Let's Fall Together

12. Is it poisoned?

Time is relative. But I've never really liked my relatives that much.

My next few days at job passed as quick as a storm. Kartik being my boss changed a lot of things. I thought I'd slouch at work, despise it and would never want to step foot in that building again. But I was wrong, thankfully.

Ever since we were kids, Kartik brought out the competitive side of me, he made me push my buttons and made me do things I'd usually never take up. I used to wake up early and go for runs just so I could beat him in races.

So, the last few days I've spent working my ass off, preparing really hard for that presentation everybody loved and making sure I wasn't late.

The last part would probably change if I don't hurry up. Packing up my charger and airpods in my bag, I leave the room in a rush. On my way out, I catch a glimpse of white furr tailing me but I don't even have time to pet him.

Aww, but Coco's coming after me!!

Coco, for some reason, hated me. No matter how much I cooed at him or tried to feed him, he'd only just hiss at me and run away. But he was chasing me right now, so, against my better judgement, I stopped and bent down to pet him.

He hissed. At me.

I glared at him and made my way to the front door, my poor heart stinging from his blatant rejection. I heard a chuckle and turned to find Kartik giving me the funny eye.

When he realized he had my attention, he purposefully bent down to pet coco while maintaining eye contact with me. That traitorous kitten nuzzled under his touch and purred. Kartik smirked at me, blatantly having witnessed my rejection and proving how Coco chose him over me.

Now I know who's teaching Coco all his heinous ways.

I gave him a stink eye and was about to leave when Vaidehi aunty's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Rivaah, dear have your breakfast first. " she called from the kitchen. Footsteps approached and in a second she was standing in front of me with a plate full of poha.

"Aunty I'll miss the train if I stay for even a minute longer. " I argued in a panicky voice.

I took the metro mostly, but on days like these, when I'm this late I prefer the train. The trains here were frequent, you'd catch a train in every 15 minutes. But you'd be lucky if you get in.

People here, they've trained themselves in entering a train way before it stopped. Literally so.

This one time a guy bumped into me and looked at me like I was stupid when I told him 'I was waiting for the train to stop'. He looked me dead in the eye and said, 'You don't wait for it to stop, you just get on' and ran towards the moving train and got on, just like everyone else around me was doing. I've learned a lot since then.

"You say that everyday. You're not having breakfast since the last week. You'll turn frail or pass out in the train itself. Take few bites, it won't take long. " she said in a stern voice.

"But aunty the train-" she cut me off.

"Kartik will drop you. Right Kartik? " she looked at Kartik who was halfway serving himself a second plate of poha. He ate like a pig.

"Mom-but" he seemed repeld by her idea. As was I.

"Right Kartik? ", aunty gave him the look. The one that was enough for any kid to do exactly what their mom said. The kokila eye I called it.

"Yes mom. " he sighed.

Great.

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