Kaya

Chapter 6- The sizzling terrain

"Buddy, you gotta pick your pieces up."

Kabir was telling him, as he sipped his coffee. His spectacles were balanced neatly on the bridge of his nose, he was wearing a shirt and a tie. He had to go to his office.

"I will." Pradhyum said.

He wasn't lying, he just didn't know what time duration he would take. It could be anything till his heart stops for good.

He sipped his first drink of the day, slowly, and let the bitter liquid hit his head. Intoxication is always vulnerable; it can be a bad trip or a good one; but he has always been willing to take his chances.

His pocketful of lighter, two boxes of cigarette and a flask was all he really gave a fuck about anymore. Oh and of course, his typewriter.

"Okay, I'll leave now. Look for a job, Pradhyum?"

"Yes sir." He said, placing his feet on the stool in front of him.

"Lock the door." Kabir's voice faded away as the door gently met the frame behind him.

Pradhyum chuckled to himself and gulped the entire glass in one go. He had passed out in his bed last night, while trying to remember the last time he had felt really happy.

Now, he wasn't the type to do that really, but idleness sometimes leads to shitty thinking process. He hadn't written something in a long time, or checked his phone, or done anything except sitting and binging on whisky. He didn't remember consuming any supper last night.

The room was a tinge of mango-orange; the furniture was drenched in the same colours as he'd imagined Kaya to be, if he could ever peep underneath her skin.

A very familiar dread gripped his heart and he recollected where he had left his reminiscence last night.

The next morning, he hadn't come out of the room.

It was a little past noon when he'd woken up with a terrible hangover, his head throbbing; he pulled himself up quickly to see the time. 'Ah, well, fuck,' he remembered thinking, and then he got out of the bed, almost falling down in the process.

He picked up the first thing he saw when he unzipped his bag; changed into what turned out to be his favourite Jim Morrison t shirt.

He ran to the bathroom, splashed some water on his face, cursed the reflection in the mirror, combed his hair and ran out of the room.

They were sitting in the hut where reception was.

Pradhyum had wasted another ten minutes trying to remember the cottage he was suppose to get to; and cursed frivolously under his breath.

"Good morning." She had said, sarcasm and passive anger dripping from her voice.

"Morning buddy." Vedant grinned as he sipped his tea.

"I am sorry."

"I expected you to turn up by evening, you surprised me."

"Right."

He took a seat and flipped through the newspaper.

"Hello, we've got to make haste now."

"Oh, I thought we were waiting for the clock to strike five."

"Very smart."

Pradhyum grinned and he could still swear he saw her blush.

Even after all these years of numbing his brain with weed and liquor, he remembered the way she had looked down and smiled. This was her signature move, whenever Pradhyum had succeeded in making her go scarlet and she wasn't supposed to.