Chapter 5
Semi-Dates
Geometry somehow managed to attract me because of its slightly artsy nature. But the problem was that I didn't really care about measuring and drawing it to the satisfaction of mathematical logic.
But it was probably the only saving grace of my exams. I gripped the compass and dragged the pencil down on the paper.
"I think that's wrong," Kabir said, peering over at my note.
My sister had my maths guide because I was apparently writing a test for her so I couldn't even sneak a look.
"It comes from the opposite side."
I observed the diagram critically. "Actually you're right. I had a bad feeling about this curve."
I plucked an eraser from my pencil pouch and erased it before fixing it and joining the lines.
"This?"
Kabir grabbed my compass. "Yeah, but just ...."
I see.
I was paying full attention. Interesting fingers he had. Long and slim...
I imitated what he taught me and admired my diagram at arm's length like I was Picasso himself.
"I'm done. I'm done with my test then," I declared proudly.
My sister was talking on her phone in the balcony with a friend. With my book in her hand.
So I sagged back in my cushion and began scribbling at the back of the note.
At the same time, Siya emerged from the balcony and glared at me sitting like I was enjoying a campfire. Kabir looked down into his chemistry textbook with excessive interest.
"What? I finished the work you gave me!" I protested and then a book hit my shoulder.
She lowered her phone from her ear to command, "Exercise nine point three.Now."
I rolled my eyes. "Yes ma'am," I flipped through the pages lazily.
I started doing a problem and was stranded in between so I distracted the study partner next to me who successfully read an answer and started a conversation from nowhere.
My sister emerged from the shadows, obviously done with the phone call and I stopped mid-sentence and continued my problem.
Siya's feet stopped right before my book.
"Um, I have a doubt," I said.
She scoffed, "Don't bullshit me, as if you were actually studying."
She flipped through my notebook. "He helped you, didn't he?"
"Uhm..."
"I know it's a bad idea to tutor you both together but our parents don't know so." She sighed dramatically and looked between us."Guys, your exams are hardly a month away. Be done with this and you can talk as much as you want."
We slaved with three hours of trigonometry and Carboxylic acid and she still wanted us to learn something still?
My sister gestured her hand between us, "Now scoot away kids. One arm distance."
"It's nine," I said quietly as she plopped in between us.
"So?" She challenged.
"I usually eat at eight."
"Good for you."
I gave Kabir a meaningful look over her ponytail.
"Yeah, we'll finish this tomorrow for sure. Let me make you lovely girls some dinner."
Someone understood my feelings!
"Yeah, that would be nice," I nodded.
"Shut up Shyla. Ma will be back anytime."
"I just spoke to her five minutes ago. She's stuck in traffic in Ameerpet. " I said. "Let's eat now." I right royally walked into the Jha's kitchen.
"So, what do you guys have in stock?" I examined the new ceramic tiles on the kitchen walls.
"Shyla come back here!" My sister commanded.
"We have to make dinner for ourselves anyway, it's fine." I heard Kabir trying to get her to relax and my lips twitched.
"Hey, you have some weird Chinese noodles," I commented aloud, picking a packet from the shelf. "Can I use this?"
"Sure." Kabir said, "Be careful with the burner. It's not okay for a few days. Or wait, I'm coming."
He plucked the lighter and vessel from my hand.
"What do you want?" Kabir asked my sister who was now leaning against the doorframe.
"What does that mean? I shouldn't be around you two anymore?"
"I meant what do you want for dinner?"
She grinned. "No particular choice. And... Should I wake Saloni?"
"Try your luck."
She unfolded her hands and disappeared behind the door.
"Can you get me that packet of bread from there?"
"Sure," I bent down and picked it from the lower shelf. "What's that for, sandwiches?"
"No, we're making noodles so I thought we could have something sweet to go with it. Like Bombay toast."
"Hmm.Not bad bro. You have the seed of some culinary talent somewhere."
"Bro?" Kabir asked, momentarily freezing the spatula in his hand.
"Did you just call me bro?"
"That's a slang word!"
He rolled his eyes, "Still, I'm not your bro Shyla."
"Okay sorry!" I said surrendering, "Sooo, you want me to cut you some veggies?"
I was standing near the counter with almost nothing to do while Kabir was moving around the kitchen.
"No."
I drummed my fingers on the counter. "Uh, maybe beat those eggs?"
"No."
I huffed.
"You want something to do?"
"Yeah."
"Stir the noodles." He said, giving the spatula to me as if it was the world's most imperative task.
I looked down at the bubbling noodles in the pot while moving the blonde curls with my spatula idly.
"I know how to cut carrots, you know." I protested but then he was chopping it finely in lightning speed so I could maybe reconsider that statement.
He unloaded the cup of vegetables into the noodles and I stirred with vengeance.
"What is that?" I asked when he dropped something gooey.
"Cheese. It all goes well together."
"I see." I watched him retrieve some milk bread from the cover.
"I want to make the toast at least, come on," I said.
"You can't make guests work in our house you know. It's not etiquette."
"I'm just a guest in your house?" I asked, pretending to be aghast."That's it?"
Kabir chuckled. "Yeah. That's it. But I guess it depends on what you want to be for me. So that we all will know how exactly to treat you."
I should have just been satisfied with my stirring. I fake coughed. Moved the spatula idly.
Saloni's head popped into the door. "Shyla!"
That was too much excitement for seeing me just last night.
And I was unarmed when she pulled me with her to the living room for her regular updates.
We had dinner in front of the television and my sister told me that we should maybe leave.
"The food was delicious.Thanks." I told Kabir who was standing at the doorstep.
He wordlessly came forward and turned his face slightly.
I let out a breathy chuckle. "What?"
"You can thank me with a good night kiss."
"You realise that your sister is behind you right?"
"Ah, is she?" He grimaced.
"Yeah.Good night Kabir."
"Night, Shyla."
I don't know what was with his eyes. You couldn't stop gawking at them once you had that kind of eye contact. His long lashes outlined his eyes and there was this very tender way his irises softened when he was looking at me. Like then.
I held his gaze for an extra moment and nodded.
I could sense the smirk in his eyes now.
He imitated my gesture.
What was I doing? Idiot.
"Bye," I whispered unnecessarily and turned away.
Yes, skip two stairs at a time. He probably thinks you're shy. Good job.
My sister was waiting down the stairs, pissed.
"Can you be any slower?"
"Sorry."
"Your friend called."
She gave her mobile in my hands.
I examined the call list. Sanya.
I pressed the call button and heard her landline ring thrice before she picked it up.
"Hello?"
"It's you? What happened? You never call!" I said teasingly.
"You don't remember, do you?"
"Okay, what?" I browsed through my mind and nothing useful popped up.
Her voice dropped an octave, "Tomorrow's the day we're bunking! Hello? We spoke about this on Friday."
"Yes, we did," I replied obediently while I walked home. I couldn't mention "bunk" and "exam" in the same breath before my sister so I replied in positive phrases.
"At my house before 10 tomorrow?"
"Oh, please. I'll be there at the first bell 8:15."
As promised I was at her apartment doorstep at the said time, a bag full of DVDs and Pineapple wafers.
I rang the doorbell and used the time to remove my shoes and socks.
I pushed it near the wall with my toes.
I heard the door open and before I could flounder in, I encountered the unfamiliar face of a woman in her mid-forties.
"Namaste," I said, half recovering. "I'm Sanya's classmate."
"Hmm. Pooja is going on. Take left and go to her room."
Ouch.
I could hear the tinkling of bells and the aroma of fragrance sticks.
Where were her parents?
I stealthily tiptoed into her room through the passageway.
I let myself into her room and glanced around.
"Here," I noticed a hint of her wrists almost touching the ceiling. "Close the door behind you."
She was a little old for a bunk bed but it was a convenient hideout for us.
Sanya put away the book she was reading.
"Are relatives visiting?" I asked pulling my knee up from the top rung of the ladder.
"Yeah.My aunt from Mumbai."
"You have a bunch of adults performing sacred rites in your house and no one asked you why you aren't going to school?"
"Nobody cared. I told them that we are having a combined study. They believed me. I like the amount of faith they have in me."
She reached for a bag of mini Mars bars from behind her.
We chewed in companiable silence.
I rummaged through my bag and spilt some DVDs on the bed like an offering.
"And did you hear about what Mrunal said yesterday?"
"Do I look like I talk to that girl?" I asked, pulling a book from behind me and leaning back on the wall.
"She thinks we all should sit with a boy tomorrow because we are unconsciously reducing interaction with them and we should get to know them better."
I rolled my eyes, "Pfft. She just wants to sit with Vijay. Unnecessary drama."
"I know. And there are people who are eager to please her and they will most definitely obey this decree tomorrow."
I grinned, "The girls are a minority. There will anyway be some boys without pairs and they'll be moping about it."
"Speaking of boys, what happened to that boy you used to talk about?"
I feigned innocence.
"Karan? Kamal?" Sanya dished out guesses, feeling around the mattress.
"Kabir." I sighed, giving her the DVD I knew she was looking for.
"Yeah, is he alive? Single?"
Sanya asked, and pushed herself off the bed. She put on her rubber house slippers.
I followed her to her computer table, standing beside her like a spare lemon. "He's fine."
Sanya inserted the CD in her player and fidgeted with the buttons.
No harm in telling her.
"Uhm, actually my sister told him that I kind of like him."
I got my friend's attention and I shifted to my right foot under her gaze.
"What?" She laughed, "How much did you bribe your sister?"
"She offers this service free of cost," I replied dryly.
Sanya was never one to squeal over an account of a romantic escapade. Actually, she wouldn't flinch her facial muscles much even if the Apocalypse happened.
And she definitely didn't like flowery descriptions. But the way she was looking at me, sitting on her knees impatiently told me to spit it out.
So I gave her a crisp summary of the happenings for the past month.
"So, that means you guys are a thing now," Sanya stated.
"I don't know," I replied.
"It does sound like you're dating, dude."
"Kind of semi-dating or something,"I replied dismissively.
Sanya studied me like I was an animal in the zoo. "What does that even mean, you idiot?"
"As in not dating-dating... You know.."
"Oh shut up," Sanya chided and then a small smile formed on her lips. "And....I've never seen this fellow. Any pictures?"
"Uh, no?"
"Is he on Orkut?"
"No idea."
Sanya sat on her computer desk.
I watched her log into her account and I dutifully offered the correct spelling of his name with his surname.
"This guy?"
I squinted my eyes at the semi fuzzy picture.
The dark locks of hair and the lopsided smile.
"It's him," I confirmed.
"He's not as great as you used to describe him..." Sanya said. "But I guess he's okay."
"He looks much better in person," I replied quietly.
Sanya revolved back in her chair and faced me with a smug smile. "I see."