"Shehnaaz?" He called out as soon as he entered the room. She wasn't around and by the looks of it, seemed to be in the washroom.
"Aa rahi hun nahake. 5 minute" she yelled back and continued humming.
Sighing, he pulled out his shorts from the suitcase and undid his jeans, throwing them on to the bed. He slipped into his shorts and then slid inside the covers. It was 1 am, too late to call home. He quickly sent a goodnight text on the group and checked his twitter account. Their pictures were all over the place, in different versions.
"Shehnaaz, main do chai order kar raha hun, tereko chaiye kuch darling?" He asked aloud.
"Hmm...bebu bhook toh lagi hai, koi fruit ko bol de? Main aa gayi bas" She requested, turning the shower off.
"Ok, chai aur apple bol raha hun" he confirmed and called room service requesting for chai, apple and a cheese sandwich. In her excitement of meeting family and catching up coupled with her religious dietary habits to maintain weight, she had barely eaten anything. Also, he knew asking her would be of no use. So, he went on to order the grilled cheese sandwich as well.
His phone buzzed and it was Mihul.
"Bhai, saamne wale room me main aur Garg hain. Chalega na?" He asked, before even Sid could say Hello.
"Haan bey. Le le. Woh room free hai " he confirmed ans hung up. The opposite room was booked in Shehnaaz's name and was therefore, unoccupied. Obviously.
The bell for room service and Shehnaaz's "Sidharth! Haye, itta accha laga naha ke" wwre heard by him at the same time. Her hair were wet and she was wearing a slip with a thin strap and his shorts, having very conveniently forgotten to pack hers. Her cheeks were pink after a hot shower and water droplets dripped down her hair. He looked at her lost for a second even after having spent the last half an year with her in the same house.
As the bell rang again, he was shook out of his thoughts.
"Tum andar jao, aise bahar mat aao. Room service hai" he signalled and quickly looked at the room. Shehnaaz pouted sadly but went inside back the washroom. There was nothing 'girly' in the room other than her discarded kurta which lay in reckless abandon on the bed. The last thing he wanted today was people spotting her clothes in his room and making headlines out of it. Not that ir mattered anymore, but he would still fight for their privacy till the last nail, though it did feel like a lost cause now. But, he was a fighter.
"Phenk deti hai ye bas" he muttered and covered the kurta under the blanket ans opened the door.
The server was in awe of him as he brought in the tray and kept it on the centre table. It had complementary cookies for which Sidharth thanked him and pulled out his wallet for a generous tip but was interrupted.
"Sir, I am a big fan. Can I take a photo instead?" He asked nervously. Sidharth smiled back, readily posing with a hand on the boy's shoulder. The young boy beamed in joy.
"Meri jaan, isko please post mat karna 2-3 din?" Sidharth nodded and he promised to do the same. Once the door was locked, Sidharth took the tray inside and put it on the bedside table.
"Shehnaaz, aaja!" He called her and the next moment, she jumped right onto the bed with a giggle. He ignored her giggles, like everyday and she pouted again.
"Tune aak mereko subah se kissie nahi di. Aur airport me meri ore dekha bhi nahi, bhaagta jaa raha tha bas. Jaise jaanta hi na ho mereko!" She complained.
"Accha, aur aate waqt, kaun bhaag raha tha?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Toh! Tune hi kaha tha, nain peeche chalunga, tu security ke saath jana" she argued, sitting back up to put up a fight.
