Chapter Three

5 missed calls from Dev.

That's what Riyaan wakes up to at about 5 in the morning, finding himself in the same sand that he lied on yesterday. He is surprised to learn that never once he woke up in the night. At once, he is sitting straight, creating shade with his right hand and looking around for his belongings and surroundings. A laugh escapes from his lips, did he really sleep all night on the beach close to the water?

He calls Dev back.

'Finally.. Where did you crash last night?'

'..um, you will never believe..'

'What?'

'I slept on the beach, close to the waters, and I didn't even wake up..'

'Oh...my god!' A shrill voice came through the phone. That must be Dev's girlfriend. 'Hello,' it then says directly on the phone.

'Hello?'

'Riyaan, I am so sorry. I told Dev that you must have a really bad situation and I was angry with Dev. He didn't even ask you. He just assumed you had a place to go if not here.' She pauses. 'I am so sorry..'

'That's fine, really.'

'It's not fine. I feel so bad, please, you can come here now. Here, talk with him. I have to go, but please come. We'll figure something out.'

'Well, I could use a shower.'

'Sure, head over here.'

***

Saturdays are currently fun days for him, especially because he gets to play video games. He's not as passionate and hardcore as Kris, but that's the only thing he does for fun in life at present. But today, he is more than interested because he is trying to spend less time at Dev's.

'So, remember how I said I'd find you someone?' Kris says as he bangs his fingers on his keyword.

'Yes. Found someone?'

'Yeah. Shrey.'

'Dude, are you serious!' Riyaan deviates his focus from the screen to look at Kris, who is laughing uncontrollably. Flamboyant and rich, Shrey is a habitual flirt, who has reputedly slept with half the class when Riyaan and Kris studied together. He has tried with Riyaan a few times as well, lazy attempts to get him to bed Riyaan remembered.

'I am totally joking. Look at the screen, look at the screen, don't let us die,' Kris points to the screen. Riyaan does.

'But I was about to ask you to join Tinder,' Kris says again.

'That's it? That's the idea?'

'Why, what's wrong with Tinder?'

'Nothing, but we were supposed to look at someone with maturity and you know what we talked about. Tinder is more like ... instant.'

'Right. Right, my bad.'

'Dude, I'm not desperate. I will wait. Anyway, is that where you met Preet?'

'Maybe....'

'It's a yes or no question!'

'Maybe'

'Yes, that's a yes?'

'Yes, but I got lucky. And I know that it's not really the same for everyone.'

'How long have you been dating?'

'Three years now.'

'Three years! Dude, that's awesome. I didn't know it was that long.'

'Thanks. Also, just between you and me, I think he's gonna propose in the next few months, he's busy with some project now.'

'Wow, that's great news. How'd you know?'

'I just... know. And I wouldn't tell you if I wasn't sure.'

'So it's serious, huh?'

'I wouldn't live here if it weren't. My parents live just like 3 kilometres away.'

'So your parents, they are all in?'

'Yeah. They don't care much because of these — I have like two siblings and I'm the youngest. They are a lot older than me, and I think my parents used up all their energy with them and they will be chill with me.'

'I remember, you told me that.'

'But like, you probably had good friends there as well?'

'I mean, yeah. I had friends all around — met some good people, some famous even, and went to some great places around here. I mean now I'm a little sad that I don't fit in there anymore but I get to have my own rules now so that's a win.'

'Agreed.'

'I'll get some water for myself. You want one?'

'Yeah, sure. Also, can you tell Preet that we won't order in tonight?'

'You've got it.'

Riyaan finds Preet engrossed in his work on a laptop. Some files across the sofa, where Ivan sits with his shirt sleeves rolled up and tie loose. He has a tablet in his hand, and his eyes are stuck on the screen like he did the time he saw him. But this time, he has a hand over his forehead, as if he is massaging his skin from exhaustion.

Has he been here this whole time?

As Riyaan passes by the refrigerator, both of them shift and look up.

'Oh, hey, Riyaan.' Preet greets.

'Hi.'

'Hi,' Ivan looks at him as he sits up straight. 'You were here?'

'You are here?' Riyaan says at the same time.

Ivan's face changes to a polite smile. Riyaan has to bite the side of his lips so that he won't end up smiling bigger than Ivan.

'Kris wanted me to tell you that today you guys are not ordering in,' Riyaan says, diverting his gaze to Preet instead.

'Oh, did he now! Maybe that's what we are doing.'

'Right... you guys want water?'

'No. Thank you.'

'I will have one, please.' Ivan gets up from his seat.

'Riyaan, stay for dinner. Ivan cooks really well.'

'Oh, no. I can't. It really means a lot though.' He doesn't want to get caught staring at Ivan

'Why can't you?' Ivan asks, twisting the cap of the bottle.

'I just have to get up early in the morning.' A terrible excuse and Riyaan knows it.

'How early, I can start cooking now?'

'Yeah. You'll still have plenty of time to sleep.'

'You don't trust me to cook, is that it?'

'That's not... of course not. Fine, I'll stay.'

'Anything else other than early morning waking up bothers you?'

A lot of other things bother him, like Ivan's perfume that still lingers on his head from yesterday. Like, getting all nervous and giddy in front of this amazing-looking man, who also happens to have driven him home yesterday.

'No. That was it.'

'Okay, I will finish my work then, if that's okay?'

'Sure.' He nods.

'Wanna sit with us?' Ivan asks as he hasn't moved from his steps, holding two bottles of water in his hand. In his defence, he forgot where he was going.

'No. I'll go, Kris must be wondering.'

So he can cook? Not just to save a life, unlike him.

'Here's your water, also, looks like I'm staying for dinner because your boyfriend asked me to.'

'That means we can play for a few more hours?'

'Really? How can you keep going for so long.'

Thirty more minutes. That's just how long Riyaan has survived their game sessions after the water break, and then he couldn't sit straight. It's only when Kris' boyfriend/would-be-fiancé comes into the room, does Kris stops his game by hitting pause.

'Hi, baby.' Kris looks at him.

'Hi.'

'You convinced Riyaan to stay for dinner so I could have more game time with him, right?'

'Absolutely right.'

Losers

'Riyaan, can you help Ivan in the kitchen?' Preet looks at him while hugging his boyfriend.

'Ah, sure.'

Riyaan has never been a good cook, but he has never been worried about it. His skill development at cooking has no purpose in the orphanage. He feels a little uneasy, worrying the worst: Ivan figuring out that he's not even average at cooking.

'There you are!' Ivan says seeing him in the kitchen.

'Hi, what's cooking?'

'That's for you to tell me, what do you like?'

'Oh...! Don't.. don't worry about me. I can just eat about anything. Really,' Riyaan says, anxious and shy.

Ivan looks at him, smiling and intent. 'Indian? Mexican? Chinese?'

'Indian, I guess.'

'Ah, staying loyal, I see. So.. North Indian, South Indian, Bengali, Assamese, or Naga? You name it, I make it.'

'North Indian is fine. Do you really know how to cook them all?' Riyaan laughs. He is impressed by the fact that Ivan not only looks dashing and hot(even when he is tired) but also is skilled in cooking for more than just survival.

'Yes. I mostly cook for myself. Got a big kitchen. Went to a few places, and learnt a few dishes, otherwise, YouTube is my guide.'

Riyaan takes a peak at Ivan from behind as he gets his vegetables ready.

'Um, shouldn't you have asked Kris or Preet what they would like?'

'Oh, don't worry about them. They eat anything I cook.'

'So, how much money are you making off the internet videos?' Ivan asks as he prepares vegetables for cooking.

'No. Not yet. I mean only Kris makes them. If I wanted money, I'd have to have a schedule and be regular. I cannot commit to that now. I like playing but not for too long.'

'Fair enough,' Ivan says.

'What about you, do you play any video games?'

'When I was a kid, and then I grew out of it.'

Unlike Riyaan. He has not had the chance to play video games as a child, not as often as he wanted anyway. He remembers one time he and Nitin cancelled their movie trip so that Nitin could do his thing, and he could play games on one of the office computers. And then he had to return the DVD to his friend the next day, after which all he played was Solitaire. Until one day Nitin got him some DVDs again but he hadn't had the chance to play.

'How's work?' Ivan asks.

'It's fine. And yours? You seemed a little tired.'

'Yeah, work is a little busy but fine.'

'And, how's life in general?'

'6 stars out of 10 at present.'

'You rate life?'

'Yeah, I like to do that from time to time. How would you rate it at present?'

'I don't know, I didn't exactly have a good time at work today.'

'So rate at the moment.'

'At the moment?' Riyaan asks, looking at Ivan being efficient at the whole cooking thing. 'It's 10 out of 10.'

Ivan looks at him, brows raised. And the first thought in Riyaan's mind is: What if he thinks I am hitting on him?

Riyaan doesn't want to be Nancy. He doesn't want to be anyone that Ivan might think of as annoying, or unattractive.

'Whoa.. someone's feeling generous.'

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