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The door creaked open and Khushi entered her apartment. She stepped aside and waited as he followed her inside. She closed the door behind them, wondering again if she was doing the right thing. Probably not!
The man strolled to the center of the apartment slowly and paused. Khushi's hand still remained on the doorknob - ready to bolt at the slightest sign of trouble. What a contradiction you are, Khushi ki bachi!
After several minutes passed, she let her hand drop. He had remained still the whole time, taking in her personal space. She crossed over quickly to her bedroom door and stopped, again ready to rush inside if need be.
"Um, the kitchen is to your left, please help yourself to anything you need."
The man turned to gaze at her, she wondered if she should offer him some change of clothes, but quickly beat that thought down.
"It is warm here, thank you," he said simply. They stared at each other for a moment. Khushi trembled slightly, she was afraid to admit, even to herself, that she found him fascinating in every sense of the word.
"No problem," she muttered. "I'll head inside, good night."
The man didn't respond, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on her as she softly closed the door. Her eyes stayed on him until the very last second, only breaking contact when she no longer had a choice. She cringed at the sharp click of the lock, fully aware that he could hear it too.
Her phone rang—a video call from Preeto. She quickly answered, feeling an immense sense of relief at the chance to talk to someone sane. Clearly, this apartment seemed to house two very wayward individuals.
Preeto's face said it all, she waited wordlessly for Khushi to speak, an unmistakable spark of wrath in her eyes. Khushi launched into her story without further ado.
'You WHAT?!'
She hurriedly turned down the volume and shushed her friend. Preeto ignored her.
'Khushi, you know I'm not against one-night stands, but this feels wrong on a whole other level! I mean, you picked him up off the streets! He sounds delusional—or worse, he might have something serious going on mentally. How can you be sure it won't escalate into something dangerous?'
"Don't say that!" whined Khushi, feeling more anxious by the minute. "Look, I've locked the door, I also have my pepper spray! I'll keep it with me at all times."
Preeto smacked a hand to her forehead and sighed.
'I'll be there first thing in the morning. I... understand why you might've done this, but keep me updated every hour. You and I both know neither of us will be getting much sleep tonight.'
"Thanks," mumbled Khushi as her chin wobbled, touched by her friend's show of concern. Preeto rolled her eyes and hung up.
Khushi changed into her night clothes and headed to bed, she paused midway, however, and turned to the door.
