This person could not be human with the sort of sounds they were emitting. He was wrestling an alligator, he was sure, one that was still cursing and screaming. Or at least was trying to, because the noise was muffled under the blanket that covered its face.
Fighting still, Rian managed to pull the sheet off, only to be assaulted by a curtain of thick hair that blocked the remnant light around him.
“What the hell?”A girl?
“Thieeeeeeeef!” said girl screeched, smacking his chest and swinging her fists. “I won’t let you steal anything! I don’t know where the money is kept but I won’t let you take even a spoon!”
She swatted at him ineffectually while he tried to grab her arms, causing her to drop the pillow she was smacking him in the face with. She pulled at her wrists while Rian frustratedly jerked his head until the pillow fell sideways.
“Stop screaming!” he ordered, sputtering when more hair slapped his cheek.
“I'm a police officer! How dare you attack me! I have guns! And knives! Get out!”
“Just listen,” Rian shouted, trying to capture her hands again. God, this woman was like a slippery eel. He hefted his chest up and swung an arm about her waist, rolling them over until he had her hands trapped beside her head.
“Help! Thief! Murderer!”
“Will you shut up? I’m not going to hurt you!” Rian bellowed.
Bright light flooded the room and Nanamma’s surprised voice pierced through all the ruckus.
“What is going on here? Adi? Rian?”
Rian heard nothing, his eyes firmly on the woman he held under him as she blew strands of hair off her face with an angry huff. Beautiful brown eyes framed under thick lashes stared back, widening just as recognition hit them both.
“You!”
2
A Boy and a Girl
Rian
What an annoying womanwith her big eyes and matter-of-fact observation, as if she knew everything! As if she would unearth his problems even though they didn’t know each other. How dare she make him feel like his vulnerabilities and heartbreak were accessible for her to dissect and judge?
“If I were in your place, I’d cut my losses and channel my energy elsewhere.”
The sound of waves cresting at the nearby beach could not drown the spike of anger at her words. He leaned in, trapping her warm hands under his, hating that this woman had seen something in a few minutes that he had not allowed anyone else to see for years.
Fear for Kaya’s safety, worry for Nanamma’s health, and irritation post his altercation with Arjun had not yet abated. Rian lost the battle to be polite to this stranger. Doctor or not, she had no right to diagnose him when he had not askedfor it.
“I didn’t realise that gossip mongering, and conjecture were taught in medical school these days,” he had caustically replied. “No wonder the quality of care is dropping each year.”
“You!” Aditi exclaimed, jarring him out of his memories. “It's you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he lied smoothly, belying the curious panic bubbling within him. What the hell was this woman doing in his house?
“Remember me? That night! Late at night. When you and I met!” she insisted, nodding her head at a dizzying speed.
“You met with my grandson late in the night?” They heard Nanamma’s shocked question. Both Rian and Aditi looked towards the older lady, seemingly surprised that they had an audience.
Chitra stared at the two children on the floor, neither moving, both speechless. She pointedly glanced at her grandson and jerked her chin towards him, bringing his attention to the fact that he was still lying on top of a person.
Embarrassed, Rian scrambled to his feet, slapping his clothes to rectify them and praying that his grandmother didn’t suspect him of doing anything indecent. He glanced to the side when Aditi stood up, the blanket falling off her body to reveal shapely legs in short pyjama pants with the most blindingly bright citrus print on them. She bent down to pick up the blanket and on her rounded posterior were the words ‘squeeze me’. The nearly faded message glared back at him like a dare, and Rian’s mouth dropped open.
Throwing the coverlet onto the couch, she spun to face him, blinking rapidly when she caught him staring.
“Do you know her, Rian?”