‘Nowhere,’ he answers irritably. ‘Just office and then home. Why are you shouting?’
‘When did you come back to the apartment?’
‘I didn’t see the time. I was too sleepy. Why is this an interrogation?’
‘You’re lying to me again.’
‘I’m not lying! I genuinely didn’t see the time. Why would I—’
‘You could be with anyone, Vicky! Who knows who you sleep with behind my back!’
‘WHY THE HELL WOULD I DO THAT?’ he shouts.
‘See, you’re getting defensive,’ I shoot back. ‘Of course you can sleep with someone. To punish me because you don’t even like me any more!’
‘Calm down, Aanchal.’
‘Fine!’
‘What fine?’
‘I can’t say fine now, Vicky? You have a problem with that too?’
‘Am I making everything a problem?’ he snaps.
‘No, I am making everything a problem. I am the one who came back late and didn’t message. Come back at whatever time you want! Do whatever you want to do all night! Why should I care? Don’t message me. Don’t call me. FUCK WHOEVER YOU WANT TO!’
He breathes heavily into the phone. ‘We can’t argue about the same thing again. Every time we talk—’
‘Who dropped you home, Vicky?’
‘C’mon, Aanchal. Get over it, it was one time!’ he thunders.
‘It’s one time I saw. Who knows how many times Sanya drops you home? Who knows if she’s still with you and you guys are laughing at me?’
‘Yaar! Can we stop arguing about it!’
I keep up the harassment, my voice dripping venom. ‘You’re making me argue about it, Vicky! I’m not crazy that I stay up worrying about you. First, you don’t text, and then, you start lying to my face! Am I stupid?’
‘Don’t create a scene for no reason.’
‘All of this is my fault, true, true. You not texting me at night is my fault. Right! I’m the crazy one!’
‘Yes,kuttiya! You’re the crazy one! God knows what you want from me.’
‘Don’t swear at me, Vicky. I will tell your mother.’
‘Go, tell her what you want to! She knows what you are,’ he yells. ‘And you know what, Aanchal? Whoever thinks all of this and has these crazy doubts, that person is the first to go and fuck other people. You also know that!’
‘Why do I even bother talking to you!’ I lament. ‘No matter what I do, you will always turn it around on me. Always. Like I’m the worst person in the universe!’
It pushes him over the edge. ‘Madarchod!Is there any point talking to you?’
‘Yes, yes, everything is wrong with me only. You’re perfect. Everything about Vicky is just perfect!’
He sighs heavily. ‘Every time there’s some new drama. I call in the morning, there’s drama, in the evening, there’s some new drama . . .’
He lets out a huge sigh. I know what he’s doing. He’s trying to put an end to this fight. He likes to torture me like this. He makes me feel like he’s going to leave me and then never does. It’s a jail I can never leave.
