“Come on, let’s go.” As usual, Tanya was a ball of impatient energy.
“Wait.” Neil gently restrained her movement. “Rahul is almost here.”
“What?” Both the women didn’t know Natasha’s brother was joining them.
“See? A true surprise.” Neil grinned.
Right on cue, a BMW followed by an SUV entered the parking and stopped by them. Rahul got out after his security gave the clearance. Both the women almost swooned when they looked at the handsome, bespectacled man who was rapidly gaining popularity in the political world, thanks to his brilliance and boldness. “Good to see you all.” He shook hands with the women and slapped his friends on their backs. They all left together, Neil furiously typing a message to Arjun, alerting his friend.
When they opened the door and got in with the cake and gifts, they heard Natasha come into the living room. After that, there was only chaos amidst all the screaming and laughter. “Oh, my God! Thank you so much for coming over, guys. No wonder you all didn’t ping me since morning. Rats!” She grinned at her friends. And then she saw her brother.
“Rahul!” Natasha launched herself at Rahul, who caught her with a laugh. She was crying and laughing at the same time, overwhelmed to see her brother who rarely had time for personal engagements.
When Arjun smiled and stood next to her, she turned and hugged her new husband. “It’s all your doing, huh?” She sniffled and kissed him on his cheek.
He smiled and pulled her closer to himself. “Come on in, guys. Dinner’s on the way.”
Mia noticed Tanya also in tears. “Honey, are you okay?”
“Yeah! The pregnancy hormones are messing with my tear ducts. I just start tearing up at the slightest excuse.” She sniffled and went into Neil’s arms. “Gah, this is so embarrassing!”
“Not at all. You know you look pretty even when you cry.” He replied, kissing her nose.
“Before I gag, can we please get some drinks?” Armaan’s voice interrupted theirtête-à-tête.
“Fine! Spoilsport!” Tanya muttered, going in to check if there was some fresh juice for her. Ten seconds later, they all heard Tanya squeal.
Neil sprinted into the dining, wincing when he saw what his wife was holding. Mia and Armaan immediately followed Neil; finally, the other three walked into the room.
“Holy hell, what in heaven’s name is that?” Armaan looked at the Doberman pup clothed in a pink, glittery shirt and a bow on its head. “Dude, tell me my balls haven’t shrunk in.” He addressed Arjun, who chuckled at his friend. “What have you done to him?” He asked Natasha in horror, pointing to the pup that was jumping with excitement.
“What have I done? I so wanted to be a pet mom and wanted to dress up my baby, but my darling husband wanted only a guard dog. So, yeah, we both got what we wanted.” She shrugged, giving them a sheepish look.
Neil chuckled at Arjun’s plight, while Armaan couldn’t get over the horror. “I think that little guy’s dick fell while you put on the pink thing.”
“For your information, the pup is a she, and stop your gender discrimination! She will feel conscious if she has to dress up next time.” Tanya hissed and closed the pup’s ears.
“I agree, and her name is Cookie,” Natasha added to the horror show, making the usually staid Arjun cringe.
Rahul and Neil struggled to hide their laughter, while Armaan simply shook his head. “I need something strong. Right fucking now.” He turned towards Mia. “You! Don’t mingle with these two women; especially this little terror here.” He gestured towards Tanya, who glared at him. “She’s already corrupted the sweet Natasha.”
Mia laughed and pulled him into the kitchen. “Stop it! Let’s get the drinks and don’t forget there’s a cake to cut.” The minute she caught his wrist, Armaan stopped bitching and followed her inside without a word.
“Did you see that?” Tanya and Natasha looked at each other.
“Yes, I did!” Natasha smiled.
“No!” Neil and Arjun spoke together. “You are not going to interfere.”
“Fine”
“Okay,” They mumbled and went ahead.
The dinner that followed warmed Mia’s heart. The coldness around her heart melted a little after years of loneliness and heartache. Even with friends, she found it difficult to open up, to mingle. The quintessential introvert laden with a truckload of anxiety, thanks to…she abruptly cut her thoughts and counted till a hundred. Counting always helped. Just as her therapist had told her it would.
Chapter 6
Hours later, they said their goodbyes and walked towards Armaan’s car. Dusk had already settled in and the air had turned chilly. “You okay?” He opened the passenger door for her. After she nodded, he closed the door and walked over to the driver’s seat. Backing away neatly, he put the gear in motion. There was a companionable silence in the car until they reached her place. He switched off the car and looked at her for a few seconds. “You are awfully quiet. Is everything fine with you, Sugar?”
