Once Upon A Mr. Goody Two Shoes

Chapter 29 - Part 2

We reached the hotel. The people in the traffic had all come in, forming a line in front of the hotel desk to get their room keys. The hotel was moderate, neither too luxurious nor too cheap. The line moved and we faced the desk, the manager asking, "Are you both together, ma'am? Sir?" We knew what that meant. If we said no, we would be able to get two separate rooms for the two of us. However, I looked back to see the line to have grown from the time we had arrived there. 

"Yes, we're together," I answered to the manager as Abeer remained silent, waiting for me to say something.

We both split the money, made the payment and took the keys. The climb up to our room was silent. It wasn't a big thing, sharing a room with Abeer. After all, I planned to do so for the rest of my life. But the fact that my parents were in this city, just a couple kilometers away terrified me. Abeer unlocked the door and we both entered in, closing the door behind us. There was an awkward silence in the room. I looked around the room to pass time.

 There was a couch sitting in a corner, facing the window of the room. The television set was on, the news channel silently playing in the background. The lights were bright, as they always were in a hotel room. My eyes feel on Abeer who was emptying his trouser pockets, trying to gauge the damage to his goods, when it hit me. I didn't know anything about how Abeer lived. Sure, I had been to his apartment and seen what he lived in, but I had no idea about how he carried himself in his house. How did he keep his things, prepare for office in the morning? How did he do his night chores?

Funny how thoughts worked. One minute they were awkward, and the next moment I was thinking about how he lived. Next he removed his raincoat and tossed it on the couch, heaving a long sigh. His trousers looked bad. They were soaked from thigh-down, making them uncomfortable to wear. Another thought entered my mind as I looked down at his trousers. Would he remove them before sleeping? I blushed deep red and quickly shook my head, attempting to remove the thought from my mind.

Abeer's back faced me as he spoke. "Freshen up, Aashi. I'll order some food." He was spreading his raincoat on the couch to dry it. I nodded at his back and urged my legs to work. I placed my bag and belongings on the desk below the TV and rushed to clean myself in the bathroom. My trousers were bad too. Not as bad as Abeer's, but they were wet from knee-down, making them stick to my legs. I did not particularly relish the feel, but I had no choice. My eyes momentarily fell on the twin robes folded in a rack in the bathroom, but I shook my head and headed back into the room. I folded my trousers to get rid of the clingy feel of wet pants and bunched them around the knee.

I stood before the bathroom door, facing Abeer, who was now sitting on the bed, his trousers bunched up as well, staring at me. We stared at each other silently, before I couldn't hold it in.

"I'm sorry," we both blurted at the same time, taking me aback for a while, before I took two steps at a time and embraced Abeer in a soul-crushing hug. Abeer responded with equal fervor.

"No, it was my fault," Abeer said, shaking his head guiltily. "I was angry with something else and I took a dig at you."

"No, I am sorry too. Instead of focusing on what you were saying and asking you not to, I unnecessarily brought your father in it," I looked Abeer in the eye guiltily. 

"I am sorry for everything I said about you parents. it was way out of line."

"I am sorry for what I said about your father," I said, and added as an afterthought, " also, extremely sorry for throwing the curry at you." My tone was as guilty as it was sheepish at the last statement.

"Yes, you should be sorry about that. Damn that curry was hot, and not in a flattering way," he grinned and pulled me closer to him, forcing me to rest my hands on his chest for support. Regret shot a fresh dose in my mind as my brows creased with worry. Abeer's cheeky grin transformed instantly into a comforting smile.