Courage

11: The Idiocacy

Once they dropped Yash off at the airport, the two friends were off toward their home, when they decided to get some takeaway. While they placed their orders and nursed a drink while waiting, Rinku saw his chance.

"So, bhai, how's it going?"

Dhruv leveled him with an unimpressed glare.

"You know how it's going, Rinks - we live together."

"I mean....how's the love life going?"

"Tu kabse gabby gossip ban gaya re?"

Rinku gritted his teeth. Dhruv was being more evasive than ever, Rinku thought, no way was he getting an answer out of him like this.

"I know who he is, Dhruvi."

Rinku was promptly rewarded with Dhruv spitting drink all over his face.

"Wha–how–who–how even—?"

"Calm down, bro, and thukna band kar!"

Once Dhruv calmed down a little, he looked up at Rinku again.

"Sunn."

"Suna."

Dhruv rolled his eyes.

"Yaar, bata na how do you know?"

"Kyu kyu, mai toh bohot gabby gossip ban raha tha na?"

Rinku received a very, very hard punch to his bicep at that.

"You tell me right now!"

"Acha acha mere bhuke sher, I'll tell you. You weren't actually that subtle, you know. First, your face is like flaming red whenever the topic comes up, which, c'mon, is all kinds of adorable!"

Rinku's hand was instantly slapped as it made to squish Dhruv's cheeks, but he persevered.

"Remember the video call? Your popcorn fell out and you spent the entire call being weird AF! Well, there was another patient with similar symptoms," Rinku said cheekily.

Said symptoms made a brilliant entry on Dhruv's cheeks, which earned him a hearty laugh from Rinku. Noticing that Dhruv was mum, Rinku prodded the subject again.

"So, Dev prakat ho gaye hai aapke dil me, huh?"

"Rinku, bohot maar khayega ha tu."

"Arre bata na, I am right, right?"

Dhruv sighed.

"Yeah you are right!"

Rinku whooped, which earned them glares from surrounding tables.

"Acha bete, RR ke camp me cricket khelne gaya tha ya ishq ladane? Aur saale, I am still salty that Yash knew before me. You are supposed to tell me everything! Story bata pehle, kya hua, kaise hua, sab kuch!"

Dhruv raised his hand in surrender, and began. He told him about his initial assumption about Dev, their dance, how Dev was constantly on his mind, how they got close, which had culminated into passionate feelings and flirty glances.

"Tabhi RR qualify nai ho rahi, lessons toh pyar ke seekh rahe sab! Acha, so what's next? Kab mil raha hai usse?"

"Umm."

"Kya?"

"I haven't really talked to him about that?"

"What do you mean?"

Dhruv rubbed his neck.

"We just text normally, but there's no plan or anything."

At Rinku's continued silence, Dhruv peered at him.