The Wrong Number

25

       

Ruhan walked into the bus the next day wearing a red flannel shirt. The red flannel shirt. He strutted down the aisle with an unmistakable look of satisfaction on his face when he saw Alankrita glaring at him and promptly sat down in the empty seat next to her.

"I might want that back, you know," she muttered, not taking her eyes off the page of the book in her hands, "Don't soak it with your odour."

Ruhan grinned and much to her annoyance put his arm around her shoulder. He said, "Well then maybe I should take it off. I know how much you like me when haven't got a shirt on."

He laughed at the look of pure hatred Alankrita shot him and said innocently, "Hey, I'm just being a good friend. I mean," he shrugged, "all you gotta do is ask."

She pressed her lips together so hard that they became no more than a thin line. "I have scissors in my bag," she growled, "I will cut you, okay?"

Ruhan grinned and said, "Sure you will."

He didn't talk for a while, and not-so-indiscreetly read over Alankrita's shoulder, stopping her from turning the page, pointing to certain dialogues and asking, "What does this guy do?" Or, "Is this her enemy?" Or "How does it end? Skip to the last page, I want to see how it ends," to which Alankrita, having had enough, snapped the book shut and handed it to him. "Here, just take and give it back to me when you're done."

Ruhan's eyebrows shot up his forehead and he took the book, reading the title out aloud, "'The girl who saved all the King's horses and all the King's men'. Is it any good?"

"You tell me, you read half of it over my shoulder already," Alankrita said, sounding only slightly irritated. Ruhan examined the book, nodded and slipped it into his backpack. He looked around, noticing that people were staring at the two of them. As soon as his eyes met some of theirs, they broke eye contact and looked elsewhere.

Alankrita must've noticed too, because she asked, "Uh, why are people staring?"

Ruhan looked at her with a raised eyebrow and said, "Everyone always stares at me. I mean, babe c'mon, have you seen this bod?" he gestured to himself.

"Okay, first of all, knock the ego down a couple notches. Second, don't ever call me 'babe'- it's demeaning. And third, yes, I have and it's not much to comment on."

Ruhan feigned shock and gasped dramatically. She rolled her eyes, at which he commented, "Roll your eyes all you want-these people like what they see and you know it."
"How do you fit all that ego in one human being."
"I don't. I'm a god."

Alankrita squinted at him with her mouth open, trying to come up with a reply. Finally she scoffed, "That doesn't even make sense!"

Ruhan scowled back at her and said, "Yeah, well you don't even make sense."
"That was so intellectual, gee, how do you even think of these comebacks," Alankrita deadpanned, looking at him through slit eyes. Ruhan laughed. "I was just kidding. Anyway, they're probably staring because I have my arm around you."

"Wha-" she began confusedly, and looked over her shoulder to see him sling his arm over at that moment. She turned to look at him and he grinned. "Sweet move, huh?"

Alankrita pushed his arm off her and rolled her eyes. "Oh please, quit the sweet talk. Why are you even sitting here anyway? Shouldn't you be in the back with Girish and the rest of the 'popular crew'?" She said, gesturing to the group of teenagers occupying the last few seats, and eyeing Ruhan and her with curiosity. Ruhan turned around, winked at them and brought his gaze back to Alankrita. "Popular crew?" he asked, the corner of his mouth lifted into a smile. Alankrita nodded sheepishly and said, "I just call you guys that for lack of better term."

"I feel up to more engaging conversation. You can only talk about basketball and Bollywood gossip for so long."

Alankrita giggled, which Ruhan found unnervingly attractive, and Ruhan continued, "Plus, after yesterday, I realized you are not as boring a person as I thought you were. You, AlankritaSundar, are like a very interesting fungus growing on a slice of the world's most uninteresting slice of bread."

"And you, Ruhan Das, are as conceited and incapable at coming up with similes as I'd estimated," Alankrita said, laughing, with no meanness in her tone.

"Tell you what," he said, as the bus pulled up near the large drab grey building that was their school, "How about you hand me your number and we continue this conversation over the phone?"

Alankrita's grin disappeared, her happy face replaced by one that looked like that of a deer caught in headlights. "You can't have my number!" She squeaked, which would have been comical if Ruhan wasn't so disappointed, "I, uh...Idon'thaveaphone, " she said, exhaling loudly.

"Then what's that thing in your pocket?" Ruhan asked, pointing to the unmistakable bulge of an iPhone in her coat pocket. Alankrita looked at it, apparently noticing it for the first time and stammered, "Oh, I meant I'm not allowed to use my phone. When I'm not at school, I mean. Yeah, my mum's watching like a hawk." She said, shaking her head, "She said the distraction is too much."

"Hmph," muttered Ruhan, who ran his hand through his hair, his fingers weaving seamlessly through the thick black strands. Alankrita caught herself wondering why she was being so descriptive about hair.

People were getting out of the bus now, and Ruhan saw his friends leave. He stood up and held his hand out to Alankrita, who promptly ignored it and got up herself. She walked past Ruhan, who followed closely behind, and they got out too. As Alankrita turned to walk to the group of people waving to her, Ruhan grabbed her hand.

"Ow! What are you doing?" she said, tugging her arm. He said, "Look, I'm sorry for being a jerk for the last few days. I was intimidated by you, I guess."

Confused, she said, "Intimidated by me? Ruhan, you're at least four inches taller and a hell lot buffer."

Ruhan shook his head and said, "Not that kind of intimidated. You're smarter than most people I know. It's like you're..."  He squinted and stared intently at Alankrita's face.

Behind Alankrita's pokerface, it was like a bomb had exploded.

'Please don't say it, please don't say it, please do not say I'm the one you've been texting.'

Luckily, Ruhan sighed and shook his head.

"Nah," he said, "never mind," and let go of her hand. She walked to her friends, pasting a smile on her face.

As she and her friends stepped into the building, she felt her phone buzz. She took it out of her pocket to see the words '1 unread message from Ruhan' bleep in the middle of the screen.

She flicked her head left and right to make sure nobody was looking, and opened the message.

7:57 am, Ruhan: Crazy Stalker, there are things I have to tell you

'Well, fudgecakes.'

*****