Chapter Ten
"Blue cat who barks."
â§Â P R E E T â§
"Why isn't Deven accepting the call?"
I glanced at Deven, who looked shocked upon hearing this. He searched for his phone and realized it was in the bedroom, so he rushed there.
Tell me they don't know. Tell me they don't know. Tell me they don'tâ
"How would I know? It's not like I'm with him," I lied, shrugging and trying to act casual while my mind raced.
"Nobody is asking you, Preet. That was just a question out of frustration. Why would I ask you?" Bhai said, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was so happy they had no idea; I was already wondering who would cry at my funeral.
"Why do you look so panicked? Are you okay?" Aditi Bhabhi asked me. I licked my dry lips and nodded quietly.
"Deven's here," Ananya Bhabhi waved excitedly at him, smiling brightly. I noticed him sitting on the bed in the room inside. The background was different from mine, so that would make them think we were in different places.
"Helloooo," he replied enthusiastically, waving back at them.
They used to be besties until Ananya Bhabhi decided to tie him a rakhi once. Even Deven didn't mind much; he was happy about getting a sister, and they already shared that kind of bond. I still remember how glowing Sahil Bhai was at that moment.
He always had a sort of problem with Deven. I could never figure out why.
Not exactly a problem, but he gets irritated by Deven, and knowing this, Deven intentionally irritates him more.
"Hello, Dinesh." Here comes the jealous husband. Five years ago, Jealous Sahil Bhai used to call Deven "Dinesh," and he still hasn't stopped. As much as it irritates Deven, he has to deal with it. That's the only comeback Sahil Bhai has: calling him Dinesh.
"Ananya, your husband will never stop that crap, will he?" Deven asked her. She turned her head towards her husband and looked at him with a childlike smile.
"No. But I love him. Like so so so much." Their love story was one of a kind. I still remember the day they told us that their relationship was fake at first, but gradually they fell in love and now wish to get married. Aunty and Uncle acted out a dramatic scene, telling them how the children don't care about their parents' feelings and how they should get married over their dead bodies and such.
Later they laughed and said they didn't care. They wanted to get married, and that's all that mattered. Plus, it's a better deal since they fell in love while pretending.
They may say it was fake, but deep down we all know they had fallen for each other long before they realized it.
"Shut up, lovebirds," Deven said, and we all laughed. "And what was the reason behind this group video call?"
"Oh right. Preet, do you know Deven is in Canada too?" Abhinav Bhai said, and I gasped, deciding to showcase my acting skills.
"Oh, are you? I didn't know that. When did you get here?" I asked him directly, knowing he was in the room across from mine.
"It's been two weeks," Deven replied, and our doorbell rang. The sound was heard in both my and Deven's videos. I tried to control my emotions. I hoped we wouldn't get caught.
Their expressions looked a little confused, and I thought of an excuse but ended up remarking, "What a coincidence!"
"I'll open the door," Deven said, and I knitted my eyebrows together.
"Uh, Neava, open the door," I made an excuse. Deven came to the dining hall and made sure his camera couldn't capture me. I waved at him when he glanced at me, and he just laughed.
This is what we do in an almost-crisis.
A few minutes later, Deven had to turn his video off and spoke to someone. I eyed him silently, wondering who it might be when I heard someone say,
"Kya baat hai, aaj kapde pehne hai tumne."
[Wow, you are wearing clothes today.]
I understood who it was within a minute. I so wanted to laugh at her statement, but I decided to control myself. I didn't want to mess it up.
Every time Deven and Aniketh's mother interacted, it was awkwardly funny.
We could hear the whole conversation through his video call, as his mic was unmuted. Even our whole group was so invested in this that they stopped their own talks.
"Ji, taandh badh rahi hai na toh pehen liye. Ache lag rahe hai na?"
[Yes, it's getting cold, so I decided to wear clothes. Do they look good?]
"Apni patni se pucho ye sab." She replied, and my lips curled up. First of all, she's very rude, and second, damn.
[Go ask your wife all this.]
"Jaisa aap bolo." I liked the fact that he wasn't disrespecting her even though she was talking in such a tone. I believe there's a fine line between standing up for yourself and being disrespectful. He knows how to maintain it.
[As you say.]
"Patni?????" The group shouted together. I guess it took them two minutes to register it in their minds.
[Wife????.]
Deven closed the door and turned to look at me. I couldn't show much of an expression as they could see that. So I decided to act along and let him manage the situation. "Wife???"
"Ye tubelight hai thodi si," Abhinav Bhai said, and I just rolled my eyes. Little does he know.
[She's a bit slow.]
"Deven, you got married and didn't invite your only cool-as-fuck best friend? Dost dost na raha..." Ananya started singing that in an utterly off-key voice.
"Who agreed to marry you?" Sahil Bhai questioned, and Deven strolled back into his room. Within the next second, he switched his camera on, only to glare at Sahil and whisper,
"Fuck off."
"Are you hiding something?" This time it was Abhinav Bhai.
"Deven, what was that?" Aditi Bhabhi asked in a strict tone.
"Schizophrenia." He replied after looking behind the camera and added, "That lady has that disease. She once came to ask me if I'd seen her blue cat who barks. She tends to do this often, so thereby I got a wife even though I don't acknowledge my own wife at all."
A blue cat who barks. Damn, this man is creative.
"You stay in a weird neighborhood," Abhinav Bhai remarked. All this while, Ananya Bhabhi's eyes were fixed on something. I could tell she was trying to figure something out.
"Okay, but whose lipstick is that? You can't hide anything from Ananya," she finally asked while flipping her hair behind. My eyes traced above the headboard of the bed, and my lipstick was standing there.
Why does she have to go all detective?
"You have a girlfriend?" I teased Deven, and he just froze for a moment. Even he must be tired of making up so many excuses.
"Deven, I'd like to have a chat with you in private," Abhinav Bhai said, glaring at him.
"Me too," Sahil Bhai added while Deven just shook his head.
"No, no, guys. You're getting it all wrong. I'll explain later," he replied.
"Deven, don't forget your purpose," Ananya Bhabhi told him, and I just looked at all of them, confused. I could understand that they were talking in code or had something going on within themselves.
"I hope it's not what we are thinking, Deven," Aditi Bhabhi said. But what are they thinking? Deven signaled something to them, and they all went silent within a moment.
"Um... guys? Fill me in?" I broke my silence.
"You don't need to know!" Deven exclaimed, and I frowned. What is this?
"Why? I'm curiousâ" I said and got cut off mid-sentence.
"No. It's not important. Leave that topic. This was meant to tell her that I'm here in Canada as well, so now we will figure out the rest. Let's call it a night. I'm sleepy anyway. Goodbye."
The way everyone heard him and decided to end the call here as it was getting too disturbing left me flabbergasted and wondering if something was wrong with me or with them.
Probably them.
Well, fuck it. At least they don't know anything.
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"Do you think he's cute?" I asked Deven, passing him my phone and showing him a picture Connor just posted.
"Mid," he mumbled after sparing a short glance at my phone.
"Shut up. He's so cute, I wonder if he will ever like me back." He turned his head towards me, his jaw dropping.
"You like him? Like like-like?" Such a complicated statement of three words.
"Nope, it's probably just attraction. I just have a teeny tiny crush on him," I said, shrugging. I just liked his picture and decided not to comment on anything.
"Ouch." He went silent for a while later. "Show me the picture again."
I looked at him suspiciously and opened Connie's Instagram profile. Hesitantly passing him the phone, I watched him scan the picture, zooming in and then frowning.
"I think I know this guy." His voice was still a little doubtful. He swiped back and looked at the other pictures of him.
"How? Is he your friend? Can you set me up with him?" I asked eagerly, but he cut me off with something that left my mouth hanging open in shock.
"He was trying to flirt with me." I licked my lips and blinked in disbelief. My mouth was still open from the shock I had just received.
Your crush turned out to be gay. What could possibly be worse than this?
"W-What?" Deven gave me a sympathetic look and rubbed my shoulder, trying to empathize with me while holding back a huge grin.
"Yes, on the second day I came here, I was out for lunch and he was at the same place. He asked if he could sit beside me, then started a conversation, and then he complimented me, calling me handsome," he explained, pushing my chin closed lightly.
"Yeah, but it was just a compliment. No big deal." I was trying to convince myself, not him.
"No man compliments other humans who are not beautiful women," he said. It took me a moment to comprehend his words.
"Okay, maybe you're right," I commented. "Are you sure it was him?"
"I think so. I don't remember him clearly," he replied.
"It can't be him. I don't think it's him."
"Yeah, maybe. It's not him, and I'm mistaken. I'll recognize him if I see him in person. How about I come to drop you off at your film school tomorrow and see him?" I nodded.
"That's a great idea," I said, but then it hit me. "But the place where you work is in the opposite direction."
"Yeah, so?" he asked.
"So you'll drive all the way back for this?" I asked him, and he shrugged.
"I could walk all the way back for you." I could feel the seriousness in his voice until he added, "Wifey." That made me roll my eyes yet again.
"Okay, whatever. Now let's go to sleep," I said, switching off the lights and pulling the sheets over both of us. I really hope I do not get entangled with him tomorrow morning. It's too risky to wake up every morning and find yourself cuddling with your roommate or fake husband.
As soon as I closed my eyes, I felt a hand softly patting my head. I smiled to myself, and it was only a matter of time before darkness consumed me.
In the morning, the first thing I heard was loud chirping breaking my chain of dreams. I made an irritated face and buried my head in the pillow.
"Rano, shut the fuck up," I shouted as she kept singing her morning song.
"Oye, don't use cuss words in front of my kid," I heard a manly voice say. I opened my eyes and saw no one on the other side of the bed. Turning to my right, I found a sweaty Deven standing with his arms folded across his chest, wearing a vest and joggers.
Oh, what a lovely sight.
"Pach ter-" I picked up the pillow beside me and hit his face before he could complete that nonsense again.
"Shut up." Rano started shouting loudly now.
"Get this birdie a friend. She keeps thinking we can understand her and speaks nonsense," I mumbled and yawned.
"She's just waking you up. It's her way of saying 'kukadu koo'," he shrugged. The type of jokes this man makes in the morning is concerning. I made a weird face at him while he passed a half shrug.
Stretching a little, I noticed the pillows were missing. "I woke up with you all over me. My dignity is at stake-."
"Barabar," I replied casually, ignoring his drama.
[Alright.]
"-I feel so unsafe around you-"
"Barabar."
"-you should stay on your side and in your limits-"
"Barabar."
"Aren't you ashamed?" he questioned, and I grinned.
He has a habit of exaggerating, and now I'm completely aware of it.
"No."
"Dekh rahi ho Rano, tumhari temporary mummy mera fayda uthana chahti hai," he said to Rano while giving her two bowls, one with grains and the other with water. She instantly came, sat on the bowl itself, and started her breakfast.
[Do you see, Rano? Your temporary mom wants to take advantage of your permanent father.]
"Aapki Rano ko sirf khane mein interest hai, aap mein nahi," I said.
[Your Rano is only interested in her food, not in you.]
"Mere mein hoga bhi kyu bhala? Pancchi thodi na hu main," he replied. I tried to open my mouth to say something but decided to stay quiet.
[Why would she be interested in me? I'm not a bird.]
"Aise kuch bhi bakwas kaise bol lete ho aap?" I asked him while rising from the bed and walking towards the washroom.
[How do you come up with such nonsense?]
"Aapko dekhkar nikal jata hai automatically," he replied.
[It comes out automatically when I see you.]
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A short chapter. Silent readers make sure to atleast leave a vote if your liking this. And my Favourite people do shower it with your comments <3