𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝟏: 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄
.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.
"What?" she said, she couldn't believe her ears, that her Kabir ji would say something like that when he had been showering his whole life at her feet.
"Kabir ji, if it's abo...
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"Aisha Bacha, you came! Did Karthik drop you off?" Dadi's sharp eyes bore into me as I stepped through the door.
Karthik? Who's Karthik? Oh, right—Riya's brother. Damn it, I completely forgot I told Dadi and Dadu that I was out with Riya and would be spending the night at her place. I need to call Riya, pronto.
"Ji, Dadi. Sorry I'm late," I mumbled, guilt washing over me for lying.
"You should have called us to let us know you would be late. Be more responsible," Dadu scolded sternly. He's a stickler for rules, a man of iron discipline who has little patience for irresponsibility. I could do nothing but nod in acknowledgement, feeling the weight of his disappointment.
I quickly made my way to my room and dialled Riya's number with trembling fingers. The phone barely rang twice before she picked up, her voice a mix of anger and concern.
"Bitch, where the hell were you last night?" she shouted from the other end.
"Sorry, Riya. Actually... uh... I... um..."
"Spill it, bitch!"
"I slept with a guy," I confessed, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"Fucking finally! You got laid! So, who's the lucky guy?" she asked, her tone teasing after a long sigh.
"I don't know," I admitted, feeling even more embarrassed.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"He claims to be Kabir Oberoi."
"The NV Connect Oberoi?"
"Yeah," I confirmed.
"Holy Mother of god! You golden pussy woman!" Riya exclaimed in disbelief.
"Shut up, Riya. I'm sure it wasn't him."
"It's okay. What's done is done. Just come to class next week; we have an assignment," she reminded me, her voice softening.
"Yes, talk to you later," I said before hanging up the call, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety about what lay ahead.
THREE WEEKS LATER
I was running downstairs in a hurry because I was late for my first class at 9 AM. My backpack was slung over one shoulder, and my mind was racing with thoughts of the upcoming lecture. Just as I reached the bottom step, I saw a surprising sight: one, two, three, four, five, six people were entering my house, each carrying massive boxes. The sheer number of boxes reminded me of the chaos when we moved into this house.
"Excuse me, who do you want to meet?" I asked one of the people holding a box. My voice carried an edge of urgency and confusion. Then, it hit me. The boxes, the men in black tuxedos, the guard-like demeanour. No, no, no. It couldn't be him. It had been close to a month since I last heard anything from him after he left me with that cryptic remark about Pati.
