Page 335 - The World's Best Boyfriend

of his life mourning you.’
‘Fuck off,’ said Dhruv and lay supine on the roof, facing the glaring emptiness
that stared back at him.

‘I would miss nothing, I think,’ said Aranya.
‘Alcohol is the closest thing we have to a truth serum. So I propose two more
shots. What say, Dhruv?’

‘She’s a slave today. She will do anything I ask her to do,’ said Dhruv.
‘Anything and you asked her to drink with us? You’re like the worst Delhi
boy ever.’

Sanchit poured six shots for the three of them.
‘Dhruv’s my best friend, you know,’ said Sanchit, cradling Dhruv’s foot in his
lap. ‘The last of the men.’

Aranya laughed. ‘You mean the last of the men who still think there’s
something inherently noble in being a species that has a flaccid piece of meat
hanging between their legs.’

‘What’s so great in being a woman?’ shot back Dhruv.
‘We are always in control.’
Dhruv waved his middle finger at her.

‘That’s all you can do, Dhruv. Men and their abuses, their unnecessary display
of power and perceived superiority—’

Dhruv interrupted Aranya. ‘And the feminist rises to defeat all men, take them
as slaves!’
‘Ugh. It’s so hard to talk to you. Do you even know what the term means?’
Aranya shot back.

‘Actually, I’m not interested. Are you, Sanchit?’ asked Dhruv but Sanchit had
already walked to the other end of the roof, a bottle dangling from his right hand,

singing to himself.
Dhruv crawled and sat next to Aranya. Aranya looked away. Dhruv sat there
quietly for a while and they passed the bottle between the two of them. Ideally,
Dhruv wanted to cry at her feet and ask her to not leave but he knew just that

wouldn’t be enough after all that he had put her through. ‘Remember the time
we first met?’ asked Dhruv.

‘Clearly. You were standing at the door of our class. You were late and the
teacher scolded you.’
‘Before that. It was the day when I saw you near the ice cream cart. I know