Chapter Twenty

For the second time, Ivan conveyed to Riyaan that he doesn't like phone calls when on business trips. But it's day one, and Riyaan wants to call him. For a moment he also wonders if Ivan has more attention for him, does it automatically mean less for his ex? But then again, when has Ivan ever been so under Riyaan's sway that he forgets other things?

Maybe he can leave a text, and Ivan will see when he wants to. Truth is, he doesn't like it one bit. That Ivan will be seeing his ex, that they will talk, that they will travel the city together, that they might end up in the same hotel, same room and same bed because...why not? Ivan doesn't owe him any loyalty because they are just fucking ...

Ivan is allowed to do what he wants and he is allowed to do what he wants.

Riyaan: is it 5 days yet?

Then he regrets it. He cringes for the next 5 hours until Ivan texts him back.

Ivan: Miss me already?

That cocky bastard knows it all. But he doesn't know how much Riyaan misses him — for him to know that, he has to pay attention, not go around the world and keep meeting exes.

Riyaan: you replied

Ivan: Didn't you want me to?

Riyaan: meet him yet?

Ivan: Who?

Riyaan: your lover.

Ivan: He arrives here on Friday morning.

Riyaan: goodnight Ivan

His phone vibrates in his palms. Ivan calling...

'Yes?'

'It's not even sleeping time for you, what's up?' Ivan says, sounding louder than usual.

'I.. wanted to say bye because you said no call and all. Maybe a movie, I don't know.'

'What movie?'

'Whatever they got in Apple+ TV subscription.'

'I bought other subscriptions also if you want to watch,'

'Really, when?' Riyaan asks, taking up the remote to check out the said subscriptions. He has a feeling that he is becoming a little spoiled. When he was living on his own, he only watched free movies on YouTube.

'Yesterday.'

'Idiot, thanks.'

'I'm an idiot, eh?'

'What are you doing, you didn't tell me?'

'I was ironing my shirt, I am going to meet someone tomorrow. He is kind of my father's friend and so my father wants to meet him to talk business.'

'Is it like an interview?'

Ivan laughs. 'No, more like how are you doing, we haven't met in a long time, kind of meeting but formal because it's for business purposes. People like to meet you and talk in person especially if you are going to be business partners for years to come. They want to know they can like you, trust you.'

'Would you do business with me, if I had any business?'

'Yeah, yeah. I think so.'

Ivan: *an image of what seems to be the night city from his hotel window.*

'Um.. what am I looking at?' Riyaan asks, trying to find a reason that Ivan sent it. He didn't even know Ivan could send pictures.

'Um..' Ivan tries to copy his exact style of saying it but makes it sweeter and softer. 'You're looking at whatever I'm looking at right now.'

'That's beautiful,'

'Yes. It's better here.'

'Forgot to say, your package arrived today.'

'Which package?'

'I don't know. Something from Amazon.'

'Huh, open it.'

'You sure?'

'Yeah, it's for you,'

'For me?'

'Go, open it.'

'Hold on!' Riyaan groans. 'Why?'

'Because you munch way unhealthy amount of unhealthy chips, try them,'

Riyaan opens a packet of healthy chips claimed on the packet and eats them one by one.

'They are good? You like them?'

'Yes. There's a lot of them.'

'I know. I'm sleeping on the balcony today, what do you think? Under open sky?'

'Yeah, good idea, except look out for mosquitoes.'

'Really, will they bite me?'

'Yes. One time I slept under the bridge and they bit me.'

'Under the bridge, that's fancy?'

'Not really. Except for the mosquitoes.' He doesn't have much to complain about his outdoor sleeping experience, but fancy it was not.

'Then why'd you sleep?'

'Because I had nowhere to sleep, I was between places.'

'Um, when was this exactly?'

'The day of Holi.' The first night Ivan and he met. It feels weird now that he has lived some time in stability — not always thinking about what happens when he cannot pay rent. Now that he knows how people live every day, thinking more about planning their future and work-related stuff rather than just the present problems. If he didn't know Dev, and he wouldn't have helped him, he would have been homeless, temporarily.

'At night, after I left you at your place? This is where your in-between places problem started?'

'Mm-hmm.'

For a moment, there's nothing.

'Hellooo, did you sleep?

'No. So, you really slept on the beach all by yourself, huh?'

'Yes.'

'Was it scary?'

'Mm, yes. A little, I didn't think I'd actually sleep without waking up in between, but I slept like a log.'

'Your friends couldn't help?'

'No, I cannot really ask everyone.' This is the time, he is really playing hard to not draw any pity for himself. He knew a lot of people, but truly, there were not many he wanted to call for help. It was always the people who he knew from before. So much for trying to fit in a decent society among decent people.

'I don't understand, why couldn't you have asked Kris?'

'Uh, Kris and I are only getting better friends with time. I couldn't have asked, really. Also, Kris was so drunk that day.'

'What about your shady friend, what's his face?'

'Nitin? Shady friend probably stays in shady places, I wouldn't.'

'Of all people, no one helped you?'

'I didn't ask a lot of people. You cannot just ask people to let you sleep for a night.'

'What's Nitin's deal anyway? Why didn't he turn up somewhere like you, have a job and all?'

'He really got carried away wondering about his parents and any relatives. Got obsessed with the idea.'

'And did he find his parents?'

'Not sure. He tried to find both of our parents — I guess he wanted to feel he belonged somewhere,'

'And you?'

'Yes. I want to belong to you.'

'My goodness, I'm asking something serious.'

'I am serious. I don't understand why he would look for them. There's a reason they didn't want him.'

'In a way, yes. But they didn't particularly say they didn't want him. They didn't want the baby —  without emotions, without anything really. A lot of people regret giving up for adoption. Maybe he's trying to find that.'

'I don't know.'

'Have I upset you in some way?'

'You haven't.' He has. 'I'm gonna watch a movie.'

As much as Riyaan would like to stay on the call and talk to Ivan, he cannot deny the fact that Ivan ignored him when he said he wanted to belong to him.

He is halfway through Godzilla: The King of Monsters as it heavily rains, and his phone signals a text from Ivan.

Ivan: You asked what kind of couple we would be...

Ivan: I think we would be a romantic one...

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There will be no updates next Tuesday. :(