Honestly, Rajeev hadn't expected any matches on Grindr because that shit never worked with him. After Viraj, things were messy for him, and he wasn't even sure if he was over Viraj. Yet when Maa forced him to move on and had suggested an ex-colleague of hers, he had chosen to go on Grindr instead.
So here he was, swiping left and right without even looking at the pictures with an ounce of interest when he stuck a Gold Mine.
Rudra Roy, 30.
Silly little lines cannot make you fall for me, can they?
He was a chartered accountant and liked Money Heist, Harry Potter, and had a pup. He was absolutely and deliciously handsome in his pictures. Rudra swiped up and then groaned. Who is going to respond to you? His subconscious chided when his phone pinged. Rudra had liked him back. OMFG, kill him right now!
-Hi, I am Rudra
What should he say? What should he say? Ok, ok, breathe.
-Hi.
Good job; the text was subtle, at its best.
-Your bio is interesting.
-Nothing like yours, especially like your pup's.
Rajeev's bio was nothing but the pictures he had clicked some six months back and a quote, "Love can't be timed, it has to be lived." From Money Heist.
-This is Praful, and the best baby in the world.
A few pictures of the golden retriever popped on his screen.
-He is gorgeous.
-Yes, he is. What about you, do you have any pets?
-Had a German shepherd, Dobby, but he passed away two months back.
-I am so sorry
-It's fine; my boy had a great life.
A smiley popped on the screen and a message saying brb.
Wow, was it just him, or was someone playing the violin in the air? Right, it was the noise from the TV, thank you very much.
They spent a few days chatting and spoke of the shows they binged, gave each other movie suggestions, gushed over Nairobi^ and Berlin^ and the possibility of Berlin and Palmero^, and spoke of how Will* was the baby in the Stranger Things series.
-Hey, do you want to video call?
Rajeev had a minor panic attack reading those words.
-Yaa, yaa sure, give me 5.
He threw his pile of dirty clothes on the floor and sat on the chair, adjusting his laptop so that the wooden door of his cupboard gave a better background.
Rajeev was greeted by a beautiful smile and a bark.
"Sorry, he won't shut up; he loves the camera," Praful woofed at him, and Rajeev waved at him.
"How was your day?"
"Other than some jack-ass clients, not bad; what about you?"
"My producer asked me to change the font size of the next video's title six times now, so pretty great,"
Rudra scoffed.
"Do you miss Dobby?" He asked out of the blue and looked like he regretted the question. Rajeev decided to answer anyway.
"He was my Maa's baby, so she took it more badly."
"I am sorry, but the thing is, I can't imagine my life without Praful," Rajeev nodded. He had been through that phase twice now, once with his dad and then Dobby.
"Why the name Praful, though?"
"Funny story actually, Maa was rewatching Khichdi on an OTT platform and found it funny to name a 10-day pup after Praful, and this idiot wouldn't respond to any other name," Rudra facepalmed. Rajeev chuckled.
They spoke of a few other things and then hung up, and Rajeev smiled to himself. The man was humble, kind, and goofy, hauntingly like Viraj, but no, Rajeev was sure that he could move on.
The next day, on the call, he told him about Viraj and his messed-up relationship. Rudra promised to respect whatever decision he takes. He told him about his ex, who he dated some years back but had broken up mutually.
Rudra didn't have the acceptance of his parents regarding his sexuality, so one day, when Maa by mistake came in the frame and started teasing Rajeev, he got emotional and hung up. Rajeev then called him, and the two, for the first time, spoke of all the bullying and negativity they had face because of their orientation, bringing them closer.
"Do you want to go on a date?"
"It's a lockdown, Rajeev rolled his eyes.
"I meant a virtual date,"
And so they were, Rudra sipping his red wine and having pasta and Rajeev his apple juice (thanks Maa, for throwing away all the alcohol in the house) and noodles and flirting with each other. Rajeev felt light and at peace after years and laughed at Rudra's attempt to keep Praful off the camera, who had taken a liking for Rajeev and would come running hearing his voice.
"When all this ends, we'll have a proper date,"
"Are you paying then?"
"Doesn't your channel pay you enough?"
Rajeev rolled his eyes and smiled at the older men who winked. Uff this man will bring upon his death.
"You are annoying,"
"You are weird,"
"Jackass"
"Jerk face"
"Stop calling my future son-in-law names" Maa shrieked from the next room, and Rajeev flushed red.
"Mom!" He yelled so that his voice reaches the next room.
"Sorry about that, my Maa is wacko,"
"I like the thought, though, even though we have never met and just spoken to each other only on calls for about 14 days now, it seems nice to know you more,"
"I like the thought too,"
He smiled at Rudra and nodded. He was blushing red. At that moment, all Rajeev wanted to happen was that to wait for the lock-down to end and him to visit Rudra at the bar he spoke so often of, order a beer and watch him nurse his glass of wine and, speak of everything and nothing.
~~~~~~~~
^-Characters of Money Heist, Netflix
*-Character of Stranger Things, Netflix
The promo was a perfect prompt for me to write something in my ishtyle! ...
Amidst the tumultuous storm of a high-stakes trial, Anushka Raisinghani, a ...
Comments (14)
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Jai Shri Ram @SoniRita
+ 32
2 years ago
Loved the convo between RuRa, it was beyond cute. Rajeev's mom is super cool man wow. Loved it, nicely done Shibz.
Shruthi18 @Shruthi18
3 years ago
Nice one ShibzTotally enjoyed reading there simple yet sweet convoAnd Arjun also super cute nd he loves the camera
dusk2dawn @dusk2dawn
+ 14
3 years ago
Shibz.. Thank you for bringing back our favorite RuRa 😍I don’t have any more words to express how I was and am feeling while and after reading this..I am smiling like a mad person after reading this..Loved loved loved it..Cute Rudra and gushing Rajeev.. haaye..😍🥰Team RuRa forever
dewdrops.16 @dewdrops.16
3 years ago
Cute RuRaBut I did not like the pup's name.dewdrops.162020-05-10 10:57:46
Tiara @DreamOfEndless
+ 15
3 years ago
You named the pup Arjun As usual, cute RuRa bonding, and lockdown date.. And Rajeev's mom Amazing OS
Nikita @Nikita_99503
+ 6
3 years ago
Awesome as usual... The entire conversation between Rudra and Rajeev was nicely written... Also, Rajeev's maa is really cool...Absolutely loved and enjoyed reading it...