Kissmet

Ask me away

Nithees

Malini's foot is still perched on my thigh as I rub circles on it just because I can. She didn't relent this time, so I didn't bother. It's oddly comforting just to have her presence and simply touch her.

As much as I love sharing the silence with her, I want to hear her voice and know her mind.

"Shall we play a question for a question just like old days?" I ask her.

When we first met as kids, we used to ask each other random silly questions to get to know each other. And now after five years it feels like meeting for the first time which makes me want to get to know her all over again, her likes, dislikes, irks, does she still hate pickles? Does she still favor green tea? Does she still love watching 90s movies and songs as much as I do? Does she still have a bucket list? I just want to know anything and everything about her.

She considers for a moment and grazes me with a smile like sunshine. "Sure."

"Do you want to go first?"

"Okay. If you had to choose between jumping in the lake or shouting 'Malini is the best' from the roof, what would you do?"

"That was completely random." I was expecting something more personal but I guess she wants to keep everything fun.

She shrugs.

I scratched my jaw contemplating. "I don't want to freeze but I don't want to be a liar either."

She smacks me, smiling. I chuckled. It was a sight for sore eyes to see her smile.

"Second one, I have no desire to be an ice cone. Though I am sure I would delectable. If I am feeling generous, I might let you have a lick." I waggled my eyebrows.

"Ew, no thank you" she laughs. "I am in no hurry to taste the Nithees cone." As soon as she utters, she realizes what she said and her eyes grow comically wide.

And I can't stop the grin from splitting my face. "My, My, Malini, I didn't know you had such a dirty - "

"Stop." She places her hand over my mouth halting my words and quickly removes it blushing furiously.

If she had placed her hand over my mouth for a second longer, I would have shown her exactly how to lick. She swallows like her throat has gone dry and that has my mind thinking all kinds of dirty thoughts. A groan makes its way up my throat and I suppress it.

I cleared my throat to break the tension.

"My turn. Would you rather have a pineapple pizza or a burger completely dunked in ketchup?" And just like that, we are back to Nithees and Malini, two friends goofing around.

"Ugh, that's a tough one. I hate pineapples. I do love ketchup but not that much to have it poured over my burger." She thinks for a minute. "Pineapple pizza, I guess. I can just separate the pineapple and simply eat the pizza."

"Huh, I guessed you would have gone for the burger since you love to gobble down ketchup."

"What! I don't gobble down."

"Uh-huh that's not what I remember. You had your fries swimming in ketchup."

"But they were soooooo good." She says and I chuckle.

And we go back and forth on silly things and the conversation flows when she asks, "You don't wear your spectacles anymore?"

"No, I switched them for lenses but occasionally I use them for reading."

She seems almost disappointed.

"Come on, Ms. Kumar. Out with it." I say, feeling like she is holding back something.