The Second Time

1. Not again!

1. Not again!

The smell of burnt coffee woke her up. Her nostrils gave up soon after and she started coughing badly for air. Was doing at least one thing right that difficult? But whom could she blame when she was living with two guys, who had never cooked in their lives. One was her own elder brother from whom she never expected anything. "What the hell are you both doing?" she asked and rubbed her puffy eyes. There was intensity in their eyes as they saw her walk into the kitchen and both of them tried to wave out the burning smell from the kitchen.

"What do you think? It's just something!" her brother answered and she rolled her eyes at him. She tried to take in the scenario playing in front of her and her anger rose as it became clearer to her. "You started heating the coffee on the stove and forgot about it until something started smelling badly!" she nearly yelled at the two of them. "Umm... Charu actually it was milk," the other partner in crime answered and she couldn't be more shocked.

She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the stainless steel utensil turned brown and there was not even tiny bit of milk present. "You guys make 21st century and electronic gadgets look uncool. How do you even manage that?" she asked blankly. "You know what! We need a maid or else you both need some Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana lessons daily. I am not your personal maid here for god sake!" she yelled and walked out of the kitchen.

"Charu what about breakfast?" she heard them. "You two have the nerve to ask that! Well how about the milk you just burnt. You can pour some water in that utensil and drink it like a smoothie." She said and banged the door behind her.

"How could you forget about the milk?" the guy in his white wife beater and shorts asked the tall guy who was neatly dressed to leave for office. "Seriously dude! You didn't even tell me about the milk and right now I am just hungry." "Bhai there must be some snacks around here..." "Don't even think of touching those snacks. I just bought them yesterday and I won't do grocery shopping every day!" Charulatha shouted from her room and the two them became conscious.

"She is damn angry dude. Let's leave. We can have something from canteen." Veer told his friend. "I am yet to hit the gym. No way am I going to office before that!" Rudra said and flexed his arms while his muscles tightened up. "My sister is alone in the house and even though we are best friends... I am not leaving you here alone with my sister," Veer said in some serious tone and Rudra rolled his eyes. He knew that his friend trusted him but it was all about the brotherly possessiveness towards his sister and it was not even a whole week that Charulatha had moved in their flat at Andheri, Mumbai from Jaipur.

"Look I respect your brother sister thing and you know I am not that kind of a guy. Do you want me to move out?" Rudra asked to just prove his point. "I didn't mean it and you know that! I am waiting outside. Get your ass ready and come within five minutes otherwise I am leaving and you will have to take the bus!" Veer said as he left. Though Rudra and Veer had equally paid for their only bike, it was a decided rule that the one who leaves first would have the bike ride.

***

"Do you smoke?" Charulatha asked Rudra as he was leaving for office. "Umm No." Actually he did but this girl was his best friend's only younger sister and he couldn't make his impression bad within a week's time. "It's okay if you do. My friend said that everyone in the IT industry smoke a lot. The thing is that..." she was about to complete when 'Didi tera dewar deewana' started playing in the background. Both of them stared at each waiting for the other to respond to their cell phone. "My phone just died!" Charulatha cleared herself and Rudra was filled with embarrassment when he realized that it was his phone.