27. Ishaan
TWENTY-SEVEN
Ishaan
The doorbell chimed at the exact moment the clock struck ten that night. Ishaan pulled the black beanie he was wearing low over his forehead as he walked over to open the door for Mayukhi.
Or rather he thought he was opening the door for Mayukhi. Instead, he found GI Jane. In a tight, black tank tucked into loose track pants and her hair pulled into a tight, high ponytail with the tail pulled through the back of a baseball cap, she looked incredibly badass.
And he wanted nothing more than to drag her into his bedroom and keep her there forever.
Instead, he cleared his throat and smiled his smirkiest smile. “Hello Design Diva.”
She gave him a snotty look and swept past him into the flat. “What’s the plan?” she asked, tugging on her ponytail to tighten it further. His scalp hurt watching the ruthless hair game she had going on.
“I was at Amay’s place the other day, stealing his aftershave and I saw the trophy stashed in his bathroom cabinet, behind some cartons of washing machine powder. So tonight, while Dhrithi is sleeping, we’ll sneak in, grab it and sneak out.”
Mayukhi frowned even as she nodded. “Why didn’t you just grab it that day?”
“Dhrithi was in the next room. And plus, I already had the aftershave to hide and sneak out. Where was I going to hide a trophy as well?”
Her frown deepened. “Why were you stealing his aftershave? Can’t you afford your own?”
“I most certainly can,” Ishaan retorted, outraged by the implication.
“I would think so,” she said calmly. “Given the car you drive and this bougie designer flat.”
“You think my flat is bougie?” he asked, pleased. A second later the smile slid off his face and he frowned. “Wait! Was that an insult or a compliment?”
She rolled her eyes at him and said, “Go get the aftershave and we’ll get started.”
“Okay, I-“ He took a step forward before coming to an abrupt halt. “Wait. Why am I getting the aftershave.”
“We’re going to return it,” she explained patiently, like she was talking to a stubborn toddler. “We don’t steal things.”
“That is literally our only agenda for the evening!”
“We’re stealing the trophy back. It was yours to begin with. I mean you cheated for it, but still, it was yours. ” She shoved him with both hands on his back. “Now hurry up. We don’t have all night.”
“We do have all night,” he muttered to himself, heading to his bathroom. “This was the only plan for the fucking night.” He shoved through his things until he found Amay’s aftershave and shoved it into his pocket.
“Let’s move,” he snapped, when he walked past Mayukhi in the hall. She was standing in front of a family picture of his, the large framed pic hanging on a bare wall in the living room.
“You have siblings,” she said, not moving an inch.
“I do.”
Ishaan’s gaze went to the smiling face of his younger sister and the sulky one of his brother. His parents stood behind them, their arms around the younger two. The only person not in that picture was Ishaan himself. He’d never been there. First, he’d been shipped off to boarding school, his family’s only hope of redeeming their failed fortunes. And when he’d come home, he’d only been working odd jobs to help put food on the table and pay for his sibling’s educations.
Much like he was doing now. Working his butt off to ensure his family didn’t need for something. So when there were family pictures or family moments…Ishaan was always the only one missing. He was acutely aware of the fact that he now preferred it this way and so did they. His mother tried but it was too late to play happy families.
“And parents.”
“I wasn’t raised in the forest by wolves, Kraken,” he said irritably. “I’ve got the fucking aftershave. Now, can we please just go?”
She looked a little surprised by his flare of temper but all she did was level a cool glance at him and nod. They stepped into the elevator and made their way the few floors down to Amay’s apartment.
“So, you guys have always stayed close to each other?” Mayukhi asked, leaning against the glass panel of the elevator.
“Yes.”
“Friends like family,” she mused, following him off the elevator and down the silent corridor to Amay’s flat.
“Yeah.” The only family he had. He keyed in the code to the front door, before putting a finger to his lips.
She mimed zipping her lips, locking it and throwing away the key. If only life was that merciful, he thought with a shake of his head, leading the way into the darkened space. They made their way quietly and stealthily through the living hall and towards Amay’s bedroom.
He opened the door a crack and peeped in to see Dhrithi fast asleep in the bed, the covers drawn right to her chin. He beckoned Mayukhi to go into the bathroom and get the trophy.
Her eyes widened when she realised he wasn’t coming with her but her gaze went to a sleeping Dhrithi and she got it immediately. She slipped past him and into the darkened room, making her slow way to the bathroom. She opened the door and disappeared from his line of sight. He heard nothing for a minute and then the bathroom door opened and she came scuttling back towards him like the worst cat burglar in history. Definitely the worst because her hands were empty. Where the hell was the trophy?
Mayukhi walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
“Where is it?” Ishaan hissed, keeping his voice as low as possible.
“It’s not there,” she hissed back, sounding like the viper he suspected her of being all along.
“What do you mean it’s not there? I saw it!” His voice rose the slightest and she made a shushing motion with her hand, flapping it in the air a bit.
“And it’s not there now,” she snapped in a whisper shout.
“That’s impossible!” Ishaan folded his hands over his chest and stared at her.
She did the flapping, shushing thing again with her hand. Ishaan reached out and grabbed it, stopping it in mid flap.
“You are not being rational,” she said. “I have a plan. If you’d just let me –“
He never heard the rest of what she was saying because a screeching banshee came flying out of the bedroom, a cricket bat held over her head. High pitched, shrill screaming that would drill a hole in his head for his brains to leak out, echoed in his ears. Mayukhi screamed as well and for a moment, Ishaan thought that this would be the soundtrack of his death.
“Dhrithi!” Mayukhi screamed. “It’s us.”
“What?” Dhrithi screamed back, hysteria clearly still having a stranglehold on her.
“It’s us,” Ishaan said, using his ‘I’m in control’ voice and stepping forward and reaching for Dhrithi. She reacted by swinging the bat and smacking him in the thigh. Ishaan screamed, the highest pitched scream of the night. Both women stared at him, effectively silenced.
“Oh my God!” Dhrithi said, her voice hushed. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
Ishaan rubbed his thigh and glared at Mayukhi like she was the one who’d hit him with a bat. “No,” he answered, his voice gruff with pain. “We’re sorry. We should have realised we’d scare you.”
“What the hell are you guys doing here anyway?” Dhrithi mercifully lowered the bat as she stared at them, wide-eyed. A wide-eyed look that narrowed in seconds. “You’re here for the trophy.”
Mayukhi and Ishaan stayed silent, neither wanting to admit guilt.
“Ha!” Dhrithi hadn’t been one of the best students at school for nothing. “I knew you were looking shifty that day, Ish, after you stole Amay’s aftershave.”
“Maybe he was looking shifty because he stole Amay’s aftershave,” Mayukhi volunteered, with a dirty look in his direction.
“Careful Kraken,” he muttered. “You’re not exactly a beacon of morality.”
“That’s why I moved it to a new hiding place!” Dhrithi added triumphantly.
Ishaan eyed her. “That trophy was awarded to me by the school, you little thief.”
“Only because you cheated, you bigger thief.” Dhrithi took a step forward until she was toe to toe with him. “You should never have gotten that extra mark in computers.”
Ishaan fought to keep the smile from his face and his voice as he stared her down. “I beat you then. I’ll beat you now, Goody.”
Dhrithi grinned, a toothy smile. “That’s the problem Ish. I’m not Goody anymore. Give it your best shot.”
He held a hand out to her. “May the best man or woman win?”
Dhrithi shook it firmly. “Yep. And that will be me!”
Ishaan snorted and ruffled her already messy hair before turning away. “Get some sleep, Goody. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Mayukhi grabbed his arm as he turned away. “The aftershave?” she said, giving him a pointed look.
Grumbling, Ishaan retrieved it from his pocket and handed it to a laughing Dhrithi. “You probably don’t know this, Kraken,” he said conversationally. “Because you don’t have many good friends but when you’re close to someone, what’s theirs is yours and vice versa.”
He knew he’d said the wrong thing the minute the words left his lips. Mayukhi’s face tightened as hurt lined her expression. She turned away without another word and walked out, the front door shutting behind her with a decisive click.
“You are such an ass,” Dhrithi murmured.
“I know,” he said, staring at the shut front door.
“Are you going to stand here like a clueless idiot or go after her?”
Ishaan folded his arms across his chest and muttered, “I’m going to stand here like a clueless idiot.”
“Hmm. I’m still holding the cricket bat, you know,” Dhrithi said conversationally.
“You can’t bully me into doing something I don’t want to!” he argued, digging his heels into his ridiculous stand.
“You don’t want to apologise for hurting someone’s feelings?”
For fuck’s sake! He glowered at Dhrithi a moment more before storming towards the front door.
“Also Ish,” she called out, leaning on the cricket bat like Tendulkar at the pitch between overs. “Pulling the pigtails of the girl you like is really out of fashion.”
“You’re a real pain in the arse, Goody,” he snarled, slamming the door behind him as he left. He took the elevator up to his flat, in the vain hope that Mayukhi would still be there. Knowing her, she’d probably marched straight out of the building in high dudgeon, slashing his tires along the way as retaliation.
Apparently he didn’t know her at all. He opened the front door to find her standing out on his balcony, by the railing. She didn’t turn at the sound of the door but he saw her back tense and knew she was aware of his presence.
He stepped out on to the balcony, an apology on his lips when she spoke.
“You’re right. I don’t have good friends. I’ve had friends, of course, but I’ve never had good friends.”
Ishaan froze, his apology dying on his lips.
“I think I’m just not friend material or even relationship material. I’m not built for it.”
“Bullshit.” The rough word sounded like an expletive. He hated the sound of defeat in her voice. His Kraken was never defeated. She ground her enemies and her demons into the dust with the point of her stiletto heel and laughed while she did so.
Mayukhi laughed now, a mirthless sound. “Don’t act like you like me Adajania. I’m well aware of how you feel about me. Don’t patronise me by telling me you like me now.”
“It’s true,” he said, stepping up to stand behind her, his hands going to grip the railing around her, caging her in with his body. “I really hate you.”
She caught her breath as his body pressed into hers, the hard length of his erection making its presence felt.
“I hate you too,” she said breathlessly, her body instinctively arching into the contact.
Ishaan spun her around, holding her against him, his gaze meshing with her wide, flustered ones.
“And still,” he mused, drawing a finger down the line of her neck, pausing at the collarbone to admire the goosebumps that erupted in its wake. “There’s this.”
Mayukhi being Mayukhi, stepped closer, her hand slipping between them to grip his erection. “And this,” she murmured, tilting her head to hold his gaze.
“So,” Ishaan said, his voice sounding like rocks grating against each other, desire thrumming through his veins. “What are we going to do about it?”
In reply, she grabbed the fabric of his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss, her lips meeting his with an imperious demand he was more than happy to give into. He plundered her mouth, his tongue stroking against hers, swallowing her moans even as one hand gripped her hip as she rubbed against him like a purring cat.
“Kraken,” he muttered, ripping his mouth from hers, resting his forehead against hers and fighting to catch his breath. “If we keep doing this, I’m not going to be able to stop.”
“Don’t,” she said, the tip of one finger dragging along the painfully hard, throbbing length of his erection. “Don’t you dare stop.”