10~ "Kinda like remixing an old song into a modern one."

« VANSH »

The upcoming Saturday, Irfan and I decided to drag our asses to explore Boston. More like, show me around. It was a promise Irfan made a long time ago when I confessed about not having explored the city. But that was before Lisa visited me. Anyway, we finally decided to meet this Saturday and visit 'The Freedom Trail.'

I was ecstatic because it was my first outing with an outsider at Boston. Irfan and I have been getting along quite well recently. Being a senior, he also guided me in my work sometimes. It was still annoying to hear his non- stop radio talk but I found him less bearable now. Kind of.

"We should head to the church first. It's the nearest spot from here," Irfan told me as we stood in front of the gates. Just then, his Android buzzed through and he answered, "Yo, where are you? We are standing just in front the sign board... Okay, hurry up."

I turned to him curious, "Someone else is coming too?"

He rubbed his nose, "Yeah. She wanted to explore this place as well but never took the time out of her weekends. Thought I should be a tourist guide for two people instead of one."

"She?" My face fell with realization. "Don't tell me it's her."

"That 'her' has a name you know. Good morning boys! Sorry to wreck your 'privacy' but try not to expand your dicks for today. I don't fancy being the third wheel." The devil known as Natasha made an appearance. She scurried over to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder, "Instead, you, dear Irfan would be awkward third wheel today while I and my darling enjoy our date."

"Okay." he shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Okay?" I exaggerated, stepping away from her and turned to Irfan since it was no use talking to her. "I'm not okay with it! Why didn't you tell me about her before? I wouldn't have bothered to come."

"Why?"

"Why, you ask? Even 'why' wouldn't cover for what she had been doing for the past thirteen days." And thus I ranted about her mischiefs.

Instead of being a decent friend and sympathizing with me, he did the complete opposite. He laughed.

"O' hello, I'm not reciting a comedy skit here. I'm trying to tell you how I've been tortured and sexually harassed for the past-"

"Okay, hold your horses right there," Natasha interrupted, with a finger pointing up. "Sexual harassment? You're meaning to say my innuendoes and mind games was sexual harassment? Wow, you are even dumber than I thought."

I waved my hand, "That's it, I'm leaving."

"Who stopped you anyway? Oh, and do me a favor, dumbfuck. After your head cools down below the freezing point, ask yourself if I ever touched you inappropriately. You'll know your answer," She defended, crossing her arms.

"Vansh, oh, come on! And where are you heading...? Both of you, stop!" Irfan raised his voice, stopping us in our tracks. We turned to him, who was looking between the two of us, perplexed. "What are you doing? If you intended on leaving then why bother calling me? I sacrificed my weekend breakfast. You have no right to leave me now." What he did next was downright pathetic. He dragged my hand, walked to Natasha, and then grabbed her hand. He started moving, dragging us along like suitcases.

We protested but he paid no heed. "Does weekend breakfast means that much to him?"

"It's his first love," Natasha said then felt the need to add, "While Ziara is his second."

"Natasha!" Irfan blurted out, slightly shaking his head at her as a warning. For someone claiming that they weren't close friends, they sure knew a lot about each other.

"Just how many loves do you have?" I teased, pretending to be shocked by this information. Irfan said it wasn't the case while Natasha questioned my question to him. "You do know he has a crush on your roommate, don't you?"

"I do but I don't believe him. She probably reminds him of Ziara."

"Kylie looks nothing like her!"

And thus the back and forth bickering commenced while I listened. Irfan's hand had long left us and now we were walking together without a word of protest against it. It was fruitless backing out now. Thus, we proceeded towards the entrance gate.

A trip down to the medieval era was a strong reason to forget the enmity that emerged earlier. Natasha and I continued talking mostly to our personal tourist guide. As we visited the Old State houses, bricked footpaths, graveyards and witnessed the solders marching down the roads, the atmosphere became lighter. The conversation flowed as the three of us discussed history and ancient architecture.

After giving rest to our legs in a mall nearby, we proceeded towards the food mart at the topmost floor. On our way, we passed by a haunted house section and Natasha started insisting us to visit there first. We refused, wanting to feed our roaring stomach first.

"Come on, it's not even a legitimate haunted house. I bet it would only take us ten minutes max. We'll go straight to the food court after that, whatcha say?"

Irfan and I exchanged a look that spoke a private language in itself before turning to her.

"Sure!"

"Sure."

Somehow Irfan's 'sure' didn't sound so sure. I asked him if something was wrong with his stomach (that's the most probable conclusion) but he retorted, shaking his head as a no. Thus we proceeded to buy the tickets for the same.

"We hope you enjoy the ride, ladies and gentlemen!" a lady attendant spoke in a sweet tooth voice. She pulled the curtain aside, beyond which was nothing but darkness. I shared a grin at both of them before entering the dark realm.

Just as we took the first step, I felt a cold gush of air, causing me to shiver. A hand gripped my elbow, making my heart beat rise. "Don't worry, it's me, Irfan. We wouldn't wanna risk falling onto something, would we? We should stand close to each other."

He was looking oddly suspicious now. Indeed I was proved right, when a couple of toy bats appeared suddenly, the sound of their wings flapping through the hallway. Natasha and I didn't particularly react but Irfan shifted even closer to me while letting out a small squeal.

"Chillax pussy, it was just a bat."

"Oi, get away from me. You're freaking me out."

"I was just scared that I- I'll fall. Seriously, nothing else." Irfan defended or atleast tried to.

I turned to Irfan even though he couldn't see me. "Irfan, are you afraid of-"

"Hiiihahahahahahaa~!!!"

It was a sinister laugh of a woman who appeared before us in a white dress but then disappeared as soon as she came. It was an illusion. Natasha and I were startled by it, but it was Irfan who squealed and grabbed onto me like I was his lifeboat. What followed was a hideous laughter. Our laughter.

"Wh- wha- what happened? Why are you two laughing like that?" He asked, his voice shaking as he moved away from me. At that, both of us laughed even louder, adding a sinister touch to it. "S- st- sto- stop it, okay! It's not funny! Are you... possessed?"

A small ray of light casted upon us, leaving a pattern of shadows alongwith its wake. Natasha and I turned to Irfan with our eyes and teeth wide. All cor drained from his face as we ghostly laughed, followed by the echoing laughter of a programmed ghost lady, followed by an ear- piercing scream that was even louder than all the laughs above. It was fascinating.

The attendant standing next to the exit of the haunted house, looked at us baffled, as we stepped outside. He sure as hell didn't expect a pissed off Irfan, and Natasha & me, laughing his wits out.

"Oh my fucking God! That was the single, most best, ghost ride I had in my fucked up life," Natasha commented in between her laughs.

"Ghost ride? More like 'aahhh' ride."

"You are making it sound like an orgasmic scream."

"Shut up, you sex minded maniac."

We turned our heads to Irfan whose face steamed hot enough to be blown like a pressure cooker. We didn't care. Natasha faked a frail voice. "Wh- wha- what happened?"

"Ki- ki- kiran," I shuttered in a trademark Shahrukh Khan style which almost had us crouching on the floor, bawling our laughs out. We caught attention from the onlookers but were too busy clutching our hands to our stomachs.

"St- stop. Stomach paining," she barely made out the words in her half panted state and wiped her tears. I was busy gathering myself as well when she looked around. "Where's Irfan?"

"I guess we got too busy laughing. Although I do know a place where he'd be right now." I said, standing up and we shared a knowing smile.

On our way to the food court, I told her about my visit to a well arranged haunted house in Disneyland, Paris. "This puny haunted show you see is nothing compared the one I saw there. It was like a big haunted house from a movie. The effects were top notch. Both of us were genuinely afraid."

"Both?"

"Me and my girlfriend. Er- ex girlfriend?" I spelled, not so sure about adding ex to that.

"So you and your girlfriend spent your pre- honeymoon in Paris?"

A smile escaped my lips. "Yeah, pre- honeymoon has a nice ring to it. Regardless, I had the time of my life there."

"You're whipped, boy," she teased but then her face broke into a small smile. "Lucky you. You've been to different places abroad while I've only stepped out of India for the first time ever. Though I'm loving Boston so far."

At that, a blurred image sprung in my head. An image of the three of us visiting New York City. It was just a few hours away from here. But I wouldn't buy that image for real, no way. We were just colleagues who happened to spend a day together. Nothing more.

Unsurprisingly, we found Irfan standing in front of one of KFC stalls, giving his orders. We tried to communicate with him but he wouldn't acknowledge our presence. And me being the insensitive prick couldn't stop myself from saying what he said in his worst fears back then. "Mummy, oh mummy!"

"Stop it, Baweja. He's really butthurt right now," Natasha hissed besides me. "Let's stay put and order our food. The food do the magic for him."

The way she talked made it seem like it wasn't the first time something like this happened. Nevertheless, I agreed and went to give my order. Wordlessly, we sat on Irfan's table to witness the table filled it with plates of thali, chicken, rice, and drinks. We had to grab another table to support our plates. It felt like deja- vu back when Irfan gave me treat.

"Where does his truckload of food go exactly? No, seriously, how is he even alive, and fit and fine at the same time? I'm so envious," I whispered to her as I watched him eating, amused.

"It shits in return, obviously. Though I have a feeling he has a two pairs of small and large intestines," she answered and I raised a brow at her. "That's the only way I could justify this. God bless his future wife."

"Look at you two getting along like long, lost friends. I'm surprised Vansh. Didn't you mention her presence was torture? Now let me have my lunch in peace. My mouth is dry from touring with you two," Irfan spoke for the first time since we exited from the haunted house. He proceeded to gobble down on the kati roll. The way he ate- Not that I'm a fan of elite ways of eating but my stomach hurt just by watching.

"You're just sour that I'm not by your side now," Natasha protested. His words did made me think for a second. To be honest, I was okay with her presence now, provided she forgot about the stupid challenge. Soon, I got down to eat my portion of the food.

By the time we strolled around the mall, it was already evening. Irfan pointed a finger at me. "So Nat, what did you see in this guy that you suddenly decided to pursue him?" Good going, dude, I wanted to know why too.

"You really wanna know. Really, really?" she emphasized while both Irfan and I nodded. She pulled a face before answering. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Yeah, nothing. I was just playing with him because I was bored," She shrugged.

Bored? "Okay, hold up. I still remember you asking me. It seems strange that someone who rarely talked to me, would suddenly ask me out on a night just because she was bored. Why me? Surely there were a lot of other fishes in the sea."

"Looks like I've got no choice. Ah, nevermind, this game was going nowhere anyway," Natasha said lazily, standing besides the railing as she stopped walking. We stopped as well. "At the party, me and some of the female co- workers gathered together to play a silly game of truth and dare. Most of the dares were associated with boys, mainly the ones who were in our team to stir some conspiracy. At my turn, these bitches dared me to ask you on a dinner date and see how you react. They actually found you cute. You know what I did? I refused right away since I found you plain and told them to choose another boy for me instead. So they paired me up with Dave who was eye- fucking me for the last fifty minutes. I found him cool so I accepted. Big mistake there."

I was a bit puzzled now, "But you-"

"Let me finish," She cut me off with her palm raised. "So I went to Dave, triggered his dick with my words, which ended us up at the back of the corridor. I was actually glad you saw us there, because it gave me the perfect opportunity to get away from him, without breaking his heart. Me finding you in the study room was a total coincidence though. The ground floor was crowded so I went to the first floor to rest but alas, you were already there. I approached to confront you on what you saw but you seemed sort of nervous dunno why. That's exactly when you piqued my interest. Your reactions intrigued me so I decided to try that dare on you, just to see how you'd react. And boy, did it turn out good- no, even better than I expected. I still laugh at the fake shirt strip thing you know."

No way. I refused to believe I was fooled to that extent. "But- but you wanted me to prove that I won't give in to you. That not all men are dickheads."

She giggled before looking at me sympathetically. "That was all to provoke you, darling. Granted all men are certified perverts except asexuals. Their preferences are much wider than us, but they do have their preferences. Obviously not every man will want me. To tell the truth, I still don't know how I came up with the seduction challenge on spot. I just wanted to keep triggering you. I must confess, you actually look kinda sexy when you are angry. Aw, don't tell me you were looking to some bang bang. I'm not sorry to say, but I'm not interested. You're not my type."

It made much sense in my head now as I recalled the past two weeks. She wasn't seducing me. She only wanted to get a reaction out of me. I felt like crap. Like I was the biggest dumbhead ever.

"You there, buddy?"

For years, I played on people with my pranks but this bitch right here outshined me to the point where I questioned my deeds. Did I really fooled those people or did they fooled me into fooling them? What if my whole life was a lie?

"Natasha, I think you overdid it. He's not coming out."

This self centric woman royally stomped on the title I prided on. Not only that but it was also betraying how I was used to her liking. And for what? Entertainment. It didn't matter whether she was interest-

"BAWEJA!" Natasha shouted, knocking me out of my thought process. "Thank fuck you responded. I really thought your brain froze or something."

"It's getting late. We should head home," I told Irfan after checking the time and he agreed. I continued walking without sparing a single glance at Natasha. Infact, I didn't bother to talk to her throughout the way. I had fun after a long time but alas, it ended bitterly.

~

"Look, I even bought your favorite chicken nuggets. Atleast talk to me now," Natasha pleaded, placing a plate of chicken nuggets on the table where I was seated. It's been four days since I talked to her. She didn't particularly approach me at first, but by Thursday, she was a bit agitated. She asked something related to work and I replied by writing on a notepad. I wasn't mad at her. Okay, maybe I was, a bit, but truthfully, I simply wanted to get on her nerves with silence.

"Fuck! You're so-"

"Natasha, remember what I said," Irfan reminded her.

I raised my head to shoot a knowing look at Irfan who was smirking. Natasha sighed. "Fine, I'll suck it up then- I'm genuinely sorry for bruising your... sentiments... ego... Well, whatever it is I did, I'm sorry. Happy?"

I pressed my mouth in a thin line to prevent myself from laughing. When I refused to answer her still, she got up with a thud. "I did as you told me, Irfan. I said sorry two fucking times. Not my problem if he has an attitude fifty times his dick."

Irfan flinched from the remark but quickly motioned me to speak up as Natasha started walking away. "I'll accept your apology on one condition- You'll have to buy me lunch for one week."

"One week?" she stopped and turned to me.

"Don't look so shocked. You should be grateful I kept it to one week, otherwise, I would have abided by the rules of that bet and told you to buy me lunch everyday."

"Shut up and eat what I gave you. The treat's only valid for today." She narrowed her gaze and sat down on the chair opposite me. "Irfan, you are going to the canteen, right? Get one double cheese burger for me."

"Oi, I won't be able to carry that much. I have my own load." Irfan retorted.

"You are not going to starve if you subtract one of your things, you gluttony. Now go."

Later when Irfan bought his and Natasha's lunch, they settled down on my table. Irfan and I were already having our lunches together but today, Natasha joined us, too. The fifteen day challenge was long forgotten but that didn't mean I would give up, oh hell no! I wasn't a prankster for nothing. I'd make her pay for how disastrously she fooled me. I didn't know how but I'll figure it out, Natasha. Just you wait.

Soon we were talking about nonsensical things. At one point, we were laughing and I took a moment to observe their silly faces. Like a gush of wind, I flew back to the past. A time from my school and college where I was laughing along my old friends, Pragya and Dhruv. A time from then, where I was exploring Toronto with them. A time from now, where I was exploring Boston with these two. The coincidences were so strong that it warmed it's way into my heart.

Irfan made it more memorable by gathering the three of us for a group selfie. This feeling- it was kinda like remixing an old song into a new one. The original song would still be the best, no doubt, but we would still keep listening to the new one.

Maybe these remaining months in a unfamiliar city wouldn't be as difficult as I pictured them out to be.

Maybe I wouldn't be so alone after all.

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A u t h o r' s N o t e

Haha so that little seduction game is finally over. Props to 7Sanjana07 for guessing the correct answer (without adding or) and even adding that they become friends.

What do you think of Irfan and Natasha so far? Will Vansh's imagination come true? (The one where he imagined them visiting NYC 😜) Do vote and comment your thoughts, guys. I love hearing from you. Hope you liked this chapter. I enjoyed writing it. 💕

Miss Ahana already? Then look forward to the next chapter. 😉😉