0.1 | No Exit from Deception ✓

0.11 | Fake Pistols And Tomahawk Axes

The majestic air sifted Anshuman's hair on his forehead, and the night foretold he had to make love to her. His finger clasped around the doorknob as he side-glanced at Sarah. "Babe. Get inside."

Meanwhile, Sarah who trekked outside of Joseph's house stopped and resumed the rhythm of padding over the dried leaves. Anshuman hung his head down and pressed his eyes until they enticed a look of a pervert. "Baby, I have a surprise for you-"

"Fine, I know Joseph has always lived up to the expectations of a corpse, but still I wonder what has gotten into him these days? He's become so much quieter. And you remember how he skipped eating my bread toasts in the morning." Sarah spread her hands, as her breathing quickened.

"Totes, given they were his favorites," Anshuman quoted it in a submissive tone as he got down the concrete stairs adjoining the pavement.

"Okay, did I tell you about the illicit lipstick stain on his shirt when we were driving back home?"

"Like how old is that talk?"

"From a few days ago?" Sarah scrunched her eyes, shooting up her chin as she revised the moments she had had with Anshuman and if he already knew about it but had a typical men's problem of slow retrieval of incidents from the past.

"No, you didn't mention it. But, hey! has he got someone? Like I mean a sort of girlfriend?" Anshuman's eyes grew from golf-sized balls to tennis balls and stopped before resuming his stroll. "Just by the thought of it, I see our friendship is indeed worsening."

Sarah headed into their home while Anshuman ran to catch her up.

"She can't be called his girlfriend officially, but I don't know-- speaking of his rapport with women is not very good so far. But I think he has some different story with this particular girl," Sarah alleged as she entered her small drawing room with a low-slung roof and slumped on the pink two-seater sofa.

"You sure about it?"

She nodded carefully.

Sitting near her, Anshuman admired Sarah's spider veins protruding on the pale skin of her forehead, caressing her muffin top with affection. "Sarah, trust me. I've never seen you this serious ever since we ended up living together. I think we should do something about this." Anshuman, perhaps for the first time in life sounded serious.

"You ain't joking, right?"

"Best case scenario, let's ignore it."

"Wait what? How can you say this?"

"Okay, I was being me. No problem, we got to do something."

Sarah looked through him, tilting her upper body to get a look at his expressions, which surprisingly weren't bathed with humor. "You aren't joking this time?"

"How could I? When my baby is passing through a physically toxic situation." Anshuman cupped Sarah's face before kissing her forehead. "Hmmph . . . just look at yourself. You look so sick these days. I have to start wearing binoculars to find my bubbly Sarah in you."

Sarah worked in a beauty parlor, so her job taught her enough about how important the proper skincare regime was. But, here, she wanted to help her friend Joseph and Ruby to unite. She knew Ruby would be a perfect partner for him and they both just need a little push from either side to fall into each other's arms. "Em . . . I have her friend ─ what was her name? ─ oh yes, Emily. I have her phone number." Sarah's monotonous voice changed to raucous in a split second.

"And now you clearly know what you have to do next," Anshuman asserted and his assurance-tainted words were enough for her to sleep the night away on the sofa soundly instead of their ring box-sized bedroom. Sarah closed her eyes as she penetrated her much-required sleep.