A House Full of Men by Parinda Joshi

Author:Parinda Joshi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: null
Publisher: HarperCollins India
Published: 2021-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

When Kittu was able to reclaim the part of her heart that had been working overtime worrying about Shamik and now Nishant, she remembered she needed to make it up to someone. Twins out, boyfriend in.

When a few calls and messages with apologies went unanswered, Kittu was right back to her worrying mode. It was as if all the men in her life had made a pact to subject her to twitchiness.

‘Why have you been so quiet lately?’ Kittu tried another text that evening after praying fervently to her favourite god asking for a huge favour and even offering a bribe. It worked, for Kartik replied this time.

‘Not really.’

‘I can smell lies from a house away. And guess where I am … exactly a house away.’ She attempted a little joke. His motorcycle was parked in his aunt’s front yard, Kittu could see from her balcony. She imagined this conversation happening between them in person, while they were seated on his motorcycle, their arms lightly brushing.

‘Okay you got me.’

‘So what is it?’ she coaxed.

‘I don’t know, I’m not sure you’ll take it the right way,’ he wrote.

‘There’s only one way to know,’ she replied, anxiety creeping through her veins.

‘And what if it turns out to be what I’m afraid of?’

‘Try me.’ Kittu hoped he wouldn’t throw her a curveball. There was silence for a while. She could see him typing then deleting then typing again.

‘I can’t quite figure you out sometimes.’ He served it to her straight up.

‘Um let’s see. I’m a girl, 25, work for a travel magazine and I go by Kittu because my real name is too long and completely wrong for my personality type.’ She attempted another quip.

‘Ha you’re funny. No, I mean, I can’t figure out what’s in your heart.’

‘Okay mister you’re going to have to be more specific than that.’ She continued her playful tone, but the all too familiar nervous energy had started to weigh her down.

‘I was waiting at Chhota Imambara. It was our first actual date. And you ditched.’

‘Ditched?’

‘Whatever, you didn’t show up. And I waited a really long time.’

‘I gave you a reason, didn’t I? A genuine one no less. I was at the hospital with Shamik.’

‘Right, except that I saw Shamik in the evening doing stunts with his bike in our lane.’

This was true. Shamik was so upset that instead of resting he’d been romping around on his bike.

‘He really did meet with an accident. It was a close shave. And I couldn’t be more grateful.’

Kartik sent a smiley emoticon.

‘I’ll make it up to you, I promise.’

‘Will wait.’

The clock was ticking. She would need to come up with a plan to make it up to Kartik before another family member hijacked her for another futile detour.

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