's car.

Kunal raised an eyebrow at him.
"What do you think?"

Arjun just closed his eyes. It was not worth responding. Kunal was a believer that every moment throws opportunity and you should learn to grab it. He was harmless but was quite notorious when it came to girls. Arjun had learned a lot in his company. He was fine with Kunal's ways since he knew he never made advances and only reciprocated.

Arjun was on the verge of a slumber when sudden commotion made him open his eyes with furrowed brows. He groaned.
"Not again, Kunal. Why?"

Kunal laughed at his misery.
"We need to celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" Arjun asked with wide eyes.

"I knew you had the clown fish memory. You got married. And we need to celebrate that."

Arjun gave him a challenging look.

"Okay, let me rephrase that. You got married and I need to celebrate that." Kunal gave in.

"And how is that concerned with you?" Arjun challenged again.

"Come on, Man. You need to unwind. You know what, you are married for just a day and you already made an achievement by upsetting your wife. I will teach you a few tricks to woo girls."

Arjun visibly gasped. He was about to retort but Kunal was in no mood to take a no. He pulled him out of the car and dragged him to the entrance of the an elite club that they had come to.
Arjun was not surprised when he found that Kunal had already made the booking for two.

They settled at a table in a corner from where the entire floor was visible.
Arjun let go of the apprehension and ordered two bottles of chilled beer and a platter of seafood.
The loud music, ambience and lip-smacking food took over senses, making Arjun and Kunal leave their table and join the crowd dancing to the beats of Bollywood dance numbers.