Stars & Dreams

13) Delta Scorpio - Good at Sharing

A surprise awaited Rumi when she reached home in Mumbai. There was a bouquet of red roses with no sender's card. Ritika had stuck a note on the fridge, "Hey bitch, the bunch of roses was delivered this morning. No name or card. You got a stalker baby!"

Rumi smiled at Ritika's note. Sighing at the sight of the gorgeous flowers, she wondered who sent them. She was almost certain that it was Ujjwal. Dumping her bags on the bed, she took a long shower. Both Parth and Ritika were at work and she had the luxury of enjoying the space to herself. Humming in the shower, her mind went back to the previous night when she and Mukesh had found the child at the dispensary. The poor child had been scared to death and when Mukesh and she had coaxed him to spill out the details, the sobbing child had confessed that on the night he had got lost, he heard the sound of laughter when he had woken up to drink water. Following the sound, he had peeped out of the window and saw some men arguing outside the gate but what had intrigued the boy was the sight of a carton of water guns. He had got excited and with the help of a stool, he had opened the door and sneaked out to take a look at the carton. But the men had walked ahead and he had followed them, losing all sense of time and direction. And when they noticed him, they had taken him to a warehouse and had confined him. A couple of days later, they had released him and let him wander near the highway. Thus little Peri had hurt himself and stumbled his way into the village. From the way Peri described the group of men, Rumi and Mukesh doubted whether it had been water guns that they carried. It could have been real weapons. Grateful that the boy was back in the quarters, Rumi had left soon after . On her way to the airport, she remembered that Sharan had mentioned something about the boy being scared. Frowning at the strange man's words, she decided to talk to Devesh and verify the truth.

Now, as she stepped out of the bath, she pulled on a pair of Pajamas and a T-shirt. Leaving her hair open to dry, she decided to raid the fridge for some snacks. Not finding anything to her liking, she lingered in front of the open fridge mulling if she should call for home delivery. The bell rang and she checked the clock. It was four in the evening. Both Parth and Ritika had their own keys so it had to be someone else. Not desiring to see Ujjwal, she opened the door hesitatingly...

"Hi Rumi!" Yohan greeted her while she stared at him in surprise. "May I come in?" Yohan asked her and she let him inside, observing his cotton pants and jerkin. Even in casuals, he looked striking.

"Sorry, I came uninvited. Hope that is not a problem?" he asked. Noticing the bunch of flowers, he stroked their petals with care and made his observation, "You got an admirer there!"

Rumi considered the possibility of Yohan sending those flowers but how could one ask such a question so she made an abstract comment, "I wonder how someone got hold of so many red roses."

"Hmmm....Point noted but I would not have sent red roses if I had been the one."

Rumi was now curious, "Why not?"

"Well, for one, red is common. Two, red is not your colour," he made himself comfortable by slumping on the sofa.

"How do you know what my colour is?" she asked making certain to sound casual as she drew the dining chair and perched on it. She wasn't aware that she looked arresting in her casual wear and open hair.

"I don't know, do I? You have to tell me hence I made that observation," he remarked, mischief dancing in his eyes. For a second, Rumi didn't know if he was joking but laughed appreciatively at his humour, "Very funny!"

"So have you decided on my story?"

"Yes! I will give the audition."

"Audition? There is no need for that.  If you decide to accept it, then we go ahead with other cast."