Night of 25TH

Chap 9: The Devil is Back

Past:

Shubman

A few days after Christmas, I embarked on a trip to South Africa. Rolling my suitcase through the airport, I headed towards the VIP lounge while engrossed in my phone. Upon entering the lounge, I accidentally bumped into someone. As I glanced up, there was no one in sight, but I could hear a person groaning on the floor. Following the sound, I discovered another girl rubbing her elbow. I was puzzled by her presence, considering we only had one woman working in social media on our team, I was about to inquire about her when Ishan came and helped her up. She was on the verge of pouncing, but her eyes widened behind her glasses as she glanced at me. She quickly composed herself and mumbled a hasty thank you to Ishan before walking away. Her face was obscured by a mask, but I felt a strong sense of familiarity from her mischievous eyes and her voice

"Kabhi ladki nahi dekhi kya," Ishan said, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

I looked at him, irritated at his choice of words.

"Kuch bhi bakwaas baate karta hai tu," I retorted, walking away towards the couch, dismissing his defence.

"Aree meine kaha bakwaas ki khud ghur raha tha and mujhe bakwaas bol raha hai,"he replied, following me.

"Are you even listening?" Ishan asked, annoyed, while I greeted others.

"No "! I said and picked up the magazine on the table.

He snatched the magazine away as I ignored him. Letting out a sigh, I glanced at him.

"What?" I asked.

"Tujhe sunna padega," he said, folding the magazine.

"Tu maanega nahi na?" I said with a wry smile.

"Nahi," he grinned. "Toh bata itna kyun ghure jaa raha tha usko," he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Ghur nahi raha tha, I was just thinking whether I had seen her somewhere," I explained, looking at her back as she talked on the phone.

"Said every man who wanted a chance to talk," Ishaan teased.

"Main teri inhi harkaton ke wajah se tujhe nahi bata raha tha," I angrily spat, snatching my magazine back.

"Gilly gussa ho gaya?" He said it in a baby voice while rubbing my chin.

"Chup karja," I said, swatting his hand away.

"Waise hai kaun," his expression shifted back to teasing mode, so I quickly clarified, "Kyuki usko pehle kabhi team ke saath dekha nahi hai isliye."

"Even I don't know, but I got to know from the coach that she is our new logistics manager; he will introduce us later." He replied, looking at her curiously.

It was time to head towards the gate. Our boarding passes had already been collected by the new logistics manager, who remained masked. I observed her closely, trying to decipher those mischievous eyes. Just then, our coach called the team and asked her to step forward. She stood there formally, hands in front, but I could sense her nervousness from the crossed fingers behind her other hand.

"Guys!! Meet our new logistics manager, Anya!" Dravid Sir introduced the new girl.

My eyes widened, and my grip on the strap of my backpack tightened as she removed her mask.

"The devil is back," were the only words I managed to mutter.

"Huh, the devil?" Ishan asked confused, looking at me.

"Hmm, never mind," I turned to face the team members who had greeted her.

When it was my turn, we exchanged a brief handshake while introducing ourselves. I could see she was not the same angry person as before; she appeared nervous in front of the team. Smirking, I knew I could exact my revenge during this tour.

She turned to Ishan, who looked excited to introduce himself.

"Hey, Ishan here; glad to find someone of my age other than him," he said excitedly.

"Hey, Ishan, I am too glad to have someone of my age," she laughed, making the glasses on her nose move.

Oh, such a sweet laugh with an evil personality, I thought, narrowing my eyes as she interacted with my best friend. We were finally settled on the plane while she was making sure things were in place.

"She's sweet, isn't she? A good candidate to be my friend," Ishan said, happy to have found another friend.

"Tujhe badi khushi ho rahi usko friend banane ki"? I asked, annoyed at seeing my friend get excited to replace me.

"Mein tujhe replace karne ki baat thodi kar raha hoon, I am just adding her to the list." "Jealousy, kyu ho rahi hai?" He laughed and poked his arm.

"Jealous nahi ho raha bol raha hoon, khali," I answered, shrugging off his arm and looking out the window.

"Whatever helps you sleep tonight," he chuckled, patting my thigh.

"Tuje toh main..." My words were cut off as Ishan invited the devil to sit next to him.

They tried to talk with me, but I was less interested in talking with the little devil. I only replied with short words. They at one point ignored my existence because of my lack of involvement. She left the seat to use the restroom, and that was the only time Ishan turned toward me.

"Aren't you being a bit rude to her?" he asked, sounding angry.

"It's just that I am not interested," I replied, looking at the movie that played on my tab.

"I don't know why you hate her already and even called her the devil when she has done nothing," he defended her.

If you were in the passenger seat that night, you wouldn't be saying this in her defence, I thought.

"I know there's something, and I will find out," he declared, determinedly hitting the armrest.

I shook my head at the determined minion trying to defend the angry one.

No one spoke after she arrived; each of us was lost in our worlds. Dinner was served, and Ishan had fallen asleep. She was about to adjust his blanket, which had fallen off while he tossed and turned. I quickly grabbed her hand.

"He is my best friend. Don't try to be smart." I warned her.

"I am just helping my friend and colleague, so leave my hand," she snapped back.

"Don't try to be sweet, you little devil; the revenge is still on, and I will make sure to make this tour of yours just as eventful as the car ride," I said, deepening my voice to assert my dominance

"Well then, the game is on, Gill," she challenged, shooing my hand away and adjusting her glasses.

Luckily, everyone on the flight was fast asleep and didn't hear our challenge. Otherwise, there would have been a thousand questions about whether we knew each other. Ishan was already suspicious, and I didn't want anyone else joining the party.

We didn't know what the future held for us, but one thing was certain: we would turn each other's lives into a circus.

Present:

"Ah, Mamu, you've got yourself a tough competitor!" Ahaan exclaimed, and Ahaana gave him a fist bump.

"Indeed she was!" I agreed, flipping the pancake.

"Aage ki hoga Mamu, circus mein kaunse khel dekhne ko milenge?" Ahaana said, laughing.

"Bohat se khel the aur har khel ka aant humein aur karib lata gaya," I replied, with a nostalgic expression, turning the stove off and facing them.

"Ohho, now it's going to be fun," they said, rubbing their hands in excitement.