Love And Sweet Kisses

lσvє & humαnítч

"It's not as bad as you make it sound." Abhi protested. "Besides, as I said, it was she who pointed out the hazards our kind of work could pose to a relationship and the other way round."

Tarun muttered something in Hindi.

"What was that?"

"I said fools. Both of you are fools. Like you couldn't figure out a long distance relationship thing?"

A pang of nostalgia suddenly filled his chest as past memories flashed through his mind. "You and I both know what happened with Whitney. In the beginning she supported my cause, said she didn't mind my travelling as long as it was for a good cause. Then my job begun to get more demanding and I couldn't find time for her and she begun to resent me and I also begun to resent her for wanting me to give up something I'm so passionate about. And then we broke up."

"You broke up because of your own doing, dude. Because you prioritized other people over your relationship, over your own happiness. That's altruistic bullshit!"

Seeing that the massage was no longer forthcoming and frustrated by his friends inability to understand him, Abhi sat up and faced him. "Helping people is not bullshit, Tarun. You have not seen what I've seen. The poverty that some people live in. How many people die of common illnesses simply because they don't have the means to get themselves proper medical care. After all, you've been rich all your life."

"Abhi, you always talk like you blame yourself for the conditions those people live in. You are not God, man. You didn't decide their fate, so you have to stop beating yourself for having rich parents and a rich life while they didn't."

His voice had turned from being filled with censure to persuasive. "And maybe, you are right. Maybe I've not seen the things you have, but it's been four years, my friend. Don't you think four years is enough time to decide that you've helped people enough and then focus on your own happiness."

Abhi wanted to repeat that helping people made him happy. Instead he just sighed. "Let's just stop talking about my volunteer work, okay? If Ella and I meant to be together, then it will happen one day."

Tarun scoffed, getting off the bed. "By the time she's ready to settle down, you'll be nowhere in sight, and another man will snatch her up for his own."

"Then that will mean we were never meant to be together." Abhi pointed out.

Tarun groaned. "You're so exasperating. "

***~***

"You're such a shitty best friend." Clark, one of his best friends since high school, pointed out, emphasizing on the curse word.

"That's so right." Zeke chimed in with an annoyed look. "Like, dude, you were away for a whole year and I can count the number of times you called me on one hand."

Abhi shook his head, unable to fight a smile. He'd finally returned to the US on a much awaited break after spending about a year in Africa, and this was the first time he and his three best friends were hanging out since. The boys wouldn't stop giving him a hard time for forgetting about them.

Taking a gulp of his beer and placing the bottle back, he slanted Zeke a chastising glance. "On one hand? Seriously, Zeke? I bet I like called all of you twenty times at like least."

"Of course, that's so impressive." Zeke said wryly. "After all, there are 365 days in a year."

"Will you stop being so grouchy?" Abhi said, chuckling. "Besides, that just gives us more things to talk about and catch up on."

"And just what part of your life during that time are you going o tell us about?" Zeke asked, seemingly not ready to drop his grudge. "How you helped this old man with Alzheimer who couldn't even remember your name the next day?"

Abhi sucked in a breath, gripping the neck of his beer bottle to help control his temper just on the verge of flaring. He'd never liked it when people made fun of other people's misfortunes, and he knew he had to divert the question before his friend's antics got him upset.

Meeting Zeke's gaze, he managed a smile. "Of course I won't bore you with those. I'm sure you guys have far more interesting things to share."

Joseph, another one of the guys who was flanking him on the left, patted him on the shoulder. "Don't mind Zeke for being such an ass, Abhi. He's got quite some shitty baby mama problems lately."

"You don't say." Abhi intoned, his interest already peaked. He let his eyes wander around the bar they were in and took in the relaxing scenes. His friends hadn't been wrong when they said Rex's pub was just the place to have a drink and talk without having to shout over loud music.

Zeke threw Joseph a warning glare, but the other man wasn't deterred. "You see it was supposed to be a hit and run thing, but then the condom broke. Three months later, the girl came looking for him with the news of a pregnancy. Unluckily for him, his mother was at his house, and you know Mavis. She's forcing him to get married to the girl for the sake of the child."

"Oh God, that's deep." Abhi said. They all laughed but for Zeke, who's frown deepened.

"Becky, you're saying my brother actually did that?" A voice came from behind him.

The familiarity of it had him sucking in a sharp breath.

Thank you for reading!