Bombay Romance ♡ COMPLETED

[ 46 ] Romance, Tom Cruise, Harvard ■

'And this is my room,' Gauri throws her arms wide open, finishing her home tour. Amarnath looks around. 

It is a big room with a door to the balcony on the far end. There is a large dressing table with expensive cosmetics lined inside the glass shelf. A study table sits in the right corner and an armchair is on the left. A wooden plank jutting from the wall is lined with miniatures. Amarnath notices the tiny double-decker red bus.

'Where did you buy this? I've never seen it with anyone in Bombay,' Amarnath looks surprised.

'This is not from Bombay. It's from London. There are double-decker buses there too,' Gauri smiles. 'There is the UK flag on the bus. See? And the list of places on its window: Oxford Circus, Queensway, Notting Hill and Shepherds Bush.'

Besides the bus, there is a miniature of the black London taxi, London bridge, red telephone booth, indigenous to London, and Big Ben. The wall in front of her large flowery queen-sized bed is filled with posters of Tom Cruise.

'You like him so much?' Amarnath asks.

'Yeah! He's my favourite!'

Amarnath frowns at the poster, his face a clear indication of "What's so great about him?"

A particularly large poster of him is at the centre, in American Air Force gear, crossing his arms and leaning against a fighter plane. Amarnath folds his hands and squares his shoulders in the same way, puffing out his chest.

'Are you trying to imitate him?' Gauri asks, trying to keep a straight face.

Amarnath unfolds his arms quickly, shaking his head. 'Why does your room smell like petrol?'

'Oh, I was applying nail paint a while back,' she puts her foot forward, toenails painted a dark shade of maroon. Amarnath looks at her bare ankles.

'Do you like payal?' he asks, remembering his mother's silver anklets. How beautiful it will be if Gauri wears them; those little trinkets chiming when she walks around.

'What is payal?' she asks.

'That ... I don't know in your English ... girls wear it around their legs... '

'Anklets?'

'Haan, wahi hoga. You don't like to wear them?'

'No,' she grimaces. 'They have little bells which are so irritating. I hate that sound. My grandmom has gifted me two pairs. I've never worn them.'

'Oh,'

'I'd told her I'd look like a village girl if I wore that, but she just doesn't listen. I like this kinda jewellery more. Classy ones,' she shakes her wrist encased in a thin glistening solitaire diamond tennis bracelet. 'How is it?'

'It's nice,' Amarnath tries to put on his best smile.

'Mom-Dad gifted it on my birthday,' she looks at it.

Amarnath smiles and looks down at the floor. He turns to the door. 'Chale?'

'No,' she pushes the door close. Amarnath looks at the door and back at her, startled. Gauri slides next to him and throws her arms around his neck.

'What's that song?' she asks chirpily. 'Hum tum ... ek kamare mein band ho ... '

'Gauri!' Amarnath hisses and reopens the door quickly. 'Ki kar rahe ho? What if your parents see?'