Fine, we're overthinking this.

I'm not scared of needles—if that's what you're assuming. Hospitals and I've had bonded over the wee span of my racing career. Angry drivers and winding tracks make for a deadly combination, actually. Pun intended.

Like, I didn't die or anything–duh, still talking to you here, but like, this one time Desmond Knowles really served shit. Brought our street racing feud into the academy and T-boned my Honda during trials.

Bitch deserved the suspension. I served mine under observation. Still have a tiny scar, do you wanna see it?

Okay, okay, fine. This isn't about me, yada yada. Gosh. The baby, the actress and the Arnav. Paps have flooded the hospital grounds—I'm not being late purposefully.

It's quarter past noon by the time I make it to the tenth floor housing its flurry of VIP guests. What happened to the requesting privacy post Sanaya's managers uploaded on all her social media accounts?

I mean, I'd have gladly left them alone if not for Ishita's unwanted intervention and four missed calls. I kid you not, she's a bully undercover. And for the last time, I do not take credit for introducing her to my friends.

Arohi's lounge seems to be a little less crowded though. From the circular window on the door, I can see Arnav bending over a cradle and his wife lying on her bed, tears in her eyes and snot in her nose, ranting wildly—and yet I have no clue what's causing this strange nervousness.

"Bahar se hi takoge ya ghusne ka irada bhi hai?"

I blink away whatever clouds my eyes and turn to face the other actress. Yanking the door open, I wave for her to enter. "Ladies first."

Tanya rolls her eyes but complies nonetheless. My entrance marks a taunting round of chatter, all being hushed down to excited whispers because I can't steal a newborn's thunder.

"Aww, look at the cutie-pie" Tanya asks, claiming one side of the cradle. "Sou gaya finally?"

"Just, abhi," Arohi yawns. "God, I feel so drained. Kitna roya hai aaj!"

"Sirf day two hai, babe. Drama queen ke bete ka haq hai drama."

Arnav lets out an agreeable chuckle. I grab a peek at the tiny form swaddled in the crib, oblivious to all sorts of conversations parading about him. Relate, huh.

Looking around the cabin, I realize I should have gotten a bouquet or something because I'm not sure how to approach Arnav here. He seems happy. Doubtfully content. "Congrats," I guess?

A tired, silly grin makes its way on his face, one he seems to share with his wife. Arohi flashes an exhausted smile like the one she does on-screen sometimes. "Thank you."

"Koi naam soacha hai?"

"List toh lambi hai," Arnav admits. His arms swing the cradle constantly, and if I hadn't known better, I'd say the kid shares his red streaks on the nose and cheeks. "Par we're debating between Kanishq and Kabir."

Sounds like we might just have a lot more in common. "Karan is also a great option, just saying."

My suggestion gets mistreated, obviously, but we're not gonna ponder over their losses. In fact, before we can ponder over anything actually, a knock on the door distracts us from our naming poll.

I mean, should have known. Ishita's a fucking liar, after all.

"Look who's here," the baby-talk begins. It's cringe when adults do it, cringier when they're your friend's wife. "Bua ko fursat mili finally?"

Arvika steps in to hug Arohi like they never bumped a cold shoulder or two before. "Got on the first flight. Now, where's my nephew? Ready to meet his favourite bua?"

A banter of logic ensues, which only seems to fuel my flipped mood. I want to get out of here, but it's at this moment that Tanya catches my eye. I don't know what she sees, but Ritwik's wife has always been terrifying because she stares at me like she sees right through me. Like she knows it's suffocating in here.

No sympathy, fuck no. Just the stern acknowledgment of knowing a secret.

The trance breaks easily though, because it's not her that I dread the most. It's the voice that I've got to distance from, because one of us has to stop pretending to care about me.

"So, she exists."

To be honest, I always had half faith in Arnav's shitty story-telling. But to see the scowling princess of drama land live kinda brought things into perspective. Like, for example, she had this God complex that concerned everything Arnav.

I knew what God complex was, by the way, because I was doing my research on electives for eleventh standard. That's a whole another thing, but yeah. I'm not as hopeless as you make me out to be.

Anyway, that complex explained why Arvika was the subject of his ghost story, and of our conversation over boba tea the evening after our meet-cute.

Ritwik slurped really loudly because he's always been an idiot and for some reason liked to finish his entire drink even though there's just ice clinking in the bottom. "Yeah, but kinda rude, dont'cha think? Hello hi bol rahe thhe, itna attitude dikhaya."

"Kinda hot."

Shut up. You like that I've been so toxic.

Just like you, he snorted. "Arnav ki behen hai, bhai. August taq raakhi baandh degi hume."

Yeah, we all know how high school name-sake siblinghoods worked out. I wasn't too worried about it. Plus, "Bro they fight over breathing in the same room. Mujhe nahi lagta woh Arnav ko bhi raakhi baandhti hogi."

We snickered. Then slurped some more. The conversation eventually took a strategic turn to discuss matters of higher relevance—like battling Easton's stupid Gaurish Chhabra in a COC tournament the next day. It was a serious match, okay? He had this shit-eating grin during inter school matches that really irritated everyone in the 10 centimeter vicinity of his. Fucker always won at lawn tennis even though everybody knew what a Grade-A cheater he was. Showing him his place even in a video game was like doing the world a favor. We were all about world peace.

Mid-discussion though, I started sobering up from the pre-euphoria of defeating Easton in COC. The table right across from ours was occupied by a teacher who had joined our school recently. Remember the electives thing I was talking about? Yeah, this guy was the teacher for the Psychology elective. Kaushal Sir.

Our seniors said he was pretty cool, which made sense because he clearly wasn't fifty. He was young, had really curly hair (rumors were that he had ignored our Princi's order on hair decorum, which obviously made him even cooler) and was now seated with a middle aged man.

Something about this man had me a little uneasy. I didn't care to pinpoint what it was because Ritwik had cracked some genius idea. "Tu dus baje online aa, mai apne bhai ke account se karke batatu hoon. Solid plan hai, bro!"

Having polished our ventis, we made for the door, but as luck would have it, the new teacher and the class clown made eye contact right before we could depart.

"Kat le, kat le, kat le–"

"–abey Sir dekh chuke hai."

So? Not like he knew us by our names. "Ab toh nahi dekh rahe hai na! Woh hume padhate bhi nahi hai, chal na chup chaap."

The thing about class clowns was that they clowned even outside classrooms. "Good evening, Kaushal Sir!"

Mr. Kaushal looked uncomfortable enough to simply dismiss us with a feeble greeting. The short span of time that lapsed between his awkward nod and our departure from the café, though, was enough for my gaze to avert from him and land on the wrist of the man sitting next to him.

A tattered leather watch on a really hairy arm. Gross, I know, but I'd seen it somewhere. I knew him from somewhere, I knew him from somewhere...

"Bro, you cool?"

"Yeah."

Why did it feel like I'd seen him somewhere?

_____

Namoshtaii!

akiimarvelous sent me this mind blowing mood board that she made for Karan last week and I don't think I'm gonna get over it because, look—

I kid you not, this really catches adult Karan at specific places. Plus the quote. Mind blowing. Thank you sooo much Akanksha!

Looks like schools and colleges are finally offline now. The whole of Feb-March felt like a period of bidding best friends goodbye (sidenote, a big thanks to ughhmaybeits_Titli for helping me out with the gifts! She's a legit professional with the kind of digi-art she produces!). It honestly feels like we are stepping into a new season of our lives, and I am really excited for those who are going to college and going to live in a hostel. That sure was one of my dreams lol, but well, I guess it's time to give my room the makeover I had been procrastinating upon. How have you decorated and personalized your space?

I finally started (and finished) watching Euphoria's season 1 this weekend. Loved the cinematography, obsessed with the makeup, in awe at the smooth portrayal of the spectrum of sexuality and gender, but also cannot help but notice how literally every high school drama series basically has the same plot line. 

Banner art by ughhmaybeits_Titli, you already know how big of a fan I am of her work. Holi's this Friday, isn't it? How are you celebrating the festival of colors?

Read, vote, comment, promote!

~Shubhodiya