DAKSH
Daksh was watchingthe quiet confrontation between Vedika and her father, happening at the other end of the room. But he couldn’t come up with a tactful way to interrupt. Vedika said something that had her father’s face darken but before he could say anything, Vedika walked away.
“Do you ride?” Rehaan asked, dragging Daksh from his worried thoughts.
Daksh blinked, a little bemused by the other guy’s enthusiasm for…was it conversation, or people, or just life? Whatever it was, Rehaan was high on it.
“Do you ride?” Rehaan persisted.
“Yes. Bikes, horses and waves,” Daksh answered, bringing his beer to his lips.
Vikram barked out a laugh to his right. Rehaan gave him a narrow eyed stare. “You ride horses?”
“I do,” Daksh confirmed.
“And surf?”
“Extensively,” Daksh replied.
Kabir grinned at Rehaan’s awe struck expression. “Looking for a hobby?” he asked.
“Shush Kabs. I want to talk to the only interesting person in this room.”
“I surf too,” Kabir muttered, affronted. “And I’m a fucking celebrity. Bet he can’t strum a guitar.”
Daksh sent him an apologetic look. “Not as well as you do, I’m sure.”
“No fucking way!”
Vikram was almost bent over in laughter now as Kabir faced off with Daksh. “Drums.”
“A little.” Daksh thought it was best to start tempering the information now. Everyone in the room was watching him and there was a weight to the stares that made him uncomfortable.
Kabir’s eyes narrowed. “Bullshit. You’re good at it. I can tell.”
“Tell me one thing you’re not good at.” Rehaan bounced on the balls of his feet. “One thing off the top of your head.”
“Feelings.” The word escaped him before he could rein it in. A deep flush rose in his cheeks as he cleared his throat and said, “I mean, I-“ Words failed him as he shuffled his feet under the collective gaze of the room.
Instinctively, he looked away from Rehaan only for his gaze to collide with the coldly angry one of Vedika’s father. The other man raised his glass in a mocking salute. Daksh’s flush deepened.
“I can’t flirt,” Vedika’s soft voice cut through the silence and his gaze swung from her father to her. “I once told a guy he had a beautiful moustache.”
Kimaya’s loud, sparkling laugh sang through the room. “I remember that! I’m bad at minding my own business.”
“I’m tone deaf,” Tani added, jabbing a thumb towards Kabir. “This one keeps asking me what I think of his music and I can’t tell the difference between the music he composes and feral cats.”
Kabir stared at her in mock outrage. “I compose songs for you, about you even!”
“They all sound more or less the same to me,” Tani shrugged, a small smile playing on her face.
“Nonsense,” Kabir muttered. “By the way,” he added, “Emotions are my kryptonite too.”
“Talking about them or having them?” Vikram asked.
“Both,” Zara piped in. She smiled shyly at Daksh, her cheeks going rosy as she met his gaze. “I should know. I have the same problem.”
“I failed all my subjects except English in my tenth standard pre-finals,” Rehaan announced. “So, I guess studies are not my thing.”
