| NAINA |

THE NEXT DAY...

I waited outside the man of my life's house, waiting for him to open the door and welcome me inside.

He was in his grey shorts and no shirt as he opened the door. A slice of corn pizza was in his mouth while I glared at him.

"Hey! What a surprise!" He tried to exclaim with his mouth grazing the pizza.

"Am I allowed to get inside? Or should I keep standing here?" I crossed my arms.

"Ummm... You look great in black and white." He pointed his chin at my white T-shirt and black track pants. "Come inside."

I followed him as he went inside the ramshackle mess. After realising his house shouldn't give a negative impression, he ran his fingers through his hair and groaned, "I'm sorry, Naina. You wait for a while. I'll get it cleaned by--"

I interrupted him by swerving him towards me and landed a peck on his forehead that was light as a feather fluttering.

"Let's clean it together," I whispered after breaking the peck.

He smirked, grabbed my waist, and pulled me closer to him. "It's impossible to fight for you if you weren't so lovable," he whispered, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"So, come, let's clean." I broke his trance and went into workaholic mode while he closed the door.

"Laters, baby," he grunted and fell on the brown couch chair. "Here. Sit on my lap. I'll feed you some pizza," he coaxed and took the pizza box in his hands.

I smirked and sat on his lap. Biting a slice of pizza, I said, "No thanks. Self-help is the best help."

"What happened to that oh-so-obsessive guy?" Angad asked and threw my mobile on the table near the chair.

"He said he was sorry. I said that I don't have a heart huge enough to forgive him." I shrugged and took another bite.

"Okay, let me feed you some. It tastes better when I feed," Angad coaxed again.

"It's okay, my--" I was yet to complete my bargaining when his phone started ringing. He took them and saw and hissed at me to keep quiet. "It's my sister." After picking up the call, he spoke with her. "Hi, Renee... Yes, I'm at my house. Okay. What? Are you already there? Seriously, Renee! Why didn't you tell me yet? Ummm, no, I am at my house indeed, but okay. I'll wait for you. Bye! Love you."

His "Love you" seemed ingenuine enough to make me suspect.

"What happened, Angad?" I inquired.

"Shit happened, Naina. My sister is here," he groaned loudly and exclaimed, "Shit! What am I going to do? Where will I hide you now?"

I saw the door to a room, pointed my chin at it, and suggested, "Angad, why not here?"

"I guess that's a great plan," Angad whispered while I hid between the door and the wall.

The doorbell rang while my heart thumped louder than the doorbell. I could see everything through the minute gap in the hinges. It was a short girl in a pink ruffled crop top and denim jeans. She looked bossy in her high ponytails and a bottle of Thums Up. She entered the house as Angad opened the door. She tapped her leg and glanced at the mess he created.

"Hey, Porter! Get those pieces of luggage and load them inside," she commanded like some military person, which astonished me. He couldn't help but glare at his sister for her sudden appearance while she shouted, "Oye! I am pretty, and I know that. So stop looking at me like a Cassanova. Or else I would force myself to make an omelette with your egg-shaped eyes. Go and get my luggage. Asshole!"

I wanted to laugh badly at this girl's sarcasm. But I didn't want to get too doomed. No one would believe if she were a student from a Ukrainian college.

"Sure, madam," he replied grittily and walked outside.

There was silence in the room until a song echoed in the house.

"I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world
Life in plastic, it's fantastic
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
Imagination, life is your--" Before I could curse at the sudden play, my dimwitted head realised it was the ringtone from my mobile. And while rummaging through my bag, I remembered Angad placed it on the table in the living room.

"Wow! Nice ringtone, Angad," Renee mock-admired and walked towards my mobile. While bringing her luggage inside, Angad's gaze darted from the mobile to me.

"I'm a blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world
Dress me up, make it tight, I'm your dolly," Renee sang the song and took my mobile. "Charlie," she read the Caller ID displayed on my mobile. "Who is Charlie, Angad? And... Your new mobile looks cool."

"Shit!" I whispered and ran my hand on my hair while it gained her attention. She looked at the door while I closed my mouth with my palm.

"You're my doll, rock'n'roll, feel the glamour in pink
Kiss me here, touch me there, hanky panky," she sang and walked towards the door with her hand swirling one of her ponytails. As she pulled the door, I was there, frozen as a block of white ice.

Her mouth hung open as she saw me and stared at Angad. "Angad? What is this?" She whispered and looked back at me. "Your mobile." She handed over my mobile to me. "Step outside, ma'am. It must be suffocating."

I walked towards her while she walked to the main hall and said, "You have a bad taste, ma'am. Your ringtone sucked. And you chose my brother out of four million men."

Her gaze darted to Angad while she asked, "Angad, am I allowed to know what's going on?"

"Ummm... Renee..." Angad took baby steps towards me and put his arm on my shoulder. "This is Naina. She is my girlfriend."

Her face went straight as a plain sheet while she looked at us. "Girlfriend? What about Meeta, then?"

"I am not interested in marrying Meeta. I've been in love with Naina for around two years," he confessed with a guilty wince.

Renee took time to register it while she asked, "Does anyone know about it?"

"Nobody except Violet and her friend." He pointed at me.

"Okay. I think it's time to talk to Dad and Mom." Renee took her mobile from her pant pocket to reveal everything.

***

Did you guys like Renee? Or no? Is she a baddie like now? Or is she a softie? Stay tuned to know more.

See you soon!

Song Courtesy: Not Your Barbie Girl by Ava Max