“You can say no.This is an open invite for whenever you are comfortable.”
Aditya lifts his chin.I am clueless about what is going on in his mind, so I offer a way out, “Or we can go somewhere else.Only you and me.”
He shakes his head.“No, don't change your plans for me.”
My heart stings with rejection, even though I have no right to expect anything from him.“Forget I said anything.You are busy.Sorry to bug you.”
He reaches out and takes my hand.“I will go with you.Do I need to dress up?Will casuals do?”
His words are a balm to my bruised heart.
“Casual and friendly,” I blurt out in my enthusiasm.“I will pick you up at six.Do you have a helmet?”
Aditya shakes his head.
“No worries, I have a spare.See you at six.”We wave goodbye.I skip, hop, and jump back to the gym.
***
The ride to Sudhanshu'shouse takes forty minutes, as he lives near Bageshwar.I have no complaints.The breeze is cool, and Aditya hangs tight against my back, his arms crossing in front, tucked inside my denim jacket.One warm palm is on my chest, the other on my stomach, and his fingers dig into my skin.His thighs are snug against mine.
Gosh, these slim-fit jeans are terrible for hiding a hard-on.When we reach our destination, I use the time Aditya takes to remove his helmet and put on his glasses to calm the anxious buzz in my body.Except for one other person, I have never invited anyone into this group and have regretted the day ever since.I pray to the Goddess to let this be different.
Once we are all set, I pat his ruffled hair into place and mimic a gun with my fingers.“Ready to face the squad?”
“Now, you tell me about the guns.”Aditya hides his nervousness behind a chuckle.I want to smother his grin with my lips, but the door opens, and Sudhanshu rushes out to greet us.The oversized bright-coloured floral shirt sways as he jumps and hugs me.The impact pushes me back a step, and I slam into Aditya.
“My, my.Is this your daddy?”Sudhanshu leaves me and grabs Aditya's hand.The professor squirms under Sudhanshu's intense gaze.
“Back off.Don’t scare him before he has even met the others.”I move my arm around Aditya's shoulder.
“We will see if he stays with you by the night’s end.”Sudhanshu squeezes Aditya's hand and pulls him away from me.
“Only if you have a more buff and hot gym trainer inside.”Aditya winks.
“Ooh, we are already talking about hot-muscled jocks.I like this one.”Sudhanshu fans his face with his palm and shimmies up the steps to his house.
“Ta-da, everyone, meet Aditya,” Sudhanshu announces our arrival in his trademark exuberance at these meetings.No one will recognise the staid dad-bod bank manager in his queer avatar outside this small group.“Be nice to Aditya, or his hot-bodied boyfriend will clobber you,” Sudhanshu warns the group.
I squeeze my eyes shut at the label.Aditya and I haven’t even gone on a proper date.God save me from this group; they will run Aditya off by midnight.Brian is wearing a red 'Bears are us' t-shirt.True to his over six-feet frame, carrying over a hundred kilos of weight.He waves like a lunatic.Kenny, his equally tall but much slimmer boyfriend, sitting on his lap, greets us with a toothy, high-pitched, “Hi!”
Aditya stands stunned at the sight before him.I ease in behind him, winding my hand across his waist.“Don't worry.They are all friends, and last I checked, none of them is a cannibal.”At least, none I am aware of.
Aditya shivers in my grip and mutters.“Cannibalism has been known from prehistoric times, but has no place in modern society.Any such act is a criminal offence.”
“Stop scaring the man, you heathens.”
Thank God we are standing close, for nothing can prepare Aditya for Kiron, the last member of our crazy queer gang.They strut on high heels, a tray of snacks in their hands, face glimmering with sparkles, bright red lipstick, and matching mascara.
“Aditya, meet Kiron.They are Sudhanshu's life partner and our chef for the night.”I introduce them and put my hand on his lower back in support.
“Hi, honey.”Kiron walks up after placing the tray on the table.“Jimmy is all gaga over your roast chicken.You are not leaving without sharing the recipe.”
Aditya steps behind me.Half hidden, he tilts his head, “Oh.Umm.Jimmy is generous.My cooking is nothing special.”
“Oh, your man is coy.Don't you worry.We will make a gay butterfly out of this one.”Kiron gathers both of us in a hug.
“Aww, we want a hug too.”The rest of the troupe speaks in chorus and encircles us in a group hug fest.
