When Love Is In Air

chapter 7

' WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?!' Netra yells in my ears when I say a sweet hello to her after picking up my phone which had been ringing for the fourth or the fifth time.

'God! You do that once more and I am sure I' ll go deaf.' I hear Netra's snort.' Don't snort.It doesn't suit you.I was in the bathroom.People like me have a job of bathing.' I reply.

' Oh really? I didn't know this.' She says sarcastically.

' Ok.Ok.What did you want to tell me so urgently that you called at 8.30 in the morning?'

' Nothing urgent but its out of excitement that I have called you.' Netra chirps.

'Go on.I am listening.' I say.

' Yesterday, I and Sameer were chatting at night and he told me that he knew a guy who is in the business of arranging camps in a forest which is located in the outskirts of our city.I mean, just imagine, Ria we will have so much fun if we all go to camp there.What do you say about it?'

' Well,that sounds great.I am in.But its a forest, right?What about the wild animals?' I ask Netra obviously worrying for everyone's safety.

' Ria, they do a business.They will obviously think of our safety and select a place to lay the tents.Don't worry about anything.You will be safe, little coward.We just need to go there with our clothes and other necessities.They give us the tents and sleeping bags as per our reqirements.They arrange for the food too.Ria, lets do this.Please.I know we will have hell lot of fun.'

'Hey chill.I said I am in and don't call me a coward.I am not.When are we going?I know that we will be going on a weekend so please don't give me that lame answer.Tell me which one.'

Netra chuckles at the other end.' Umm.How about this weekend?' She asks after sometime. ' I don't have any plans.'

' Yeah.Fine by me too.I am free this weekend.But we got to check with the others.'

' Wait.I' ll first have to ask my dad.'

' Wow! Netra, you hadn't asked your dad before calling me and planning out this camp?' I ask Netra.

' No, I hadn't.And I think its going to be difficult for me to convince my dad this time.' Netra says seriously and I can do nothing but slap my forehead at the way she chalks out plans without even confirming her ability to participate in it.

'And why is that so?' I ask.

' Last night as I said, I and Sam were chatting.It must be around one that I dozed off without texting him that I was sleeping.I delete all the chat messages and always remember to inform Sam that I am sleeping so that he knows he shouldn't send me any messages.However, yesterday I didn't know when I fell asleep.Today I was checking my inbox and I found two messages from Sam that had already been opened and read by someone else.Thank God! The messages didn't contain any over friendly words.He had just asked me how I thought about the camp plan in the first and if I had dozed off in his second text.'

'Gosh! Who do you think it to be?Your dad?' I ask my voice clearly showing the fear of her being caught.

'Yeah.Today at breakfast, dad asked me just one thing.He asked why Sam messaged at one last night?I covered up by telling him that we were suggesting each other some places where our building could picnic this year.He shook his head in disbelief but didn't say anything.I was not prepared for all this, Ria.So,unlike other times, I stuttered while forming my lie and screwed up.'

' So what have you planned?I know you very well.You will do anything to join us in the camp thats the reason I am asking you this question.You want me to talk to aunty who can in turn talk to uncle?'