Page 24 of You Had Me At Annyeong!
‘Timira, can you lift your head?’
‘Um, give me a second?’ she replied groggily.
Timira felt something cool trickle down her temples and her head now felt lighter than before.
‘Aaah, wow. That was a close shave! Thank goodness I didn’t topple out of the car!’ Timira laughed nervously.
Haneul didn’t join in. He was staring at her face … her forehead, to be precise.
‘Timira, um, stay still for a second, will you?’
‘Why, what’s wrong? Why do you look pale? I feel perfectly fine, okay? You don’t have to feel sorry …’ she tried to brush off his concern and act nonchalantly cool.
Before she could finish, Haneul had shoved his kerchief on to her forehead, his free hand cupping her neck.
Timira, now sensing trouble, reached for the rearview mirror and turned it towards her. The white kerchief was soaked in red.
With that, she promptly passed out, as though right on cue.
* * *
Bhaskar, having spent the night trudging behind Alice as she shopped for the trinkets and clothes at snazzy boutiques Seminyak is famous for, is now catching up on the football.
‘Oi, have you heard from Timira? Is she back?’ ‘She texted a couple of hours back …’
‘What? Why didn’t you tell me? What did she write?’
Before Bhaskar can answer, Alice has grabbed his phone.
‘Dost, you’ve lucked out.Kya biwi mili hai tujhe. Pappi diyo usey meri taraf se.’
Alice shakes her head and grins upon reading the text, but frowns almost immediately.
‘Fool, she drunk-messaged you. What sort of a friend are you?’
She starts to dial her number, but the phone buzzes before she can place the call. Startled, Alice drops the phone, but it continues to buzz. Bhaskar leaps to pick it up and answers.
‘Yes, this is he. Yes, yes. I’m her guardian. Wait, what? Where? WHERE IS SHE? Is she in danger? Yes, yes. No, please don’t. Do what you must. Make sure she’s all right. Yes. Please look after her. I’m on my way.’
Alice is, by now, frozen in fear. Bhaskar has to grab her shoulders and shake her.
Snapping out of her daze, Alice grabs her wallet and throws it to Bhaskar.
‘She’s not in danger, right?’ Alice asks nervously as she trades her pyjama bottoms for jeans.
‘Don’t think so … hey, hey, don’t start weeping already!’
Bhaskar pulls her in for a quick hug.
‘Can you get the hotel guys to unlock her room? She won’t be happy in hospital clothes.’
‘Babe, it’s a hospital. Youaresupposed to weartheirclothes!’
‘What is your problem if I carry clothes? Don’t waste time arguing with me right now!’
Rolling his eyes and quickly throwing in the towel, Bhaskar follows Alice’s orders and rings the reception for the master key. He has been quick to learn that to survive in long-term relationships, it’s important to pick the right battles to fight.
* * *
