Double Devils

Keeping up with Rudhra

"Do you miss Rudhra?" My best friend, Meera asked me.

"Not at all." I said immediately. I've got to be careful around this evil girl.

"Do you think he misses you?" She asked again, not backing down, evidently.

"Not at all. He'll be back in two days." I said.

"But, do you really really think he misses you? Don't you want to know? Hey, I've got a wonderful idea! Suppose we visit and surprise him suddenly, how do you think he'll react?"

"Don't even-"

"Would he be happy or annoyed?" She continued. Her eyes turned to little stars at the prospect of creating trouble between me and Rudhra. This girl was always giving ideas into my head. This girl was probably the reason why my pure and innocent heart and brain now worked similar to the super villain of a bad futuristic movie.

"Why would the way he reacts, matter in any way? Besides, I don't want to invade on his work-space. Just imagine, if he suddenly showed up near my cubicle. I'd be so mortified!" I said.

"Not possible at all."

"Why?"

"Because, you don't have a job." She said.

"But what if I had?" I said.

"If you had had, you wouldn't have accepted to cook for that devil, and somehow fallen for him in the process. Although I have no idea how that happened." She said.

"But that's just for now. I am going to get a job in the future. What if he does appear like that? I have no idea how I'd feel!"

"Not possible."

"Why?"

"Because, most of the offices nowadays don't allow non employees inside." She said. As stupid as this argument was, there was simply no retort. "Why don't you just make the most of it while you can?" She added. "Besides, is that what you really really feel deep down inside?"

And that was the story of how I was slightly hypnotised and tricked into going along with her plan. We both had to endure a five hour journey on a rickety bus, because the plan was so last minute, and there was simply no other better means of transportation available.

"Isn't this nostalgic! You and I, on an adventure together, just like the old times!" She chimed.

'Adventures like the old times' brought up reminiscences of travelling to and fro to college together, sometimes eating spiced buttermilk in the college canteen, and sometimes forgetting to pay for it.

"True, true!" I agreed.

Meanwhile, Rudhra sent me a picture of himself with a beautiful scenery in the background with the caption, 'going hiking today, since wasn't sunny enough for the shoot'. My heart beat fast for he was so incredibly sweet looking, though I'd never ever admit it to him.

"Ask him where he is, without being very obvious about it." Meera suggested. I fidgeted as to how to phrase the sentence, but she took away my cellphone from me and started typing.

'Whr r u nw hehe?'

'Hiking right now. Will take lots of pics to show you.'

'I mn whr'

'Near the forest bridge.' He answered.

'Ohk'

"I hope I wasn't too obvious." Meera asked, as she handed the phone back to me.