A romance gone bad

"What happened?" Nikita asked her best friend, Riddhima as she stepped out of the hotel, frowning.

"There's a naked man in there? Are you sure that they are just celebrating the dog's birthday or is it someone's bat mitzvah too?"

"Why would there be a naked man at a bat mitzvah?"

"I don't know…girl grows up…you teach her stuff….my parents believed in help of visual objects in education." Nikki rolled her eyes before asking, "Did you see the dog?"

"No, not yet. What is the name of the dog?"

"Blood hound"

"Why would anyone name their dog blood hound? Is he like a vampire's dog or something?"

"I don't know, okay? Look, just go over there and say something nice about their dog."

Riddhima didn't move and after staring at Nikki for a while said, annoyed, "I can't believe this. You dragged me here…made me wear this ridiculous outfit to celebrate a dog's birthday who no matter what you say just doesn't look like a dog… you interrupted my schedule…

"What schedule? You have been reading a stupid book since morning."

"HEY!" Riddhima exclaimed, offended. "That book is not stupid. I learned a lot from it…did you know that you can actually take off a band-aid with the help of a vacuum cleaner."

"RIDDHIMA!!! Stop this nonsense and just do as I say. That's our boss okay? We have to behave ourselves. So go inside and be nice."

"Oh whatever. Hey there's the naked guy!!" Riddhima pointed at a guy coming out of the hotel. "He doesn't look so good with the clothes on."

"Maybe he's from the bachelorette party next door."

"There's a bachelorette party next door? Why aren't we there?"

"Because we don't know the bride."

"See it's always about knowing the right person and we wouldn't be stuck at a dog's birthday. Maybe I'll throw you a bachelorette party."

"Am not getting married."

"So?"

"Bachelorette parties are for women who are getting married and I am not."

"The stripper won't know that." Riddhima answered slowly, as if talking to an imbecile

"Riddhima…

"Oh comeon…all you'll have to do is see the sexy guy take his clothes off….is that too much to ask for."

"Stop it!!! This is ridiculous. We have been standing here for 30 minutes now. Let's just go inside, hand over the file…wish the damn dog a happy birthday…mark our presence and get the hell out of here."

"What if there's food in there?"

"Riddhima it's a party, of course there's going to be food there."

"Than we might as well stay. Because I don't want to go to sleep hungry."

"You won't have to. I made lasagnia."

"Yeah that burnt."

"WHAT!? You burnt the lasagnia. Why would you do that."

"It's not like I did it intentionally so can we just drop it. Look, now that we are here we might as well enjoy the party and the food."

"Fine!" They entered the party and Riddhima let out a low whistle.

"Holy crap!! He may look like Tweety with Fred Flintstone's body but he sure as hell knows how to throw a party and look at all the hot girls on the dance floor. He talks like porkey pig but he's gotta be a charmer in bed to have all these girls here as his guest. I feel like dancing too."

As Riddhima was about to walk towards the dance floor, Nikki grabbed her hand pulling her back. "Riddhima this feels really weird. I don't see a single person from work. Maybe we are at the wrong party."

"So much the better. Now we can go to the bar and get sh** wrecked."

"What! No! We have to hand over this file and we can't crash somebody else's party."

"Oh comeon. I wanna stay. You go hand over the file and wish his cat a happy birthday."

"It's his dog's birthday…

"Potato-patato…same difference. Just go."

"Fine!! But you stay out of trouble." Riddhima waved her away and made her way towards the bar. She was about to reach for a beer when a guy slipped onto the seat next to hers and swiveled it towards her. "Hey!" Riddhima moved back a little as he edged closer and the smell of alcohol reached her and than as if some of his focus returned he asked, "Do I know you? You don't look like Abhi's guest. He likes his girls tall."

Riddhima looked away hoping to find a way to escape but seeing none she answered in an overly bright voice, "Oh sweetie, of course you know me. I live next door to you. Am the girl who shot her husband and threw her dog under a car."

The man slipped off his chair banging his leg into the bar obviously unsettled by the piece of news forwarded and muttering something sounding like an apology walked away hastily. Riddhima sighed lifting the beer bottle to her lips but before she could take a sip another guy came over and scanning her, head to toe, asked with a grin, "Hey! Why is such a pretty lady like you all alone?"

"Isn't it a school night and don't you have to go to bed, chunky." She spoke pointedly looking up and down his short frame. He scowled at her and than as if realizing that she wasn't one of the guests he said in a haughty voice, "I have never seen you before. Are you with someone?"

"Err…yeah…am with….that guy. He's my….err boyfriend."

The man looked towards the man Riddhima was pointing at and he suddenly broke into a smile. "Than why didn't you say so. I am sorry for bothering you. Have fun."

She heaved a sigh of relief after he left and turned around to see the guy who she had pointed out as her boyfriend but on finding his back towards her she shrugged and went back to her beer but on sudden impulse she pushed the bottle away and instead went for the vodka shots lined up on the slab.

"Riddhima!!" She heard Nikki's voice after 5 minutes and turned in her seat.

"Oh great! You are back! Did you hand over the file?"

"Yeah. Oh my god!! Please tell me that those empty glasses are not yours." And when Riddhima just grinned in response she gave her an angry look. "Now let's get out of here. We can get something to eat from the caf and I'll pay."

"What! No! Let's just go dance a little and than we can leave."

Nikki frowned and was about to say no when Riddhima dragged her to the dance floor. Riddhima who had closed her eyes while dancing was startled when she was pulled off her feet. Her eyes flew wide open and she was shocked to find her body jammed against that of a man, insolently grinning down at her.

"What the hell do you think you are doing, flunky?" She asked trying to pull herself away.

"Am just dancing."

"I can see that sparky but why don't you go and dance with somebody else if you don't want my stiletto jammed into your crotch."

He threw his head back, laughing. "You got some guts for a Barbie doll…actually a wasted Barbie doll. Now be a nice girlfriend and slide your arms around me."

"Am not your girlfriend, you freak." She spoke hotly pushing against his chest.

"You should have thought of that before you went around telling people that you are."

"What!? When did I…

She suddenly stopped when she realized that he must be the guy she had pointed at.

"Look I am sorry. I was just trying to dodge one of the guys. So now if you'll please excuse me, I really have to go."

"I don't think so. And for god sakes stop jamming your fingers into me, they actually hurt you know. And if you don't want people to know that you are an uninvited guest here you better start acting your part and I might let you leave without creating a scene."

She considered his words and with the grin gone from his face she knew he looked like he would really execute the threat he had just made.

"Oh what the hell!! It's just some harmless dancing." She slid her arms around his shoulder but spoke before relaxing, "it really is just some harmless dancing right?"

"Absolutely." And as if to prove his point he loosened the grip he had on her. "What's your name?"

"Ya like am ever gonna to tell you that." He raised his eyebrows at her remark and she flushed, biting her tongue. "I didn't mean to say that out loud." And with sudden realization she spoke in slowly, "I am so drunk."
"Riddhima!?" He let Riddhima go as he saw Nikki standing behind them.

"We have to go NOW."

Riddhima turned around to tell the guy that she has to leave when her eyes widened at seeing a different man standing in front of her.