04. Planning With The Twerp.

"WHAT THE F—" 

I was about to curse when I saw my mom looking at me indignantly, and I just give her a sarcastic smile. "—fafda." I mumbled lowly, barely a whisper.

"Yes, I made these fafda and jalebi for you, Anu," my mom looked at me, a sense of adoration in her eyes as she battted her thick eyelashes. "I know you must be bored of having pizza in Rome," she added hastily, rolling her eyes at me.

"Mom, I've been in Rajkot since two weeks, and all I'm eating is fafda and jalebi; the only difference being sometimes it's ordered from Jignesh's shop and sometimes you make it on your own." 

"I thought you must be missing eating them; you used to eat them on a regular basis when you were a kid." Mom hardly left any chance to make me feel how I'm still a kid in her eyes, but her ways of doing so were horrible. In the entire span of two weeks after I returned from Rome, mom was tossing all kinds of Gujarati dishes in my mouth. Sometimes, I found myself thanking God that I was set up in a Bengali family for my marriage; Advay was a great cook, and he made amazing luchi which was my favorite.

"Mom, I was a kid," I told her, air-quoting "a kid", resulting in mom rolling her eyes at me. 

"Even Advay loves eating Gujarati cuisine," mom muttered under her breath. I snapped my gaze towards Advay who flashed me an awkward smile. "He was the one who told me to make fafda and jalebi today."

Advay was my fiance, but you could say my family too was in a little love with this man. My mom loved Advay because he always helped her in preparing lunches; and his expert opinion always added flavor to my mom's dishes. My Uncle loved Advay because he knew so much about the sensex and share marketting stuff, that he could actually consult him instead of spending his money on baseless legal consultants. My little brother, Arjun loved Advay because he loved comics and played soccer so well. 

I loved Advay, because come on, it was impossible to not love him; he was so goddamn lovable.

"You didn't, did you?" I narrowed my eyes at him. His smile dropped off his face, and I already knew my answer. "You know Advay, you're supposed to marry me, and not mom. So stop trying so hard to impress her, and remember... the way to the girl's heart is from her stomach."

"Which means I've to make luchi again," he grinned at me, and I nodded at him with a smile.

"If that's okay with you," I mumbled, knowing that he was in Rajkot for a business meeting. 

"Okay," he smiled at me, adjusting his specs on the bridge of his nose. I flopped towards him, giving him a side hug.

"But I won't permit," mom shook her head in denial. "What kind of mother-in-law I am? Making my own to-be-son-in-law cook food for my good-for-nothing daughter."

I just rolled my eyes at her, "I can cook pasta, pretty much anything in Italian cuisine." I defended myself while Advay threw a grin at me. I swear to God, if Uncle and Arjun were home right now, they would've instantly jumped to my defense. But fuck the guy who opened the amusement park, Arjun was so enthusiastic to go to. Ugh.

"And I love her anyway, cook or not." Advay sheepishly smiled, giving me a small peck on my forehead. I just stared at him, startled. 

What did I do to deserve such a perfect man? I wondered, letting out a frustrated ugh. He's so goddamn perf—

My thoughts were put into a shocking halt when the door bell rang. Mom and Abeer shared a look wondering who could it be at our home after 10 p.m.

Letting out an exhausted sigh, I trudged towards the door, opening it slightly only to be swept away by a familiar presence.

Abeer? I froze. Shouldn't he be like spending this time around with his wife in Poland for their honeymoon?

"Abeer? What are you doing here?" I asked, furrowing my brows. My stomach twisted and turned as he continued watching me with a stoic face. Don't tell me Arista rejected his length, I thought to myself miserably.

"Arista..." he began, before taking a deep breath as his eyes flit towards me. Advay and mom sauntered towards us, and Abeer engulfed me in an awfully bone-crushing hug. "I think it's over between us. I can't believe it, Anu." he cried in my arms, and I just tried to rake my hand through his hair — an awkward action — because Abeer loved it when someone would run a hand through his curly mop of hair.

Dragging him inside my bedrooom, I made him sit on my bed, not even bothering once to spare a glance to mom and Advay when I slammed the door shut. "What the fuck happened there?"

"Arista thought I was being clingy to her. She met this school friend of hers who happened to stay in the same hotel as mine, and suddenly, she started acting weird. I don't know; I think she has fallen out of love already." Abeer cried, running a hand through his hair.

What a player, the thought stirred my mind. I had really hoped that Abeer had found his true love.

And I felt like a fool for even hoping.

"Abeer, first of all, stop crying, okay?" I told him. "Try to not think of pasta for sometime,"

"How can I not? I love her so fucking much, Anu. Sometimes, it hurts." He sniffled. Abeer. How could love make you so weak?

I still clearly remembered my mom's words when I was going to college. Guard your heart well, she had said, don't fall for someone who won't catch you.

"Listen, I know you're heartbroken and you think like it's the end of the world, but it's not, Abeer," I told him, taking him in my embrace. "Love is not everything. It's a part of your life, but it's not your entire life."

"You say that because you've not fallen for someone yet," he snapped back at me, pulling away from the hug.

"That's not true, okay? And all I'm saying is don't act like an abstract thing which cannot be fixed after breaking. It's your fucking heart. It's yours. You don't need Arista to fix it, or make it beat. You've me by your side, always..."

"I swear, we should've fallen in love. It would've been so much easier," Abeer chuckled, and I smacked his arm playfully.

"Shut up, and come on — mom had made your favorite jalebis. I'm sure you'll love it." I told him enthusiastically, before adding in a lowered voice, "Uh, I guess, Italian was never your flavor."

He nodded, giving me a helpless smile and followed me out of the door. My mom serving the perfect host dragged him towards the dining table, and started feeding like he was starving since a decade. My glance occassionally flickered towards Advay who was staring at me without any hesitation and break. "Don't worry Advay, he's just my best friend." I clarified him, in case he was wondering if he was something more.

"Come on, I'm not that horrible fiance. I know he's your childhood buddy, you're ought to be worried about him." 

"Then?"

"I'm just wondering what's eating your mind... apart from the fact that Abeer and his wife are on the verge of getting divorced." 

"It's nothing Advay," I sighed. Advay let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head as if he didn't believe in me. "Uh, it's just... I thought Arista and Advay were perfect together. So raw, so much in love, so passionate about each other. But I guess there's something else too which drives a relationship. Which is more important than any of this."

"It's trust, I think. I know eavesdropping is a very bad habit but I heard everything Abeer said. And I'm sure it's lack of trust that has changed the dynamics of their relationship."

"No," I shook my head defiantly. "It's not just lack of trust, Advay. I think, it's lack of security as well. Abeer is insecure of Arista's closeness to other men. I so knew this was not going to work, but I really hoped for Abeer's happiness."

"Do you think we would end up like Abeer and Arista?"

"No," I shook my head with a curt laugh. "Maybe we're not that raw, passionate but we trust each other, and there are no insecurities, Advay. I know that for me, it's just you."

"I hope you're right," he told me, a small smile feeding on his lips.

I hope I'm right too.

-

IT TOOK ABEER A WEEK to get rid off Arista's thoughts partially. He had finally stopped sulking after I made him visit every corner of Rajkot, occassionally clicking pictures as we indulged on the sweets. I was going back to Mumbai in a couple of days, while Advay had already left for Kolkata. Abeer decided he would fly with me to Mumbai because apparently he had to clear his head a little more.

Right now, I was going through my Instagram's feed when I saw a lovey-dovey picture of Nikhil and Nikita. I didn't see a couple in them; I just saw Abeer and Arista in them. How they had broken up, and how Nikita was going to do the same mistake once again. 

I couldn't let my mistakes repeat over and over again.

I knew since the very beginning that Nikhil was a bad boy. He was typically the guy who pretends to have put all his emotions in the relationship, and he was making Nikita feel that she had finally changed him. But it was nothing like that.

Once a player, always a player. I was sure Nikhil was going to break Nikita's heart just the way he had done it. It almost felt like déjà vu, their relationship. A complete replica of the most toxic relationship I'd ever seen in my life.

Out of nowwhere Virat's message popped in my notifications. I relaxed a little, knowing that Virat could actually help me feel a little less complicated than I was. He could actually cheer me up in my worst of moods, even though he was a complete twerp.

virat.kohli : hey, you're in rajkot.

 me : i know i am, idiot. tell me something new.

virat.kohli : that you look cute even in your i-can-trip-on-air stance.

Oh God, he was talking about the video Abeer had shared. Apparently, I had a clumsy fall on the street while I was walking, and somehow Abeer got it recorded it on his phone.

virat.kohli : we should really meet up.

me : i am in rajkot, virat. we really can't

virat.kohli : you don't watch cricket, do you?

me : and why are you asking me so?

virat.kohli : because if you were, then you should've known that the entire team india is in rajkot for its test match. it's ind. vs. aus.

me : okay. i really had no idea. when and where? because i'm practically free ALL the time

virat.kohli : midnight, bhakti nagar marg? that old sweet shop?

me : midnight? really? 

virat.kohli : the press would grill YOU if they find us together :(

me : if only i wasn't SO desperate to talk to you. FINE, you twerp.

virat.kohli : i love you too BABE

me : MEH. HATE YOU. IDIOT.

virat.kohli : stop denying your feelings. ;)

me : f you.

Not taking more of his mindless crock, I just muted Virat.

-

"LOOK HOW KIND I AM," My previously closed eyes, flit open to just see him. How his arms were curled around my waist, as we were in the middle of a very... sticky position. 

Although romance was haunting behind us, always trying to wrap it's series of cliches around us, I was glad Virat and I had not fallen in love. Because sometimes love was not better than feeling your way through the dark, not better than the late night conversations we had trying to grasp each other's concept, and definitely not better than the simply way of how we looked into each other eyes.

"You mute me, and I help your ass from falling on the ground. Now that's kindness." Virat elaborated, as I straighten up myself, dusting off the grit from my jeans.

"Thank you, but I'm sure you're not here to talk about your once-in-a-blue-moon kindness, are you?" I asked him sarcastically. Virat simply rolled his eyes at me, and strutted towards his car. "Hey, you can't leave me alone here. Virat!"

"No, whatever you're saying seems like a high risk of me murdering you, Miss. Sharma. So it's better we don't talk. How can you question my kindness of all things?" he cried out dramatically, placing a hand on his heart, pretending to be hurt.

"Oh my poor kind little angel, I'm so sorry!" I told him, gazing at him murderously. Virat gave me a hurt look again I burst into fits of giggles. It felt like ages since I'd last laughed. "You're kind. You're sexy. You make me laugh. Only one statement is true, guess which one?"

Virat threw an ecstatic grin at me, "I would like to think you said, I'm kind and sexy and I make you laugh. Now that's one sentence, and it's pretty much true."

My brows raised in appreciation, "Smart, huh."

"Can't help it. It's in my genes," he swiped his tongue across his bottom lip before smirking. "All the sexiness and intelligence and good sense of humour, all of them are pretty much in my genes."

"Nothing for you to boast about, then." I retorted, rolling my eyes at him. "So anyway, I haven't come here to talk about how desirable your genes are. It's something really important."

A breeze disrupted our conversation, my hair becoming a cluttered mess. It didn't bother me as the breeze literally killed the humid, smoldering heat of the night. I felt myself relaxing at the cooling sensation. "What is it all about?"

"Nikita and Nikhil." I answer, my eyes gazing at him as my face held a worrysome expression. 

"What about them?"

"We've to... we've to make them break up."

Virat looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. Honestly, I really thought I had. "Are you crazy? We're not going to do any of that! They love each other, for God's sake!" he exclaimed alarmingly.

"Stop shouting, will you?" I punched him in the gut to make him lower his voice. "Now listen, do you love Nikita?"

"Very much," he answered honestly.

"Then I don't see there's any problem, Virat. Everything's fair in love and war." I sighed, unsure of what I was speaking. But for Nikita's happiness if I'd to turn into something so evil, be it so. My girl deserved happiness and not that douche.

"But why all of a sudden? I mean, you were just fine with them last time we met." Virat asked, his knitted eyebrows edged at me.

I heaved an exaggerated sigh, "I don't know, Virat. It's just that after Abeer and Arista's fall out, I don't want to risk my best friend's love life again."

"But how are we, uh, going to make them break up? That's impossible." Virat asked remorsefully, giving me a pointed look.

"Simple. By manipulating them."