Heartbeats And Halos

Chapter 13

• P a l a k •

The drama created by Trisha Masi in the house was over after Roshan confirmed I wasn't trying to hit him. Everybody believed me. And nobody discussed the matter any further.

Now Ragini, Rishabh, Roshan, and I were standing in our neighborhood a few meters away from our house. We had just got out for the so-called date. It was four in the evening it was quite hot as the sunset in Bhubaneswar didn't take place before five-thirty.

Rishabh took out his keys and turned the car on with the remote, which made a beep sound making us aware of what happened.

"Umm, what are you doing?" Ragini questioned Rishabh before he could open the driver's seat door.

"What does it look like? I am starting the car." He replied and she frowed drawing her eyebrows in a thin line.

"Oh no, we are not taking that," Ragini told him and he looked at her confused and so was I.

"Then do you suggest we walk all across the city to explore it, Miss Routray?" He asked her mockingly. They had planned the entire outing. Four to six - explore the city, six to nine - watch a movie and nine to ten - dinner. It sounded like a ridiculous school timetable rather than a schedule for a date, I mean why do you even need a schedule?

"As enjoyable as it would be to make you walk all across the city I'll have to pass on it for the sake of my sister and Roshan bhai." She smirked and Rishabh narrowed his eyes at her. Roshan was standing beside me with his head inside his phone. As usual, he was dressed in a business suit and had an expressionless face on.

The man was like a rock. Cold and hard. Most of the time he didn't react at all and when Masi created the scene that was the most I have seen him react. That only only with confusion and a petty little frown. He was either scowling or doing nothing. It was very rare that he even smiled. For example, he hasn't smiled once today, at least I haven't seen him do so.

"Come to the point you are wasting our time." Rishabh groaned.

"We will take the ricksha!" Ragini chirped enthusiastically and Rishabh looked at her as if she had grown two heads.

"You did not just say that!" He commented looking horrified. I was as confused as Rishabh was. Ragini hated rickshas they made her nauseous. Meanwhile, Roshan was unaffected by all this, way too busy with his phone. I was sure he hadn't even heard what Ragini had said.

"Too bad I just did!" She gave him her signature smirk.

"Haha, nice joke." Rishabh chuckled. "Now get in the car."

"Mr. Maheshwari! You clearly don't know how to differentiate between a joke and a serious comment." Ragini mocked him and he stopped after opening the car door. "I am serious! We are taking Ricksha!" She ordered.

"Are you out of your mind!? How can you even think of taking a bullshit ricksha in this heat?"

"Think again Mr. Maheshwari... Is it about the heat or the status of the great Maheshwaris?" Rishabh huffed at the statement.

"Come on Ragini! Your family owns like five cars and we have our cars, then why Ricksha?"

"Because I say so." She told him. We didn't use our family cars to roam around the city unless we were going out at night. It was mostly auto or we'd simply walk if we were not going that far. That's because we hated taking a driver who'd accompany us everywhere since none of us knew how to drive.