Chapter 6: chapter 6

Chapter SixYash changed into a cotton kurta pyjama and sat down on the balcony attached to his room with a book. Unfortunately for him with all the guests in the house he’d got stuck with sharing a room with his mother. “Do you hate me?” He tilted his head up to address God. “Because this is literally my version of hell on earth.” “Talking to yourself?” his mother asked, exiting the bathroom in a cloud of perfume. She’d changed from her saree into a kimono type kaftany thing. He could honestly say he’d never seen anything like it before. “Dinner is at eight,” she told him when he didn’t bother answering her. “Don’t be late.”He pointedly opened his book and stared at it. “You can’t ignore me forever. Whatever I am doing, it’s for your own good. I’m your mother and I love you.” Yash groaned. He didn’t dispute the fact that his mother loved him but did she have to show it the way she did? By interfering, meddling and constantly disrupting his life? All in the name of love and good intentions. The door slammed behind her and he heaved a sigh of relief. Peace and quiet at last. He put on his reading glasses, opened up the book and started to read.And then he heard her laugh. He shouldn’t, he told himself. He really shouldn’t stand up and try to see where she was or what she was doing. Maya Patgaonkar was not someone he should be looking at or looking for or any other type of looking. He got to his feet and walked to the balcony railing, peering out through the dusky light of early evening. He was definitely looking.She was walking down the endlessly sloping green lawn with the guy she’d arrived with and another guy and girl. All four of them seemed to be talking at the same time, practically talking over each other. Her hair was loose and hung in waves down her back. She wore a loose, floral skirt with a billowing white shirt that gave her a distinctly free, bohemian look. And she still limped. Not a temporary thing then, this limp. Had she gotten it in the accident that had killed Vikram? Aakash’s bitter recounting of their wild night of debauchery that had ended in his brother’s death had been both sordid and distasteful. It had also been deeply disturbing. That had not been the girl he’d thought he was marrying. Maybe her dumping him for being a penniless loser had been a true blessing in disguise. And yet, Yash continued to stand and watch her and her friends meander along in what was clearly an aimless walk. Maya. The name resonated in his head. Almost as if she heard him, she turned, her gaze drawn to the house. He saw her scanning the side of the house facing them and was about to step back and out of sight when her gaze snagged on him. The guy who’d arrived with her, Ved, said something to her and she responded but she didn’t look away. The moment between them stretched into an eternity that should never have existed. His heart was thudding, a drumbeat that he didn’t want to hear but one that thrummed through his veins nevertheless. She took a step toward him, a miniscule movement that nobody caught but him. It broke the spell. Yash stepped back and away from the railing, consciously turning away from her. The few months they’d known each other had been a lasting lesson. Maya wouldn’t get another chance to play him for a fool again. He went back into his room and settled into bed with his book but it really wasn’t holding his interest anymore. All he saw was her hair, her big eyes and that tight, curvy body…With a groan, Yash pushed himself out of the bed and out of the room. He needed some distraction and he knew exactly where to find it. He reached the billiards room slash library that Aakash usually haunted when he was here. It took him less than a minute to find his friend skulking in the corner with…was that a journal? “Writing down your feelings?” he asked Aakash, a wry smile escaping him.“Fuck you,” his friend said, snapping his journal shut. Yash noticed he didn’t correct him. “Billiards?” Aakash stopped and strode over to the table. Yash nodded. He was certainly in the mood to bust some balls. He put the book he was still carrying around in one corner and picked up the cue stick. Aakash racked the pool table and nodded to him. “You break.” Yash leaned forward, lining up to take his shot and the door opened behind him. “Excuse me, could you tell me where we could find Aayushi?” That husky voice shot straight to his groin. His hand slipped and the ball went wide, careening against the table corners before coming to land harmlessly in front of him again. He stared at it. It hadn’t touched a single ball on the table. Aakash started to laugh. Yash turned to glare at Maya who stood there with the other girl he’d seen before. She raised an eyebrow back at him, her expression of cool disdain making his own temper started to smoulder. “Have you heard of this magical device called a phone?” Yash snapped at her. “I have,” she snapped back. “Her number says out of coverage area.” They glowered at each other for a long moment. “Signals aren’t great here.” Aakash broke the weird standoff. “If she isn’t in her room, she may be down in the kitchens coordinating the evening meal with the staff.” The other woman mumbled something under her breath. “If you have something to say, say it so we can hear it,” Aakash growled. Yash glanced at him in surprise. Whatever his friend might think of Vikram’s friends, he’d always been the perfect host. This was very unlike him. “I said of course the poor womenfolk would be down in the bowels of this house figuring out food with the staff,” she spat at him, meeting Aakash’s rudeness head on. Yash stepped out of range of their fire. Unusually enough, Maya did too, leaving them both standing side by side watching the other two like they were two predators sizing each other up. Which to be honest was exactly what they looked like. “Kanak,” Maya said, warily. “Let’s go, honey. We need to speak with Aayushi.”As he watched, Kanak it would seem her name was, schooled her face back into a cool mask. “My apologies,” she told Aakash. “I don’t know what got into me.”He nodded, curtly. The women turned to leave when Aayushi appeared in the doorway. “There you guys are,” she smiled, warmly, lighting up the room with her cheerful presence. “I was looking for all of you. You guys are just in time for tonight’s event.” Event? There was an event? Yash groaned. God really did hate him.