The world is where your smile is

Chapter 3

"You didn't even have a drop of water since morning. Drink something, please."

"Hm, I'm fine, thanks," said Nitish with an absent-minded frown.

Rinku's jaw dropped.

And by then he was kind of sure he had annoyed Nitish off for some reason. The reason he didn't understand, though. 

Saying thanks?

Should he ask, when Nitish was already in this pissed-off-at-the-whole-world mood?

Around Nitish's head, Venky gestured something. Don't. Let him brood in peace.

Venky always knew when to leave Nitish alone, and he respected it. But Rinku couldn't. He never could.

"Um, bhaiya, actually--"

"What, Rinku?" said Nitish, irritated. "Now you need to double think before talking to me?"

"No--" said Rinku, taken aback. "It just felt weird when you said thanks...you never...I mean we never do these, do we?"

"Oh, we didn't, but didn't Shreyas teach you these courtesies? They're essential, you know!"

That made Rinku scowl.

Venky brought his half-finished coffee cup to Nitish's face. "You desperately need this."

Nitish tried to brush the cup away.

Venky spoke in a whisper. "Calm down now, you're unnecessarily taking digs at him."

Nitish's scowl matched Rinku's.

Rinku, after a while of suspiciously side-eyeing Venky whispering to Nitish, said, "What do you want, Nitish bhaiya?" 

"Nothing," said Nitish.

Now the persistence had got into Rinku. 

"No, you tell me! You have problem that I'm learning English? You've decided on your own I'm changing and nothing will stay the same and you keep saying that--and if you have decided so far, can you also tell me what I should do? Or better still, what you want me to do?"

Nitish's jaws tightened. "Don't act like I control you and that you are answerable to me for every damn thing. You want to learn English, fine! You want to go all flashy and flamboyant, fine! You can do whatever you feel like! Have I ever tried taking your freedom?"

"Nitish..." Venky's censure fell on deaf ears.

"No, you never," said Rinku, exasperated. "And that's exactly what I am asking--what is it that's bothering you now?"

"Nothing! How many times do I have to tell you? And you know the one thing you do need to learn is when to just--let--it--go! And this is that time, all right? Especially when we are back at that stage when you have to ask me what's wrong with me or what I want of you."

Rinku blinked. "Nitish bhaiya, I just--didn't get...I just thought I did something wrong that made you angry...I wanted to know that."

Venky pinched Nitish's elbow quite painfully at that point, but even without that, Nitish would have been guilt-stricken, because Rinku was visibly terrorized now.

"Look--I am sorry, Rinku," he mumbled. "I just kind of ranted...you know, with this fracture..."

But Venky noted he didn't accompany it with a hug. Plus, he had avoided answering all of Rinku'a questions.

"Right," said Rinku.

And he turned back to the window to gaze at the clouds.

Nitish was breathing heavily the way he did when he was really, really annoyed. So was Rinku, to be fair.

Venky leaned in and whispered, "You're being really trying to him. What is it with you?" 

Nitish chose to ignore that question, too, and closed his eyes with an expression associated with eating a bitter lemon.

Venky shook his head, glanced at his watch and felt glad the flight was nearing its end.

_________________

Once they'd landed and were pulling down their luggage, Nitish's hand felt numb. He tried thrice to get a grip on the handle of his suitcase but couldn't quite do it. Rinku tried to help.

"My hand is fine!" said Nitish, screwing up his face and giving a final, rather desperate attempt.

Of course the hand wasn't fine, so Rinku did have to help him out in the end. And Nitish wasn't very pleased about it.

Neither of them said anything, however, and in the bus headed for the hotel in Bangalore, Nitish swiftly took the window seat and Rinku waited for Venky to get into the middle one, and it was a very silent journey.