Vodka on the rocks

Part - 4

Jaya and Keerti's Rented House, Hyderabad, 10:40 pm

Sunny Ahuja laughed, throwing an arm around his not so amused girlfriend's waist to tug her closer to himself. 

"Sunny! Stop it! You gave a near damn heart attack today."

"Oh come on Keerti, you only wanted me to meet your Amma."

"Yes, but not like this. So abrupt. You did not even give me time to set the ground for you."

"But the work was done na..? You see, the best happens only in spontaneity. Your constant habit of micromanaging every single event of your life has made you too damn nervous man.."

Keerti pushed him away and glared at him angrily as he chortled at her reaction. 

"Accha.. tell me what is the verdict? What did your Amma say?"

He pulled her back in his arms again and after a good one minute of half hearted struggle, Keerti sighed and relaxed in his hold. 

"She is fine with us."

"Yoohoo! This calls for a celebration.. but wait, why are you so unenthusiastic?"

"Nothing, I just... I don't know... I just feel we should.."

"Keerti no."

"But.."

"No!"

"Sunny he is ..."

"The Devil reincarnated who rules this City with an iron fist. The police wouldn't even find my body. Please yaar.. and why are you so bothered? It is not as if you consider him family.. is it?"

Keerti looked away blinking back the sudden unwanted moisture gathered in her eyes which Sunny pretended not to have seen already. His girlfriend had the self esteem of a bloody mountain, and a weird obsession with always appearing as tough as nails, even when all she wanted to do was cry. 

It was unhealthy but neither could he force it our of her. 

"You are right. I don't even care."

---------------------------------

Sunny swerved the car to a deserted lane and stopped the engine. He looked around discreetly to see if there was someone watching him and finding no one, took out a burner phone from the pocket of his jacket. The handkerchief he had subtly taken from Keerti fell out by mistake and cursed under his breath. 

He picked it up from the floor of the car and tucked it back in the same pocket. He flipped open the burner phone and and dialled the single unknown number listed in the contact. He knew that if he tried to dial any other number from the phone, the sim card will burn on it's own and the phone will blow up on his face like a small IED. 

The caller tune went longer than usual and he started feeling slightly jittery. Then he heard the caller speak and almost jumped right out of his skin. 

"Well...?"

"It is done. I met her mother. She knows about us now."

"And...?"

"I have set the thing you wanted me to in the li.."

"Shut up you fool! Don't go blabbing everything over a line which can easily be tapped."

Sunny pinched the bridge of his nose, mentally slapping himself at his own idiocy. 

"Sorry..."

"Make sure that you stay around her most of the time. I want you in position, all the time, do you get it? We cannot afford to make a mistake."