Page 171 - Half Girlfriend

inaugurated her hot plate and utensils. An hour later, we ate Maggi

noodles in new stainless steel bowls from which the stickers wouldn't
come off.
I slurped the noodles from my spoon. At one point, she removed a

noodle from my chin. I wanted to spill noodles all over my face.

We finished dinner and cleaned up the kitchen.
At ten, I decided to leave.

‘You will get an auto?’ she said.
‘I can walk to the bus stand,’ I said.‘There is a bus to Dumraon at

eleven.’
‘Maybe I’ll come with you next week. Let me settle in.’

‘You’ll be okay alone?’ I said.
‘Yeah,’ she said, her voice heavy, or perhaps just tired.

‘Sure' I said.
‘I look forward to being alone, Madhav,’ she said.

*

‘You sure your mother will be okay with me staying over?’
‘Of course. It’s a long way to go back the same day,’ I said.
We were riding in her company’s Innova, which made the journey

a lot faster than the bus I usually took. The roads of Bihar are, well,

for the adventurous, to say the least.
‘Ouch,’ Riya said as her head bumped against the car roof.

‘That bump is a sign we are close,’ I said.
*

I showed Riya the guestroom.
‘These rooms are massive.You really are a prince.’

‘Everything is falling apart,’ I said.
I took her to my room. She noticed the basketball posters on my

wall. I sat on my bed, she took the chair opposite me. It reminded me
of us in Rudra, years ago.

‘You still play?’ she said.
I shook my head.

‘Me neither,’ she said.