We had a lunch consisting of dry prawns, a coconut-based fish curry, rice, papad, rotis, dal, cucumber, onion, tomato salad, and instead of buttermilk, all of us drank solkadi. The mahogany dining table which could accommodate six people was in an inviting corner of the living room, surrounded by lemony yellow-coloured walls on three sides and giant glass, sliding doors with access to the backyard. Paintings of smudged flowers and leaves hung on the walls, similar to the ones that I had found in Lila's apartment back in Mumbai. The airy, high-ceilinged living room had sloping, white ceilings with a direct view into the landing of the first floor. There were a six-seater wooden sofa, an ochre wicker chair and a mahogany coffee table in the middle of the living room facing the 40 inches television (the sticker of 40 inches still wasn't removed). There were two bookshelves on either side of the television which consisted of few magazines, a stack of newspapers, some best-selling novels of commercial Indian authors that vendors sold on streets and gadgets like charger or remote kind of things. I was certain that the cabinets didn't contain any objects in an orderly fashion either.

After we finished eating, I sat there by the table peacefully while others had gone to play some boardgame. The housekeeper's wife cleaned the floral, white table cloth and engaged me in a cordial conversation about Tarkarli, the weather, the food, all in Marathi. She had a coy smile which naturally revealed her crowded teeth that I was accustomed to seeing every time I talked about my hometown being here, spending every summer vacation here and my family's mango orchards.

I heard the faint clanging of the utensils being washed by her as acceptable as the chiming of little bells. I sat alone, drinking another glass of cold solkadi and watching the green leaves outside rustling by the wind. When I finished savouring the drink, I wiped the curd moustache with the back of my hand and stepped out into the backyard. There were saplings and plants in tiny pots everywhere with the larger trees protecting them from the strong, harsh rays of the sun. The cobblestone ground underneath my feet was still a little damp. The quietness of afternoons like today was pleasurable, lulling me into a nap-like mood with the sound of the waves for a lullaby. I had never seen so many prospering plants in one place and I bent to touch a delicate leaf when I felt something hit the back of my head and roll on the ground, followed by a string of childish giggles.

I instantaneously looked up to find Lila giggling so hard that her knees were weak and she had to take the support of the balustrade of the balcony.

"Check what the dice says!" yelled Raul, appearing behind Lila.

Sighing, I searched for the thrown dice and found it near a black, plant poly bag. "It says, six!"

"What?"

"I said, six!"

"Oh my God, Tulsi, I love you!" Lila shrieked in delight and I momentarily looked up, she was giggling with her mouth covered in front of Raul's grim face, both of them disappearing into the room.

I was about to pick up the dice when I spotted a silver Chandbali earring coated with mud, tucked securely between two saplings of plants. After extricating it, I forcefully rubbed the mud off it. This couldn't be Lila or her mother's, they would never wear cheap earrings like this one. The housekeeper's wife also donned gold stud earrings, but I could still ask her. I dropped it in my pocket and headed inside, towards the echoes of Lila and Raul fighting over the game.

* * *

"Truth or dare?" Raul asked as the empty bottle of the cap was pointed towards Lila.

She titled her chin up defiantly. "Dare."

He declared with his chest all puffed out, "Kiss the person you love the most in this room."

To his chagrin, she puckered her lips like a fish without the slightest hesitation and kissed her palm. "So easy!"

He snatched her wrist for a second before letting it drop and protested in mock-cuteness which just made him look like a fool, "That doesn't count! You need to kiss someone else!"

"Can't we spin the bottle again?" I snapped, both Anthony and I were growing apprehensive at Raul's blatant demands. I was going to spin the bottle of Sprite when I felt a familiar, soft hand grasping my wrist. The bottle crushed under the pressure of my palm and it felt as if I had pressed the clock to a stop. What on bloody earth was she doing? Lila's face was so close to mine, the coconut-hair like frizz brushing against my cheeks and her father's woody cologne stifling any other smell in the room. Her eyes bore peculiarly into me, gauging my face in strange quietness. "Lila---"

She grabbed my head, sloppily and quickly kissed the side of my cheek and sat back with a broad grin, leaving a giant, wet blob.

"See! Now, I'm done!" She was proud of her little joke and Raul looked visibly irritated but gave out a short laugh when Lila caught his gaze.

I rubbed the wetness forcefully and sulked at her giggles, spinning the bottle. Raul was mumbling something incoherent to Lila who was exploding into little bursts of giggles. The bottle stopped and Lila noticing it, immediately leapt towards Anthony and twittered, "Truth or dare? Truth or dare? Truth or dare? Truth or dare? Truth or dare? Truth or---"

"Truth!" He blurted out and Lila sank on the floor dejectedly.

"Alright." She deliberately yawned. "If you want some boring question then I can't think of any. Oh- wait . . . . Oooh- ooooh- ooooooh, I do have an interesting question!" Her eyes flashed roguishly to me, an elfish smile that instantly put me on guard. "Do you like Tulsi?"

"What? Why are you bringing me into this?" I burst out indignantly, glancing at Anthony for support, but he was staring steadily at Lila. It was a major relief that he didn't get flustered at the mere question or else we would have been teased till our deaths. I sighed, shaking my head in disappointment. "You just wasted an opportunity to ask a reasonable question, Lila. Let's spin the bottle again." Lila mockingly huffed, shifting sideways and resting her head against Raul's arm, ready to doze off if another person took truth instead of a dare.

The cap of the bottle accusingly pointed at Anthony again and Lila drawled, "Another boring question?"

"No, no." His smile was uncertain. "I'll take a dare."

Startled, Lila threw herself forward in trembling excitement. "Reaaaaaaaally?"

"Do you have anything in mind?" I hoped that she wouldn't make the poor boy hug or kiss anyone.

"I have a challenge," Raul suddenly intervened. "Go down and take a swim in the sea."

I couldn't believe this prick of a human. "A swim? Are you joking? The tides will be dangerous and its pitch black outside!"

"So what? A dare is supposed to be daring. And Anthony here is a real man, isn't he?"

"I will do it," Anthony declared, getting up and I scrambled after him.

"It'll be fun, Tulsi! Go for it, Anthony!" I heard Lila exclaim behind me as I hurriedly followed Anthony downstairs.

"What are you doing? Forget it, it's a childish game!" I struggled to form lucid sentences and utter them as my breathing became erratic, it was a strenuous job to run cautiously, but quickly to not break the wooden steps. Anthony was carelessly hopping down with this odd sort of bubbling excitement, without any reluctance, as if someone had hypnotized him. His head bobbed on his shoulders like a bobble doll with each jump down and he enthusiastically slapped the cove-like entrance of the stairwell when he landed on the floor. Was he okay . . . ?

It was a feeling of déjà vu when I saw the housekeeper's wife struck with shock at witnessing a grown girl chasing a grown boy.

I had seized a towel hanging by the pegs in the backyard on my way to the walkway and I shouted, "You don't have to do this!"

"I want to!" He yelled back and once we arrived on the beach, I stopped and gasped for breaths. He bolted straight towards the water, discarded his shirt and the next thing I heard was a booming "wohoooooooooo!"

I collapsed on the sand, the inky sky hanging over us and leaking into the water. The sand was cool, but the April humidity still lurked around the lukewarm air. The waves were ferocious blankets of energy and greed, overlapping each other and swallowing and regurgitating Anthony. I looked back and saw the yellow lights of Lila's villa blinking at us, radiating warmth and comfort. I wondered if Lila was watching us from the balcony . . . Or if she was cuddling and kissing Raul.

Uneasily, I turned back towards the ocean, expectant of finding Anthony fighting and triumphing over the waves. But there were no woohoooo's, just a deafening silence and suffocating lukewarm air. I struggled to my feet and searched desperately for the tiny dark figure, but all I could see was an empty expanse of darkness in front of me. With every ticking second, the darkness stretched its arms further and further, shrouding my vision . . .

* * *

Glossary :

Solkadi- Solkadi is a type of drink, an appetizer originating from the Indian subcontinent, usually eaten with rice or sometimes drunk after or along with the meals. Popular in Goa and Maharashtra's coastal region, it is made from coconut milk and kokum.

Chandbali earrings- earrings in the shape of the moon (you can Google if you're into jewellery).