Not You

Chapter 11

"What???"

Adi tucked her legs and sat more comfortably on the sofa. Mads had cooked. As usual, it was amazing. Adi was still scraping the bottom of her bowl when Mads got irritated, pulled it out of her hand and set it aside.

"Would you stop with that already? It's just food!"

Adi widened her eyes and said, "Just food? You're kidding right? A) It's FOOD. B) It's FOOD made by YOU. C) It's FOOD made by YOU. D)...

"Shut up now. I heard you the first time. Now, did you really go on a scavenger hunt that lead to your previously aborted blind date?"

Adi relented and sighed to reply, "You make it sound a lot more exotic than it actually was."

"Are you saying it wasn't good?"

Adi shook her head and said, "No no. It was really nice. The best part is I know the guy. So do you in fact."

Mads narrowed her eyes and asked, "I do?"

Adi nodded her head and said, "Yeah, that photographer I keep telling you about. From the travel magazine Anand made me read? Remember?"

Recognition dawned on Mads' face as she said, "Piyush something?"

"Purab something. I mean Roy."

Mads nodded slowly and repeated his name in a low voice. Then she asked casually, "So...um is he cute?"

Adi recollected his face and said, "Kinda yeah. Also, gorgeous smile. It's really lights his face up."

Mads observed her friend silently. Purab. Where did this guy come from? She slowly started to say, "Adi..."

The door swung open at that precise moment as her brother walked in with a plastic bag hung over one shoulder. He waved to the two of them and went, "You called, sister?"

Before she could say anything, Aditi replied, "She meant me, name stealer."

He walked over, pulled out the box from the bag and showed it to her, "For that, you don't get the ice cream."

Aditi frowned and got up to her feet. She stopped right in front of him and looked up to say, "Adi..."

He looked at her in silence. Brown. She had never noticed his eyes before. They were dark brown contrasting with the black sweatshirt that he had again chosen to wear. Didn't he try any other colour? She tried to wonder what he would look like in something else. She shook her head slightly with a small smile on her face as she berated herself for her silly train of thought. Why was she thinking along these lines even? His eyes continued to study her as she plucked the box from his slightly slack grip and said, "Ha! Now who's the turtle?"

Mads watched from the sofa as her friend flounced back to her seat and her brother stood there like an idiot wondering what had just happened. For once, losing suited him. He shifted his gaze towards Mads and shot her a helpless grin. She grinned back and held up the bowl of curry that she had made to say, "I'm glad you both are here."

Author's Note: Adi came back after a long gap, eh? :) Hope he made you happy. Much later. - S