"Stop following me" Anjali yelled as she reached the staircase leading up to our rooms.

"You haven't had dinner" I reminded.

"I'm not hungry!"

"Didn't I tell you I know it when you lie?" I repeated, conveniently ignoring her earlier statement about being hungry.

"Screw you" she muttered dully.

"I get that you're upset. But I don't get why you let her bother you."

"Just leave me alone, Vamsi" she said in a beseeching tone.

"Sit here. I'll get you something" I said, turning around to leave.

"Don't bother"

"Sit here. Please" I ran into the dinner hall and filled a plate with everything I can grab as quickly as possible. When I returned, she is sitting on the stairs with a forlorn expression.

"I lost my appetite" she mumbled, seeing the plate of food in my hands.

"You were hungry, minutes ago" I said promptly, sitting beside her.

She sighed, lowering her head "Not anymore"

"The baby corn starter looks yum. Open your mouth" I said, placing a spoonful near her mouth.

She looked up, studying me with those hypnotic brown eyes I've always loved "Why are you doing this?"

"What?" I said, taking the spoon away.

"Trying to remind me of old times?"

I shook my head affectionately "I'm not trying anything, Anju. I just want you to eat"

Again, she hung her head, as if immersed in deep thoughts "Is it good?"

It took me five seconds to understand that she's talking about food "Yes. I think"

Staring back at me with an inscrutable look, she opened her mouth making me sigh in relief.

She let me feed her like the old times not once breaking her wooden gaze or speaking a word. Her beautiful eyes looked lifeless as I stared back comparing her with my best friend's sparkling gaze from three years ago.

"What about you?" she said when I got up to get rid of the empty plate.

"I will eat later"

"I will keep you company. Have your dinner now" she ordered subtly.

That made me smile. I love that she commanded me. Like old times.

So, I did as told. She watched me quietly but this time the silence is comfortable.

"Where did you study?" I asked finally, hoping her relaxed state will get me some answers. Besides, I want to know what she's done and where she lived in the years we have been apart.

A look of surprise crossed her face "You don't know?"

"Your parents never told me"

With a nod of understanding, she spoke softly "New York Institute of Technology. NYIT"

"You don't live in New York now, do you?"

"No. I live near LA. I moved after graduating"

"What do you miss the most about New York?"

"Angie and Anna" To my frown, she added "They were my roommates"

"You had girlfriends?" I called out in surprise, vaguely remembering hearing their names somewhere.

She nodded "Yes. I did"

"What else do you miss?"

"The noise. Walk through the central park. Pizza. After Chicago's pizza, it seemed like heaven"

"You've been to Chicago?"

"Yeah. My aunt lived there. I stayed with her for a month or so before joining classes"

"I'm glad you had someone" I said truthfully.

"Me too" she looked like she wanted to say more but eventually pursed her lips in silence.

'Who's Vicky?', I wanted to ask. From what I heard, he seemed like a friend; a close friend.

The question stayed on my lips even if I am dying to know. She's being laid back about all of my questions and I don't want to ruin it with my jealousy.

May be another time.

Madhu came in search of us but sans the mehendi "I was searching everywhere. Your mother's calling you for dinner"

"I had already" Anju answered calmly.

"But you still have Mehendi on your hands"

"Ummm... Vamsi fed me. You had food?"

"Yes" she said in a sulky tone "I had to wash my hands because I was hungry. It won't be red like yours"

"Mine won't be red either" Anju replied, looking at her hands or rather observing her skin perhaps remembering her grandmother's words.

"May be I should not have applied it after all" Her words made me realize my guess is true.

"Yours will look the best of all. Mark my words" I said confidently.

"No, it won't. It's useless. All the efforts and time" she mumbled, looking dismayed.

"Since when do you care what people thought of you or your colour?" I said, annoyed with her depressed tone.

"Since I realized that's all that matters. Not your behavior. Not your job. Not even money"

"That's not true"

"Easy for you to say when you're a boy"

"Let's not fight, ok?" I said, raising my hands in surrender "It's pointless"

With a disgruntled scoff, she stayed still. Madhu joined us on the stairs, sitting on the step below us.

"Ananya akka looked pretty tonight. Didn't she?" Madhu said.

"She's always pretty" Anju replied coolly.

"Yeah. But she had a glow on her face today"

"Is it? May be she put on a highlighter or a strobe cream or something" Anju said absentmindedly.

"I think" I began thoughtfully "She's glowing because she's very happy. People glow from within when they are happy"

Anju snorted.

"Look at Anju, for example" I continued in a serious tone "She looked the prettiest when she smiled. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks glowed when she laughed. Look at her now"

"That's bullshit" She replied.

"That's true actually" Madhu said simultaneously.

I answered Anju's scowl with a shrug when Madhu continued "Why don't you smile Anju? My Amma was saying the same the other day"

"Do I have to? I mean is someone joking?"

Madhu looked at her with a daring look "Is that a challenge?"

"No" she replied instantly.

"Sounds to me, it is" I put in, earning another scowl from my best friend.

Madhu and I took turns to make jokes but nothing earned even a hint of smile from my stubborn dear friend.

Elephant-ant jokes? Check.

Pappu jokes? Check.

Wife and husband jokes? Check.

"I give up" Madhu said finally "Are you even human? Why can't you laugh?"

"Your jokes are pathetic" Anju countered drily.

"I am going upstairs. Are you coming?"

"Her mehendi isn't dried yet" I replied before she can answer. Anju peered at me with a suspicious look but thankfully, didn't deny my statement.

"What are you upto?" she asked as soon as Madhu left.

"Nothing" I answered with a shrug "It's nice down here and I can keep you company until you go to bed"

"Or I can go now"

"Don't!" I responded a little too quickly.

"Spit it out" she demanded brusquely.

I sighed, taking time to answer "It's--- err-- been a while since--- you know--- we--- were together. I guess-- I just want to spend more time with you"

For half a minute, she didn't speak a word; except gaze at me with a profound look of interest. Then, she said "Aren't you tired?"

"I can stay up all night if that means I can talk to you" I replied, staring at her fondly.

"What's gotten into you?" she said, looking away.

Without allowing me to answer, she continued "Do you know where Neha lives now? I want to meet her as soon as we get away from here"

"You mean, after Ananya gets married?" I replied, biting my lips to stop myself from laughing. If Ananya knows Anju can't wait to run away, she's going to get an earful.

"Yeah. Same thing" Anju replied with a roll of her eyes.

"You could be a little excited"

"Why should I be excited if she will be the one getting sex from tomorrow night?"

I laughed.

Damn, she could have given me a heads up. That's a little crude; even for me. But, Anjali has always been an 'on-your-face' kind of person. Her straightforwardness and honesty is one of the things I love about her.

"Shut up. She's your cousin" I managed to say in between my laughter.

"But that's the truth"

"Are you two still here?" Anjali's mother walked up on us as I struggled to stop myself from chuckling.

"I'm waiting for this" Anju showed her hands to her mother, getting up.

"It's beautiful" she commented with an easy smile "Go to bed Vamsi. We have to get up early; tomorrow is going to be a long day"

"Yes auntie" I said, following them upstairs.

Her words turned out be absolutely true. The day seemed to go on forever with one ceremony after another. First there's Gauri puja, then something else for the bride, then a solo photo shoot, groom's arrival, couple's photo shoot, reception and then finally the actual ritual of getting married.

The event proceeded for another one and half hour after tying the knot.

Anjali's mehendi yielded a deep, dark shade of red like I predicted. She gave me a shrug when I pointed it out.

It looked beautiful on her; especially when she wore a red salwar to the wedding.

"Why do we do this to ourselves?" Madhu mumbled under her breath as we watched the groom trying to show Arundhati star to the bride in the cloudy sky.

"Remind me to never get married" Anjali said, suppressing yet another yawn.

"Why? It's only 3 AM" I joked.

"Why do we have to marry during ghosts' timings?" Nandu spoke from behind us.

"If anyone wants to get married in future, you have my full permission to elope. Never put me through this again"

Anjali's complaint is received with a glare from her mother standing before us "Shut up all of you"

When it finally ended and the bride's luggage is shifted into the groom's car, everyone's too tired to even cry at her departure. Well, everyone except the bride and her mother.

Anjali looked grumpy, Madhu looked like she'll start crying if the bride doesn't leave soon and Nandu is half asleep in his standing position.

All in all, it will be a night to remember.

We barely had two hours of sleep before being awakened to the news of bus departing to Visakhapatnam at 5.30 AM.

Packing up things in hurry, I joined Anjali and her two cousins in the corridor as we followed their parents to the Volvo Bus waiting for us.

Unlike the previous time, Anjali didn't say a word when I took the seat beside her or when I locked her fingers with mine.

She fell asleep almost immediately. The moment her head hit my shoulder, I realized there's no way I can rest with her lying so close to me; no matter how tired I am.

I watched the sun rise with her in my arms; her warm breath fanning my neck.

This moment will be something I'll perhaps remember forever. Right now, it feels like our boundaries have been crossed and I can take the next step for more.

Again, the thought of losing Anjali entered my mind and I comprehended that it's better to take baby steps.

No rash decisions and no letting my dick make the play.

It took us almost four hours to reach Vizag in spite of starting out early. Madhu and Nandu got down before us while I stayed til the last stop; Anjali's house.

On Aunty's suggestion to rest in their house until I can go to mine, I followed Anjali into her room and scrambled on her bed.

She went back to sleep in a snap and the memories of lying one feet away from her brought a stupid smile on to my face.

For as long as I can remember, I have had sleep troubles but staying close to her worked as a medicine, most of the time.

Perhaps because I'm on a familiar bed or perhaps because I'm very tired, my eyes grew heavy and I felt the need to close my eyes.

Almost when I am half way through sleep, I think I heard auntie's voice 'I thought he'll sleep on the diwan'

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- JANAKI