⋆ ——————— sitara ⋮ ⋆

"HERE YOU GO," I said, handing him his cup and the straw. Shaurya took it absent-mindedly, his other hand scrolling through his mail. The cup sat on his lap ignored.

I sighed and tore open the straw wrapper. I inserted it into his takeaway cup and lifted it next to his lips. He looked up and grinned, taking a sip from it as he typed on his phone.

"Is that Oreo milkshake?" He asked and I nodded.

"You mentioned yesterday that you didn't like caramel. I wish you could've told me sooner. I would've gotten your favourite milkshake," I said.

"It wasn't that bad so I didn't mind. How did you know I liked Oreo milkshakes?"

"When I visited your kitchen, you had a stash of oreos in the glass shelf. It was easy to figure it out," I said. "Now be done with your mail soon. Or I'll dump this thing on your head."

"You don't have to feed me, you know. I can always drink it after I finish this," He said.

"So that I'll have to suffer watching you drink it when mine is empty? No thanks," I said.

"You are a kid," He chuckled.

"It's not news," I sighed, propping my head on his shoulders and watching the night sky. There was this grey swirl of smoke-like clouds floating over the dark sky. The moon was a perfect crescent today, pinned on the far west side from us. It seemed to muster up every bit of moonlight it can shed over the world, illuminating the sky. There were not many stars visible today but the ones that were, were scattered far away from each other instead of being clustered.

"I'm sorry. That manager guy was on my back for this website malfunction and I had to respond. I didn't even acknowledge you properly," Shaurya said, bringing me back to Earth.

"That's fine. I had loads of work today as well so I couldn't pick your call. That's why I wanted to see you," I admitted.

"You are really obsessed with me. I'm flattered." He chuckled and I nudged him with my elbow.

"As if you aren't, Sir. I was wondering where my milkshake bills were vanishing off to and you should see my surprise when I found it on your bedside table. I wonder how it went there," I said, trying to keep my face neutral.

"Sitar — "

"I know, I know. You don't have to say it. You are obsessed with me as well," I said, flicking my hair back and sipping on my milkshake. Shaurya made a disgruntled noise but shut his mouth.

"And, I wanted to talk to you about something as well," he said, turning to face me. I nodded for him to go on. "It's been almost three weeks since we met and we had milkshakes together a lot of times."

"Yeah," I said, wondering where he was going with this sudden realisation.

"And it was you who paid for it all the time."

"So?"

"Sitar, I am the guy. Let me pay you back for it. I feel so bad," He said.

"I am the girl, so what? I don't mind paying for it," I said firmly. "It's a No, Shaurya. You aren't allowed to argue about this."

He sighed. "Sitar, try to understand. At least here onwards, we'll take turns."

"Look, Shaurya. I'll pay whenever I feel like it and I won't fight over it when you pay. I am sure we aren't going to be drinking milkshakes all the time. You promised me we'll go to the movies this Friday. You can pay for that. I am not stopping you. There's no rule that says men are the only ones who have to pay. And we don't have to necessarily pay each other back or take equal turns and stuff. This is not business," I said, a little annoyed.

His silence made me feel bad for snapping at him.

"I am sorry. I just hate it when the money talk comes," I said softly, taking his hands.

"But Sitar —"

"You can pay me back with hugs," I blurted out and he had a are-you-serious look.

"What? You said you wanted to pay me back. I am suggesting a way. Don't look at me as if I am insane," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. He shook his head in quiet laughter and pulled me into his arms.

"I can pay you back whenever I want?" He mumbled.

"Whenever you want."

Just then, I heard footsteps. I froze. "D-do you hear that too?" I asked.

"Yes, someone is coming." He said.

"We should hide," I pulled away from him and grabbed his hands.

"We can't hide in here. It's basically an open ground," Shaurya said. "Or do you know a secret place?"

"I don't know. I haven't played hide-and-seek in my terrace yet. I'll add it to my list of things to do next time if you want," I said, and Shaurya chuckled. How he had the guts to laugh at such a situation was beyond me because in my mind, future predictions of how I was going to die played like a movie. If anyone in this apartment spotted me hugging a man in the middle of the night, they wouldn't hesitate to host a meeting and tear down my family's reputation as well as mine. Otherwise if they think that is a lot of work, they would simply let gossip spread like wildfire and that would be the cause of my doom.

I scanned the place. We surely can't hide behind the flower pots. The only other concrete object in the terrace was the water tank and there was no place to hide behind. Or... was there?

I dragged him to check. Next to the water tank was a small cubicle of space between it and the wall. I felt like someone had saved me from drowning in an abyss.

I pushed Shaurya inside and then tucked myself close to him, making sure we were hidden. "I can't believe I am hiding near a water tank at midnight to avoid being caught. I feel like I've committed a crime," Shaurya whispered.

"It's not a crime. It's just... the people here talk, and they talk shit. Sneaking around and chatting with a man late at night is uncultured, according to them. They assume the worst of everything and just... I am so sorry," I apologized, balancing my head in my hands.

"What about your parents?"

"My parents will understand if I explain. They are the ones asking me to find a man for myself. But, they will probably hit me with a chappal for being so dumb and getting caught by these people. Ma doesn't like anyone except Roshni Aunty and Mrs. Malgudi in this apartment. She would hate it if the others found a reason to whisper about our family," I said. "And, this never happened before. I am so sorry, Shaurya."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it." He tucked back a strand of hair the wind blew out of my ponytail.

Footsteps became clearer and louder and then they paused. I slowly crawled a little to get a peek of the person and my eyes nearly fell out of my sockets when I found out it was Mr Patel from 6A. And he was smoking. Goddamn.

"Who is it?" Shaurya whispered, pulling me back by my shoulders.

"This man from the floor below me. He is the most orderly and old-fashioned person in this apartment. I hate him. I usually wear churidhar, kurti or jeans to my office but when I hang out with my friends, I wear shorts or skirts sometimes. Whenever he sees me in either of it, he asks me to stop dressing like a little girl and grow up. He always has something to say about everyone. Even, Punitha Aunty — his wife — complains about him all the time. He once told Shravan off for smoking and now this man is doing the same but secretly at night. I can't believe this," I ranted.

"Oh, then this is... blackmail material," Shaurya said and I laughed, nodding. "You could video it and warn him a little."

"Yes, that would be very satisfying but I've got better things to do," I said, staring into his eyes.

"Yes, you do," he whispered, pulling me onto his lap.

⋆ ——————— shaurya ⋮ ⋆

"Shaurya!" She hissed my name as I pulled her closer.

"What?" I asked, innocently.

"Nothing." She bit her lip and wrapped her hands around my neck. "And stop looking at me like that."

"I am not aware of the meaning of your statement, Sitar," I said and she fisted her hands and hit my chest lightly.

"Stop acting weird," She said. I nodded and wrapped my arms around her body, pressing herself to me. The satin fabric of her top was silky under my touch and it slipped through my fingers easily. She was a little cold but she didn't shiver like she did last time.

I felt her fingers playing with the ends of my hair, her breath tracing against the nape of my neck. "How long are we going to stay like this?" I whispered.

"I don't know. Until whenever he decides to go?"

I breathed loudly.

"Are you bored?" she asked.

I shook my head and balanced my forehead on her shoulders. "Can I ask you a question?" she asked, shaking her shoulders to get me to look at her.

"Yes."

"Did you have a girlfriend before?"

"No."

She blinked. "Oh, okay. T-that's a different answer than what I assumed."

"You assumed I had a girlfriend before?"

"Yes, you act like you know what to do always. Like say the perfect words, comfort me in the best way and hug me when I need it. It's like you have experience."

I laughed under my breath. "Trust me, I am just like you. I have no experience and have no idea how relationships work. But, what I know is you. I can read you as if I was born to do it."

She flushed. "Do I read you?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Sometimes. Especially when I least expect it."

"That's comforting to know. I am not a total loser, yay." She dug her head into the crook of my shoulders.

"Can I ask you a question?" I whispered.

"Of course."

"Are you still searching for your man?"

She pulled away and stared at me. She licked her lips and swallowed before she parted her lips to answer. "I-I have already found him," she breathed, hiding her face with her hair and looking away.

It was nice to know that we were something, on the road to becoming something else. Neither of us really discussed it. It was a conversation that never saw the light of day; it was buried under all the playful teasing and flirting, the knowing glances and the warm hugs. Hearing her confirm it for me was everything.

"Who?" I asked, deciding to play a little.

"You know who," she mumbled, looking at me through her lashes. I stared into her brown eyes, and then gently took her face in my hands. My gaze fell onto her pink, curved lips and I wanted to feel them on mine. Her fingers tightened against my hair, just a little that it could have been easily missed.

"Shaurya," she whispered, "Can —"

I pressed my lips onto hers. I could feel her freeze in my arms for just a moment and then she kissed me back. All of a sudden, caramel milkshake tasted as good as Oreos. The warmth, the salt of her lips and the feel of the kiss — it all drove me mad. It was intoxicating.

She pulled away breathing hard, her face matching the colour of her lips. "I-I um, was about to ask if you could remove your keys from your pocket because it was hurting me," she mumbled, looking down.

My eyes widened. To say I felt embarrassed would've been an understatement. I was —

"But, I definitely wanted to do that too," she said, and pulled me by my shirt to bridge the gap between us.

Oh, sweet heavens.

⋆ —————————— ⋆

glossary:

chappal: slippers

churidhar: south-indian garment worn by women, with a shawl.

kurti: indian tunics for women

⋆ —————————— ⋆ PLEASE VOTE ☆ IF YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING!