Part - 13

"Loneliness Is Dangerous. It's Addictive. Once You See How Peaceful It Is, You Don't Wanna Deal With People"

(Writer's POV)

"Karthik's body is nothing new to me." Mithra tells still focusing on the game.

"You know, Karthik has 9 moles on his skin in total"

"What?" Nisha shouts in shock. "Have you counted his moles?"

"Yep! I have inspected every inch of his body & made an accurate count of his moles" Mithra says and whistles to some random song tune.

"Oh please stop that game & tell me clearly?" Nisha asks.

"Okay. When I was joining college, Karthik was the one who filled my college application form & there they were asked to mention any two birth marks or moles & Karthik wrote it correctly without asking me. I know he used to run me bath & dress me when I was a kid so he might have noticed then but surprisingly he remembered it even after a long time. So I asked him..."

"Did you ran him a bath & dressed him as well?" Nisha asks excitedly.

"Chee... No. I just asked him to show his body so that I can see his moles."

"What? This 'touch-me-not-plant' let you see his body?"

"Well. Not so easily. I had to put a little wrestling with him & then he surrendered" Mithra says shyly.

"Okay, tell me where all he has moles?" Nisha asks curiously.

"Hmm... Left ear, left calf, midriff, back neck, right on top of his mid spine, chest, left upper arm, right wrist,.. & then my most favorite mole, the little one..."

"Where? There huh?" Nisha asks grinning, shooting both her eyebrows up.

"Where?" Mithra asks confused.

"That part" Nisha says blushing.

"No. I mean his little finger. He has a small mole on his left hand little finger. I love that" Mithra says smiling making Nisha scowl at her.

"So nothing on his front & behind?" Nisha asks disappointed.

"I didn't see what's beneath his underwear. How could I ask him to show me that part?" Mithra asks innocently.

"Gah! Then it's not an accurate count because you haven't seen every inch of his body. You left the main parts. I will go find the hidden treasures on his cute butt &..." Nisha winks & walks straight to Karthik's changing room. Cute butt? & what?

"What? No" Mithra panics & runs behind Nisha.

"Nisha, I am hungry, come lets eat." Mithra says & literally drags her out of Karthik's room before she could start her examination on Karthik's body.

--0--

"Hi Sanjeev. Morning Deepa" Mithra says excitedly joining them at the breakfast table. Sanjeev glares at her and Deepa smiles politely.

"What's that bruise on your cheek, Sanjeev?" Mithra asks innocently making Karthik & Nisha chuckle.

"Deeps, Kissed me" Sanjeev tells grinning & earns a kick from Deepa under the table.

"Oh. Such a...um bruising kiss huh? I thought she punched you and turned your cheek purplish." Mithra tells and laughs.

"Why don't you shut your mouth by stuffing this sandwich?" Sanjeev asks pissed & stuffs her mouth with mushroom sandwich.

"Ah!" she gags & rushes to the bathroom to throw up.

“Sanjeev, don't you know she is allergic to mushroom?" Karthik scolds him.

"I don't have super memory to remember all that. If she doesn't want to eat then fine, I will have the rest." Sanjeev says & takes the rest of the sandwich from her plate but only to be snatched by Karthik.

"Eat what's there on your plate" Karthik admonishes him & starts eating the snatched sandwich.

"You okay, Mithu baby?" Karthik asks when she joins them back after wiping her mouth with a towel.

"Yes" She nods & grabs the peanut butter to put on her toast.

“Karthik, you too don't like mushroom right?" Mithra asks.

"Nisha introduced me to this taste & now I started loving it. Mushroom sandwich is my favorite breakfast now & that's why Nisha makes it daily for me" Karthik tells her while enjoying his sandwich.

"Oh" Mithra nods not liking his liking for mushroom sandwich.

“Karthik, I asked you for a favour, remember?" Nisha softly asks Karthik.

"Yeah" Karthik nods.

"Then come" Nisha grabs Karthik's hand & takes him to the bar counter in the living room.

"Here, hold this" She hands him a flute of wine & takes one for herself  & perches on the bar stool besides him.

"What are they doing, Sanjeev?" Mithra asks looking at Karthik & Nisha from the dining hall.

"They are doing exactly what you are seeing" Sanjeev replies irately. Mithra pouts & focuses on what Karthik & Nisha are doing.

“Karthik, I want to take a selfie" Nisha explains when Karthik gave her a puzzled look.

"Then take, why you need me?" Karthik asks.

"I want to take a selfie with you, a close up picture of us"

"Why would you need that?" Karthik asks.

"I want to make my Micheal jealous. That duffer is showing too much importance for his work and completely ignoring me." Nisha pouts.

"Duffer? Do I come under that category aw well because I too show too much importance for my work?" Karthik asks curiously.

"Of course" Nisha grins & ruffles his hair.

"She is ruffling his hair, Sanjeev" Mithra pats Sanjeev's forcing him to turn his head and see them.

"If you want I will ruffle your hair" Sanjeevs says & ruffles Mithra hair wildly.

"Ahhnnn... " Mithra pushes Sanjeev's hand off her head.

"We need to work for a living, sweety" Karthik tells twitching Nisha's nose.

"You are earning more than a living, honey" Nisha chides him leaning closer to him and places her hand over his shoulder.

"If we didn't earn then how can we lavish money on you shopaholic girls? If we didn't earn and spend on you then you will ditch us right?" Karthik jokes and winks at her.

"Okay. Okay. Enough. Let's just take a selfie" Nisha says.

"With pleasure" Karthik smiles & holds the champagne flute in one hand & pulls Nisha closer to him with other hand, their cheeks touching, lips pouting as Nisha clicks the picture using her mobile phone.

"What the hell? Can't they do their romance in private?" Mithra cribs & turns to see Deepa sitting on Sanjeev's lap and feeding each other.

"Ugh!! I hate PDA couples" She bangs her fist on the breakfast table & stands up to leave to her room but not before messing with Sanjeev.

“Sanjeev, Didn't you tell me, Deepa is getting fat & even asked me to tell her my fitness secret while coming in flight? Then how you are managing her weight on your lap?" Mithra asks curiously & before he could kill her she runs in jet speed to her room & locks it.

"Am I fat?" Deepa stands up & asks in a murderous tone.

"No, baby"

"So you started lying too?"

"No, baby"

"Tell me honestly am I fat or not?"

"I swear, you are so slim & perfect, my cutie pie" Sanjeev woos. Deepa pours the orange juice on his head & walks away, angrily.

--0--

One Sunday, Mithra, Karthik, Sanjeev, Deepa & Nisha went to cinemas to watch a movie.

Nisha steps into the row of seats first & before Karthik could follow her & sit next to her, Mithra jumps in & takes the seat next to Nisha & made Karthik sit next to her & then Sanjeev & Deepa takes the next two seats.

Being a foodie Mithra finishes her popcorns first & turns to dig in from Karthik's bucket of popcorns & that's when she notices Sanjeev & Deepa groping and kissing like wild teenagers.

"Oh God! What they are doing?" Mithra asks hiding her face behind Karthik's arm.

"Just ignore them & watch the movie" Karthik tells her.

"At least ask them to stop making noise" Mithra tells Karthik.

"Stop making a fuzz over this simple issue. Couples mostly come to cinemas to steal some special moments so let's not interfere on their busimess. You just focus on the movie, baby"

"Why can't they do all this at home, in private?" Mithra cribs & turns to the other side & her mouth drops wide open seeing Nisha kissing some other guy.

"What the hell? Karthik... karthik" Mithra scratches Karthik shoulder.

"What's your problem Mithra?" Karthik asks irately.

"See, this" Mithra leans back on her push back seat to show Nisha kissing someone else to Karthik.

"So what?" Karthik asks coolly.

"She is kissing some other guy instead of you?" Mithra says in shock seeing Karthik so calm, not at all bothered about the happening kiss.

"If you sit in between us then how she will kiss me? So she got to kiss the man next to her as she can't kiss you" Karthik says teasingly.

"Uh-huh... No, this is wrong. She should not do this to you. You are her boyfriend but she is kissing someone else in front of you. Go fight for your right!" Mithra insists. She can't let someone deceive her friend.

"I'm not a brawler" Karthik says & turns his attention back to the movie.

“Karthik..."

"Keep quiet and watch the movie" Karthik says sternly.

"No!" she shouts & turning to Nisha's side Mithra rudely pulls her apart from the man who has his hands draped around her back & his tongue injected in her mouth.

"What the f**k!" The man growls.

"What you are doing, Nisha?" Mithra asks angrily.

"Kissing" Nisha says innocently.

"That I can see"

“Mithra, stop it" Karthik tells her but she ignores him.

"Who are you, man?" Mithra asks the guy.

"I'm Nisha's boyfriend, Dr. Micheal" he says softly not wanting to disturb others who are watching the movie.

"What? How many boyfriends do you have girl?" Mithra asks Nisha accusingly.

“Mithra, Shut up & come with me" Karthik scolds gently & drags her out of the cinema hall.

Sanjeev & Deepa remained blissfully ignorant of the happening as they kept on romancing throughout the movie.

--0-+

"What the hell is happening?And why the hell you dragged me out?" Mithra shouts.

"Let's go for a walk" Karthik takes her hand and guides her the way.

“Karthik, answer me? You & Nisha had a breakup?" Mithra asks.

"Yes" Karthik nods.

"Oh. I'm sorry. But till yesterday you both were happy right? Even just sometimes back she was happily chatting with you but how so quickly she found another man?"

"Don't talk rubbish, Mithra. We were over long back"

"When?"

"Before I got married to you. It was you who meddled in our business by trying to patch us up. Remember once you said you saw me & Nisha in a mall? Yeah, on that day itself I told her clearly there is no room for her in my heart as a lover but she wished to be my friend and I accepted her friendship"

"But that's long back. After our divorce, after coming to Singapore, I thought..."

"Yes, everything is in your head but there is nothing between us. I have told you this over & over again but you didn't listen to me ever so I got fed up & let you assume whatever you think."

"But you told, you both hangout, go for dinners & daily she comes to your house to make breakfast for you... even in gym she told you both makeout without caring for the world?"

"Nisha is my friend. Just friend. She did all that for me because she cares for me & I for her. In gym, when you assumed we were making out, she just played along with your assumption to tease you. Clear!"

"So you are not her boyfriend?" Mithra asks with a smile. She feels relief spiral through her body.

"You seems so happy for me being rejected by yet another girl?" Karthik asks sordonically.

"It's not that Karthik. I am sorry"

"Yeah. Nisha loved me... but she is a smart girl. She made the right decision by moving on in her life & now she chose the right partner for her. Micheal is a Doctor. Once Nisha met with an accident & he only treated her & from there they started dating & pretty soon they are getting engaged"

"Oh I see!" Mithra nods understanding the whole story.

"I have one more question, Karthik?" Mithra asks after a moment of silence.

"What?"

"Why you both took selfie the other day which she even uploaded on facebook & tagged to you?"

"Being a Doctor, Micheal rarely finds time to take her out for date but this silly girl wont understand his work nature & always pesters him to take her out." He sighs. "She wanted to show him her importance and also wanted to make him jealous... she asked me to help her by taking a close up pic & she uploaded it on facebook so that he would see that & come running to her fearing he might lose her to me. I thought it was a bullshit idea but strangely her plan worked out & see he is here with her watching that boring movie"

"Okay! Now everything is clear to me..."

"But?" He asks knowing there is still something she wants to ask him.

"Like Nisha, did you too move on in your life, Karthik?" Mithra asks in a mere whisper

He doesn't bother to answer her so he keep walking shoving his hands in his pants pocket.

“Karthik... I want to tell you something..."

"Yeah, tell me?" he slows down his phase to match with her speed.

"I think I am changing"

"Yes, you are. I could see the changes. You have reduced your weight & looking slim & fit now. You have even become bold & brazen wanting to go for stripe club & all"

"Not that changes. My feelings are changing for..."

"Are you in love?" Karthik asks surprising Mithra.

Mithra gaps at him in stunned shock. Am I in love? She wonders.

"So you got a handsome boyfriend in your college huh? If so, my hearty congratulations. I am sure he must be of your age, young, good looking, a perfect match for you & as you wished you can have a love marriage, that too after finishing your studies, after having a stable job, mainly no one will force you this time, right?"

Karthik is not in love with Nishu but he is not in love with me too. He is happy for me to have a boyfriend. He is not feeling possessive for me like he used to be. Has he fallen out of love? Have I pushed him too far away from me? She thoughts with an aching heart.

"Will you get married again?" Mithra asks without replying to him.

"Mom is pestering me to get married." Karthik tells rubbing the back of his neck.

"And?"

"Don't know. I am not ready for it yet" he tells her drily. She nods & they continued walking back home.

"You make it look like a magic

'cause I see nobody,

nobody but you, you ,you

I'm never confused..."

Madhu sings the song as she walks alongside Karthik, holding his arm.

"That's a nice song" Karthik tells her with a smile. "You sung so well. Missed hearing to your sweet voice"

"Yes, I missed hearing you sing & play guitar too. Do you still play guitar, Karthik?" Mithra asks.

"Yeah. I do. But not so often." He says and soon they reaches his office building.

"Hmm..." Mithra hums. They got into the elevator & Karthik taps the code for the penthouse.

"When your work here will get over & when will you come back to India?" Mithra asks.

"I don't know. I am happy working here"

"Hmm... your parents will miss you right?"

"I am asking them to come & stay with me but they are not listening to me"

"What? Are you planning to relocate your entire family here huh?" Mithra asks, panic setting in her.

"Not really."

"Are you planning to stay here forever?"

"I don't know. But don't worry, in case, I decide to immigrate also I will come to India to attend your wedding." Karthik tells, chuckling. Mithra glares at him for a moment before marching to her room without a word.

... to be continued

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