Dark Secrets

7

Yuvansh was in shower when Dimpy arrived. She stood outside the bathroom door, chivvying and harrying him to hurry up. He discovered that the urgency was no urgency at all; she just wanted to hang out. Aimlessly roaming the streets on a weekend and eating chaat at the expense of Yuvansh's pocket money was Dimpy's favourite leisure time activity.

Another pastime was to keep a beady eye on Yuvansh and report anything even remotely suspicious to his mother. The very idea of Yuvansh being harangued by his mother because of her snitching tickled her pink. Dimpy hadn't been over to Yuvansh's for a few days now - the longest she'd been away. When she came in, Mrs Thakur told her that he was now in the storeroom because a guest was occupying his room. Dimpy stormed into his makeshift bedroom and started inspecting every nook and corner of it until she discovered the ghungroos in the bottom drawer of Yuvansh's study table. She was holding this in her hand when the bathroom door opened.

"Are you turning into a girl?" Dimpy sneered.

"Dimpy ki bachi, put that back, now!" roared Yuvansh.

She immediately realized that the ghungroos were way more important to him that she had originally assumed.

"This goes to auntie ,now !" she roared back.

"If you leave the room with that, I swear I'll kill you", Yuvansh said trying to grab her.

"If you come any closer,I'll scream", warned Dimpy with unholy glee at having touched a raw nerve.

"Don't!"

"Okay. I want you to kneel here and confess that I'm way better than you."

Yuvansh pulled a wry face and knelt ,"You are way better than me", he said obediently.

Dimpy was taken aback at his instant capitulation. She gave the ghungroos to him.

"What has happened to you? You never give in easily."

Yuvansh took the ghungroos from her and replaced it in the bottom drawer of his study table.

"Dimpy , I don't mind if you take everything from me. Please don't tough these again."

Dimpy received his message loud and clear. But what confused her was that a pair of ghungroos(of all things) had suddenly taken on such a disproportinate importance to Yuvansh. Weird! 

"You ready?" It was Shreshtha who had wandered into Yuvansh's room now.

Dimpy had vaguely seen her once, when she had drooped Yuvansh to school.

"Hi, I'm Dimpy. And you must be Shreshtha," Dimpy said.

"Hi Dimpy. Yes, I'm Shreshtha," she said and then , turning towards Yuvansh she asked,"Is she the......"

"No. No!" Yuvansh hurridely interrupted her, "Dimpy and I are childhood friends."

"That's cute. Then why can't she join us ?" Shreshtha invited.

Yuvansh glanced at Dimpy, hoping she would say no.

"I think I should definitely come with you guys. But where are you going?" Dimpy asked.

Yuvansh knew his flight of fancy of being with Shreshtha alone had just crash- landed.

"I was taking him out for a treat. You can come along too," Shreshtha said.

Within the next half hour, the three were at Mishra Chaat at Gol Pyau, Naya bazaar. Shreshtha took both of them on Mahendra's scooter with Dimpy perched in the middle. Shreshtha had given Yuvansh the cash. He brought them kachoda first and then saakhe with kadi.