The Golden Ball

3.

"Y-You are a-aware that t-this is a c-crime r-right?", I asked as he added the final touches to the photo.

"Not if the other person is in the wrong.", he replied, handing me the USB.

"U-Uh n-no. T-This is m-most d-definitely going t-to get u-us i-into tr-trouble. The o-only r-reason I-I b-believed y-you is b-because you sh-showed m-me the m-messages."
"And yet you didn't stop me all this time. Admit it. Deep down, you want to do this to him a bit."
"..."
"And also, he is the one doing all of this. We're just going to 'enlighten' his wife and watch the rest unfold."
"I-I thought h-he w-was an a-a**hole at w-worst, n-never a ch-cheater. A-Aunty is l-like the n-nicest p-person. S-She even br-brought food f-for m-me when I-I w-was s-sick. H-He s-seemed d-devoted to h-her and e-everything. B-But, this p-picture isn't e-even r-real, w-we never g-got a-any p-proof!!"

"Yes, but the messages aren't enough proof. This will just give the little push needed. Alright, I think that's it. Take it down to the shop and get it printed?"
"T-The h-heck? I-I'm n-not y-your e-errand girl. T-This is m-my f-flat you're l-living i-in, r-remember?"
"Which you are going to lose tomorrow, if you don't go print that damn picture, so yeah. Go."
"W-Why c-can't you?"
"Let's just say me and the owner have our issues..."
"L-Let m-me guess, g-got d-drunk and t-trashed his sh-shop?"
"Yup."
"F-Fine!! Ugh, s-so b-bossy.", I grumbled as I got into the lift.

Minutes later, I got back, photo in hand. Entering the flat, I thrust it into his hands.

"H-Here!! J-Just so y-you k-know, I-I h-had to p-pay e-extra f-for the d-dude to k-keep h-his m-mouth shut a-about the p-picture."
"Alright, now off you go.", he said, shoving me out the door.
"P-Please no. I-I absolutely h-hate c-confrontations."
"You're the one living in this building idiot. It makes more sense if you do it."

Grumbling, I snatched the paper and made my way to the landlord's flat. I lightly knocked on the door. "U-Uncle?"

He opened the door and beckoned me inside. "Yes, yes. What is it? If you're going to beg for more time, I'm sorry I cannot give you that."
"I-I'm sorry U-Uncle. I-I'm a-actually h-here to s-see A-Aunty."
"Darling!!", Aunty chose that very moment to walk into the room, "How are you? You're feeling better and everything right?"
"Y-Yes, Aunty. J-Just d-doing great. U-Um, I a-actually c-came here t-to tell y-you s-something..."

————————————————————————

"A-And it e-eventually e-ended with A-Aunty t-telling him to g-get o-out of h-her b-building."
"Wait, her?"
"Y-Yeah a-apparently, A-Aunty is the o-one who f-finances the b-building and m-manages a-all the re-rentals. H-Her s-side of the f-family is f-filthy r-rich. U-Uncle is j-just her p-proxy. A-Anyways, s-she w-was so g-grateful that s-she a-allowed m-me to s-stay h-however l-long I w-wanted until I-I got m-my f-finances in o-order."

"I'm still waiting."
"A-Alright, a-alright. T-Thanks man. Y-You h-helped m-me a l-lot with t-this, but h-how d-do I-I g-guarantee that I-I c-can t-trust y-you?"
"After all this?"
"I-I'm sorry, j-just b-being c-cautious.", I said, sheepishly.
"Ok, I'll give you my Aadhaar card. In case I do anything, you can sell my information to people."

I laughed, but stopped to see him actually taking out his Aadhar card. I declined, but he forced the Aadhar into my hands with a serious expression. Something told me he was being genuine. In doing so, I realised I never asked for his name.

"S-So y-your n-name is N-Navneeth, huh?"
"People just call me Naveen."
"O-Okay, N-Naveen. M-My n-name is A-Aparna. W-Welcome to m-my h-humble h-home."

—————————————————————————

Naveen kept to himself on most days.

He sat on the sofa, in Dad's old t-shirt and shorts, scrolling through different movies. I told him that if he wanted to stay at my place, then he needed to clean himself up.
As a result of my constant nagging, he went and cashed in on a favour with his friend, which resulted in the clean- shaven look he sported presently. Once the mess was gone, I could finally observe him.

His Aadhar mentioned he was 35, which absolutely flabbergasted me at first, but now I could see why. He definitely looked 10 years younger than when I first saw him and ( I admit this grudgingly) not that bad looking.

He talked about his parents once, saying that they passed away in a freak accident.
"Since then, I've mostly been on my own. Once my parents' inheritance ran out, I was on the streets, shuffling job after job. That was when I started drinking too. I was just fired from my last job, when I came to your doorstep."

I took the popcorn and went to sit next to him.
"W-What's today's ch-choice?"
"Don't know, just flipping through to see what catches my eye."
"H-Have you seen The N-Notebook?"
"Vaguely familiar, haven't seen it."
"O-Okay, it's s-settled. We're w-watching this t-today.", I said, snatching the remote from him and turning on the film.

As the movie started, he asked me, "Hey, did you get the job?"
"I completely f-forgot to m-mention!! Y-Yes, I did g-get it. You w-wouldn't believe i-it dude, e-even after p-promising my u-utmost loyalty to the c-company, I-I still h-had to get A-Aunty to g-give me a g-good r-reference."

Ever since I told Aunty about her cheating husband, she has been incredibly helpful with things, including cooking and bringing over food when I was short on money. Turns out, her family has quite a strong influence in the area and the next job that I applied for was more than happy to accept her as a reliable reference. Once I start the job, I'll most probably be able to start paying her back for everything.

I also started speech therapy, something I had been reluctant to do before. The doctor said I wouldn't be rid of my stammer, but I could lessen it to extent to where I could speak more clearly than normal.

Naveen also got a job with nagging insistence. Apparently, editing pictures and a little hacking is not the only thing he can do. He is a complete whiz at computers. Says he learnt it from a friend. It's a temporary job until he can find something more permanent.

"I think telling Aunty that her husband was cheating on her was the single best decision you made in your life."
"U-Uh no. T-The both of u-us did that."
"You're right, it was the single best decision of my life. If it wasn't for moving in with you, I don't think I could've gotten my life back on track. My alcoholism wouldn't have stopped either. So thanks for that.", he said, patting my head.

The popcorn kernel I was swallowing decided to get itself stuck in my throat at that very moment.
While he hurried to fetch water, I tried to calm down my face which was now heating up immensely.

What in the actual heck is wrong with me?

I swear I've been feeling weird around him ever since the last two days.

....Nah...No way.

He is not even the least bit my type. Scruffy hair, deep-set eyes, a bit of a round chin and a lean build.

But as he handed me the water to drink and patted my back, I couldn't help but notice the light brown flecks in his eyes, the gentle but firm way he patted my back and the warmth of concern that radiated from him.

...Shit.