I groaned as Rajeev gave me more applications to file in the folder. He said it was the last batch but I knew he had more. I was hungry too. I quickly arranged the papers and got up to leave before he noticed.

"Not so fast, missy," he said and handed me one more register.

"I can't do this anymore. I am leaving. I haven't eaten anything since three hours," I complained.

"Just complete this one and then I will take you for a treat. Okay?"

"Treat? Cool!"

He patted my head and went back to his work. Can you believe, we were working on a Sunday? I was making notes for Nikhil while watching TV at home when Rajeev called me up. His cousin was facing some trouble with the work and I was roped in for help too.

My Sunday! I was going to make Rajeev feed me all the food I could see on the menu. With that motivation, I checked all the files once again and revisioned the sales register.

After I was done with my share of work, I slumped down in one of the seats under the AC. I closed my eyes and waited for others to complete their work. I was enjoying my small nap, when I felt something crawl on my left foot. I moved my leg to get rid of whatever was there. After few seconds, I felt something crawl up my leg again. I ignored it. Then it bit me!

I opened my eyes and looked down. I froze. There was a creature I hated the most in the world. He was looking directly at me, his small evil eyes penetrating my soul.

He moved his whiskers and wiggled its tail. I couldn't move a bit. I took deep breaths to calm myself down and then, he looked away. That was my chance. I tried to get up from the chair but he moved his head in a flash and jumped on me.

I shrieked loudly and sprang up to run. But I twisted my ankle and fell down. The white devil ran towards the door and I heard someone laughing loudly. I turned my head and saw another creature I hated the most. Ved.

He picked up the white mouse and ran his fingers on his fur. Rajeev came after hearing my cry and went back after he saw Ved with his pet. I got up from the floor and rubbed my ankle.

"Good job, Terry," Ved praised his mouse and gave him something to eat.

Who keeps a mouse as a pet?

Ved came towards me and I told him to stay away. He laughed at my expression and I wanted to kill both of them so much. He knew I was afraid of mice since I was a kid. His little friend squeaked in my direction and I ran behind Rajeev's desk. I was not letting that white ball of fur near me.

Ved left Terry to roam around the gym and Terry jumped over everything that came in his way. Rajeev picked him up and after playing with him for sometime, left him. Since there were no customers today, he could enjoy as much as he wanted.

"Still afraid? When are you going to grow up?" Ved stood in front of me and I ignored him.

He poked my shoulder and I swatted his hand away. I was tired and hungry. He kept troubling me and I shouted for Rajeev to kick him out. Rajeev came and hit us both. He was getting disturbed by my continuous complaining. I huffed and went back to my spot under the AC.

I closed my eyes and believed Ved would leave me alone. Nope. When has he? I heard a chair screeching and stop beside me. I groaned and opened one of my eyes. Ved made himself comfortable and took out his phone. He glanced at me and I closed my eye.

I heard some shuffling and then he started chuckling. Ignore, Sandhya. His chucking turned into a huge laugh. Ignore. Then he went into a laughing fit. Just what the heck was he watching? I was getting curious. I opened my eyes and saw him trying to control his laughter while looking at his phone screen.

I peeked in his phone and he gave me a stinky eye. I scowled at him and he moved the screen towards me. Finally, I would get to see what made him laugh so hard that his eyes almost teared up.

"You jerk!" I yelled and snatched his phone away. He had recorded that earlier incident and was watching it on repeat. Argh! I pressed the delete button but before I could confirm it, he grabbed his phone and pushed me back. How dare he? He put his phone in his jacket's pocket and grinned.

I kicked his chair and he kicked me back. I slapped him, no, I tried to slap him but he caught my arm and pulled me out of the chair. I landed on the floor facefront and he pinned me there with his right knee on my back.

"What happened? Can't move?" he mocked. I flailed my limbs like a penguin but couldn't move him off my back. He kept teasing me and when I couldn't bear enough, I called up Rajeev.

Rajeev appeared and shook his head at us. He told Ved to get off me and Ved gladly obeyed but he didn't forget to smack behind my head as he got up.

"Loser," Ved commented and sat back on his chair.

I got up and moved to hit to him but Rajeev grabbed my arm and told me to get my bag. He informed all the work was done and we could leave for lunch.

Hurray! Finally!

I put all my belongings in my bag and rushed out of the gym. I waited for him on the stairs while he locked it down. Ved also came out and I stood a few feet away from him. Terry was playing on his shoulders and I narrowed my eyes at him. He turned towards me and I looked away.

Who knows if he would jump at me or not? It was better to keep some distance. I didn't hate animals but I didn't like mice also. Heck, I wasn't even afraid of cockroaches. But mice? They scared the shit out of me even if they didn't move.

Rajeev locked the gym and we made our way downstairs. Ved tried to scare me but I wasn't going to fall for it again. Terry was just a tiny mouse. He could fit in my palm. I shouldn't be afraid of him.

I got in Rajeev's car and frowned when Ved also got in. He made himself comfortable on the back seat and started playing with Terry.

"He is coming with us?" I asked Rajeev as he took the driver's seat. He nodded his head and I didn't say anything else. There was no use of complaining. He treated us equally so I couldn't throw a tantrum. My stomach growled and Rajeev chuckled.

"We will get to the restaurant in a flash," he said and started the car.

Throughout the ride, Ved kept blabbering nonsense about how they won three basketball matches in one week and would be attending one after exams. I decided to keep out of the conversation since I had very little knowledge about basketball. Also, if I said something to tick Ved off, Terry was there to take revenge.

After ten minutes of ride, we reached the restaurant and got out of the car. Rajeev went to park his car while Ved and I waited for him. I was mesmerized by the magnificent view in front of me. The hotel was so huge! And beautiful.

My neck started straining when I kept looking at the expensive cars which kept coming and coming. Ved told me to close my mouth as I was gawking at those beautiful vehicles. I ignored him but did close my jaw.

Rajeev soon came and we started walking towards the entrance. As we were walking, I wondered how was Ved going to sneak Terry inside. There was no way they would allow a mouse in there.

"Look, Terry. It's your favourite place," Ved said and Terry squeaked.

He understood what Ved said?! How? And what favourite place?

The guards would surely stop Ved from entering and I would dance in celebration. The security guards stopped us and I smiled evilly.

One of the them saluted him and gave him way without objecting. Didn't he see that white devil on his shoulder?

"Welcome, Ved sir," he greeted, "you too, Terry sir."

What the hell?! Terry sir? Are you kidding me? Why was he greeting a mouse with so much respect? I must be dreaming right now.

Terry gave a small squeak in response and Ved entered the restaurant. Rajeev pulled me in after we were greeted by the guards too. I was too shocked to respond. Ved laughed at me and Rajeev told me that this restaurant was owned by Ved's father. I should have known that. That's why they let Terry in without any problem.

An employee came and Terry jumped off from Ved's shoulder and landed on the employee's hand. The sudden movement from Terry freaked me and I screamed. Everyone turned toward us and Rajeev scolded me.

What could I do? He jumped out of the blue. Terry gave a glance to me before he was taken to his own private room. What a lucky guy!

We got a nice vacant table which offered a nice view of the garden. I sat down beside Rajeev, across from Ved. As they decided on the menu, I observed my surroundings.

This place was equally beautiful form inside too. It was adorned by Victorian style wooden furniture and huge chandeliers hung from the ceiling with lamps casting soft yellow light over us. The tiles were so clean that I could see my reflection clearly in them. Were they made of glass?

This place shouted money. There were men dressed in expensive suits and women loaded with sparkling jewelleries I had never seen before. I was really underdressed.

I took in every detail of the place and imagined how much money was spent. Ved snapped his fingers in front of my face and I looked at him. He gave me an arrogant smirk and I forgot that this idiot was here with us too. He reclined in his chair and motioned for a waiter to come.

"Why would you bring me at such a high class place?" I nudged Rajeev.

"This was the closest place from the gym and it's got one of the best foods too. You said you were hungry, right? So just chill and enjoy."

I hugged his right arm because he was so big that my arms couldn't go all across his chest. He ruffled my hair and I gave him a toothy grin. This hotel was too expensive for me but he said the food was really good, so I could tolerate Ved in exchange for food.

The waiter came and asked for our orders. I told him everything that sounded delicious to me. I couldn't even pronounce some names. I didn't even check the prices. I glanced at Rajeev and he just nodded his head. He told me not to worry about it.

"OK, that's all of our orders," Rajeev announced and the waiter zipped out of there.

I kept observing other human beings while Rajeev and Ved discussed about things, I didn't have a clue about. After ten minutes, I sighed in relief. The food was here. I instantly dug in and tried every dish. Yummy! This was fucking awesome.

"You are ruining my restaurant's reputation," Ved said while making a disgusted face at me. I gave him a fake smile and continued eating.

I didn't care about etiquettes. I would eat however I wanted. People from other table looked in our direction and started whispering. Must be criticising me. Whatever.

After completing four dishes, I picked up my apple juice to drink. Just one sip and I was in heaven. I clicked a selfie and the murmurs got louder. I looked around me and raised my eyebrow at an uncle who gave me a disapproving look. I gave him my brightest smile and he widened his eyes in shock.

"Stop acting like an idiot," Ved scolded me.

"They were looking, why are you scolding me?" I retorted.

He rolled his eyes and Rajeev told me to ignore the others. I continued with my drink and choked on it as I turned my head towards the entrance. I started coughing violently and Rajeev gave me a glass of water. He rubbed my back lightly as I gulped down the whole glass.

"Told you," Ved said smugly and I narrowed my eyes at him.

I calmed down and looked back at the entrance. Where did she go? I glanced around me but couldn't find her. How come whenever I see her, she is with a different guy each time? I excused myself and got up.

I first went to the washroom to confirm. No sign of her. I got out and started searching through each table. Nothing. In my mind, I kept telling myself to return but my intuition told me otherwise. As I walked past some stairs, I read a sign. Private cabins. Hm? If I couldn't find her down here, she must be upstairs then.

I took the stairs two at a time and was welcomed by a long corridor which was dimly lit. As I walked ahead, I heard some murmurs. I took a deep breath and shook my head at the worst possibility. I wished she wasn't here. Who knew what went behind those closed doors?

I reached the first door and touched my ear to the surface. I heard nothing. Then I read the sign at the top left corner of it. Vacant. Okay. I would just have to read that sign. It made my work a lot easier. I walked along the corridor and reached the last one. Occupied.

I brought up my right hand to knock on the door but stopped mere inches away from the wooden surface. My breathing was heavy and I calculated the pros and cons of my move. What if I was just overimagining it? It was given that I didn't trust her since the start but what if it was all in my mind?

She was a cheerful girl and quite friendly too. The guy could be another of her friends or some relative also. I scratched my chin and turned on my heels but Shree's face flashed in front of my eyes. That guy only knew how to smile. I have never seen him scowl or sad. That's it. I would do it for him.

I turned again and knocked on the door. No response. I knocked a little louder and the door swung open a bit.

They didn't lock it?

I popped my head through the opening and glanced around. It was empty. Seriously, Sandhya? You have started imagining absurd things now. I sighed in relief but then I heard some giggling. Huh? I again looked around and got in. I moved forward and followed the voice.

I stopped just around the corner. There was a smaller room attached to the main one which wasn't visible from the entrance door. My eyes landed on the two figures in front of me and I froze on the spot. I couldn't move. I blinked rapidly.

In front of me was none other than Mahek. She was dressed in a light blue one piece which accentuated her curves. And, she was with the guy who seemed a lot older in age. They hadn't noticed me yet because they were busy flirting with each other.

Then the most bizarre thing happened. He pulled her on his lap and she giggled like she was totally enjoying it. I opened my mouth to call her but nothing came out. It was like I had no voice. I was dumbfounded. As much I was happy to know the truth, I was shocked too. How could she cheat on Shree? He loved her. She did too, right? Or was that all a sham?

"Mahek," I managed to squeak out but my voice was too low.

They were so into each other that they didn't even hear me. Just as I was about to disturb them again, they kissed. My eyes widened in horror and I took a step back. I couldn't do this. I turned around and exited the room, but bumped into someone.

"Who are you? And what were you doing in there?" I looked up to see a young man dressed in a black suit. I read the badge on his jacket. Manager.

"I was lost," I lied.

"Are you sure?" he enquired and I could see suspicion in his eyes.

I nodded my head and dashed out of there before he could ask me more questions. I went down the stairs and got back at my table. Rajeev looked at me in concern but I gave him a fake smile. I gulped down some water to calm my nerves.

"Why do you look like you saw a ghost?" Ved asked.

What I saw was worse than that!

I still couldn't believe my eyes. My mind wasn't playing games with me, right? It was Mahek, wasn't it? I tapped my foot anxiously and Ved scolded me to stop it. Jerk.

I just couldn't erase that image from my mind. Did Mahek have a twin too? I glanced at Ved and pondered whether I should tell him or not. It was his hotel so he could surely check that room without any problem. He looked at me in confusion and I averted my gaze. No, I won't.

I let out a huge sigh and slumped more in my seat. I began playing on my phone to distract myself, when I felt a pair of hands cover my eyes.

"Guess, who?"