Crack The Job

13- Costumed Troubles

Siddharth

Being a middle child, I rarely grabbed any attention from my parents and surroundings. It was always either I was in the background, invisible to the average eye or I would be there standing in plain sight but so plain that one would never care enough to notice. 

I barely ever took the first responsibility for anything. Not that I remember of. My parents relied mostly on my elder brother Gourabh who was nearly everything my parents could want. Naturally, he is the first heir and the most responsible one. The highest shareholder after my father. 

Then was Ankit, the youngest one. He was the little mischievous kid and as the greatest receiver of the young privilege. He had only one goal: to get in business as early as possible and that was his best decision. Kudos that he worked at least.

Curious about me? It's not anything special. Because I had two brothers in the business industry, I led a life in the middle. My motto was staying still. I was able to avoid most problems like that, pretending I cared when I didn't, pretending I worked hard, when I never did, pretending I had a goal, when I had none.

That was how I lived most of my life. A monotonous life without bothering to take responsibility for anything.

Until that day when I first saw her. I felt every emotion when I saw her. I was devoted for the first time in my life and I couldn't believe myself for that. I didn't know I was capable of having this feeling — I knew she was the one.

For the first time, I wanted to care. Like a teenager in love, I roamed about her and befriended her. I was that one-sided lover who was going to any lengths for her. 

Then and now, nothing changed. I was still the one-sided Romeo, ending up playing her fake husband dressed in a catfish dress, hiding under a desk. Someone said right— Loving is dangerous.

"What do we do?" Payal panicked. 

"Let me handle this.” I took in a deep breath as I calmed myself to an extent. “Just stay here and be normal. Don’t f…freak out. Never, okay?” 

'Don't freak out?' What a freak! 

My mind mocked me for being such a coward, trying to throw my emotions onto her. Swallowing down my fear, I bent low, carefully making the best use of the crowded stall. I took a glance at him and there he was, exactly at a hand's distance from the kids' crowd, silently pulling out his phone. 

Taking advantage of the situation, I ran towards Abhiraj who was busy arranging the carton full of chocolate and cakes for the kids. I pulled him by his glittering robe and almost pushed him inside before he could start with his annoying questions.

"Did you hurt your head? Are you really that upset with your catfish outfit? Look, you are looking cute." He held my face up to the mirror in the room. I yanked away his hands. I had no wish to see my reflection right now. 

"Stop it. My brother is here." 

"That's okay—" He paused and looked at me straight. "Who?" 

"It's Gourabh!"

His eyes felt like it would bulge out any moment. As if on cue, the rush and music outside stopped. We both peeked through the gap between the door to see him waving to the kids and announcing something.

"We all welcome you dear kids and all the customers. It's good to see you all..." The same boring stuff is announced over and over again. My eyes pan across the room to see Payal moving her attention from Gourabh to us. She signalled us to get in and do the thinking fast.

"What do we do?" He looked at me playing the dumb role. He sits on the junior boss' comfortable chair.

"Get up from there." I pulled him up, almost throwing myself on the chair and turned to the drawer to search for a mask but there were none. "Take this one and run." I grabbed a pair of random disco glasses, big enough to cover his entire face.