Page 59 of Red Flags and Rishtas
My phone buzzed again, and I realised I’d forgotten to text Madhav back amid all this madness.
I typed out a quick response, asking him to meet me at the lawns in ten minutes. When I looked up from my phone, I found myself staring at Aadar’s naked back. I watched, paralysed, as he slipped his right arm inside the crisp black shirt. The other half of his back was still in plain view, his muscles tightening as he moved.
‘It’s rude to stare,’ he said, his back still towards me.
I met his eye briefly in the reflection on the glass wall before quickly turning to my side.
‘It’s rude to undress in public,’ I countered.
‘This is quite private, actually,’ he said before facing me to button up his shirt.
My peripheral vision allowed me a glimpse of his chest. He took his own sweet time with every button, making it impossible for me to keep looking away. When I finally gave in and allowed myself to glance at him, he flashed me a grin.
‘Well, I’ll leave you to it,’ he said, gesturing to the blouse in my hand.
And with that, he walked out of the room, leaving me alone, sweaty and strangely breathless.
15
Heavy Petting
‘So … he kissed me, finally,’ I said into the phone.
‘Who, Aadar? Oh my Gooood,’ V’s squealing forced me to hold the phone away from my ear.
I half sat up on the hotel bed, taken aback.
‘What? Of course not,’ I said defensively. ‘Why in the world wouldhekiss me?’
I hadn’t told V about our little encounter on the night of the sangeet, and how it had left me feeling strangely curious. But then again, there was so much she didn’t know about Aadar and me that it seemed barely consequential in comparison. This thing with him, whatever it was, wasn’t important. And so, I wasn’t committing a crime by keeping my best friend out of the loop.
Besides, it’s not like she tells me everything, right? It’s okay to keep some things to yourself.
I’d been repeating versions of this to myself over the past few days. I wondered if writing them down would make them more convincing.
‘Come on, he’s gorgeous,’ she said in a sing-song tone. ‘Besides, there’s definitely some tension between you two.’
‘Yes, actual tension. Not the kind you’re hoping for,’ I said as I rolled onto my side, burying my face in a pile of fluffy pillows, the type you only find in hotel rooms.
I’d spent the last three nights in this executive room, and yet, it barely carried any proof of my residence. My singular piece of luggage was tucked away in one corner. Before every function, Iretrieved my designated attire from it and then packed it away. My make-up bag and straightening iron lay neglected next to the bathroom sink. The wedding madness had hardly given me any time to follow through with my beauty routine. On the night of the cocktail function, I’d had zero time to salvage my frizzy hair, so I’d decided to sport a messy bun. On the day of the wedding, I’d been so overwhelmed with managing the event that I completely forgot to do my make-up. I showed up with bags under my eyes and no kajal, calling it my ‘nude look’ to anyone who dared to comment.
‘Okay, whatever. So, who’s the kisser?’ V asked.
‘Madhav, obviously.’
‘Oh.’ Her enthusiasm from before had fizzled out.
‘You could at least pretend to be excited for me, you know,’ I said, slightly stung by her reaction.
‘Iamexcited,’ she said, exhaling loudly. ‘Tell me ever-y-thiiing,’ she said, channelling her sing-song voice again.
And so, I did. I told her about how he’d broughtmeflowers, even though he’d come for someone else’s sangeet. I loved that he’d waited patiently for me the entire night, never complaining when I abandoned him in a pool of intoxicated strangers, whether to manage a crisis or please a client. He’d been the perfect gentleman, so much so that he’d politely turned down my offer of crashing in my hotel room later.
‘What? Why did he do that?’ V sounded like she was offended on my behalf.
‘He said he wanted to take it slow,’ I said, dragging myself out of bed.
It was 9:00 a.m. the day after the wedding, and only one function remained between me and the promise of twelve hours of sleep. It was the reception tonight, an event where the bride and groom could finally let their hair down and have some fun. The TMJ team was also planning on doing their shareof drinking and dancing, if the WhatsApp groups were any indication. As for me, I fully intended to leave the party the minute I could professionally afford to do so and enjoy my last night in this luxurious, barely used bed.
