Piyali's apartment was pretty untidy, and when Nandini first entered the house, her OCD was immediately triggered. She yearned to fold all the unfolded and creased laundry that was lying on the couch. She wished she could wash all the dishes inside the sink before wiping the sink clean and scrubbing the countertops of the kitchen. She hoped to clean the windows of the living room as well as the dining table where half-open boxes with cooked pasta were placed right next to a jug of orange juice that had spilled over the wooden surface quite some time ago since the dried-up stain was quite perceptible.

Nandini's fingers were itching to grab a pail full of water and clean the entire apartment. She was certain she wouldn't be able to sleep at night otherwise. However, as her friends and family had time and again taught her, she refrained from passing any sarcastic remark on her newfound friend's organizational skills and also on the utter disarray Akanksha and Piyali's apartment was in.

Once the initial introductions were over and Aditya narrated his side of the story about the accident in excruciating detail, she pursed her lips and refused to share her version of the same tale since she didn't wish to indulge in a fight with the man and witness his egregious behavior yet again. As the rest of them burst out into a fit of cackles, reminding Aditya that he was equally at fault, Nandini threw a meaningful look at him before getting up from the couch and tying the trash bag up.

"Umm... Piyali, this trash bag is overflowing, and I needed to discard this can of soda," she said, gesturing towards the empty can of Coca-Cola she had in her hands. "Do you mind if I dispose of this trash bag and use a new one?"

The way utter silence descended in the living room along with the stunned expressions that everyone assumed, Nandini was half-sure they were offended because of the liberty she had taken. So, she was preparing herself to launch into a full-fledged apology session when Rishi snickered first, followed by Raunak, and then all of them burst out into a fit of laughter, their bodies convulsing vehemently. In fact, Abhi was rolling on the carpet, unable to control himself, holding his stomach as a stitch developed on his side from guffawing.

Nandini scratched her head. "What happened, guys? Did I say something wrong?"

Piyali hid her face behind her palms. "I am so embarrassed right now."

"I didn't mean to—"

"No, no, Nandini." Piyali chuckled, moving towards the kitchen. "It's my fault that I didn't put this out. Let me take it to the dumpster, and you can find the spare bags in the cabinet under the sink."

Nandini smiled, nodding weakly, casting a careful glance at the others, who were still sniggering from time to time. Once Piyali was out of the apartment, she took a deep breath and went towards the sink cabinets. However, the dishes placed inside were calling out to her, and her hands itched to wash them or at least stow them away in the dishwasher.

Without her knowledge, her fingers went towards the tap as she twisted the knob and water gushed out of it before she picked the scrubber, pouring a tiny bit of dish soap over the green side. But before she could launch into cleaning all those dishes, she heard a subtle clearing of a throat behind her, and she was alerted.

Abandoning the scrubber and turning the tap off, she swerved, only to roll her eyes since the irksome dimwit who couldn't drive was smirking at her. "What?"

He cleared his throat again. "OCD about cleaning?"

Her eyes widened and she was left dumbfounded.

"Don't worry. I am actually not a stalker." He pursed his lips to repress a snigger. "My mother has OCD issues too when it comes to cleaning. You were exhibiting those classic signs that are reminiscent of Mom."

"Oh!"

He offered her a can of beer. "You should go to a psychiatrist. Helps."

She accepted the can with a frown on her face. "I am not mad."

"And then," he leaned against the kitchen countertop, sipping from his can, "you should go to a good driving school. I can send you the address," he smirked, "now that I have your phone number."

"Eternal jerk," she muttered, walking off.

***

As the evening wore on, Nandini realized she was indeed having fun. She was an utterly emotional mess in the afternoon when Piyali invited her over, and she was glad she didn't decline it, for this lovely bunch of people sans the troublesome asshat was warming her heart up, ridding it of the loneliness she had experienced earlier in the day. The sting of a bruised car sitting at the dealership was also not as painful anymore.

She adored how the newest couple in town—Raunak and Akanksha—was gushing about each other, exhibiting how utterly in love they were. She admired how Abhi seemed to be the wisest yet the funniest in the group, his jokes cracking her up every two seconds. She was thankful to Piyali for cleaning up the apartment after the mortifying trash can incident. The living room was more or less clean now with the laundry folded and stowed away in Piyali's closet. The dishes were sparkling clean and hanging on the dryer rack. The dining table was cleared away and the juice stain also vanished after the host scrubbed everything despite conversation freely flowing between the rest of them in a light-hearted, jovial environment. But Nandini's absolute favorite had to be the flirtatious, outgoing, extroverted Rishi, who was engaging in a discourse with her on the balcony across the living room that made her giggle uncontrollably.

"You smell like vanilla and chocolate," he said, inhaling sharply with his eyes closed. "So beautiful and artistic. Just like you." He opened his eyes and winked at her.

She couldn't help herself but laugh with her head thrown back. "You are flirting with me."

"Of course, I am. You are pretty."

Aditya went in to call the two of them inside since their dinner—Mexican from a nearby outlet—had arrived. However, watching the two of them engaging in a coquettish to and fro disgusted him to the degree that he almost barfed behind his palms. Informing them of the arrival of the food they ordered, he whirled to go back in, following Rishi, but sensing that Nandini had stayed back on the balcony, gazing at the stars in the night sky as well as the shimmering artificial lights of the buildings nearby, he took two steps back.

"Aren't you coming in, crazy girl?" he said, his back resting on the balustrade, his eyes going to her profile as her hair flew because of the slight draft of wind, framing her face with those thick tresses that grabbed his attention—silky, smooth, jet black.

"Coming," she murmured. Letting out a deep sigh, she glimpsed down at the road ten floors below, admiring the vehicles that appeared tiny as they plied along, their headlights flashing, horns honking, pedestrians walking their dogs, hand in hand with their partners. There were a few stoners too, plopped at the intersection a certain distance away, where the traffic lights illuminated the streets and the bright lamps were responsible for lighting up the billboards. Multi-colored murals were painted on the walls of every edifice in sight. She breathed deeply once again. "I think I am falling in love."

He snorted. "With Rishi?"

She pursed her lips and gaped at him. "Fuck off." Rolling her eyes, she said, "With the city. It's so beautiful and vibrant. Everybody is doing something artistic—painting, singing. Yeah, the traffic can be bad at times, a few people are always in a rush, but this is exactly the kind of place I wanted to be at. It's comforting and warm."

"It's getting cold, Miss Basu," he said in a teasing tone. "Can't you notice that the temperatures are dipping and there is a need to wear jackets?"

She clicked her tongue. "You know what I mean!"

Shaking his head, he said, "Come on. Dinner's getting cold."

"Mr. Roy?"

"Now, now," he huffed, "Aditya is just fine."

She tittered. "Okay... Aditya. Please call me Nandini." She forwarded her palm to him. "We got off on the wrong foot. Care to set it right? Friends?"

He glimpsed at her outstretched arm before his gaze went back to the glint shining in her eyes. Leaning closer to her, a serious expression on his face, prompting her to furrow her brows and step back, he whispered, "Watch your back, Nandini Basu. I am going to come for you, and I will make sure you pay for the loss you caused me today."

***

At the end of the night, Nandini was exhausted but sated. The food was good. The alcohol was good. The company was exceptional. However, her mood soured when Piyali insisted that Aditya drop her off at her house instead of her taking a cab since he, anyway, lived two streets away from her. Although both had resisted to the best of their abilities, coming up with their own reasons, Piyali won in the end, given Aditya couldn't decline her orders anymore and Nandini didn't wish to antagonize the lovely host.

Hence, much to their chagrin, they found themselves in the dark parking area, standing next to his car. The very one she felt guilty about ramming into in the morning. But his incessant comments about her so-called subpar driving skills ensured that she was as hostile to the vehicle as she was to the owner.

He was already in front of the door on the driver's side when he discerned the distasteful expressions on her face as she had her nose scrunched up and her lips turned into a pout. Clicking his tongue, he said, "Get in, would you? I don't have all night."

Flashing her eyes at him, she twisted her lips and stuck her tongue out.

For a moment, he was taken aback by her childish behavior. Gaping at her as she slid inside, he rolled his eyes. "Out of seven billion people in this world, my baby has to drop off the very person who tried to murder her." Grumbling curses under his breath, he sat behind the wheels and glanced in her direction. "Put on the belt," he muttered.

He was barely audible, and hence she had to ask, "What?"

"You are deaf too," he said, putting up a farcical smile.

She groaned. "Why am I stuck with you of all people? Such a nincompoop you are."

He scoffed. "Yeah, we can see who is what. Put on the belt. I can't stand you inside my baby for a moment more than necessary."

Another classic reaction from her came as she twisted her lips and fastened the seat belt. "By the way, I have perfect hearing, thank you very much! But if you keep shouting at the top of your voice, people around you would definitely go deaf."

He ignited the car's engine, pursing his lips. "You don't stop ever, do you? You always have a comeback ready."

"Ripostes are only for people who are disrespectful. I can reassure you that I am a pleasant and friendly soul, but my snarky side comes out only for special people."

His brows shot up. "Special people, huh?"

"Yeah, a different species of people who are part donkeys and part monkeys. However," she giggled, "comparing you to them would be an insult to donkeys and monkeys."

He pushed the accelerator harsher than he had intended to. Braking almost immediately, in turn, led the two of them to jerk forward.

"Perfect," she mumbled, steadying herself with a hold on the dashboard. "You were giving me sermons about driving skills. Thank you for giving me a live example of how great a driver you are. Seriously, Mr. Roy." She clapped in a sardonic manner. "I am grateful to you."

He glared at her before gently pressing on the accelerator and propelling the vehicle onto the main road. "Please just don't talk for the next thirty minutes."

Huffing, she chose to gaze out of the windows. Out of nowhere, clouds had gathered overhead, low rumbles of thunder echoing around as the temperatures dropped significantly, the fog intensifying. In no time, a slight drizzle graced the surface of the Earth too, and despite the rolled-up windows and the air conditioning inside, she was able to smell the petrichor. That coupled with the sweet melody emanating from the FM improved her mood considerably, and a small smile tugged at her lips.

However, her good mood didn't last long since he deftly turned up the volume, changed the channel, and instead of a melodious song, she was startled by the raucous blaring of EDM, the beats increasing her heart rate and giving her a headache.

Tugging at the roots of her hair, she peeked at him when the car halted at a traffic signal, but her orbs fell on the market complex on the other side of the road. "Can you please drive in through the stores on your right?"

He peeped out too to find two restaurants, a grocery store, and an ice cream parlor in the complex. "Why? We just had dinner. I am sure you can't be hungry this soon," he said, snickering.

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you by any chance calling me fat or body-shaming me? Again? If that's the case, mister, I swear to God I am going to bury you alive right now."

He facepalmed himself. "What do you need?"

"Milk from the grocery store. Otherwise, I would have nothing to eat for breakfast."

"Am I your personal chauffeur?"

"Had you been, I would've fired such an incompetent driver. Can't risk my life because of someone's pointless temper, can I now?"

Groaning, grumbling all the way up to the grocery store, he halted the car, asked her to be quick in whatever task she needed to undertake, watched her rush inside the shop with her hoodie protecting her head from the rains, and waited inside the car, impatiently tapping his nails over the steering wheel, noticing the way the downpour outside was intensifying. "Oh, where the heck am I stranded? And why with her of all the people in the world?"

***

The rest of the journey was carried out in utter quietness till they reached their neighborhood, the bag of milk secure in her hands, the music still loud, but at least both didn't need to interact with one another. That was a relief to the two of them.

"Where is your building?" Aditya finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Why are you asking me? You have it saved in your phone's camera roll." She flashed him a sarcastic smile. "Use it."

"There's just no point talking to you," he muttered. "Tell me right now or I will take you to my place."

Clenching her fists, she gave him the drop-off address. Perceiving the slight nod of his head, she said, "So, how many tickets have you earned to date because you couldn't reverse a car properly?"

"Zero." He scoffed. "Don't try to pick on me, girl. Barring today's incident, I am an excellent driver."

She had to bite her cheeks to prevent the wide smirk from forming on her lips. "You mean, now monkeys also drive well!"

"I am not aware of monkeys, but baby elephants most certainly can't drive," he said, shrugging.

It took a minute for her to comprehend the jibe. Her mouth hanging agape, she shrieked, "You are such an ass. Don't you have any manners? I just told you not to even try to body shame me. Is this the way to talk to a girl?"

"I do know how to talk to girls, but talking to baby elephants is a new experience for me. You see, I don't know their language yet," he said without a single frown adorning his features.

"I am not a baby elephant, you jerk. I look perfect, for your kind information," she screamed.

He chortled. "When did I talk about you? I was indeed talking about baby elephants." He wiggled his brows at her. "Why did you assume it's you?"

She looked away, completely piqued by the company she had. As she was about to formulate another retort, telling him to fuck off, he stopped the car. So, she scowled at him in response. "Why did you stop the car all of a sudden? It's already late in the night. Can you please move along quickly?"

He peered at her, scrutinizing her, reading her.

She grimaced. "Stop staring, you creep! And start this damn car."

"Get out," he said, his head turning to peek out of the windshield.

"Oh! So, now you want me to get down in the middle of nowhere? How responsible of you!"

He chortled. "Yeah, I am indeed very responsible. We are in front of your building, sweetheart."

She cringed at the term of endearment he had used, for it was with a scathing intonation. Mumbling a few choice profanities under her breath, she unbuckled the seat belt and slid out, banging the door shut. Ducking her head down and looking at him through the rolled-down window, she said, "I don't feel like doing this, but my manners tell me otherwise."

He shook his head, exhaling profoundly. "What is it now? Why can't you spare me at," he checked his watch, "11 at night? Just be on your way already."

"Listen to me!" she snapped.

He pursed his lips.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times as he stared on without a single expression crossing his face, making her slightly conscious of herself. Finally, she took a deep breath. "Thank you."

A moment later, he burst out into a fit of cackles. "Must have been so difficult for you to say that."

She flashed her eyes at him. "Good night."

He tipped his head. "Good night to you too."

She whirled and strode straight towards the building. He waited for a moment to ensure she was safely inside before he whooshed the car away.