Page 34 of That Same Old Love

Samrat and Mahi began to walk towards the parking lot. When they were far enough, Samrat looked at her.

“What did you say to my sister? Why did she look so hurt? I remember specifically ordering you to behave.”

Samrat’s tone pissed her. “I’m not a dog for you to order me to behave! Besides, I didn’t say anything except to apologize, and to tell her that I haven’t deliberately sought out Srishti’s friendship. So lay off me. I’ve been attacked and warned enough for tonight!”

Something about her tone must have made Samrat not want to push her more. He began to walk faster, forcing her to run behind him to keep up.

When they were only a few minutes away, she tripped over something in the grass and landed on her bottom. “Great. Just a very great ending to an even greater evening,” she muttered.

When she tried getting up, a shooting pain made her right ankle throb like hell.

Samrat stopped and looked back. He saw her sitting on the ground.

“What happened?” he asked her impatiently.

“I’m trying to see if this grass is as comfortable and plush as it looks,” she snapped out at him. “What do you think happened? I tripped and fell down.” She grimaced at the rapidly increasing pain. “I think my ankle has twisted.”

Samrat looked skeptical, and slowly approached her, but made no effort to reach down for her. “Hmm really… Which leg?”

She glared at his tone. “Does it matter?”

He knelt down next to her, to see her ankles clearly.

“Which ankle? This one?” He touched her rapidly swelling ankle.

“Ow!” She yelped in pain. “What the hell are you trying to do… Ouch! That hurts like hell! Get your freaking hands away from me, you sadist!” she shouted at him.

He sighed loudly. “Okay, looks like you are not lying. You are really hurt.”

“Thanks Einstein, for the deduction and believing me,” she hissed out.

He sighed again. “I’m going to lend my hand. Use me for support.”

She nodded grudgingly and slowly stood up with the help of his hand.

Oh great. I’m in shitload of pain and having one of the worst nights ever, but somehow I can still notice how big and strong his hands are,she thought resentfully.

Holding her shoes in one hand, she somehow managed to hobble to a SUV and sat in the back seat, when Samrat opened the door for her. He pressed a button to flatten the front seat completely, making it a makeshift foot rest of some sort. He placed her legs on it gently.

“Oh wow! I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said, forgetting her pain momentarily.

It was some sort of a luxury car, and the controls and the interiors looked like something out of a James Bond movie.

Samrat slid into the driver’s seat. “It’s an electric and solar powered car with a lot of self-driving features added to it. And it’s mine while I beta test it.”

She was surprised. “Wait. You’re leaving Srishti’s birthday party?”

“Looks like I have to for a while.”

She was annoyed by the implication. “You don’thaveto. I already told you and everyone else. I can take a cab.”

“Really? Will the cab driver or some random driver help you hop inside your house?”

She kept quiet at that. He had a point. Better the devil you know than some stranger to help her into house while she was helpless.

Samrat chose a setting that had his address pre-loaded and the car began to drive by itself. He still kept his eyes on the road.

Her ankle was painful, and she wanted to distract herself. “Why do you own or drive just SUVs? It’s kind of weird driving them in India with all the traffic and parking issues. I would assume you are rich enough to afford some Ferrari, or an Aston Martin, or something super expensive.”

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