Hyenas in heat
He looked at her deeply and did not respond
“Do you even have to ask?” was the expression on his face
“I don’t know anyone else over there, I married an Economist/Women’s Rights Advocate it looks like so yeah” he thought
“Main jaan bhoojkar nahi gayi Raanav uske ghar” she said with child like innocence
“The guy looked drunk to me” he said viciously
“The cop?”
He looked at her
She had no idea who was even drunk?
“I don’t know, could be, I meant the husband”
“Tumhe laga?” she asked shocked as everything made more sense now
“Why is Rathi not with you?”
“I told you last night over text I am at Rohini”
“And?”
“Aaj subah Lekha texted me saying she needed it to haul her friends across town”
He grit his teeth
“Rathiji hotey to kya kar lete”
“What did the SHO say to you?” he asked curiously
“That I hit the husband and caused bodily injury and I had an intent to commit a crime or something”
“Could you have called me sooner”
“Kya kehti main? I walked in on a husband abusing his wife and now am accused of instigating it and accused of hitting the husband?”
“Yeah pretty much that”
“Tum is liye aaye taaqi tum mujhe yeh keh sako ki maine kya kya galat kiya?”
“Oh I didn’t even go there…. YET Viveka”
“I am not a nari shakti pratinidhi” she snapped
“Whatt?”
“I am not a social activist dude…. I went to collect samples and”
“I asked you not to go to people’s homes” he flashed a humorless smile
A few minutes passed in silence
“Tumhe kisne bataya?”
“Dad?”
“Dad?” “OH NO” she clamped her hand over her mouth and cringed,
She pushed her glasses up
“Oh no!”
“Your Dad couldn’t make it so he called him”
“PAPAH ne call kiya?”
She pulled her phone out of her tote and there were many messages
“Ho sakey to aana raat ko warna kabhi aur mil lena beta, Varsha ab yahin hai”
It was Papa
Ma had texted her too
She called Ma
“Main theek hoon, ghar ja rahi hoon”
“Pahunchkae call kar beta”
“Sure Ma, Naina aa gayi ghar?”
“Nahi, abhi kahan”
She wanted to ask if she had a job yet
But did not ask in front of Raanav
“Raanav ko phone do”
“Did Papa tell you?”
“What do u think?” Ma chuckled
“Ma se baat karogey?” she asked muting the phone
He gave her a “look” and pulled the phone out of her hand
He unmuted it and said Hello
“I heard you were quite the knight in shining armor this afternoon” Ma smiled
“More like man in a wrinkled crushed shirt” he smiled
“Thank you”
“It was my pleasure”
“I”
“Umm..”
“Sorry” Anu mumbled
“No please… go ahead”
“Her Papa told me only after you arrived at the PS”
“Oh?”
“Words cannot thank you enough”
“No don’t”
“She was in danger… I will get the details from her when I speak with her, but you know”
“You already said it twice”
“Yeah I stopped before I said it again”
The Parashar kid threw his head back and laughed
Viveka drooled over that look
“Ma hasa rahin hai isko, meri baat par aisa kyon nahi hasta”
“Mujhse to hamesha kisi na kisi baat par ladta hai, we are like hyenas fighting over a carcass”
“Ufff” she sighed looking out the window
“Husbands ya wife travel karte hain to har ghanta call pe call karte hain, yeh mujhe din mein ek phone karta hai”
“Do mujhe” she sulked yanking the phone as that thought formed in her mind
He almost laughed when she pulled it off his hand
“Ma aapse ghar pe baat karti hoon”
“Aar rahi ho na shaam ko?”
“DEFINITELY, Raanav shaayad jet lag mein hoga, main to ZAROOR aaoongi”
Satyen was not home yet
He took a call in the empty music production equipment room
She walked the lawn calling Ishwar and Ratna
She went back in to sort through the papers, plug her laptop in to charge by her fave spot
And decided to go pick out clothes
He walked up to her and grabbed her
“Kya hua?” she asked coolly
He wrapped his arms around her waist
“Suddenly biwi ki yaad aa gayi ya zabardasti thanks maangogey”
He laughed FOR HER
A big throaty laugh
She watched his neck hungrily
He bend down and kissed her lips
The taste of him was so divine and exciting as his touch, Viveka stopped lying to herself and threw caution out the window and stood on her toes to fit herself closer to the hard male contours
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