The White Lab - Book 1: Enter a New World

It was the perfect summery afternoon to spend on the Bay of Plenty beachfront, in Durban. The sun had tinted the sky a magnificent, firey orange, which seeped into the magenta and deep purple hues found at the edges of the horizon.

In the distance, the city's population of pigeons could be heard settling in for the evening, just as their fellow human counterparts made their way to the many restaurants which dotted the Golden Mile; where patrons could be found either making their way to the promenade for an evening out with friends or family after a long day's work or heading to catch the last of the waves before sunset. 

People from all walks of life were merrily chatting among themselves, seated along the sand on the beach or at tables outside restaurants, overlooking the calming presence of the ocean ahead. While barbecues were fired up, pizza houses rolled out their finest doughed delicacies and chicken wings were ordered by the barrel. Everyone seemed to be in a cheerful mood, celebrating a victory. After all, the champions of the recent World Cup had every right to celebrate.

Amidst all the hustle and bustle of the evening's most intricate activities along the promenade, a tall man sauntered past the crowds, his appearance unlike the rest of people around him. The man was dressed in black, chinos and a white cotton shirt, a couple of buttons near the collar were unbuttoned. And the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up at the cuffs. His hair was short, though a fringe fell on his forehead, highlighting his handsome features; and his black, suede loafers were in impeccable condition. The man caught a few glances from the people around him as he wended his way through the crowds, he looked confident and smelled great. Though he was oblivious to the compliments he received. Finally he made his way into one of the indoor restaurants.

The man entered the restuarant confidently, making his way towards the far end, where he would be having his meeting. A waitress appeared at his side within a few seconds, swiftly assisting him.

"Goodevening sir. Do you have a reservation?" The young woman greeted politely. 

"Yes, under the name of Yash Singhania." Yash replied nonchalantly, his voice was pleasant and caressed the senses when he spoke. 

"Mr. Singhania, right this way." The woman smiled, leading Yash to a booth at the back of the restaurant, which was located in the VIP area. 

The chinking of glasses and cutlery could be heard in the restaurant as Yash walked through to the booth he'd reserved. As he drew nearer, he spotted a small group of men, already seated at the booth. 

"Yash! Wow man! We didn't know it was fancy dress bro." One of the men, who appeared to be around Yash's age replied, running a hand through his short, black hair. 

The man was dressed in a short-sleeved maroon Henley, with a pair of black jeans and maroon sneakers. 

"Yeah, Yash. Now we all look under-dressed..." a second young man replied, looking a little bothered as he picked his nails dramatically. 

This man wore an army green, sleeveless tank top, which displayed the beautiful tattoos he had snaking around both his toned, muscular arms. He too wore jeans, however he picked hightops, lying on the seat next to him was a black hoodie. His hair was dyed pink; which accentuated the silver piercings on his right brow and lip, as well as both his ears. 

"Forget about them Yash. It's good to see you man." A third young man said, rising up from his seat to greet Yash. 

The third young man wore black, squared spectacles which made him look a little like Clark Kent. He, unlike his other companions, wore a red and black hoodie, with blue jeans and plain black sneakers. 

"Feeling cold Greg?" Yash greeted the man, with a nonchalant banter most young men adopted. 

"You know me, cuz." Greg shrugged, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

"Sorry I'm late guys, I had some business to take care of before I got here. I didn't expect it to delay me." Yash apologised, grimacing at the round of banter he anticipated.

"So, what are we ordering?" Yash asked, looking around the table at his companions. 

"Finally! I've been starved half to death here while waiting for you to arrive!" The pink-haired guy replied. 

"Lex, would you calm down? We had a good beans bunny chow before this!" The maroon shirt guy said. "Argh... I wouldn't expect you to understand what good food is to a foodie, Ray! Besides, that was two hours ago!" Lex scoffed incredulously at his brother.

"He's still pissed off about last month's bad review, huh?" Yash whispered to Ray. 

"You have no idea just how bad it is cuz." Ray whispered back to his cousin. 

"Lakshman, what's the latest on the wedding?" Yash grins at Lex, knowing just how much Lex hated being called by his full name. No sooner had he uttered those words, did Lex throw him a look that could have poisoned the entire restaurant. Elated that Lex had taken the bait, Yash pressed on. 

"So, have aunty and uncle finalised their choice of venue for your wedding?" He asked genuinely. 

"Yes." Lex replied curtly. "And don't ever call me that again Yashvardhan. I thought we cousins had a pact to only ever use our street names." Lex exclaimed with a straight face, still inspecting his perfect nails. 

"Street names?" Greg asked skeptically, finally looking up from his cellphone, partly amused by his cousin's sense of humour.

"Oh, Greg, you're finally with us?" Lex replied sarcastically. 

"You've been on the phone with Fig since we got here!" Lex complained. "We got here at least an hour ago, no need to tell you who headed straight for the booze!" Lex threw daggers at Ray, who did happen have a beer in his hand. 

"It's a hot summer evening. Let me be, bro." He retorted. 

"You guys really do fight a lot for twin brothers." Yash observed. "Can we order?" Lex interjected Yash's thoughts. 

"Okay, okay, chill dude..." Yash replied, hands up in surrender to Lex. 

"Yes. Food first. Chatter later. I'm starved." Lex exclaimed as he grabbed the menu, his patience having run thin after waiting for the last hour. 

"What would you gents like to order this evening?" A soft female voice sounded from Yash's left. It was the same woman from earlier.

"Hi miss, please can we get three large chicken tikka pizzas, one large nepolitano pasta, 4 garlic rolls with some chips on the side - and sauce please; oh and can we have a platter of mutton samoosas and Pepsi for me." Lex responded, the order clearly rehearsed as he waited for this moment. 

"I'll have a Sprite." Yash replied, smiling friendlily at the young woman. "I'll have a Hunter's dry please." Replied Ray. 

"No you will not! Who's driving you home?" Lex replied annoyedly to his brother. 

"This is my second beer. C'mon Lex." He muttered. 

"Uh... hi. I think make that two Sprite and two Pepsi please." Greg responded diplomatically to the waitress, wrapping up their order. 

"Lex, for someone who's 'starved to death'; you certainly have a lot of energy in you to bully your twin about his alcohol consumption." Greg replied. 

"Yeah... right. And let me guess... Fig said you could drink?" Lex shot back sassily at him. 

"My wife knows I don't drink unless I'm around you guys. I chose not to drink any alcohol tonight. Besides... who's gonna drop you guys off, if I have a few drinks?" He raised an eyebrow at Lex pointedly. 

"Don't look at me. I'm going straight to my house from here." Yash replied, both his hands raised up in defence. His watch glinted in the light of the restaurant. 

A tiny white light blinked on his wrist watch, adjacent to the dials that controlled the needles. The waitress noticed this, but Yash and his cousins were oblivious to it as they discussed their drinks and finalised their order. 

Yash turned to face the waitress, politely watching her write their orders down. Her hair was dyed red, but it looked like a rushed DIY job, and her right ear was pierced in two places. But the most peculiar thing about the waitress, was the tattoo behind her right ear. 

It was an uroboros.

"That's strange... no one really gets that kind of tattoo anymore." Lex comments, his head cocked to the side, studying the tattoo on the waitress as she walks off. 

"You saw that too, huh?" Yash states. "Yash, I notice all tattoos. I'm an artist." Lex says, twisting slightly to purposely display his ink.

Lex was lean built and covered in tattoos from his neck down. The green tank top he wore hung loosely on his shoulders, which displayed the red roses and parchment scrolls that had verses of poems inked onto his skin in Little Lord Fauntleroy. 

"Okay, we're not Ricky. You can put the love quotes away now." His twin, Ray replied, nudging him. 

Lex gave Ray a sharp look. 

"To answer your question from earlier Yash, now that the food's on it's way..." he interjected, throwing Greg and Ray venomous looks, "... yes, mum and dad have settled with a venue. Ricky and I are getting registered at the bureau, then having a large reception at a private hall owned by one of mum's friends." 

"And then there'll be two..." Ray says, chuckling. Though the laughter didn't reflect in his eyes.

"Ria wasn't worth it cuz." Greg says. 

"I saw her today. When I got here..." he trailed off. 

"Ray, you know she cheated right? She was with him when she not so 'accidentally' bumped into you today!" Lex scolded his younger twin. 

"Yeah... I guess you're right."

Yash observed his cousins quietly. He didn't have any interest in 'settling down' or getting married again. Though his mother had hopes, and searched for a bride for him tirelessly.

"What's married life like Greg?" He asked all of a sudden, taking the other two by surprise. 

"It's good. Well, it's actually never been better. I have a wife and a baby now and a business to run. I have a purpose. I feel complete." He shrugged casually. 

Greg, who was the eldest of the group, though he didn't look it, had recently become a father to a beautiful baby girl. 

"Krithi is the light of our lives. Namratha and I are enjoying every minute of parenthood." He smiles, flashing his dimples. 

"It sure will be good to have a wedding interview family again." Yash smiles sadly, looking at Lex, who nodded in understanding.

Yash was once married too. 

"I still remember your wedding like it was yesterday." Ray says conversationally trying to brighten the mood.

"Yeah," Yash chimed in, sounding a little more cheerful. "D'you guys remember the scene the cook made when she found Lex and Ray in the kitchen behind the hall?!" He chuckled. "Good times...." 

"Someone had to test the food out!" Lex muttered. "We did you and Fig a favour Greg."

"Yeah right... You ended up eating most of the potatoes in the biryani, before the bride and groom and the rest of the guests got to!" Yash countered. 

"I don't know how we are twins..." Ray shook his head disbelievingly at Lex. 

"That's because you're the baby. Unless you want me to tell you that bedtime story again, shush." Lex grinned at his twin, his mood seemed to lift since they ordered.

"You guys hate me so much, you named me Ray! Who even calls someone 'Ray' for fun? You got Lex, Greg and ..." he looked up at Yash. 

"Dude, don't even go there. It's been years since any of you have called me that!" Yash countered, taking a sip of the Sprite that had just arrived. "But if you want to be called Abhay, it's on you." He finished, looking at Ray pointedly. 

The four cousins had names for each other based on traits and characters they liked from anime or movies they watched together as teens. The names stuck, except for Yash, who refused to answer to 'Raven' after the age of fourteen, preferring to be called by the shortened version of his name instead: Yash. 

"I always preferred Professor. But anyways." Ray shrugged. "Yeah... professor of boredom." 

"Power Puff." Yash sniggered.

"Raven." Ray countered. 

"Kids. Enough with the banter. The foods here." Lex intervened nonchalantly.

They thanked their waitress after checking their order.

"Itadakimasu." They say in unison and then begin digging into their pizzas and garlic rolls. 

...

An hour later

"Thanks for the night out guys." Greg said, swinging his car keys around his index finger. 

"Anytime." The other three replied. 

"Let me know when you and Namratha are free so we can come over to see our adorable niece." Yash says, to which both Lex and Ray agree. 

The men say their goodbyes to Yash who was riding home on his own, as they walked to a white car parked close to his bike.

He zipped up a leather jacket over his shirt, then swung a long leg over the bike he parked close to the restaurant, before his previous meeting, put on his helmet and started up the engine, riding off into the cool night, oblivious to the hungry stares he got from the many young women around him.

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