At that point, Jassi wouldn't have cared if anyone else was also present in the lift (which no one was), as he burst out, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you during the IPL."
Hardik couldn't hide his surprise with a fake smile this time. When he registered he hadn't smiled, he scowled.
"I didn't expect you to, anymore."
"Really—you didn't?" asked Jassi, uncertainly.
"No," Hardik lied defiantly.
"In the sense...you wouldn't expect anything better from me?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Okay," said Jassi, annoyed and averting his gaze.
Surely after their past, he deserved better in Hardik's expectations, even if he hadn't lived up to them.
Or had lived up to them, since Hardik didn't have any expectations.
If Hardik didn't expect it of me, I didn't do anything wrong either and cannot do anything now, he thought in the same defiant tone as Hardik, and as the lift slowed down at the fourth floor, he stepped towards the door without looking back at Hardik, and—
With a jolt, the lift stopped moving and the lights went out, plunging them into darkness.
"What happened—?" Hardik demanded. "Did the power go off? I thought these hotels had backup power generators—press the alarm button, Jassi..."
"I can't see the alarm button!"
Hardik groped along the wall and bumped into Jassi.
"Don't push me!" said Jassi, throwing out his elbow.
"Don't get in my way then!" said Hardik, shoving him back.
"You—"
Speechless with indignation, Jassi raised his arms to give Hardik an almighty push, but the glow of Hardik's flashlight came on, and calmed both of them down.
Hardik pressed the alarm button, which made an alarm drone shrilly.
Minutes passed. Nothing happened except making their ears ring.
"For heaven's sake turn that off," said Jassi. "I'll call Rohit bhaiya so he can talk to the stupid hotel people—"
"Unless he's stuck in one of the other lifts," said Hardik gloomily, switching off the alarm.
"All of them won't be stuck, hopefully..."
Rohit bhaiya didn't pick up the call. Virat bhaiya didn't either.
"There are enough lifts in this building for all of them to be stuck," said Hardik, darkly.
Jassi called SKY, who—thankfully—received it.
"Hi, Jassi," said SKY brightly.
"Whatever," said Jassi. "The lift is stuck. Tell someone to answer the bloody alarm, will you?"
"The amount you curse these days, Angad will grow up worse than me," muttered Hardik.
Jassi glowered at him, his face gleaming eerily in the flashlight.
"No—no, don't!" someone hissed in the background. "Kuliya, stop the guy from resto—"
"Is that Virat bhaiya?" Jassi asked.
"Yes," said SKY smoothly. "He's sending Kuldeep to the liftman, to restore the power."
"Good," said Hardik.
"The power will come on soon," said Jaddu. "Hang on, you both..."
________________
Jassi and Hardik stood on opposite sides of the lift, sagging against the walls. A very grouchy silence prevailed inside.
YOU ARE READING
In Every Story of Mine (A Jassi-Hardik story)
Fanfiction"When we look back And when we're old We'll see your footprints next to mine along the road." Jassi chose to spend the unpleasant two months of IPL '24 as isolated from the world and his team as would give him peace. He doesn't have an inkling why...
