It all started with a ........Truck - Page 8

It had been one of those days. My boss didn't like my card. I had until tomorrow now to come up with one that wasn't quite so 'snarky and sarcastic.' (His words, not mine) I was out of Lucky Charms cereal so I had to go to the store before eating this morning. Then I realized I was out of milk so it was pointless anyway. Both front tires were flat on my truck when I came out of the store. When I finally got the tires changed I hit my neighbors cat pulling back into my driveway.

It was now noon and I had officially given up. I got into my pajamas, dug out my pint of double fudge ice cream, and settled onto the couch for a marathon of Tom Cruise. Nothing makes the light at the end of the tunnel brighter than Tom and a pint of double fudge... except for two pints and Johnny playing guitar.

I was just settling into my comforter and Juilette Binoche had just caught sight of river rat Tom threw the smoke, (He was playing the guitar!) when my door bell rang. Actually you couldn't call it ringing per se because that had broken yesterday so now it sounded more like an extremely irritated calf. So I suppose I should say that I was enjoying my movie when my door bell mooed.

I thought about answering for a total of 1.3seconds before I decided to turn the TV up and ignore it. If it was Nups or Suhu they would just come in and I didn't feel like seeing anyone else. Truth be told I didn't feel like talking to them either but they had a way of making me forget I was being antisocial.

Whoever it was wasn't giving up though. Every couple of seconds the bell sounded so it was after a mirage of mooing that I finally threw off my blanket, grumbling to myself.

"Please don't be Mrs.Mehta." I begged. "Please don't be Mrs. Mehta."

I had already told her it was a complete accident. The time I left the windows down on the Chumbucket and that cat left a present on my dash board had nothing to do with it. She was a small cat- I just didn't see her okay?

I opened the door with a flurish to find a smiling delivering boy, wistling a merry tone as if he hadn't been ringing my bell incesently for the last five minutes.

"What?" I snapped before taking a deep calming breath. It wasn't his fault I ran over my neighbors cat or forgot to check to see if I had milk before going to the store at eight in the morning.

I forced a tight smile, probably confusing him more than setting him at ease. Cementing the fact that I am, in fact, bi-polar.

He blinked before remembering that half of his income comes from tips. He smiled pleasantly again.

"Gunjan Bhushan?" He asked.

I nodded.

"It's a tough job but someone's gotta do it." I joked.

"Uhm... okay then." he said after a moment. Some people just couldn't appreciate a good witty response. "I have a delivery for you. Would you mind signing?"

I signed on the little screen thing he handed me and he ran back to the van, presumably to get my delivery. I must admit he had piqued my interest. I hadn't ordered anything since Suhu had commandeered my credit cards after I got carried away with the infomercials. I had trouble sleeping sometimes and everything looks so much more useful as seen on late night TV.

I was even more confused when smiley delivery guy brought back a giant bouquet of Daisy's.

"Who ordered these?" I asked curiously, taking the beautiful blue vase from him.

He didn't answer me but reddened slightly as he straightened and cleared his throat.

"I stole your truck. You were so mad you couldn't see. But I won't quit, until you forgive me."

I just blinked.

"Is he serious?"

The delivery man gave me a look that practically begged for mercy.

"I can't stop rhyming until you promise to forgive him." he said quietly.

I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped.

"That didn't rhyme." I pointed out helpfully.

He didn't look amused.

"Alright, alright." I chuckled, taking a whiff of my flowers. "I'll call him."

The delivery man practically ran down the steps and my mood lightened immensely as I watched the van peal down the street. I added two more things to my ever growing list before calling my own personal stalker.

Pro: he embarrassed the annoying delivery guy. Con: his poetry was embarrassing in itself.

"I knew threatening you with more poetry would work." he said in greeting.

I snickered.

"It was pretty awful."

He wasn't bothered but it didn't annoy me as much as it usually did. At least he knew how to take a joke right?

"But it worked." He commented.

I crawled back under my blanket after adding some more water to my flowers and setting them on my coffee table. It was probably the first time my apartment had ever seen flowers that hadn't been made in a factory and covered with wax first.

"Who says it worked?" I questioned. "Maybe I haven't forgiven you yet."

He didn't hesitate to start the rhyming again.

"Roses are red. Violets are blue. Mom says I'm special on the inside and you think so too."

I cracked up.

"I bought you Daisy's instead of Carnations-"

"Okay." I interupted, still laughing. "I forgive you. Just stop."

He chuckled.

"Good, because I can't think of anything that rhymes with Carnation."

"Constipation." I supplied without thinking. My blush ignited instantly as he laughed.

"Do you use that in your cards?" he asked, amused.

"I haven't yet." I replied easily. "But I'll see what I can do."

"Buying you carnations was a temptation. But I didn't because of mental constipation." He serenaded.

I smirked, pausing my movie. It wasn't holding my attention anymore anyway.

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Nope." he agreed, his voice the proverbial equivalent of a shrug. "But it did rhyme."

"That it did." I allowed. "You should be very proud."

"Alright, Beautiful." He tisked. "So, how has your day been? Other than brightened by my wonderful poetry of course."

I smiled.

"It actually did brighten my day." I admitted. "I was just laying here feeling sorry for myself and then I got to see the really annoying delivery boy humiliated because he had to recite it."

"I'll try not to take offense to that." He said.

I shrugged. Nothing else got to him.

"But why were you wallowing?"

I wrinkled my nose. It made me sound like such a cry baby when he put it like that.

"I wasn't wallowing." I insisted.

He just chuckled and I sighed, laying back against the arm rest of my couch.

"I ran over my neighbors cat." I said solemnly.

"What?"

I nodded.

"Yeah." I confirmed sadly. "I backed the chumbucket over him."

He was quiet for a while.

"On purpose?" he finally asked tentatively.

"Why does everyone keep asking that?" I exclaimed. It was bad enough when Mrs. Mehta had insinuated that I took a hit out on Fluffy. At this rate I wouldn't be surprised if PETA was called in.

"It was an accident!" I huffed. "I didn't see him."

He relented quickly and I rolled my eyes.

We talked for a little while longer and I thanked him for my flowers. I also made him promise never to attempt poetry ever again to which he retorted that I needed to stop taking my aggression out on the neighborhood animals.

All in all I was having fun talking to him. No one is more surprised than I am! I was even more surprised when he said he had to do a couple of things and needed to get off the phone. I was ... disappointed?

"Oh." I frowned. "Okay. Yeah, of course."

"You don't want me to hang up do you?" he asked. I could imagine the cocky grin now and my hands tightened around the phone. The irritatingly smug truck-napper rears his handsome head once again!

"How do you maintain any balance with that big head of yours, Samrat?" I quipped.

He laughed.

"No, you hang up first." he trilled. He and his cousin were alike after all... just not in the good ways.

I narrowed my eyes at the television set where Tom was smirking devilishly. Why couldn't all men be like Tom? He's all suave and charming without being an egomaniac. Plus I bet he wouldn't ask if I ran over Fluffy in an act of passion.

"Okay." I shrugged, pushing the end button on my cell phone without hesitating. Someone needed to put that man in his place. So what if my sulking mood crawled back in as soon as I flipped the phone shut.

"It's just you and me now, Tom." I sighed, reaching for the remote and pushing play.

I got back into the movie after a few minutes but then I saw my Daisy's.

Okay so now I was wallowing.

"Stupid truck-napper." I grumbled. "Buying me flowers and making me laugh with idiotic poetry."

I almost called him back. Almost. I wasn't holding a grudge anymore but I didn't want to like him on principle. I didn't want to like him but he was slowly breaking down my defenses. Thank god he still had his moments of smug idiocy or I might just forget I wasn't supposed to like him.

Besides that my self respect absolutely refused to let me press redial. She was the one who made me hang up in the first place. 'I will boy-cott or leave you completely if you push that button.' She warned me, shaking her finger at me.

"I know, I know." I relented, holding my hands out in front of me- in surrender. We had this conversation many a time.

Almost like a referee's whistle my bell mooed, interrupting my argument with myself.Samrat may call this arguing with myself insanity but I call it smart. No matter what I do in the end I win.

I contemplated being upset with my newest intruder but I wasn't in the mood to be sitting here all by myself anymore anyway.

"Sorry, Tom." I sighed, shutting the TV off. Too bad my mood hadn't lifted before I guzzled the entire pint of ice cream, I thought as I tossed it in the trash on my way to the front door.

There was another moo as I hit the entry way and I rolled my eyes, not sure if I should be more annoyed or amused.

"Yes?" I greeted dryly, opening the door. My eyes widened as I saw who was standing there.

"Add a quack-quack here and you could give Old McDonald a run for his money." he chuckled, motioning towards the doorbell.

I smirked, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against the door frame.

"Well, my toaster oinks."

Samrat raised both eyebrows.

"Really?"

I shook my head, feeling my lips twist without my permission.

"No." I snickered. "Not really. I thought you had 'things to do.'" I might have sounded a little bitter as I quoted him from earlier.

He nodded, pressing his lips together.

"Yeah, I did." he agreed, running his fingers through his hair. "One of my friends is having a really bad day so I wanted to come keep her company."

The smile broke through my boundaries and lit my whole face. He dropped everything to come wallow with me? Granted, he probably didn't have anything to do since he's on vacation from work and is spending his days sitting around Mayank and Nupur's until the wedding but still...

"Besides that, she hung up on me." He added. "And I'm kind of sick of her always getting the last word."

I laughed.

"Your friend sounds like a handful."

He agreed with a little too much enthusiasm and I rolled my eyes. I wasn't that bad!

"So, since you've agreed to be friends can I come in?" he asked.

I frowned. Wait a minute there. He tricked me!

"Please." He grinned. "Before your neighbors start talking about the loser tha tGunjan keeps rejecting."

I just chuckled, shaking my head at his pitiful expression before I stepped aside.

"Thanks, Beautiful."

I nibbled on my bottom lip, suddenly nervous as he walked into the living room.

"No problem, friend." I teased as I shut the door and followed him into the room. But I was mentally calculating the state of my house. I had vacuumed yesterday but I can't remember the last time I dusted.

I cursed under my breath as I spotted Samrat, crouched down in front of the coffee table- looking at the pictures that cluttered the top. Those once amusing photos from my childhood were now just embarrassing.

"Is this you?" he asked over his shoulder, motioning to the frame in the middle.

I considered telling him that the sticky faced, gaped tooth, little girl was a mentally retarded cousin or an ill proportioned childhood friend. Sadly enough I still looked enough like her that I doubt he'd buy it. My Straight hair and slightly crooked nose gave me away.

"Me and my dad." I admitted. "I was five."

But this picture was taken on one of those rare days where I'd managed to stay dry. I was sitting in the boat, my head on Dad's arm, ice cream coating my smiling face.

"You two were close." he surmised- a statement, not a question.

I nodded. I really needed to call Dad. I hadn't talked to him all week, which was rare- especially since his accident.

"We still are." I agreed quietly. "My mom left when I was only a year old so it was just me and Dad growing up."

"That must have been hard." he sympathized.

I shrugged, not wanting to get into anything meaningful or deep with my newest 'friend.'

"I'd offer a tour but I'm sure you'd find something else to make fun of me about so you're restricted to the living room, Mister."

He chuckled, looking at my movie collection now.

"Fair enough." he said easily. "But just for the record I wasn't making fun of the picture. It looked like you were having fun."

"Fishing." I supplied. "I was still gullible enough to believe Dad when he said it was fun."

"No fishing." he mumbled to himself as if he was adding to a running list in his head. He probably was. I imagined a folder in his brain labeled Gunjan Bhushan's likes and dislikes and frowned. I'm not sure I'm altogether comfortable with being critiqued.

"Please tell me I'm not seeing things." He said suddenly, making me jump. I talk to myself- he's having hallucinations. We make quite the pair don't we?

He looked over his shoulder at me, grinning.

"Monty Python?" he smiled.

I smirked, seeing he had found my Quest for the Holy Grail DVD.

"If you don't like that movie I'm going to have to ask you to leave." I said seriously.

He wiggled his eyebrows, standing back up.

"Alright then." He grinned. "We must watch this."

I nodded enthusiastically. He didn't have to convince me. Other than the Simpson's movie it had the best one liners. 'Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?' Epic.

He moved over and I put the movie on, getting it to the main menu.

"What's this?"

I looked over my shoulder, distracted. All distraction vanished however when I saw what he was holding up. Yeah- I was pretty dang focused then!

"Nothing!" I yelped.

My pro/con list.

He held it over his head so that I couldn't grab it away from him, which was exactly what I was trying to do by this point. And he's so stinking tall that my efforts were completely futile. I wasn't going to get that list back until he handed it to me. Or until I grew go-go gadget arms.

"Just give it back, Samrat!" I whined.

"Okay." He said easily.

My eyes widened.

"Really?" I asked hopefully.

He nodded.

"Yep. Just as soon as you tell me what it is."

I sneered.

"It's non of your business." I informed him icily. Not exactly true- it actually had everything to do with him, therefor was definitely his business. But I didn't have a lot to work with here.

"Probably not." He shrugged.

Of course he wasn't bothered. And if I remember correctly that was on the list, the con side to be more exact.

"But I'm really curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat." I grumbled.

He chuckled, arm still above his head.

"Haven't you killed enough cats today, Gunjan?"

He continued before I had time to retort. "Besides I've always seen myself more as a lion."

I rolled my eyes. Of course.

"Still in the feline family."

"And there she goes again with the technicalities." He tisked.

I sighed.

"Just give me the list, Samrat." I pleaded. Yes- I had resorted to pleading. He shall pay for this moment.

He raised his eyebrows.

"What kind of list, Gunjan?"

I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. And who had told him my full name?

"Your por/con list, okay!" I snapped. "Happy?"

He was quiet for a very long time, long enough to make me fidget.

"Depends." He said finally, his brows furrowed deep in thought.

I frowned. Depends on what? What could make him not angry about this?

"How am I fairing?" He asked, looking down at me with curiosity. He held the paper in his hands and yet he asks me instead of looking at something I didn't want him to see. Pro.

His reaction surprised me almost as much as my own did. I was... relieved. I didn't want him to be up set. I didn't want him to be mad at me. That made absolutely no sense since I spent most of the time being mad at him. But to my intense surprise I didn't want him to be so angry that he did something crazy... like start avoiding me.

"You're tied." I said quietly, watching him calculatingly.

He raised both eyebrows.

"Well, let's see what we can do about that."

I frowned, confused as he plopped down on my sofa- eyes now scanning the paper. I rejected my first instinct to grab the paper out of his hand. It really couldn't get much worse as it was.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He ignored me.

"Do you have a pen?" He asked without looking up.

Oh boy. It just got worse.

"I'm not encouraging this in any way." I informed him, plopping down beside him.

He didn't even look up. He just reached behind me and pulled one of the pens from the bun in my hair.

"Nice." He smirked, looking at my pen which just so happened to be Disney characters.

"Don't judge me." I pouted.

He corked one eyebrow, waving the list in front of my nose.

"You're one to talk, DB."

I sighed. He was right. I should add that to the con list. It's so annoying. Why does he have to be right?

"DB?" I asked, confused.

"Devious and beautiful." he said without looking up. He was really focusing on that list!

I blushed. It's better than pissed off smurf I suppose.

"You are not my biggest fan." He mumbled, more to himself than to me.

I cringed. Reading the con side then.

"Are you... you're not mad at me, are you?" I asked finally.

He slowly lowered the paper and his eyes slid to my worried face.

"Would you care if I was?" he asked seriously.

I nodded hesitantly.

"I don't know why." I said slowly. "But yes, I would."

He looked back at the paper, smiling slightly.

"Well then I guess I'm not angry."

Before I could say anything he continued.

"You're holding Oliver Twist against me,Gunjan? Really?"

I just shrugged.

He sighed, looking down the list. Was he finally getting annoyed?

"I'll agree I'm not a poet." he said, looking at me from the corner of his eye. "But don't you get points for trying? It's the thought that counts and all that?"

I though about it for a moment.

"I suppose." I conceded. I can't think of anyone who would even put that much effort into getting me to laugh.

SAmrat smiled, scribbling something down on the paper. He taped the paper with the end of my pen victoriously before looking at me with an impish grin.

"It looks like I'm not tied anymore then." He said smugly.

My eyebrows furrowed as I let that sink in.

"Hmm." Was all I could manage to say.

Edward chuckled at my wary expression, brushing a strand of loose hair behind my ear.

"Although I hate to admit it," he smiled softly, almost adoringly. "You'll probably find more cons everyday if that's what you're looking for."

I swallowed hard. I was hyper aware of his hand lingering on my cheek, his thumb sweeping gently over my jaw bone. He didn't seem to even notice he was doing it. I on the other hand most definitely noticed. As a matter of fact it was taking a shocking amount of restraint not to lean into his touch.

"No one is perfect, Gunjan." he said quietly. For once he looked serious.

There was no joking in his eyes, just a great intensity that left my speechless.

"If you expect that from people- perfection," he continued, almost in a whisper. "You're just going to be disappointed."

He licked his lips as his thumb made another circuit over my jaw line, seeming to concentrate deeply on what he wanted to say. When he spoke next I had an extremely hard time pulling my eyes from those full lips.

"I'm going to be honest with you." he said, locking his eyes with me. "If you were to tally up each of my traits, my qualities, my actions I don't know if the good would out weigh the bad."

He sighed, having trouble getting his words out.

"I hope they would... but there's no way to tell for sure so I don't think this list is going to do you any good."

He stared at me for a long time before looking down, seeming nervous.

"I guess you'll just have to decide if you're willing to take the bad with the good."

After his captivating speech silence rang supreme. I was so past the state of shock that I couldn't even think. The atmosphere had changed so drastically from earlier- our usual flirty banter, that it was almost comical.

...Except nothing about this was funny. For once my truck-napper was being completely serious and he was waiting for an answer.

I sucked in a deep breath. So much for not wanting to discuss anything deep or meaningful!

On one hand what type of person would I be if I couldn't admit that everyone had their faults?- take the bad with the good as he had said. My initial reaction was to answer immediately because really who wants to be that person?

On the other hand I hadn't gotten to know him well enough to decide if I wanted to take the bad with the good when it comes to him individually. And I'll admit that's completely my fault. It's hard to get to know someone when you're too busy looking for reasons to remain enemies.

In the back of my mind I heard Neil's voice like a big, tanned, gay Yoda. Give him a chance you will!

My evil shoulder angel hit me over the head with her pitch fork and motioned to Samrat enthusiastically. "This is not the time for inner monoluging!" her expression screamed snidely. "Kiss him already!"

"Woah there!" the good(while admittedly more boring) angel chided, panicked. "That would not solve anything. It's a form of avoidance because you want to avoid giving a direct reply to his question. Just suck it up and answer the man, Gunjan!"

Wow. The good shoulder angel sounded oddly like my Nana there at the end.

Samrat hadn't moved the entire time, waiting patiently for me to answer. I took a deep breath and prepared myself to listen to my responsible angel for once. She wiped a tear from her eyes dramatically, clenching her hands to her chest- so proud. The other angel sneered at her, contemplating where to stick her pitch fork. I shot her a sympathetic look. I knew how she felt. I liked her idea better too but Samrat was being serious for once. He deserved a serious answer.

"I'm not exactly known for that." I said slowly. "But I'm sure I could work on it."

He grinned, a smile so wide I was afraid his face would split in half.

"Would you like to work on that Friday night?" he asked hopefully. "Maybe over dinner?"

I didn't give myself time to question it, over analyze. I didn't make a pro/con list, discuss it with my shoulder angels, or with gay Yoda. I just said the first thing that I thought.

"I'd like that."