Page 44 of Red Flags and Rishtas
When I didn’t answer right away, she continued to navigate through the pebbled path to reach me. Her orange-heeled sandals bought me some extra time.
‘Uh …’
‘I tried calling you. Mom had to leave for some work, so we could’ve delayed the trip …’ she trailed off as she spotted the man standing next to me.
For a few seconds, the two of them stared at each other, both trying to piece the puzzle in their heads.
‘I know you … we met at the car launch?’ Aadar took a step closer to V.
V nodded lightly at him before turning her attention to me. ‘What’s going on? What’s he doing here?’
I racked my brain for the right thing to say. I couldn’t possibly tell her I’d blown off sourcing for her mom’s boutique to spy on Aadar and his date. That wouldn’t make any sense to her, especially since she didn’t know about The Bet. And this was certainly not the right time to come clean about that.
A warm breeze had started blowing, which was throwing my hair all over my face from behind. V, who stood against the direction of the wind, had her wavy locks dramatically flying away from her face. She waited for me to say something.
‘My boss called a little while ago. I had to come back from the market for a meeting with Stellar Spirits,’ I said, pointing my thumb at Aadar.
‘Oh,’ V said, still sceptical.
I fully expected Aadar to rat me out. He had no reason to go along with my lie, especially since he had zero context about why I was telling it in the first place. I counted to three in my head, waiting for a miracle to happen.
‘I think it’s going to pour,’ Aadar said, directing our attention from the awkward conversation to the rumbling thunder in the sky.
As soon as I looked up, a fat droplet of water fell on my cheek. Two seconds later, we were being ambushed.
‘To the car,’ V shrieked, gesturing towards her vehicle parked not too far away.
The driver had already stepped out to retrieve the umbrella from the trunk, but I feared he wouldn’t make it in time to be of any help. I ran to the car and quickly got in, leaving the door open for my friend. But she wasn’t behind me. I peeped out to find her struggling to walk on the pebbles, hand in hand with Aadar, who was trying to help her get to the car.
By the time both of them ducked in, Aadar after V, they were drenched. They were also giggling. Sitting there on one end of the backseat, looking at two attractive, tall and fresh-out-of-the-rain people, I felt like a third wheel in a ticklish romantic scene.
Don’t be stupid. V has a boyfriend,I reminded myself.And this is Aadar, for God’s sake. Who cares?
‘I know you from somewhere, I’m sure of it,’ Aadar was saying while he studied V intently as the driver got into the front seat.
‘The car launch, like you just said,’ I offered.
But neither of them was paying any attention to me.
‘I followed you on Instagram a few days ago,’ V said, and I felt a wave of panic rising in my throat.
Oh my God.V was going to tell him about how I’d stalked him on social media. And after he’d caught me keeping tabs on him today, he’d definitely think I was a creep. A major one. Why was she doing this to me?
The sound of her betrayal had stunned me into silence.
‘I wanted to see who my best friend was being forced to marry,’ she said.
I hadn’t realised I’d stopped breathing until she said those words.
‘Forced to marry?’ Aadar threw his head back and laughed, then added after he had regained his composure, ‘So you guys are best friends, huh.’
‘Yep, since school,’ she said, leaning back into the leather seat so I could finally feel like a part of the conversation.
There was a loud honk from behind us. The driver turned his head to ask us where we wanted to go.
‘My car is just around the corner. I’ll walk,’ Aadar said.
‘Don’t be stupid. We’ll drop you,’ V said, instructing the driver to turn the car around.
