"I can't believe the jacket was not ready!" The high, screeching voice assaulted Aarav's ears as soon as he got to the bar. It was trying to talk over the loud party music playing by the pool. "I have not worn this in over a year, ughhhh!"
Aarav smiled at his date, who was visibly uncomfortable at the jam-packed party. She even kept checking her phone, never a good sign. On top of that, the only place they found at the bar was right beside the owner of that annoying voice, who would not shut his mouth. Aarav kept his back to the guy to block away the prickly sound as well as he could, but the man kept bumping into him, clearly with little sense of personal space.
"Is everything alright?" Aarav whispered into Maria's ear when she glanced at the screen of her phone for the fifth time. It was their third date in two weeks.
She only smiled and nodded. She was tall and slim, with straight blonde hair, a model trying to make a cut in Bollywood. They were introduced by the same guy who was throwing the house party, a movie producer's son.
Something sharp and bony knocked into Aarav's side, and this time, he snapped back to stare down the guy who was bothering him for the longest time.
"Ooops, sorry," the guy turned, too.
He was exactly how Aarav imagined him to be, short, slender, big eyes made even bigger by ridiculous eyeliner and mascara and a head full of curly, black hair with glitter stuck in it. He was dressed from head to toe in designer outfits and wore boots to the pool party.
"Sorry," the guy repeated, with an apologetic smile.
Aarav nodded, controlling the urge to punch him, and then turned back to Maria.
"I am Ru, by the way," the guy said, shoving his right hand at them as if he was on a mission to be friends with every single person at the party, "short for Rohan."
Maria felt obliged to introduce herself and Aarav had to follow her, to not look rude. The next thing you know, Ru was noisily complaining about the meat industry and how veganism is the future. Aarav flashed the guy a few courteous smiles as he downed one more glass of Jamieson. Maria sat on the barstool, trying her best to look interested in whatever non-stop vegan bs he was spinning. The man that Ru was talking to had already left the bar, and the guy did not even notice.
"Do you think it will?" Ru looked at Aarav. His lips were glistening from his passion fruit margarita.
Aarav blinked. "It will what?"
"Have you even been listening to what I am saying?" Ru asked bluntly as if they were best of friends for decades. This guy!
Aarav was about to tell him so when Maria stood up. "I have to leave," she said in her Russian accent that Aarav thought was hot. "I have an early shoot tomorrow."
"Is that for the new KJo movie?" Ru was all curiosity. Maria gave him a warm smile and then put on her jacket.
"Let me walk you to the car," Aarav offered and the two began to walk to the parking. Thank god, the idiot did not follow after them.
When Aarav returned to the party, his friend, Tiger, was about to cut the birthday cake. "Come here, man!" He gestured at Aarav. He did not really want to, with those many half-drunk spoiled rich kids crowding over the cake, but Tiger was one of his closest friends. So, he complied, squeezed right in between Tiger, and of course, Ru. Tiger blew the candles and the rest pressed him to make a wish.
"Why don't we all make a wish?" Someone suggested and the spoilt brat, Ru, shrieked saying it was a great idea. So, they all made silent wishes. Aarav thought it was childish but he still ended up making a wish, for the guy to leave him the alone.
"How come I never saw you around before?" Ru asked, wiping the white icing smeared over both his cheeks, after the cake cutting ceremony. By then, most kids had gone back to the pool, and his friend Tiger had vanished inside his dad's three-storied bungalow with a girl. Aarav was sitting at a corner, on one of the pool chairs, drinking his beer when Ru appeared out of nowhere and plopped himself down beside him. So annoying, Arya thought.
"I was overseas, finishing my bachelor's," Aarav said sleepily, hoping the guy would leave him alone.
"Wow, in what field?"
Aarav threw him a pointed look, but Ru, clueless as he was, kept staring at him, expecting an answer. Aarav sighed. "Architecture." He took another mouthful of the beer.
"I love architecture!" Ru exclaimed. By now, it was clear to Aarav, this guy either loved something and it was the best thing in the world or he hated it and it was the worst thing in the world. There was no in between for him. "My sister did architecture too, from Delhi University. I am from Delhi. Moved here couple of years ago." He offered about himself, and Aarav grunted an acknowledgement. And then Ru went on to tell him his entire life story that Aarav was too tired to listen to closely. He was too tired to shake him off either; so he just let Ru stay and prattle on.
He woke up with a start when he felt a soft hand shaking him.
"You dozed off," Ru informed him, sounding somewhat disappointed.
"You are still here?" Aarav asked but showed little interest in the guy's response. He glanced at the watch, and it was two in the morning! "I must head home." Most of the kids had either passed out by the pool or left. Aarav got on his feet and then noticed Ru was still sitting on the pool chair.
"Are you going to stay?" He asked out of courtesy, having little interest in what Ru planned to do.
The guy shrugged. "My friend is my ride but he is not replying to my texts or calls. I guess I will wait." The guy pulled his designer leather jacket around himself tighter and continued to slouch on the pool chair. It was indeed getting pretty chilly out there.
Aarav looked around him. "I don't think he will reply any time soon." He hesitated and then asked, "Do you want me to drop you off?" He wanted to kick himself in the foot for saying that. It was probably the beer. And he couldn't deny he felt a little bad for leaving Ru here all by himself after the guy had followed him around the entire party like an annoying bubblegum stuck to the bottom of the shoe.
Ru blinked at Aarav, twice, contemplating the offer, and then nodded. "All right."
Aarav only prayed that the chatter box remained quiet for most of the ride.
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