The voice of the night

Secrets and Malls

For someone who once told me that we tend to write about things which will never happen in our real life. Thank you for gifting me with more ideas, for now I write the reality intermingled with fiction.

Silence and confusion intermingled in Ved's gaze and finally he cleared his throat.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was marred with the loud sound of pelting raindrops.

I blinked. "That is one strange question."

Quietness- that was all that met my surprised statement.

Finally I sighed, "See, I don't know why you are here but this is Dave's house, yes that same guy who has made you his favourite punching bag, so you better take a 180 degree and walk away as fast as you can."

A near smile cocked on the tips of his lips. Removing his wet strands of hair from his eyes, he opened those luscious lips to speak but instead...

"Kathy!" Dave's loud voice jarred from the adjacent room.

"Yes?" I squeaked.

"Who is there on the door?"

"Uh... no one."

"Don't lie to me. I can hear you talking to someone. Who is it?"

Shuddering I turned my pleading gaze to Ved. Why was he even here? I did not want any action scene from a movie being played out in the room with Dave and Ved being its participants. What if Dave came to know about our tuition arrangements?

"Kathy! Open the damn door!" Dave now sounded really pissed.

I jumped a feet in the air in shock at the sudden change in his Decibel scale.

"Fine.I am opening it." 'Please go away.' I mouthed to Ved but the stupid guy held his ground stubbornly.

The door was thrown open and in marched Dave like a man out for blood.

"Now who the Devil...." but when his gaze fell on Ved he stuttered and broke off.

His eyes hastily looked at me and back at Ved. At last he chose his words carefully, "I can explain this Kathy." His voice was undeniably laced in guilt as fully as Eclairs dipped in a healthy dose of caramel.

"Yes?" I asked confused. What was going on here?

"You see Ved's here because he lives here." Dave threw me a  pleading glance as if begging me to understand.

"Oh", I nodded my head and then, "What?" Ved lives here as in they live together as in they are together-together as in " Ved is gay?!" I nearly shouted.

"What? No!" Dave stuttered and a muffled laughter was heard which came suspiciously from Ved's direction.

"That is not the case, I mean, he is my flat-mate."

"Oh. Well that is understandable." I shrugged and threw myself on the couch, now eyeing the chocolate on the table with interest.

Dave took in a breath of relief and turned to glare at Ved who was now removing his dripping raincoat.

"Weren't you supposed to be at your workplace?" He sounded irritated.

"Yes but I left my bag at home." Without casting another glance at me or Dave, he went inside.

"That is strange though, now that I think about it."

Dave's shoulders became tensed and he turned to look at me. "What?"

"How come he lives here and I have never seen him before?"

"He is usually not at home. Either he remains at his work place or he does whatever nerds are meant to do."