"Why did I lose my sight on her when she asked me to?" I squawked.
"It's my entire fault!" I said, tears rolling on cheeks.
"Why the fuck are you waiting here now?" I shouted.
"Move your butt and search for her!"
I blamed me for the fear she gave me, out of nowhere, and there was no other way than wandering my looks at the surroundings.
Bhargav walked towards me and slapped for being so rude to him over her. I had no idea why I was overreacting on her absence in the first place.
He pointed to the house and told me that he saw her in the bathroom, suddenly, Harini shows herself from the front door, calling our names.
"Why are you both standing outside? Any problem?" she asked, rolling her eyes on either of us.
Bhargav walked inside, talking to Harini, "He went nuts when you were out of his sight!"
She folded his hands as the cool breeze went through us. It was the silence we all had to keep up the conversation. I had no words to say; to tell her how much I got tensed; to slap her, tightly.
She broke the silence and apologized, "I'm sorry!"
"I should've waked you up when I entered the house!"
I ran towards her; turned her around the house, and took her inside, along with me.
"There is no reason to say sorry if you had no intention for making a mistake in the first place," I smiled.
As we entered the house, she locked the door; my phone chimed. It showed me Prachi on the screen. I picked up my phone from the couch and saw Harini sneaking from the back.
"It's Prachi!" I said, showing her the phone.
She smiled and shouldered me, "So far, twenty minutes isn't over, and even the call came from your beloved girlfriend!"
I blushed, "I want to pick up this call. Please, leave."
She hit my butt, walking to the dining table and told me to not to waste my time over a phone call and finish my eating as soon as I cut the call.
I nodded, putting my phone on my ears.
"Hello," I said, sitting on the couch, with a pillow.
She blandly, said, "Ragh!"
"What a soothing voice!"
I wanted to hear my name again and again with her voice. It was like chicken strips with tenderness, and softness in the mouth when we took a bite of it and also sounded like a Mockingbird.
"Do you--"
"Do me, what?" she asked.
I scratched my head, laughingly, said, "Did you reach your home safely?"
"Yes," she said.
"What are you doing?" I asked, relaxing on the couch.
She lowered her voice and said, "I'm on my bed, hugging my pillow!"
I lowered my brows and justified myself, "That's why I was feeling your bosom on my chest!"
"Shut up!" she grinned.
Harini and Bhargav giggled at me.
"What is this flirting level? I've never seen in ages!" Harini screamed.
They laughed out loud. I was in a mood of not making me bother in any situation and continued my romantic talk with my woman.
I sighed and asked, "Are you feeling my touch on your back?"
She bluntly, asked, "No, why?"
"I-I unhooked your bra!" I blushed.
"Hehe! Actually," she paused.
"Hmm," I responded.
"I've nothing other than pajamas on my body!" she said in a lowered voice.
"What is she talking about?"
"Why is my heartbeat increased suddenly?"
Before I speak something, I heard his father voice.
"Okay, Bye! My dad will be here in any minute! Take care and eat ASAP!" she hung up the call.
"He doesn't look like the way she describes him."
As the rats started crawling in my stomach, I put the phone on the couch and went to have dinner.
They were sitting opposite to me. I served the leftover dishes on my plate and started eating. While the food was in a mid-way from my mouth, they teased me by her name. It continued for several minutes by then, and I wanted to stop them for a second but, I blushed every time they call her name, whenever they looked at me.
When I returned from the kitchen, washing my hands, I saw none of them near the dining table but, I heard the doors creaking from my bedroom and my mom's. I had no choice other than sleeping on the couch.
"Only Bhargav could dare, sleeping in my mom's bedroom."
"Alright!" I said, lying on the couch.
I was staring at the end of the staircases and thinking about that old man, who came for Harini.
"Is he some kind of related to her?"
"Is she in danger?"
The way he was holding her both hands, it would exactly mean that he was trying to threaten her.
I ended up recalling him always when I tried to close my eyes. The clock was ticking at midnight, twelve and my mobile popped up a message notification. I was pretty sure that it would come from Prachi and I was right. She texted me a poem, greeting a good night.
"I am waiting for the night,
To hug you tight under my arms.
Forgetting the pain,
From the day till night!
Goodnight, Sweetheart!"
I blushed.
"Good Night!" I replied with a smile emoji.
I kept the phone aside and went back to the "struggling to sleep" phase but failed once again.
The questions were rising in my mind, one by one. There were three main questions, letting me awake.
First one, "Who is that person?"
The second one, "Why did he want to meet Harini?"
The third one, "How the fuck did he gets my address?"
To find out all the answers, I needed the answer to the third question.
"Harini's mobile!"
I made a move to my bedroom, slowly without any noise. The door creaked when I tried to open a little. I opened a gap of entering me from the door, and suddenly, the lights hit on me.
"What the fuck?"
"Didn't she sleep?"
"Raghav!" she called.
I was standing near the door with no hope of giving an explanation. It was the situation, I never wanted to be in.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I-I--" I faltered.
I looked around the bed and said, "I came here for my pillow," I pointed.
I walked to the bed and took my pillow.
"Goodnight then!" I said with an awkward smile.
"Thank goodness!" I sighed.
While I was about to close the door, she called me to sit with her.
"Did I disturb you?" I asked.
"No!"
She rubbed her eyes and said, "I just need someone to talk!"
Her voice told me that she was in grief. I sat beside her as she wanted and asked what she wanted to talk.
I choked when she hugged me all of a sudden, crying and confessed, "He is my father!"
"Is she talking about that old man?"
I shocked.