The Deodar House

Chapter 4

"Well." Sidharth smiled at Rashami as she slithered into the leather seat beside his. "Your friend seems nice."

She fixed him with a glare. "Uske baare mein sochna bhi mat. Yes, she's tall slim but ek baat dhyaan se sun lo, she's happily married and her husband is built like a wrestler."

"Whoa!" Sid gave a short laugh, switching on the ignition. "That's not what I meant."

"Really? Toh tum bol rahe ho ki wo tumhare type ki nahi hai?"

"Main toh kuch bol hi nahi raha. Jo bolna hai wo tum bol rahi ho." And suddenly, without saying anything, he reversed out of the space so rapidly the tyres screeched.

"Excuse me?" she gasped. "Maine abhi tak seatbelt nahi lagai hai."

He stopped the car with a jerk and folded his hands. "Toh laga lijiye.," he said, pulling on the handbrake and folding his arms.

She reached for the belt, aware of his steady gaze as she tugged it awkwardly across her lap. But she discovered her fingers were shaking too much.

He waited and then took the end from her hand and fastened the belt. "Ho gaya. Ab chalein?"

"Fine." She found herself unable to look in his direction so she threw a curious glance around the interior of the car, the soft leather seats and the dashboard, so modern that it looked like a spaceship console. "Car achchi hai."

"Thank you." There was a pause. "Look, Rash—"

"Rashami."

"Sorry. Rashami." He sighed heavily. "I know tu mujhe kuch khaas pasand nahi karti, but please, can we call time out? Like it or not, we have to keep meeting during the next few months."

She winced as she remembered Vaishali's exact same words. "Maine toh nahi kaha ki tu mujhe pasand nahi hai."

"Na na—let's get this right. You hate me." Sid said casual. "Bahaut bada word hai na? HATE. Aur sach bataoon toh, mujhe pata bhi nahi ki tu kyun hate karti hai."

She felt his eyes on her face as they stopped at a traffic signal. "Tumhe pata toh hai. Don't act like you don't know the reason."

"Nahi, mujhe sachchi mein nahi pata." He sighed again. "Unless... Kahin tu abhi bhi isliye toh upset nahi hai ki Karan aur maine tujhe pareshan kiya tha? 14 saal ho gae yaar, bhool ja. Don't be ridiculous."

She swallowed hard. "I don't think it's ridiculous," she faltered, seeing him dismissing their behaviour so easily. "Kitna torture kiya tha mujhe."

"Rashu, we were kids! Chhed rahe the tujhe."

"Chhed rahe the?"

"Haan, chhed rahe the. 17 saal ke do typical ladke the jinke saamne ek cute, si 15 saal ki ladki thi. What did you expect? That's what boys do."

"Do they?" Rashami couldn't believe her ears. "Tumhe andaza bhi hai ki tumhare 'chhedne' se main kitni hurt hui thi? Kya kya nahi bola tha mujhe tum dono ne? Moti, fatso, gol gappa, kaddu, tuntun, aunty, chicken bucket—"

"Bas bas, main samajh gaya!" Sid shot her a grin. Then looking at her angry reaction, he consoled. "Oh come on Rash, kuch naam toh actually funny hain isme."

"Oh, right. Funny?" She stared back, shocked. "Tumhe lagta hai kisi ko din raat hippo keh ke bulana funny hai? Kisi ko ye bolna ki 'your body looks like something out of a horror movie' is funny, is it?"

Sid frowned. "Wait a minute. Maine toh ye sab kabhi kaha hi nahi."

"Nahi." She shook her head, suddenly exhausted. "Tumne nahi. Karan ne. Jab tum aas paas nahi hote the. But tum jab hote bhi the toh kaun sa usey rokte the? Tumne kabhi uske saamne mere liye stand nahi liya."