Recap: Episode-1, Episode-2, Episode-3, Episode – 4, Episode – 5, Episode – 6, Episode - 7, Episode - 8, Episode - 9, Episode - 10, Episode -11 2038 to 2100 Hours: And as it were, I handed over the key to my pinni and returned to the waiting area. I couldn't see the screen smashing kid and her mother at the waiting area. Instead those seats were now occupied by a woman, and an old couple beside her. Instead of walking out of the hospital, I decided to hang out at the waiting area for a bit longer. I walked up to the seats, knelt before the woman. “What happened inside?” she asked looking pretty concerned, with the concern levels properly coming across through her big Brown eyes. I just shook my head and shrugged my shoulders. I could see the old lady on my right, staring at me for some reason. Why do the old always have to stare? Can't they do other things that the normal people do with their eyes, you know, like peek, glance, etc? Nope! They always have to stare at everything "How come you are here though?” I said sitting cross legged before her. Frankly, I was getting tired really. I could feel my internal battery falling to 21 percent, and power saving mode kicking in. “I needed a proper goodbye too. I told you that my Ex works here right?” she said looking over and above me, and towards the door which led to ICU ward. “Well... You might have mentioned something of that sort...” I said trying to sound cool. The old lady shifted in her seat, moved a bit forward, and again, stared at me. I had my fair share of quirky people today, and therefore decided to cut her off immediately. “Em Kavali meeku?” (What do you need?) I asked her blatantly. In Telugu that is. Much to the surprise of Geetika. “Hey.... That's... That's... You Moron... You know Telugu..!” she playfully slapped my shoulder and smiled. “Well, to be honest. I knew bits and pieces, here and there. Enough to get me out of trouble or buy me a drink. Not exactly enough to converse in it” I said smiling semi proudly at my hidden skills. The old lady shook her head sideways, and shrugged her shoulders, but still found it necessary enough to continue staring at the both of us. Just as I was about to ask her what she seeked so relentlessly, I found my mobile ringing. I had no option but to pick it up, as I with a damaged screen, I had no option of calling whoever it was, back later. As I picked up the call, I saw Geetika smiling at the old lady, and indulging in formal "Hi's & Hello's" with her. I turned to see two Doctors emerging out of the wards and into the corridor. One was the pretty Doctor I had previously talked to, and another one, a handsome one that I hadn't. The guy looked Dettol clean, and without a strand of hair on his face. Now Geetika pointed at one of them and said he was Dr.Kartik. Therefore, my doubts were just being confirmed, as Geetika shuffled in her seat on seeing the two of them. He was her Ex afterall. And before I could respond to that information, I got a call. "Bunny! Where the hell are you?” Vikky's highly concerned screeching voice greeted me. “Here and there, with Geetika, still. Listen have you got my SIM? " “Oh yeah. It's a fancy number. I'll just message the number. And you can have your SIM when you come home, whenever your girlfriend let's you to!” “All right. Allright. Just give me the number now. Don't text it" “Cool, so the number is... " “Wait a sec...” I said and turned to Geetika, and asked her for her mobile. She looked at me quizzically but gave me the mobile phone all the same. As was expected the phone was PinLock protected. She realized that, and whispered 7890, which I punched in promptly. As Vikky started telling me my new Vodafone number, I typed in the numbers and saved the contact with my name, in Geetika's Samsung S5. She would want my new number eventually and I just took the liberty of storing it beforehand. Geetika stood up and walked past me, and entered a lab room, which I knew was already being occupied by the two Doctors. Obviously there was something that she had to settle with the guy, and therefore I decided to wait outside. Geetika had come back, for one reason or the other, but the main thing was she had. The funny thing was that it never felt that she had left. Everything was going great, except the staring, which was slowly and surely starting to piss me off. I decided to give the old lady a proverbial taste of her own medicine. And hence began the staring back at her. Challenge accepted. Thankfully, after a minute or so, she found my staring uncomfortable and turned to her husband. The husband didn't react much, but I knew I wasn't exactly being cool here. Just as I was about to exact my revenge in a more subtle way, Geetika's mobile in my left hand, started ringing. The display showed a picture of a young woman, which was accompanied by a name, Bhargavi. I rejected the call. This happened more than thrice, which eventually gave me a good enough reason to get into the lab. So I walked up to the lab, waited for a few seconds, and knocked at the door. Couple of moments later, the handsome Doctor opened the lab door, and before he could inquire of my need, Geetika responded. She told them that I was with her, and that they let me in. I walked into the lab, with all sorts of advanced machinery whirring silently. The Doctor guy closed the door behind me. Geetika walked up to me, and introduced me to the two Doctors. "This is Dr. Karthik. He is a cardiovascular surgeon here. Quite famous in the city too ", Geetika said introducing the obvious character to me. “And this is Dr. Samhita, one of the best gynaecologists in the city. And also my Ex!! ", Geetika said calmly, introducing the smiling pretty Doctor with whom I had a pretty good conversation with, earlier. I smiled stupidly at her. The whole scenario took a while to process and sink in. And when it did, it hit me like a Hyperbolic Thunderbolt Shock wave. I handed Geetika her mobile, gave the Doctors a half smile and a half smirk, bade them goodbye and walked out. Once out of the lab, I saw the staring old lady breaking into a hysterical fit of laughter. I mean, what in the whole wide world was happening here. Her being a lesbian, actually explained nothing and nor did it further the story in any way. The old lady couldn't stop laughing now, and reeled in her seat. After a few moments, Geetika emerged out of the lab. "So where to now?” she asked me casually. “You are... I mean... You are a Lesbian?” I said trying to match up to her calmness. Her preferences were her own, and I had nothing to do with that. What was bugging me was the fact that, whether I had missed any clues? “I’m not gay or Lesbian. I'm actually a Bi!” she said placing her mobile in her back pocket and walking towards the exit door. 2100 to 2120 Hours: “Let’s take an auto, I've still got to pack my stuff and wait for the cab to arrive!” Geetika said as we walked on the footpath, which led to the Exit gate, and where an army of autowalas were waiting to attack us. “Were you being serious, back in there? With the pretty doctor?” I said, knowing very well that such wonderment, would make me come across as a complete idiot. “Of course I was. Is there a problem? Can't I be a Bi?” she said hopping on to the road “No. I mean yes. I mean, I'm totally cool with that. It's just that, I was, well, could you please ask me to shut up before I say something stupid!” I said meekly, desperately trying to get back to safety, before a sandal or a pointed heel came hurling at me. "Haha! Then! Shut up! Come on!” she said gripping my hand and quickly crossing the gate, before a really large SUV (Range Rover, if you will) blocked our way out. Romance was back people! Though this time I knew it was going to be incredibly short lived. We chose an auto, bargained the fare, as one should for everything in our part of the world, even when the need far exceeds the price, and got into it, still instinctively holding hands. Somehow, clichéd and filmy as it may sound, it never felt odd “You’ve got rough palms, Geetika!” I asked her, as she was adjusting her jeans near her ankle, with her free hand. “Being a Chef isn't a soft job, boy. Obviously. Anyways weren't you supposed to go to your cousin's place for dinner?” Geetika replied with a question, which was quite self explanatory. “I find them beautiful. Generally people have their destinies written. You, my lady, have it carved” I asked as a bolt of boldness struck me, and I let go of her hand, sneaked it behind her back and held on to her waist on the other side. “ Observant. And poetic. Go on..!!", she said placing her now free hand on my thigh. Ever experienced the adrenaline / testosterone high which you get when you've been given the permit to, you know, just go for it. Well I had exactly that, as my hand couldn't get enough of touching her. I slowly started pushing her t-shirt up for a bit, and feeling her skin. What she lost with her palms, she more than made it up with her soft skin. She joined the act, by helping my hand through the clothing. “We are here, because we were meant to be. Destiny. Everything else is just plain crazy !!”, she jumped in her seat. I instinctively retracted my hand. “What’s wrong? Did I do anything?” I asked her. I knew I hadn't done anything, but the jerky auto and the ditchy roads would have caused some trouble. She held my hand up and smiled. “It’s your watch. It pricked me. We should take a little detour here, what say?” she said peeping outside towards a shopping complex. “Why what's there?” I asked unstrapping my watch, folding it and placing it in my pocket. “Pharmacy of course!” she said, and asked the auto driver to stop the auto for a while “Oh... Yes... I mean Yeah... Of course” “You’ve gotta use...right?” “If that's not a problem” “Why would there be a problem?” “I don't know. Just asking” I said and got off the auto, followed by Geetika, who adjusted her t-shirt as she got down. We asked the auto driver to wait for ten minutes or so, and walked swiftly to the pharmacy. Though I don't know why Geetika was following me, but then I was hardly thinking at that moment. We found the pharmacy sandwiched in between a hardware/electrical works shop and a bakery of some sort. “Yes sir?” the chemist looked at me with the most formal customary salesman smile ever, which reminded me of Jagdeesh, from Digital store. How many hours ago was that? The day had been so long, that the start of it hovered in my mind as a blurred memory and the end walked as an uncertain dream. I looked at Geetika, who observing my discomfort, walked past me, further into the shop and started to request for something from a sales woman there. This was my window of opportunity. Just as I gathered enough courage to ask him what I wanted, another middle aged man walked in with his school going kid. I decided to rush up my purchase before anything became weird and awkward for everyone credited to be in the scene. “I need... I... You have Packets?” I asked the chemist as clearly as I could. The kid started plucking at Kinder Joy sticks which were neatly protruding out from it's retail packaging box, on the counter. The chemist in the process of stopping the kid, couldn’t hear my request. “I am sorry! What do you need?” he again asked. “Yeah! Well, I need, some, well, Packets? ", I asked him again “You mean.... " “Yes. Exactly” “Company? Flavour? " “Skore. Bring me some flavours” “Ok ok! There is an offer on KS. Two for one” he said pointing at a 12*24 poster behind his desk, which showed a male model winking at the looker, and a couple of women, swooning over him, because he was a Playa!! “I’ll have only one, thank you!” I said and stepped aside, so that the middle aged man could place his purchase. He asked for a couple of antibiotics and a cough syrup, which the chemist immediately gave him, before he could take up my case. The boy however was only concerned with the Kinder Joy sticks. His father (the kid did look like the man, hence the deduction), saw the bill and realised that he couldn't afford all the medicines and stepped outside the shop to call someone. The chemist found it prudent enough to deal with me now, and opened a drawer and took out a dozen cases. “Skore has Chocolate, Apple & Vanilla. KS comes with Grape & Butterscotch. Fuel comes with Strawberry & Blackcurrant. This also has an offer, 10 + 2 free!!” he said showing each box one by one. The kid suddenly turned towards the desk, as he apparently heard the names of the ice cream flavours he loved. I could sense that this Kid, was up to no good, and I quickly picked up Skore Chocolate Box. He caught hold of KS Butterscotch, and started analysing the box. The chemist patiently asked him to hand over the box, but he refused. He started opening the box, which is when I got into the act. I knelt before him and tried winning him over... “Hey! What do you think that is? ", I asked him. “Choco Bars! I want Choco Bars!” the kid replied. Do they still slap kids when they go all whacky? I'm not sure they do. “That’s not that. Now hand me over the box” I said. He wouldn't, and I gave up. Thankfully the chemist understood my plight and billed my purchase without any further ado. I turned to see that Geetika had brought a 2 rupee plastic bag full of medicines and miscellaneous necessities. Once we were done with picking up the stuff we needed, we walked out of the pharmacy. "Are you hungry?” I asked Geetika, trying to get her on board and make a little stop at some modern chic eatery, who would strip us out of our money for the smallest piece of bread there is. Obviously that's how the loaded lads roll, Yo! “Not really. Besides we need to get back to the flat ASAP. Are you hungry?” Geetika said adjusting the strip of her solar system sandal “Me? No? Not at all. I was just making sure you weren't. Let's go already!” I said and grabbed her hand and sprinted towards the auto. Once we were inside the auto, the auto driver, blasted his crappy sounding bass loaded speakers with hits of Himesh Reshamiya. We got back to holding hands and being physically witty. "That’s the second time I’m hearing his tracks today! God! Anyways, you’ve got what you want?” Geetika asked resting her head on my shoulder “Yup! Chocolate!” I said challenging my mind's SD card, to remember who the superhero on her t-shirt before I took it off her. “Chocolate? So it's settled then that I won't... " “Nope you won’t. Though it's your call totally” “No but listen! It's a bit odd for me. I mean it’s been really long since I have, you know, I hope you don't mind” “Hey! Come on! There's nothing really to it. I haven’t even given it a thought!” “I'll be honest with you. Sam was very particular about these things. She's a really cool person otherwise” “Geetika! This is a Romcom, don't make it sound like 50 shades now” “Ha-ha! My bad! I'm just saying. Are you always this chilled out, like for everything” she said placing her hand over my shoulder, and pecking my cheek “Nay! I pretend to be cool when I'm with a cute chick, I mean girl! Otherwise I'm psychotic!” I said, as our fingers intertwined. “Good answer. Even Sam was pretty witty especially in bed” she said looking away from me. “Well, she sounded pretty serious to me, and I, well, nothing” I said glancing at the auto's rear view mirror on the side. The world was going back in it. Whizzing past out of sight, just like it did early this morning. And I fell silent, trying to place all the events of the day, in the correct chronological order. Hunger and Romance can do much more harm to your brain than anything else in this world. “Are you picturing me and Sam making out? You cheapo?” Geetika said from somewhere. Chicks have this notion that whenever we fall silent, we are invariably imagining sex in all forms. That's not true at all. 7.3% of times, we think about poetic derivations, Xbox and superheroes too, and not necessarily in that order. “Well... I was picturing you guys kissing. That my friend is a humongous turn on!” I winked at her, as she slapped my hand and laughed. “Stop doing that. I don't get what's so special about that. It's just two people kissing” she said running her fingers through my hair. “It’s different. Girls look good doing that I suppose and it's more to do...” “Kiss me!” she said. And I was already on my way. I gently pulled her closer, and our lips met. Brushing at first shyly and then deeply and passionately, like nothing else mattered. “That’s an odd lip balm!” I said placing our senses to order and physical need on pause, as we entered the roads where the traffic thickened. “It’s Vaseline actually. I've stuffed away everything else. I only had this one left out unpacked” she said adjusting her hair, which I was guilty of making messy. “People still use that? And by the way where did you manage to get so many boxes from?” I asked finally. It was the first question that had popped up in my mind when I entered the flat. “Sudheer brought them from his uncle's stationary shop a couple of days back” “Oh shuck! I was supposed to meet him at some point tonight. It just slipped out of my mind. Can I use your phone? " “Hard luck. I've just run out of call balance. I couldn't even call back Bhargavi earlier! I've got only the data pack going on here.... She wanted Sudheer's number” she said rolling her mobile between her palms and sending Bhargavi (who ever that was) the number she wanted. She paused for a moment whilst scrolling down the contacts. But finished off the inadvertent hindrance in romance quickly. “Man! Anyway, that's cool. Guess we'll have to wait till he calls, which I'm sure he will” I said, as I saw the auto enter an area that I could actually recognise. Surely enough, we had eventually arrived at Srinagar colony, and Geetika navigated the auto to take a shortcut from the main road, and magically appear right before the gate of Sanchi Apartments. The watchman here, looked suspiciously at the two of us. We weren't in the mood to pay attention to anything else, and after paying for the auto, almost sprinted to the lift. “We need to be quick. The cab should arrive at 10:20!” she said, closing the lift door, and making the automated electronic voice of 'please close the door' shut up. “Normally this statement could go against me, but yeah I can be quick. Don't you worry. I'm gonna make every second count” I said as the lift jerked for a bit and moved up to the 5th floor.
Chai Bisket’s Story Series – Double Ka Meetha (Part – 12)
