Slipping next to Riddhima at the booth in the restaurant, I whisper-scolded. “How could you?”

She answered in remorse, “Sorry, he wouldn’t let me go!”

I shake my head in response. Out of everyone present here, she knows everything. She should have argued with him, done anything she had to, to not leave me along with him.

Amanda spoke up, “Aren’t you going to order food?”

“Not hungry,” I answered pressing my lips in a polite smile.

I hadn’t eaten anything today but I was still not feeling up for eating. My appetite had slowly been killed off and even though I should be starving, I wasn’t. Only thing keeping me together was the hot chocolate I had in the morning and then a bag of popcorn somewhere in the afternoon.

I say, boys ruin my appetite. It bothered me to the core how Arnav could pick up on that one minuscule detail about me when he didn’t even know me. The message it gave me that he observed me enough to know that scared me a little.

Why?

Unless it was just Riddhima and Kripa, I didn’t talk much. To say, the rest of the group didn’t know me as well as they knew Kripa and Riddhima. Or better, they didn’t know me at all. I kept to myself and I was comfortable with that. I preferred a low profile now. Along the way, the rest assumed I was just a shy introvert and so wouldn’t bother me much to join in on the conversations or whatever they did.

Out of extending courtesy, when the whole group was going someplace, they’d let me know. Sometimes I went with them and other times, like today, I was forced to tag along.

My phone rang and I picked it up instantly seeing the caller ID. Just the person I needed to talk to, to make myself feel better. To get me out of today’s depression… or the moody state I seem to be in whereby I didn’t feel like talking to anyone or doing anything.

I whispered to inform Riddhima, “Armaan,” and slide out of the booth to walk outside and talk in privacy. “Amy!”

His chirpy voice made me feel better at once, “Hey doll, how are you?”

“Eh,” I answered in one word and I knew it’s all he needed to know to understand. “You tell, how are you? And mom and dad?”

“All fine here, though I think dad is a bit worried. Something to do with business I imagine. Nothing out of the ordinary. Why are you just ‘eh’? What’s wrong?”

“Today’s just not my day.”

He pressed, “Details.”

I whined, “Do I have to.”

“Doll.” His tone conveyed his seriousness. I had to tell him what was on my mind.

“Fine,” I grumbled before trying to put my thoughts in words, “I don’t really know though. It’s just one of those days, you know? Then there is Kripa’s cousin. Just seeing him makes me want to punch somebody.”

He laughed softly, “What’d that poor fella ever do to you?”

I gaped at his words, “Poor fella? Hello! You cannot sympathize with the enemy. All he ever does is irritate me.” As my brother, by default, he is to be on my side.

He, however, points out the facts I don’t want him to, “Doll, if I have listened properly in our conversations, and I have, then the guy barely talks to you.”

“And when he does, he is just…”

He is quick to cut me off, “Okay, point noted. What did he say this time?”

“More like what he observed?” I answered knowing he wasn’t going to like this, “He figured out my so-called tell for when I lie.”

“Seriously? Punch him for me. That’s just so not fair. I, being your brother, still can’t figure it out. How the hell did he do it in just four months, that too with barely ever talking to you?” He went off on his own rampage which somewhere made me smile. Looks like I just gave him his very first reason to dislike Arnav.

“Well… you did figure it out. I just convinced you otherwise.”

He gasped, “You! Just you come home. I will have my revenge. I knew I was right then. Why would you do that to me?”

I laughed at how quick he changed his line of anger to me though I know he wasn’t really mad. He was just saying it. “I dunno, it sounded fun at the time? Seeing you so confused had made my day. As you know, it’s not every day I get the chance to be smarter than you.”

Between the two of us, he was the genius born with the smarts. I had to always study my ass off but I never saw him studying and still he’d usually be at the top competing with Riddhima.

I added, “Anyway, any new girlfriend I need to know about?”

“Why won’t you believe I have changed? I don’t have any girlfriend! Besides, it’s no fun going out with girls just to see Riddhima fume when she isn’t here anymore.”

I grinned, “And he finally admits it. I so knew it!”

“Doll…” He started to warn me when he realized his slip up.

“Yeah, yeah.” I interjected, “I know. She won’t hear of this from me ever. You know, you’re a bad influence. Telling me to lie to my own best friend.”

I could imagine him rolling his eyes, “It isn’t a lie, doll. You’re just hiding the truth. There’s a difference.”

“Sure there is,” I agreed for the sake of it, grin still plastered on my face. The extent he went to in order to manipulate things when it comes to her. The guy is whipped. “Alright, listen. I have to go. I’ll call you later.”

Suddenly, I’m so hungry. My appetite is back.

“Kay, both of you take care. Love you.”

I teased him, “I’ll be sure to pass on that message.”

“Khushi!”

I laughed while bidding and walking back towards the restaurant. It’s fun to mess with him when it comes to Riddhima. “Okay, fine. I was just kidding! Bye, love you too.”

I reached for the door to open it but never got around to it as it was pulled from the other side and I ran smack into Arnav. I took rapid steps away. On looking around, I noticed everyone else was coming out too. They were done eating this quickly?

The question must have been evident on my face for Riddhima informed, “We’re getting late for the movie. We’ll just eat after.”

I pouted, “But I’m actually hungry now.”

Ron asked, “Can’t you hold it for two hours?”

I shook my head, “I haven’t eaten anything today.”

Kripa scolded, “Idiot. Why did you say you weren’t hungry before then?”

“Because I wasn’t then?”

Amanda pointed out, “That was barely five minutes ago.”

I just shrugged my shoulder. Blame it on my changing moods. One minute, I can be at my lowest and next, happy. “How about you guys go on? I’ll get something to eat and…”

Riddhima finished, “Meet us there.”

I was thinking of going back home but didn’t correct her knowing she would give me an earful if I tried to convince her otherwise. “Yeah, sure.”

Kripa asked, “Arnie, get me a turkey sub too then? I don’t want to miss the movie and I know you don’t really care about this movie.”

Much to my dislike, he nodded. Why was he such a good brother? Only part about him that as remotely good that I hated for it seemed to be working against me lately.

“Thanks!” With that, Kripa joined the rest and the walked off towards the theater.

. . . ∞ . ∞ . ∞ . ∞. . .