I VIKRAM I

"Not tomorrow. I'm busy tomorrow", Karthi says as he takes a swig of his water.

"Doing what?", Varun asks him.

"Shraddha and I are going to meet her gynaecologist", he says.

"You're trying to have a baby?", I ask him, shocked.

"No, not now, atleast. We just wanted to make sure we're both healthy incase we want to try in the near future", he says.

"Oh", I say.

"So tomorrow's not it. I'm not free for the next two days after that either. So how about the weekend?", Varun asks.

"Yeah, the weekend's fine", he says.

"The weekend alright with you guys?", Varun asks as he looks between me and Rudra.

"Yeah, I'm free", I say at the same time Rudra nods.

"Alright, so it's decided. We're going to Nandi hills this weekend", he says before narrowing his eyes at Karthi, "and no chicks allowed. And that means you wife too."

"I know. This isn't our first guy's trip", Karthi rolls his eyes at Varun.

"Just reminding you. You've been on your wife's tail since your wedding", Varun says.

"Fuck off", Karthi flips him off.

"Well, now that it's settled, I'm leaving", I tell them as I get up from the chair.

"Where are you going? You usually leave after 5", Varun says as he looks at the time on his watch.

"I've to meet someone", I say vaguely. I don't want him, of all people, to get suspicious.

Meera texted me a while ago asking me if I could pick her up. I was surprised, I'll admit. I even asked her if she was kidding, and she was not. So I'm going to pick her up and I can't contain my excitement.

"Someone?", Varun asks with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah, someone", I tell him as I stare him down. But he ignores my death stare and continues to look suspicious and intuitive contrary to his usual idiotic dumb self.

"Do we know this someone?", The fucker asks. Rudra and Karthi looks at my face, waiting for my answer.

Nosy bastards!

They're worse than gossiping teenagers.

"No one you know", I tell him, hoping he'll give up. But I should've known, when has that fucker ever let go of an opportunity to torment me? Never, that's what.

"Well, this someone, that apparently none of us has heard about before now, does it happen to be a someone of the female variety?", He asks. I think he has a death wish. Why else would he try to fuck with me when I'm a moment away from running him over with my jeep?

"And if it does?", I should've said no. And my gut is proven right when he smirks, satisfied. He knows there's only one girl that I'm after.

"Well, then don't let me hold you up. She might be waiting for you", he says leaning back. Karthi looks a little suspicious as he looks between us.

But before he can connect any dots, I grab my jacket from the table, "I'll meet you guys tomorrow at my place, 8'o clock, yes?", I ask.

"Yeah, I'll bring the drinks", Rudra says with a nod.

"Yeah, we'll be there. Make sure you cook us something ", Karthi says and I don't argue.

"Say hi to her for me", Varun says and I flip him off as I walk away from the table, ignoring the looks on the face of the people around us.

Meera is waiting at the gate talking with a girl that is not Diya, when I arrive. As soon as she sees me, she says goodbye to the girl before walking in my direction.

She's wearing cream loose pants and a tight white crop top that barely meets the waistband of her pants. Her hair is tied in a ponytail and all I want to do coil all that hair around my fist as I fuck her from behind.

Whoa! Where the fuck did that come from?

Yeah, I need to cool the fuck down!

"Hey, where's my bestie Diya?", I ask her as I try to erase the image of fucking her from behind from my head.

"She's sick so she took a leave today", she says.

"So, why'd you call me? I'm happy that you did but I'm wondering why?", I ask her. I didn't ask why she called me when I was texting her. I didn't want her to change her mind, obviously. But I can't contain my curiosity anymore.

"Is it surprising that I'd call you for help?", She asks, evading my question.

"Honestly? Yes, it is", I tell her.

"Well, Karthik did give me your number. And he told me to call you in case I needed any help", she says and my brows hit my hair in disbelief, "well, if I couldn't contact him or Shraddha, that is", she clarifies. Now, that's more like him.

He has warned me a hundred times to stay away from Meera. And no he didn't say it outright. But I understood from his threatening glares and meaningful looks. I just chose to not see them. They say ignorance is bliss and so far, they are right, whoever 'they' are.

"So you need help? Is that what you're saying?", I ask her. I still don't know why I'm here.

"Yeah. I need you to take me somewhere", she says as she grabs on to the handle bar and starts twisting the mobile holder placed on the bar.

"Where exactly?", I ask as I swat her hand away before she twists the screw off.

She scowls up at me before saying, "I'll tell you on the way."

"Not suspicious at all", I say. I take the extra helmet and place it on her head.

"This isn't your helmet", she says. I'm surprised she remembers the colour of my helmet.

"I borrowed it from a colleague. I don't usually carry extra helmets with me, despite what you might've heard", I tell her as I pull on the strap of the helmet, tightening it around her head.

"Get on, then, darling. We've places to go", I tell her as I tap on her helmet clad head.

She climbs on the bike and as soon as she's seated, I pull her arms tight around my chest.

"Vikram!", She snaps.

"What? Don't act like you don't love cuddling up to me, Meera darling", I tell her as I kick start the bike.

"I don't ", she says even as she lays her head against my back.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night", I tell her and she pinches my chest, making me jump.

"Fuck, that hurt!", I tell her as I rub at my chest.

"You deserved it", she says just as we peel away from her college.

"So, are you ready to tell me where we're going?", I ask her as we enter the main road.

"I'll guide you. I have google maps open", she says. And even though I want to pry, I don't ask her questions.

After taking two wrong turns, almost taking a one-way road and getting overtaken by a fucking autorickshaw, all thanks to Meera and her google maps, we stop in front of a hospital.

Yes, a fucking hospital.

"Um, Meera?", I turn towards her as she gets down.

"Yeah?" She answers, trying to pat down her wild, wind-blown hair.

"I didn't realise hospitals were actually secret cults", I tell her.

She smiles, "I'm sorry", she says.

"That's fine. But what I don't understand is why you called me, when you could've called Karthi?", I ask. Surely, she would feel more comfortable going with him, right?

"I'm sorry. I didn't think I was bothering you", she says, a guilty look on her face. Yet again, evading my question.

"Now, where the hell did you get that idea?", I ask her as I pull her towards me, swatting her hand away before unbuckling her helmet myself. "You know I love spending time with you, even if it's at a fucking hospital".

Her eyes soften, warmth colouring her cheeks.

"Why are we here?", I ask her as we walk inside after parking my bike.

"Yeah, about that..", she moves towards the reception desk. "I have an appointment with Dr. Shruthi Vastav. Is she in?", She asks the lady at the reception desk.

"Yes. She's on her break right now. She'll be back in a few minutes", the lady says.

"Which floor is she in?", Meera asks.

"Fourth floor, on the right", she says.

"Thank you" Meera says before pulling me towards the elevator with her.

"Can I ask you something?", I ask her after we stand in silence for a few moments inside the elevator.

"Yeah", she says.

"Will you answer my question this time?", I ask her. So far, I've got nothing from her.

"Yeah", she smiles.

"Are you dying?", I ask her seriously. And she throws her head back, laughing. When she sees that I'm not laughing, she stops short.

"You're serious", she says.

"Yes. Are you dying? Because I can't think of a single reason why you'd ask me, instead of Karthi, to take you to a hospital", I tell her.

"And the first thing to come to your mind is that I'm dying?", She asks, laughing.

"Yes", I tell her.

"I'm not dying. And the reason why I asked you to drop me off is..", she trails off as we exit the elevator and turn right and the board saying 'Gynaechology' in red Block letters comes into view, "... I'm pregnant", Meera finishes her sentence and I about have a heart attack.

"What?!", I croak out.

"I'm pregnant. And you're the father", she says and I choke on air for a few moments before her laughter fills my ears.

"Oh my godd!!! You should've seen the look on your face", she says, her face red with laughter.

"Fuck you", I release a breath. For a few moments, I forgot all about the humiliating and traumatizing bees and flowers conversation that my mom and I had in fourth grade and my biology classes on reproduction in eight and ninth grade. And I almost believed her despite the fact that I've never had sex with her.

"You're gonna pay for that", I tell her when she continues to laugh at me.

"Oh, come on! It was funny. Admit it", she says as she nudges my arm with hers.

"For you, maybe. I saw my whole life flash before my eyes", I tell her.

"I'm sorry", she says as she laughs.

"No, you're not", I mock-glare at her.

"You're right. I'm not. That was way too satisfying to watch", she says over her shoulder as she pushes the glass door open.

We enter the waiting room, furnished with four large sofas facing each other and two coffee tables with baby magazines between them. Potted plants are placed next to the sofas.

Meera takes a seat next to a very pregnant woman on one of the sofas. I take a seat next to her.

"So why are we here?", I ask her.

"My periods are a little irregular lately. And my cramps have gotten worse. So I decided to get checked out", she says.

"Oh. So that's why you asked me", I say.

"Yeah, I didn't feel very comfortable telling Karthik and shraddha had to work overtime today. Diya would've come, but I'd have had to drop her off at the campus after the hospital visit. It would've been way too much, going back and forth and she's sick, so I didn't want to bother her", she says.

"Oh. Well, I'm glad you called me", I tell her.

''Even if it's to see my Ob-gyn?", She asks, tilting her head.

"Yeah, even then", I tell her as I lean down, bringing our faces close.

"You're awfully sweet these days", she says, her voice a little breathy.

"You love it", I whisper.

"Whatever", she turns her face away, hiding her flushed cheeks as I lean back against the sofa.

We sit for a few minutes in silence when a woman with a stethoscope enters the doctor's office. A moment later, a nurse calls Meera's name.

"I'll be right back. But you can wait in the cafeteria if you want", she says as she gets up, placing the magazine that she had been leafing through, back on the coffee table.

"It's fine. I'll wait here", I tell her as I take the magazine. Deciding to leaf through it to pass time.

"Alright", she nods before walking inside the doctor's consulting room.

"Hi", a small voice says just as I'm about to flip through the magazine.

"Hi", I greet back as I look at the pregnant lady next to me. She looks to be in her twenties. Maybe twenty-five or twenty-six. And she's a little woman. A midget. Though I'm not stupid enough to say that to a pregnant woman.

"I'm Anjali. And you are?", She asks.

"I'm Vikram", I tell her.

"Is that your sister? She's pretty", Anjali says as she points in the direction that meera disappeared into.

I look towards her as she squirms on the sofa. "What? Ah.. no. She's my... Uh... She's my girlfriend", I finally tell her.

"Oh. Is she pregnant?", She asks.

"No. She just came to do a check up", I tell her.

"So, how far along are you?'', I ask her when she keeps looking at me. And she looks like she could use some distraction.

"Oh! I'm eight months. My due date is in 10 days but I don't think this baby is ready to come out any soon", she says as she pats her rounded belly.

"Is your husband with you or..", I ask.

"Oh no! He's in Mumbai right now. He travels a lot for business. He told me not to go alone. He'll come home tomorrow so he said we'd go to the doctor's together. But I couldn't wait", she says.

"You husband's right. You shouldn't travel alone like this", I say. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say that to her though.

"I know", she sighs.

"Have you decided on names? For the baby, I mean", I ask her.

Her whole face lights up, "yeah. If it's a boy, we decided to name him Aarav. But if it's a girl, well, I chose Nidhi. But my husband loves the name Kripa. So we're in a pinch", she says. "Which do you like the best?", She asks me.

"Uh ... Well, they're all pretty names. But if I were to choose, I think Nidhi sounds... Prettier?", I finish, feeling awkward.

"You think so too?", Her smile widens.

"Yeah", I tell her.

"So how long have you two been together?", She asks.

"We'll, the thing is... We're not really together... Yet. We like each other but she's stubborn and won't admit it", I tell her, partly because I could use some pointers to make her fall for me, not that I'm trying to woo her or something. But fuck, that's exactly what I'm doing.

"Oh. My husband was the same. We were in Mumbai for a few years. We used to work at the same company. That's how we met. It wasn't until my parents started trying to get me married off that he pulled his head out of his um... butt and asked me to marry him", she says.

"And then you got married", I finish.

"Oh, no! I didn't say yes. So he asked me out on a date and I accepted. It was after seven months that he asked me to marry him, again. And I said yes. A year later, we were married. That was four years ago.", She says.

"Wow. You have him wrapped around your little finger, don't you?", I ask.

"Of course ", she laughs.

"So she won't go out with you? Wait, did you ask her out?", She asks.

"Of course. I've asked her out. And she asked me if I was crazy, the first time. The second time I asked her out, she threw me out of the apartment", I sigh. Well, she didn't throw me out of the apartment, but you get the gist.

"So you're trying to woo her", she says thoughtfully.

"I'm not.... Yeah... I'm trying to woo her, I guess", I tell her.

"And it's not working?", She asks

"It is. But she's tenacious. So it's a slow process", I defend.

"You know what we girls like?", She asks.

"Flowers? Chocolates? Books?", I ask.

"Way to be original, Vikram. Yes, we like that. But what we like the most is feeling special. And I don't think it only applies to girls", She says.

"So what are you saying?", I ask her. I'm desperate. I'm like a dog with a bone.

"Show her she's special. Take her to see a sunset, or a museum, or a bookstore. These are the best places for romance. You can't go wrong with them, trust me. Does she like books? She seemed like the reading type", she says.

"Yeah, she's a literature major ", I say, when something occurs to me. "Wait, I've got one. I cook. I'm a great cook. I'll woo her with my cooking skills", I tell her as I snap my fingers.

"You cook? Wow. Handsome, kind and he cooks, ladies!", She proclaims looking around. But no one's looking at us.

"If you can't make her fall for you, then there's no hope for the men out there", she says solemnly, making me laugh.

"You know, I wish I had a sister like you. Your husband's a lucky man", I tell her.

"I know, right?", She beams.

"And modest too", I say.

"So, next time take her to any of the places I suggest, cook for her and show her she's special and that you care. I'm telling you it'll be hard for her to resist you", she says.

"Yeah, maybe I'll give it a try. But I'm blaming you if it doesn't work", I tell her.

"Well, I can only tell you what to do. Don't blame me if you mess it up", she retorts.

Anjali and I are in the middle of talking about her husband's business when Meera exits the doctor's office.

"She's here. Well, I'll be leaving now, Anjali. I hope your baby will be ready to come out to the world soon", I tell her as I slowly stand up.

"Yeah. Thank you for talking with me. I was very nervous coming here today. I hope things go well for you. Maybe we'll meet again someday, Vikram", she says.

"Yeah. Bye Anjali, take care", I tell her as Meera comes to stand next to me.

Anjali waves at Meera and me as we exit the waiting room.

"Who was that?", She asks me as we wait for the elevator.

"That was Anjali. We just met", I tell her.

"Oh", she nods.

"Don't you need to take any tests or something?", I ask her.

"Oh, I already did. I sent my test results to the doctor earlier. She just wanted to examine me", she says.

"So we're going straight to home?", I ask her.

"Yeah?", She tilts her head at me.

"Come on. I see that you're hesitant to leave my company. So maybe we'll ride around the city for a while. It's only five o'clock", I tell her as I grab her hand before interlocking our fingers. I pull her inside the slightly crowded elevator before pressing on the ground floor button.

As soon as we reach the bike, I take my hand off of hers. She wears the helmet and tilts her head towards me so that I can tighten the strap.

I take her to Salim Bhai's tea shop. This time she doesn't protest when I order tea and pakoras for the both of us.

"So how are classes going?", I ask her as we wait for the tea.

"They're pretty okay. But I have way too many assignments pending and it's only been five weeks", she says.

"What about your internship?", I ask her.

"Still no answer. One of my classmates have also applied and even she hasn't gotten a reply. So, I'm not too worried", she says as the hot tea and snack arrives.

"So Meera, tell me about youself. You know, the things you like, your favourite movies, books, music", I tell her.

"Why?", She asks as she blows on her tea and my eyes zone in on that action before I look away.

"Well, I want to get to know you", I tell her, keeping my gaze on her doe eyes.

"Is that the only reason?", She asks.

"Is that not enough?", I ask back.

"I suppose. Then we'll do this. We'll take turns asking each other questions ", she says, then takes a sip of her piping hot tea, only to put in back on the table when she burns her tongue. I hide my smile.

She glares at me when I drink my hot tea without so much as a flinch, "Alright then. You go first", I tell her as I take a bite of the pakora.

"Alright. Favourite food?", She asks

"I don't think I have one", I tell her honestly.

"That's not an answer. Come on, you can do better than that", she says as she tugs at the cuff of my shirt.

"Alright. Pizza, I guess?", I tell her.

"Alright. Now you ask a question", she says.

"Have you ever been in love?", I ask her. I've been wondering about this for some time. Is she hesitant to explore this thing between us because she had a bad experience in relationships before? Or does she love someone else?