Night Out

9

9

It was around four thirty am, and Rahul was still sitting beside Ayesha, on the bench in her garden.

"What do you think will happen?" he asked.

"Um... about what?"

He smiled, in a goofish manner. "Your parents thought if they locked you outside, you'd learn a lesson. If you slept one night out of your house, you'd learn a lesson. But instead you were with me the whole night. What do you think will happen when they get to know about it?"

She smiled, along with him. "They wouldn't lock me out again, for sure."

The two chuckled at that.

"Did you ever have a boyfriend before? I know you don't have one now," he said.

"Erm, to be honest..."

"Yeah, go on. Go on," he urged. He felt way more comfortable asking her personal questions now.

"I had one boyfriend, from school," she answered honestly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Only one?"

She nodded. "Only one until now."

"When did that happen?"

"In ninth grade. He was my crush, you know. We were together 'till tenth ending."

He didn't reply but just nodded.

"What about you? Any girlfriends?" she finally asked, letting the curiousity get the better of her.

"Now?"

"You have one... currently?"

Rahul smiled when he heard the jealousy in her voice. No matter how hard she tried to say it in a noncholant way, it was obvious she didn't like the idea of Rahul having a girlfriend.

"No, dumbo," he said. "If I did, I surely wouldn't have spent these many hours with you."

She smiled, as if she realized it just now. "You're right. No one will."

There was silence for a second, before she remembered what she had originally asked. "Wait," she said. "What about before?"

"Two," he said, simply.

"Okay." She was just happy he didn't have one now. She realized she couldn't care much about his past lovers.

She looked at him, to see he had closed his eyes. But she could tell he wasn't sleepy.

Ayesha decided to ask him one thing, finally. "Rahul?"

"Hmm..."

"Um, don't you - don't you wanna be in touch with me or something? Like... we're close now... and - and it would be nice if you took my - my number or something... right?"

Rahul suddenly opened his eyes and looked at her.

She widened her eyes. "It's absolutely fine if you don't! I was just... wondering..."

"No you idiot!" he said. "Of course I want your number! I was dying to ask you for it, but didn't because I thought you might feel like I'm clingy... or maybe even creepy."

She grinned. "Awesome. Where's your phone? Take it down."

He took out his phone from his pocket, and Ayesha took a look at it.

"Hey," she said. "How come your phone was fifty percent battery left?"

"In case you didn't realize, this whole night I was with you and hadn't used my phone much. That's why so much battery is left. Now give me your number."