Chapter 12

Jennifer Mall

@kIrAn...E>GA<3

Chapter 26- Awkward

"Hey." Vidya clapped her hands in glee as she opened the door for Sagar. "Come in."

"Sup? I was bored so I thought…" He looked around, "God, this place is clean."

"I've been cleaning. Isn't it nice? You hungry, thirsty?" She chirped.

"Vidya, are you…okay?" Sagar asked feeling her forehead. Her head was hot but probably from all the physical activity.

"You're burning up, Vidya." Sagar said concerned. He seated her on the sofa. He handed her a glass of water.

"Just a little fever, I'll sweat it out. Nothing big really." She said, getting back up but falling back to the sofa. The phone rang.

"It's Suhani. She's paranoid." Vidya said amused. Sagar shot an angry glance as he picked the phone up.

"Listen bi***. I don't know who you're trying to fool. Tell me what's wrong before I fly back to kick your a**." Suhani shouted over the phone.
"Suhani, this is Sagar. Vidya's sick and can't come to the phone."
"See? I knew it. Let me guess, she's got a temp and the house is spotless?"
"Yeah." Sagar replied confused.
"She's been worrying. A LOT. She got herself stress sick. Hopefully, you're they're before she gets all chirpy and crap."
"She is chirpy. VERY chirpy." Sagar said, pushing her back onto the couch.
"Hey, can you do me a favor then? This is gonna sound so weird but…"
"But what?" Sagar asked into the phone.
"Can you please make her cry?" Suhani asked, half-unsure of herself.
"What? Why?"
"Because Vidya's the type of chick that needs to cry stress out and she won't because she's too damn stubborn. She won't be better until she unwinds and cries. Sagar, please?"
"Fine. I'm going to hate doing this though." He complained.
"Why?" Suhani asked, interested.
"Because I hate seeing her cry." He said in almost a whisper, shielding the phone from Vidya.
"Really? You do a bloody good job of making her cry though."
"I know I have. But now, I'm trying to keep her happy. I like her better when she's happy. She's got a beautiful smile…" He snapped himself out of his trance. Whoa, weird.
"Okay? Remember what I said. Okay? Bye."
"Bye."

Sagar sighed. How was he supposed to make her cry? He could make something sad up. Nah. He could make up something that would make exclusively sad. Angad died, he thought smirking. No, that would give him too much pleasure.

"Vidya, I'm dying." Sagar blurted.
"What?" Vidya said, awe-struck.
"I'm dying. I…have leukemia. I can't be treated. Last stage."
"Sagar, that's not funny." She said, tears springing in her eyes.
"I know. Tell me about it."
"Sagar, I'm serious. It's not funny." Her eyes were turning red, her voice turning seriously slow.
"I'm serious." He said slowly. He ached seeing Vidya on the verge of crying.
"But…but…why can't you be treated?" She said, tears rolling down her porcelain cheeks.
"Last stage, Vidya. Nothing can be done about it."
"Of course something can be done." She said, crying hysterically.
"No, Vidya. Listen." He said, holding onto her.
"I don't want to hear anything! Of course something can be done! We're rich! We can go somewhere better. The US!"
"Vidya…"
"Shut up! Sagar…" She cried into his shirt. Her tears went through his shirt like daggers. The silence lasted for about an hour with nothing but the sound of Vidya sobbing.

"I'm fine." He whispered into her hair. "I was lying." He couldn't take it any longer.

She looked up at him with puffy teary eyes, and cried harder. This time she pulled away, punching Sagar senseless in his ribs.

"I hate you! That wasn't funny! What did you do that for?!" She cried herself back into his arms. He talked softly into her hair again, "I had to make you cry. You were going to worry yourself sick."

"Bi***." Vidya muttered, still crying. "What?" Sagar asked. Vidya exclaimed louder, "Suhani's a bi***."

"Yeah, I hated doing that." Sagar sighed into her again. He noticed for the first time since the poolhouse, they made physical contact. They had just held each other for what seemed like hours and it felt like energy passing through its source. Vidya pulled away, finally noticing the closeness.

"Sorry." She muttered, wiping her tears.

"Hm? Yeah, its okay." He said, fixing his shirt. As he straightened it, he saw a large wet spot where Vidya had been crying. Vidya's eyes wandered to the spot too. Sagar raised an eyebrow at her as the two burst into laughter.

"Dude, don't do that ever again. Or I'm not gonna talk to you anymore."

"Your eyes work like Niagara Falls."

"Well, it wasn't very nice of you to joke like that."

"I know. I hated making you cry. Sorry. I felt like I was about to cry too." That was so sweet. Vidya smiled at him, earnestly.

"Thanks, I hate crying. I would hate to see you cry though too." That was an awkward statement, Vidya resolved as a clumsy silence fell over the room.

"Guys don't cry." Sagar said defensively after a few moments of thought.

"My foot, yes they do."

"No, we don't."

"I don't wanna have to prove you do."

"We don't."

"Sagar, if I kicked you in a very unladylike manner in a very…dreadful place, would you not cry?"

"Okay, on second thought, I would. I don't wanna test you. So…what do we do now?"

"Um…you hungry, thirsty? Or just bored to make me cry again." She glared at him.

"Dude, I said I was sorry. I felt terrible. But I am hungry."

"What do you want to eat?" Vidya asked, headed to the kitchen. "I can cook pretty much anything."

"Well, I don't want to eat your cooking." Sagar shouted toward the kitchen, she came out, angry and sad.

"Fine. I'll cook for myself then. You can watch me eat." She said, smirking coldly.

"So what am I going to watch you eat?"

"I want Italian. I think I'm gonna make Fettuccine Alfredo."

"Sounds good." Sagar said, flipping through channels. As Vidya made immense amounts of noise in her kitchen, Sagar sat immersed in a rerun of a soccer match. Eventually, Vidya came out, hands on hips.

"You're pissing me off, Sagar." She said angrily, Sagar tried not to smile.

"What did I do?"

"Nothing, that's what's pissing me off, you are sitting here watching an old football match." Vidya said, snatching the remote from his hand. She pulled him up and dragged him to the kitchen.
"I can't cook. You can't make me! Vidya! What the
heck?!"

"Yes you can cook. Yes, I can make you. And if you don't want to, you're free to get out of my house." She said, pointing a knife at him.

"You and that knife, I swear. Sometimes you seem less my friend, more my wife."

"Please, if I had a husband like you, I'd keep him in line."

"Why don't you try?" He said, taking the knife from her.

"Maybe I will." Vidya smiled, the conversation sunk in entirely as Vidya and Sagar quieted down.

"You made me miss the match." Sagar broke the silence, smirking.

"Brazil wins. By a ton. I have it on tape, watch it later. Cut this." She handed him an onion and broccoli.

"You want me to cut this?" He said, staring awkwardly at the broccoli. "How do you even do that?"

"Like this." Vidya laughed, taking the broccoli and cutting into tiny florets. "Now you." Sagar took the knife and cut large, clumsy pieces. "It's not working." He stated.

"Hold the knife like this." He moved his hands on the knife and held his hands there. "And then you pull it through like this." She said, pulling his hand through the green flesh, making a perfect cut.

"It's like rocket science." Sagar sighed.

"Not really, you're just not very bright." Vidya laughed. "After you're done with that, do the onion."

"I am very bright. And this is gonna take eternity." He said, cutting the broccoli carefully as if it were brain surgery. She pulled another knife out and took the broccoli from him. "Work on the onion."

Sagar held the onion up to the light as if it were a magnificent alien being.

"Sagar, I don't need a still life, just cut it." He obeyed and sliced the edge, pulling the skin off and then expertly began slicing it into rings.

"You know how to cut an onion but not broccoli?" Vidya asked, stirring the pasta in its water, not yet to boil.

"Yeah." He said, sniffing. His eyes were already teary. "Who eats broccoli?" He said, disgusted and crying.

"I do. It's yummy." She looked at him, tears streaming his face. "Awww, poor Sagar." She mused, wiping his tears. She went and wet a paper towel. "Close your eyes." He obeyed as she laid the wet paper towel on his eyes. "Old trick. It helps." Smiling, Vidya pecked him on the cheek and took the towel back.

"No, THAT helped." Sagar smiled flirtatiously.

"Yeah, yeah. Cry baby. Finish the onions."

"Hmmph, cry baby." He said, huffing finishing slicing the rest of the onion. Vidya got out a frying pan and readied the white sauce, and then in another pan seasoned and cooked the olives, broccoli and onions (not in that order of course.)

She drained the pasta and added it into the sauce and then the vegetables, with a few quick seasonings, she was done.

"Dude, smells good." Sagar said. Vidya smirked. Sagar saw her smirk, "Have fun eating, I'm gonna…ummm…go for a walk."

"Come eat. I didn't cook all this for myself." His face lit up. "Really?"

"Nahin, I'm kidding. I'm seriously mean enough to make you, hungry watch me eat."

"Vidya, you're the absolute BEST." He said, grabbing a plate.

"I know, but you gotta WORK for your food."

"What?" Sagar, asked putting his plate down. "What are you thinking, Vidya?" He groaned as Vidya looked evil.

"Well, we should play a game." She said, dramatically.

"No games." He groaned again.

"Are you scared, Sagar Pratap Singh?" Her eyes challenged him.

"A Singh is never scared, what about you, Vidya Thakur?" Sagar replied proud.

"Thakurs never get scared either." She replied in her headstrong manner.

"Well then, truth or dare?" Sagar smirked. Vidya's eyes gleamed at the challenge.

"Truth."