Ss Take My Breath Away, Chapter 7, Pg 34, 1st Aug - Page 20

Originally posted by: Nakusha

hi tink

is it double bonus ff & ss UD 😆.waiting

Originally posted by: Nakusha

hi tink

is it double bonus ff & ss UD 😆.waiting

Originally posted by: mirage123

wow! waiting😊

Originally posted by: ivy_11

Hi Tink,😊

Looking forward to the update.

Chapter Six

"You seriously could've used some slap Naku, we're going to the city! I mean what's with the celebrity disguise, you look like you've been pulled out of bed and threw on some over-sized sunglasses" Madhu said, not taking a moment's rest, she didn't even care about the faces that were turning in our direction and sourced us as entertainment.

"Do you like mind?" I said with a mild hiss to avoid excessive attention, "and for the record - yeah I was pulled out of bed - remember!"

"No need to broadcast it to the world" she replied, "but no offence babe since you've arrived here you look like shit."

"Thanks!" I gasped and pretended to capture her comment with sincerity.

"You know what I mean," she said in defence and laying off a little, "all I'm saying is that the world can see you don't pay attention to yourself, and I can't understand why?"

"I just can't be bothered to be honest, I've been through a lot these past two years, and believe me when you go through that shit you forget what you look like a long way back and eventually you get used to it, trust me" I justified thoroughly without giving the full sob story.

"That bad huh" she sympathised, and I nodded pretty hopelessly, "don't worry now you're here things will definitely get better" she promised.

"Yeah" I said doubtfully, "like they're already looking to the bright side" I half-heartedly joked.

"I kinda get why you were keen on a quick summer romance all of a sudden" she filled in after a short silence.

I couldn't say she was wrong but the real reason I came to the airfield at the beginning of summer was to get away from the stress of family life. When Gaurav's company became so comforting so soon I just didn't want to say no to the support he didn't know he was offering, I silently accepted and somewhere I'm still hopeful to believing that he was an okay guy, I really didn't want to lose him as a potential friend but I feared that I might not be able to play the 'good friend' part anymore when I'm around him, that's why I was so nervous about meeting him just yet, I needed to discover my own certainty before I could face him.

"Hmm" I answered unenthusiastically, "apart from the fact that he was just way too too buff to top it all which definitely had nothing to do with it" I added for justification that did no good, and then we both looked at each other and broke out into a hysterical laugh.

"Yeah you keep telling yourself that!" Madhu said deliberately insulting my integrity through several laughs.

"I most certainly will" I said keeping loyal to my words, although we both knew where the truth really lay and continued our giggling along the way as we reached the London underground and got onto the Central line that eventually led us to Oxford Circus. It was peak time and the tube was jam-packed, I absolutely hated it when everyone just kept coming in and hardly anyone ever got off at the stops in between, I was scooped up into the corner near the closing doors on my feet while Madhu had fiddled her way through the crowds and eyed a seat religiously until she was finally sat in it.

_______

"That is way way way too short! I'm not trying that on" I protested aloud when Madhu held up a gold strapless dress that would literally just about cover my butt!

"Don't be such a wuss Naku, it's not like somebody's gonna see you now is it?" She convincingly remarked. I just about convinced myself and gave her a look that told her I wouldn't ruin the fun and grabbed the dress rather annoyed in slow motion as I marched off into the changing rooms. "That's what I thought" I heard her shout back too smug for the aftermath of the whole confrontation when I didn't respond to her remarks. Her footsteps ran away and quickly gathered near again before closing herself into the changing booth next to mine, "where did you go?" I called over the divider between us.

"Ooh curious now are we?" she replied cheekily.

"Erm yeah actually, would I have bothered otherwise?" I plucked again indirectly.

"Well once you're done gimme a shout and you'll see" she squeaked back.

Okay - whatever, I mouthed as I struggled slightly in trying to get the zip closed on the hind of my temporary dress, "god I'm stuck!" I frustrated aloud.

"Yeah me too" Madhu confided in return, "come out and we can help stitch each other up" she hurried out and pulled aside my curtain without the courtesy of dropping me a warning.

"Whoa - talk about 'rape alert'" I alarmed intentionally, "a little gesture of decency would have been nice" I said, like those words were most probably unfamiliar in her vocabulary.

"Well what can I say, I love spying on girls getting undressed" she answered imitating a sexy hoarse voice which followed more in the footsteps of Joey Tribbiani's terrible 'in character' acting skills from 'Friends' instead, I gave her a phony look that said 'really', "well erm getting dressed then" she corrected between unsure tones.

I shook my head, "seriously sometimes I wonder if I should be scared of you" I said turning my back to her so she could finally zip me up, and simultaneously she did the same so I could zip her up too and to, at last reap our efforts we turned to face each other and looked amazed at the outcome.

We were both stunned by what we saw, Madhu looked amazing! She'd gone away and got the same dress as mine except in silver, and man did she look sexy, I could guarantee if Baji had seen her in that dress he would go crazy which was definitely an underestimation to begin with. "Wow" was all I could let out after wondering about the benefits of wearing such a short dress in her case.

"Oh, my, god" is all Madhu had said in short intervals when she looked at me.

That didn't seem very promising from my angle, I began feeling a little unstable and drew a strand of hair behind my ear to disguise my uneasiness.

"You, look, like, a, SUPERMODEL!!!! She shouted so loud I was sure a few windows had cracked in the changing rooms, especially when she continued screaming like we were at an all-girls slumber party or something.

"Madhu - shut up," I shrieked to calm her down, "what are you doing, I swear you're one crazy girl!" I shouted over her to get her attention but giggled so hard when she started jumping around like an actual school girl. "I swear Madhu if Baji saw you in that he would go crazy. I mean crazy like jaw-dropping crazy and god you should so wear that to the bar later on" I suggested.

"This and to the bar, nah" she quickly refused, "this is too much for a bar, it's not like we're going to Cafe de Paris now is it" she threw in and shrugged her shoulders.

"We're in West End Madhu, you can wear that wherever you bloody well want" I rectified, "are you nervous to wear it out?" I asked instead, realising her sudden surge of reluctance from the idea of wearing it out.

"No!" She strictly replied at once, "I just don't think it's a good idea to wear it around everyone else you know, I'd rather wear something like this at a private date or something - if that ever happens of course" she fitted in hesitantly and taking her time to blush adequately.

"Aw" I sweetened at her thoughts, "I totally get you, but sometimes it's when you attract the attention of others that ignites a fire elsewhere" I chanted through my plastered bling bling smile.

"Oh you mean girl Naku" Madhu's narrow frown glared at me like I was a convict, "but this dress seems a little too o-t-t, why don't we find something a little more casual but sexy?"

"Bring it on" I cheered, "let's work on getting Baji to confess his love to you for once and for all" I said high-fiving her and ran into the booth to get changed, but I was quickly dragged back out by Madhu before I could even finish saying "what the hell."

"Er not so fast chick, let's capture a few Kodak moments first" she encouraged and held up her phone and stood in a modelling pose closely, "I mean who knows if we ever get to see you in another dress, ever" she said snapping away. "Pout quickly" she said again, standing back to back for a final few pictures.

_____

"So what kind of dress are we going for then?" I asked clasping my hands together before I begun rummaging through the entire store for the perfect outfit. She twisted her lips into several directions to think out loud, "something skimpy?" I helped, holding out a blue meagre looking dress.

"Too s**tty" she opinionated, "nice colour though."

We searched continuously until she'd decided after a whole twelve or fifteen dresses later she didn't rather not wear a dress at all, "how about we find you something to wear instead?" she said turning the tables without notice.

"I'm not entirely fond of that idea" I compensated so fast that the conversation would refuse to seek light at the end of the tunnel and hopelessly end there.

"Nice try darlin', but I'm no idiot. You talked me into wearing a dress to lure Baji and I agreed, so now I'm gonna make you a deal, I'll wear a nice looking attractive dress-slash-outfit if you wear something I pick out for you" she offered, raising an eyebrow with attitude.

I sighed heavily, irritated, "look-".

"Don't 'look' me, I've dealt my cards on the table, it's up to you to make the next move, it's either this or that."

"Talk about pushy Madhu" I argued, since when did she become so concerned about what I wore, "I'm not the one who needs to attract a guy."

"Yeah, allow me the courtesy to say 'with all due respect' Naku, you are exactly the one who needs to attract a guy! Summer's just begun and you've already 'almost' kissed a guy that's half taken, and the stress in your life is reeking on your face not to mention your dress sense, come on babes live a little, life doesn't have to be serious all the time, and there's so many other decent guys that will be there with Dutta and Baji, trust me I'm sure you'll stir many hearts as well as a few other things," she remarked under her breath "and the best part is that Gaurav won't be there, so you won't have to worry about him, and you can change my name if at least two different guys don't offer to buy you a drink and I bet one out of the two will definitely ask for your number tonight too" she wooed snuggling up to me knowing I was almost sold, "so what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking of a new name for you" I replied in a familiar tongue she used to convince me.

"It won't come to that - trust me" she said grabbing my hand and dragging me out of the store.

"I thought we were gonna buy clothes, so why exactly are we leaving the store?"

"Because first my doll we need to remove this unattractive spell you've deliberately casted over yourself to avoid attention and bring the real and more sexy you out of the box!"

"Right, and we need to go to Selfridge's for what?" I shouted as we ran through the several 'normal' pedestrians and into the side entrance of one of London's most famous stores.

"To get you some slap of course" she said barging us both through the doors and heading straight to the make-up section, "Bobbi Brown, Nars, Mac, Christian Dior, Estee Lauder, Lancome, Tom Ford or YSL?"

"Is that a question?" I replied to her oral listing.

"If you want it to be" she answered.

"Oh thanks so much for the kindness, but would you mind rephrasing that question so I could at the very least attempt to answer it."

"Forget it, don't stress your brain too much" she said slumping me into a chair at the Bobbi Brown stand, "erm" she said looking around trying to grab hold of the guy that was busy talking to a previous customer into buying a few signature brushes along with their purchases, he made eye contact with her and noted a finger indicating her to give him a few seconds before he could reach us. Madhu of course, knew not how to follow instructions patiently and began raiding the different eye colours all at once and testing them on the back of her hand meanwhile.

"Ladies - ha' can I help you" the tall good looking but seemingly gay oriented guy finally arrived at our service reeking of a strong Australian accent.

"In many ways" said Madhu flirting ridiculously with a guy that was simply not interested in ladies.

"Ex-cuse mey" he said sounding amused at her interaction, "I take it you gals are lookin' to get made ova', am I correct?"

"You so are" I said, "we're actually going to a bar in a few hours where-"

"Where her ex is gonna be!" Madhu sprouted in between, "and we just wanna make sure that he knows what he's losing."

I gave her a stare that would burn her like Superman's laser beam, had I the sufficient power to do so but unfortunately staring was all I could do with zero percent damages, "my ex?" I added as pleasantly unkind as I possibly could, "I thought we were arranging for a surprise visit for your 'boyfriend' as he's unaware that we'll be paying him a visit?"

Madhu let out a fake laughter, "nothing like hitting two birds with one stone, right?" she said turning to our five-minute playboy standing over our heads.

"O-kay, we'll getch you ready first then," he said swivelling my chair round to him before pumping air into the base to raise me from the floor so I could be at face level with him, "you've lavley features y'know, I'm pretty sure your ex don't hav' a clue 'n what he's losin'" he said shoving a Velcro hair band to keep my loose hair from dropping over my face. His closeness made me sort of nervous, but he was fluent in what he was doing, he cleansed my face with a cotton wool pad and applied a layer of foundation before sealing it with loose powder for a clean finish.

"Oh my god, you look better already" Madhu joyed.

"It's only foundation Madhu" I answered flatly at her exaggeration.

"Yeah but he's done it so well that you look lively already!"

"She's a beauri-fool gal your mate her', her eyes do all that hard work for 'er" he said this time with a black ink pot with which he applied a slim line of black over the top of my eyelids and extended it at both corners with a sixties type flick, "a littl' blush and red lipstick should set-ch you just fine gorgeous" he said removing the headband and spinning me around to the mirror and left me wondering whether that reflection really belonged to me.

"Wow, you've transformed me completely" I gasped, I couldn't believe it I actually looked, well better!

"Nope, just worked with what I all-ready had, that's all you there believe me" replied the make-up man, "but it isn't ova' yet, hop ova' t' the Tom Ford stand and apply a few lay-ers of wild ginger lipstick, it'll give you a gorgeous finish, but before you go" he said grabbing hold of a brush and pot he swept some colour over my cheekbones while talking me through it "a hint of nude pink blusher to enhance the rest of your face which allows all the cosmetics to work together in creating a'.. breathtaking beauty" he finished with a long pause and bobbed his head downward to ensure I was all done, he invited Madhu to my seat as his next client after I shifted.

"Wild ginger? You said" I repeated not sure how that was supposed to be a red he so dearly praised.

"That's right sweetheart" he winked and continued with Madhu's application.

"Don't start flirting with anyone over there, we all know what a good red lipstick can do!" Madhu teased behind me.

I was eager to see how the Tom Ford lipstick would complete my look, because I was pretty sure my whole 'do' looked great just the way it was, but expert advice is well 'expert advice'. I couldn't believe I was beginning to enjoy this, I ran off as fast as my feet could carry me, and Madhu's flirtatious voice trailed in a distant after me. That girl was hopeless but I had to admit flirting a little harmlessly was kinda fun, there wasn't any strings attached or anything it was just plain and simple fun.

I blotted my lips onto a tissue handed by a 'lady' supervisor this time - so much for flirting. I was amazed at the potential my face did have, I could barely recognise myself and the best part was my face weren't caked and for once I openly wanted to admit that I actually looked good! Wow I sounded so egoistic right now, but hell, it was only for a few hours, all that mattered now was what outfit Madhu would choose for me. "I'll take this one please" I had to buy this lipstick, it was simply an amazing red and if I left it now I knew I would end up regretting it afterwards.

"Sure, that'll be thirty-two-ninety-nine please" said the sales woman, I handed her a few notes and walked away feeling immensely pleased with my purchase. I wouldn't have minded to go home after this. I happened to have ended up enjoying myself more than I could have imagined.

"Madhu! You look awesome!" I squealed at her look once I'd gotten back to her, he'd given her a totally different appearance compared to mine, she was oozing with the most sexiest smoky eyes a girl could have on levels that were probably too dangerous for any guy to look at, and he gave her a bronze contour with nude shimmery lip gloss to keep the whole look together. "Baji should call the ambulance right now and keep himself booked precisely a minute later after your arrival" I said cracking a joke in a state of shock and admiration.

"You can talk, girl those red lips are gonna spill blood, maybe I should call the bar and get the DJ to play 'blood on the dance floor' during your entry" she said returning the favour.

"Ladies, might I say you both look drop dead gorgeous and you'll sure have heads turnin' in your direction, I'm sure you'll succeed in making a lot of gals insecure tonight" he complimented, "by the way have you decided how to do your hair?" he asked me.

Damn my hair, I didn't even think about that, I opened my elastic and let loose my kinky limp hair and tried to style my look out by framing my face either side, "how about this?" I asked enthusiastically.

Both Madhu and our Australian make-up man wriggled their faces awkwardly.

"Not quite happening" Madhu's input finally announced.

"What kind of outfit are you wearing tonight?" asked the dude from down-under.

I, of course didn't have a clue and remained silent, "I'm er-"

"She's wearing a black strapless jumpsuit" intervened Madhu.

"You are?" he said raising an eyebrow.

"I am?" I said repeating over the down-under guy.

"You most certainly are" she said putting us both out of our miseries.

"Nice 'un, I imagine you'll leave many wounded tonight too" he continued to impress, which was kind of flattering, but I was sure he gay, no man could get on with girls at the same level, especially when the same conversations were of interest to him - definitely gay. I blushed for the literal sake of it, "I would strongly suggest for you get the ends of your hair curled and loosen them into waves and shove it over to one side in a pony tail, with a few loose strands on the opposite side framing your face with a careful couple on the same side too, and with that you should look like a heaven's dropped an angel" he said. His last comment took me by surprise, that was actually one of the sweetest thing I'd heard since I'd been here.

"Thanks, that really very sweet of you" I said knowing that wouldn't be enough to return the favour but an attempt had to be made for such a lovely statement.

"Well, I'd hate to interrupt your ever so sweet conversation but I think we really should get going," Madhu butted in again. "So how much do we owe you?" She finally managed to ask our talented supervisor with a sudden urge to rush him.

"Erm," he replied as if he was taken off guard, "let's take care of this ova' at the till shall we?" he said leading her away after throwing a quick glance in my direction and bidding me goodbye, "a pleasure to meet you."

"You too" I gestured back with a polite and unsure smile.

_____

"Why don't we go somewhere else instead and meet them later on in the night. What do you say?" I said announcing a change of plan suddenly. I was enjoying myself the way it was already and I didn't wanna ruin the fun we were having. "It's about us, so let's keep it about us, do we have to meet them lot" I pestered innocently.

"Well we're not bound, if that's what you mean but we did do all this for Baji so it'll end up a waste of time innit" replied Madhu in two minds.

"Yeah you're right, I should have thought about you and Baji before I said that" I said apologetically, "I feel so different in being away from them for one day" I desperately frustrated.

"I understand what you mean, even I can admit it feels kinda good to get away" she sympathised. She threw her head back like she was preparing to do something she may later on regret. "I tell you what, screw the guys. Let's go break a few hearts."

I smiled triumphantly, "are you sure?"

"I am for now, let's see how the guys like it if we make our own plans for one night" she said adopting a different strategy.

"Wow, and I thought it was all for me" I said waltzing round to her right an weaving and arm through hers, "so where to? my princess charming" I said alluringly.

"Ha, 'princess charming' very surreal" she beckoned with insult.

"I should like to think so" I chuckled as we walked arm in arm toward the train station.

"Gimme a few seconds to work my magic," she said taking us to one side, "I better make a few arrangements otherwise we won't get in."

Several moments later Madhu explained her expedition on which she begun continuously absent of a shy breather during her phone call. She'd called Naomi, a friend of hers that worked at Club Bond to get us onto the guest list for tonight on short notice; as we hadn't had any guys with us chances were it probably would've been difficult to get in. Once that was done after a long due headache, she sent a text to Dutta and Baji saying we were unable to meet them at Leicester Square and had resorted to a night we simply couldn't talk ourselves out of.

We on the other hand had enough time to buy our outfits; get into them and stuff our old gear into our over-sized shopping bags and bought a few Bacardi Breezers to give us a light boost without overdoing it before we reached Mayfair, just so we could start to settle ourselves with a lightheaded buzzing mood. Our excess baggage would be stored with Madhu's mate at the club, so until then we had to bear the burden on our shoulders.

We cracked several jokes along the way as we walked a few rounds between alleys and chatted about random stuff that went on in both our lives. Apparently Dutta's sister was getting married toward the end of the month and most of the airfield was invited.

"Why don't you come as well? It'll be fun" she later found herself saying.

"Are you kidding, I barely know Dutta and to turn up at his sister's wedding 'uninvited' would be pretty insulting" I shot back.

"Hmm, true-say," she reconsidered her proposal, "maybe he'll end up inviting you himself eventually" her words followed at a second attempt, "all you have to do is get into his good books."

"How tempting?" I remarked, "getting into Dutta's good books and convincing him into inviting me to his sister's wedding seems kinda desperate for no apparent reason, don't you think."

"I guess you're right, I just thought we'd have a good time that's all - but never mind, forget I said anything."

"Trust me, that isn't hard!" I exclaimed, as we moved onto our third Breezer and boarded our train. "Do you think they'll mind" I asked Madhu, who was having a hard time parting her lips from her bottle and instead nodded a 'no' rather than replying by mouth.

________

It was almost eight-thirty when we arrived at Berkeley street. I told Madhu to check her phone just in case she'd missed a call or message from the boys during our journey, but it was vacant of any such communication from their side. They must not have been too concerned, not that they should be but Madhu's face did lose the aura it held earlier. I could tell she wanted Baji to ask questions as to why we weren't linking up with them, but unfortunately for her no such event took place.

"It's alright, don't worry too much about it Madhu, tonight isn't the only day to get him" I comforted, "and besides you're gonna have him for a lifetime - trust me, which means you'll probably end up getting bored of him eventually anyway, and when you do you'll probably end up looking back to this night and thank yourself that you didn't link him after all."

Madhu leaped forward and hugged me. I was at the least expecting this kind of a reaction but whatever it was - perhaps her buzzing mood - but she seemed to have revived herself from this so-called 'hug' therapy thereafter.

"Thank you" she said.

When I asked her "what for" she said my words didn't sound like plain simple bullshit that one girl said to another, and that she really did appreciate my support and my future prediction of her marriage status with Baji really iced the cake with a cherry on top for her.

That was a lot of trust for a girl I only just recently met and that too in response to a comment that followed in such basic terms, but inside of me I really did feel like we were on the verge of building a very strong bond with one another, she was almost like the sister I never had, and I found myself promising her that I'll do whatever I could within my power to make Baji realise that he was in love with her.

We got into the club after forty minutes and things were really kicking off, all the VIP tables were packed out and Timberlake's SexyBack was playing in its garbled vocals and heavily drowning out its own lyrics with its pounding bass. Madhu sprung a few vocals of her own alongside as she twirled around and shook a few hips with the beat through the groups holding my hand and leading us both to the bar during her brief dancing.

I felt like I was secretly attacked by a splurge of sudden guilt due to my suggestion of splitting with the guys, perhaps Madhu wanted to flaunt herself a little before Baji for once and I ended up interfering a lot more than I thought I did, I felt like I had to make things right. I didn't wanna let all her effort go wasted, I felt obliged to set right everything I was responsible for, and I knew just what it was that I needed to do!

I shouted well over my voice if I could borrow Madhu's phone and told her that I was out of credit and I'd just noticed a missed call from home, once I reached her successfully she slumped her cell into my hand and waved me away 'to go ahead' while she went off to the ladies' and locate Naomi somewhere so she could hold onto our stuff in her locker or something.

Several missed calls were displayed on her screen once I'd gotten outside, two were from Dutta and one from Baji, including a text also from Baji asking us of our whereabouts. That was all the proof I needed, so it turned out Baji was concerned after all. I called him first but got nothing and much for my tolerance I ended up getting through to Dutta instead.

"Yeah why did you call?" I asked first, blocking my free ear with one finger to drown out the noise and moved further away.

"Hi to you too" he replied back, "and why do you have Madhu's phone? Is she alright?" he asked with concern, "where are you lot anyway; I thought you was linking up with us? Why the sudden change?"

I rolled my eyes in bother, "if your one-thousand-and-one-question-game is over, would you mind letting me talk" I rather sharply attacked. When I didn't hear an answer I chose to continue with my mission, "first of all 'hi'" I begun with utmost false courtesy, "Madhu's currently occupied which is why you're through to her personal callback service via her secretary" I added with a corporate tone to mock his concern.

"Very funny" he said on the other side.

"I can assure you sir, she is in perfectly safe hands and we are in Soho as we had a sudden change of plan" I informed, "clearly" I muttered beneath my breath, "because we wanted to chill out for the night." I paused for a breather and voted to repeat my question again, "so if you would be so kind to care and provide me with an answer to my one and only question - for what reason did you call?"

"Smart, I'll hand you that" he said in return. I could tell he was hyped to equip me with answers equal to my own wit if not more, and I dunno why but I did enjoy teasing him, it was almost like it became an obligation to to have a couple of jokes on him otherwise it wouldn't feel like normal practice.

"I called because I wanted to find out where you girls were at" he said free from any humour, making the ounces of guilt inside me pile up in pounds. Now I definitely felt like I ruined everyone's night.

"Oh" I let out bleakly.

"It's just always good to let someone else know where you are; but what are you doing in Soho?" he said again.

"Look Dutta" I really didn't know how to start this, "I kinda need your help" I stated reluctantly, "and before you fire anymore questions at me can you do me a favour, actually lemme rephrase that, can you do me a 'big' favour?"

"Go on, I'm listening" he said cautiously.

______

"Cheers!" We toasted to having a great night, "who knows what surprises this night may hold right" I managed to squeeze in before taking a sip.

"I hope you're right Naku, I really wanna let my hair loose tonight" she agreed in her own sorta way, "now that Baji's outta the picture I might as well" she pointed out as she raised her glass.

"You already have your hair loose" I noted playfully and overlooked her mild forms of misery during her last part of her comment.

"Oh do I?" she snickered along with me. "Come on let's have a dance!"

"You go right ahead, I'm just gonna finish my drink and I'll be right there" I excused smoothly.

"Care for another drink Madam?" the absolutely fit bartender asked.

I held my almost empty gin glass up and gave it a little shake to show I weren't finished just yet. "I'm okay for now, thanks."

"Okay, do let me know when you're ready for another" his voice came across hoarsely even for such a loud environment, he moved away with a downward nod and strangely I found myself pleased with the attention portrayed in such a sweet manner. I let my smile be my reply and broke the gaze as a fitting gesture considering he was a complete stranger.

I noticed the time on my phone; the rest of the guys should have been here by now, what was taking them so long, I wondered. My phone vibrated - finally! It was of course Dutta who sent a text to my phone this time round so I wouldn't have to use Madhu's phone anymore, it read they were just outside and were making their way in.

I sent a text back telling him to wait on the far side of the bar by the VIP tables while I rushed off to the toilets quickly so I wouldn't have to take too many breaks before I broke the news to Dutta, I needed a certain energy flow revved up around me before I could begin, especially since it was his help I was preparing to take.

I bumped into Madhu on my way to the ladies, but that was precisely when I realised things hadn't gone entirely to plan, and it was no coincidence that she bumped into me like I'd assumed she did and if that weren't enough the look on her face was one that spoke volumes.

"Did you tell Baji that we were here?" she asked hurriedly, her words were divided by two sets of emotions, one was relief and the other sounded much like the opposite.

"I take it you found out they're here" I smirked at her excitement foolishly.

"Yeah I sure did, but I don't think you're gonna be too pleased when you find out exactly who 'they' consist of" she said taking away my moment of glorious planning which was only subject to bringing a smile on her face, "Naku the reason we planned this day was to get away from the very thing that's just walked through the door."

"W-what are you talking about?" I stuttered anxiously as I suddenly got a bad feeling about this, "who is it?" I asked even though I had a fair idea by now.

She nodded a yes as she clasped me securely by both my arms, she knew I knew she meant Gaurav was here too, "it gets a lot worse honey" she said preparing to add insult to injury.

"Rabiqa" I said in one breath, "he came with Rabiqa?" I found myself astonished by this news once I'd come to terms with the first half of it, I thought he said that he had nothing to do with her! A while back he was into me and suddenly he's not! I felt annoyed beyond limits, "how could he?"

"Calm down Naku, you can do this, it's just a guy and not a guy that you're gonna spend the rest of your life with, he's just any old guy okay" she nodded determinedly and let go of me slowly, "just breath" she advised.

"Okay," I agreed like I knew I was okay with this, "I can do this" I said releasing another ten breaths per second.

"You're gonna show him you don't care, do you hear me. It doesn't matter if he walks in with Paris friggin' Hilton through that goddamn door okay - trust me when I say it's his loss, and I think he'll agree with me once he sees you tonight whether he admits it or not" she convinced sincerely like she was my personal therapist or something.

"I'll be fine Madhu, honestly" I lied, "I just thought Baji really deserved to see you in that dress tonight," I said revealing to her the real reason I invited the crowd here, "and now that they are here I don't want you worrying about me, I can handle myself, and as a matter of fact it's Dutta with whom I need a word with" I said storming off to privilege him with a chance to face the music rightfully - he could've warned me.

Majority of the airfield crowd was now assembled not far off from where I was sat before I'd left, I tried to spot Dutta but couldn't see him anywhere near them. I decided to give myself a boost and finally get that refill that was long overdue until I clashed into either of them.

My walk was disturbed by a hand that grabbed my waist and churned me into a huge crowd with unknown faces, I tried release myself but the grip around my waist was too firm to break, the face huddled up into my neck from behind while a second hand clutched onto my buttocks from the right, I tried to object orally, but my voice was drowned out by the music. Having enough I stomped on the guy's foot with my heel and he finally let go of me. He was an extremely well dressed person with a groomed face although currently distressed due to my heel damaging his foot, or at least I'd hoped it did. I stared at him like I was ready to murder him and furiously mouthed 'what the hell are you doing?!'

He backed off gently and mouthed an apology to show he didn't want any trouble. I finished it with a vicious glare and murmured a silent curse as I stomped away rubbing my wrist to where he'd applied excess pressure and returned to Madhu, "get me a goddamn drink."

"You seen him yet?" she asked seeing my angered state.

"No but if I do, chances are I'll probably end up killing him."

"Alright I think it's high-time I got you that drink" she said lightly amused.

"Naku! Is that you!" A voice called from behind Madhu, "did the bond theme just suddenly take your fancy" he laughed.

"Baji" I addressed requiring minimum effort to locate him, "so you made it after all, and as a matter of fact yeah we certainly did, are you impressed?" I asked with a hint of innocent flirting, and giving Madhu a wink on the sly.

"You bet I am, I can't believe you could look so, er, well you know'.." Was all he said, and left his sentence unfinished to scratch the back of his head "not plain... I guess."

I helped him out when he began struggling with his words, "what about Madhu? You do know that you better keep close watch on her, she's had every guy in here trying to hit on her per fifteen minutes you know," I chuckled and left him behind with a hint of warning.

"Is that true?" he said to Madhu and straightening up with a frown that gained priority.

"No!" Madhu scrapped immediately, "don't listen to her, she's just pulling your leg, anyway you tell me, how was it down at the club you lot went to earlier?"

"It was alright you know, oh and guess what?" he said to Madhu like he was about to give her a news she was practically dying to know.

I left the two together and went to wander a little with my drink and greet the others as a kind gesture.

"But you look amazing..." was all I heard on my departure, and credited myself with the first bit of satisfaction all night.

"Guys" I boasted loudly moving into the crowd and gave a catwalk twirl to let them witness my new look with ease. Comments flew at me from every direction with a few of the guys winking at me with approval, Clare appraised both mine and Madhu's outfits.

"You both look so pretty," she complimented but was quick to vent too, "I love how you guys went ahead and pampered yourselves all day long and didn't bother inviting me" she complained.

I told her how things weren't as well planned as they seemed to have been perceived from the outer sphere they were all stood upon and that we tried to get away from things and ended up here, but didn't have the faintest idea that we'd lastly end up with everyone we tried to avoid in some sense or the other. David joined in with Clare's complaints, I pleaded to him to spare me of his tantrum. I would like to think that I'd had enough for the night, but the bitter truth was it had only just begun and I knew it wasn't about to get any better.

"So guys" I boldly announced, "this would be the perfect time to start cheering me up yeah" I promoted pretty obviously because I knew my newfound friends weren't exactly the type to get that idea by themselves, and my help for myself could do wonders for my mood I figured. The effect of my advice worked pretty fast, movement to the dance floor was in motion and before I could let out a word of complaint I was doing rounds with everyone and was on the verge of dancing the night away - literally!

I left when a good half an hour of cramps and stitches were taking full course of action at my core. "Another erm," I'd been dancing for so long I hadn't stopped to realise I was nearly buzzing and had forgotten on the spot what my drink was! Talk about embarrassing situation, even if I was the lone person disclosed to this information, but - apparently not, the boundaries of insult were yet to be provoked further when I was reminded by - actually that was information that yet demanded a discovery.

"It's okay, I've got it" said the voice I didn't quite remember until I looked up to see it was by coincidence my personal bartender who'd offered a refill earlier, "another Gin?" he asked without waiting for a reply and turned to whip it up into a new tumbler, "the bar is interactive, it lit up at your touch to call for a barman" he informed casually with his palms resting on the bar and an arched back while waiting for the conversation to continue, "although I did notice you'd gone empty without having the technological stuff alert me" he assured like it was vital for some reason.

I appreciated the help nonetheless, "thanks" I said not wasting any time in taking hold of my topped up glass.

"You're here with an awful lot of guys" he said, "do you belong to any of them?"

I made a face and denied it without eye contact, "nope, I'm all alone" I said sounding more ironic than I'd tried to.

"Nakusha" said the one voice I wish I hadn't heard, I closed my eyes in despair and remained silent. "Are you alright?" he questioned when I kept hold of the silence and chose to remain blinded.

"Do I look like I'm dead, injured or severely undergoing some serious form of depression?" I replied aggressively, "of course unless you were hoping that one of those things were true."

"Don't talk like that Naku, I'm glad to see that you're okay, in fact it seems like you're doing a little more than okay" he said glancing at me and then at the bartender, who soon moved away swiftly and began serving others.

I rubbed my temples and started again, "that was harsh, I shouldn't have come across like that," I apologised reluctantly "but seriously Gaurav I'd feel a lot better if I didn't have you in front of me."

"Perhaps you would Naku but that's because you don't know what the truth is."

"I think when the truth is flaunting it's stick-like girlfriend's body clung onto the boy I thought had a little decency in him just a day after he was making a move on ME, makes it a little clear don't you think" I said screeching the legs of my barstool with force against the flooring to walk away.

He grabbed my hand and stared into my eyes regrettably, "just a few minutes, it's all I'm asking" he demanded confidently.

I knew it was a bad idea but leaving things the way they had been was plenty worse for a final statement between us for closure - not that we were dating or anything - but I did think about him more than I should have needed to. Without saying another word I gave him a simple approval and left with him, but even though I was the angry one it felt more like he was taking me out for a scolding but of course time hardly presented me with an opportunity to argue about that subject.

"What is it?" I said blaring attitude.

"Don't talk like that, at least look at me for god's sake" he begged with his hands deep in his pockets, "you're upset and you've every right to be, but that doesn't mean you get to act like that okay, because you don't even know what the whole truth is yet."

"Oh of course I don't I'm just a flippin' idiot that can see things crystal clear yet standing here like confused-dot-com innit!"

"That's just it, they ain't clear as crystal is it, I was gonna go out with the boys already it's habit" he persuaded, "ask anyone," he said abruptly standing before me when I looked everywhere else except at him, "then Rabiqa landed at my room dressed up or 'tarted' up as you said and forced herself into our plans because she knows how we run, but Dutta told me you weren't coming so I thought it would be okay-"

"Obviously it would be okay, because I would never find out would I" I yelled conveniently to be heard.

"You don't understand, I really do wanna move on from her, even when I'm with her I was thinking about you the whole time" he promised.

Don't fall for it Naku, it's a white lie to your face, the number one excuse guys tell when they wanna get out of a situation easily, "you only met me yesterday Gaurav" I pointed out shrewdly, and then I realised the truth like it had only just surfaced. I'd only met him last night and I was behaving like we were in some sort of long term engagement, what was I doing! I froze like I went into a relapse.

"Exactly!" He prompted, "I only just met you yesterday and I feel like I've known you for years or at least I would like to" he went on fragilely when he thought his time was over because of my sudden time-slip.

"I'm sorry Gaurav" I started over, "I don't know why I'm behaving like this, I mean you and Rabiqa have been together since like, how long is it again?" I asked ridiculously.

He released a suppressed giggle, "well I didn't actually but for future reference it's been like a year since we've known each other but our total dating time is like three months to be honest and that too in intervals, so it was never like a proper relationship if you get what I mean" he informed calmly.

I bit onto my bottom lip considerably, "I see what you mean about things not being so clear, but the fact of the matter is that I really don't have a right to intervene as much as I am doing right now, and call me stupid but I guess I just realised how much tension I'm creating for you and I'm in no position to do that, not right now - I mean so soon."

"But here's the story" he recited, "I want you to have that right, but just give me time with Rabiqa so I can end things properly with her this time - for good" he assured, "but I'm not saying that you have to wait around for me while I sort things out with her meanwhile, you're free to do whatever you like."

At that particular moment, right then, that spark I thought had been fizzing out in slow motion had suddenly kept warm within me, I felt like accepting his offer was the right thing to do, and he wasn't pulling any strings on me either, he was willing to wait - well technically it was I who was to bargain with the waiting end of things, but in all honestly he was being frank. "So today we can title our relationship with friendship" I said offering my hand before him with a genial smile, which he shook without ado, "and yeah good luck with Rabiqa, I promise I won't trouble you any longer and I'll be good and wait my turn" I added lightly, "should the fire keep ignited long enough" I quickly added with an eloquent sigh.

"I'm pretty sure it will" he was quick to say as we walked back in, "so er, what was the bartender talking about to you?"

"The bartender" I said surprised at his asking, "erm" truth is I could hardly remember myself. It was so hot and stuffy inside that I'd almost forgotten where we were once we'd gotten outside the club, "I think he was just offering me a refill that's all" I replied casually. "Why?"

"No, nothing, he just seemed over friendly that's all."

"How can he seem over friendly in just two seconds of you standing there, the guy's job is to serve drinks Gaurav" I strongly reminded and shook my head in disapproval.

"Yeah more like two seconds for too long" he retorted, "the guy wasn't ready to budge when I got there" he remarked.

"It's not like you're my man or anything is it!" I shot back, "why should he feel the need to depart on your arrival anyways, even if you were."

"Because men shouldn't eye other peoples girls" he justified.

"And I'm nobody's girl right now, in case you hadn't noticed."

"But he don't know that, you and I knew that because we know, but he-"

"Well he did actually," I remembered, "he was asking me if any of those guys were with me just before you came along."

"So he was chattin' you up, that cheeky bloody-"

"Hey, relax, the poor guy was only making conversation it was basic talk that's all."

"Basic talk involves the weather Naku not prying into your social life" he confirmed with agitation.

"Alright," I said with a time-out tone "now you're acting like a jealous boyfriend with apparently the wrong girl it seems" I said weaving my comment with a touch of sarcasm. "Let's get you to the right girl" I said as we got nearer to the club.

"I was just saying-" he retreated when I threw him a stern look to stop and so he finished off with a simple thought before we went our own ways again, "you look gorgeous tonight you know that" he said as he held open the door for me.

This was the part where it got uncomfortably awkward, I gulped and thanked him without giving him another glance. Phew, that went pretty okay, at least we were on good talking terms though, all I needed now was to get back to Dutta, but where the hell was this guy!

"Hey can I get you a drink?" a brummy accented voice intruded.

"Er, thanks but no thanks" I immediately replied without looking to see who it was while peering over the crowds searching for Casanova Dutta.

"Please" the voice broke through again.

"Look I really am good thanks" I said finally turning to get a visual on the guy, "you!" My eyes expanded with an outburst of rage, "you're the guy who grabbed me on the dance floor" I accused with a pointed finger.

He held his eyes down apologetically and utilised the space between us this time to assure the distance will remain decent, "I was just hoping to buy you a drink so I could apologise for my indecent behaviour earlier tonight."

I was still fuming no doubt, "I'll stick to my first statement 'thanks but no thanks'" I said again leaving him behind.

"Gin again?" My famous bartender spontaneously sprouted yet again, but this time I was beginning to feel kind of annoyed.

"You know I think I'll go for a light beer this time," I nodded politely. "Stella from the bottle should do" I grinned.

"That's not a light beer" he said popping the cap off and handing the chilled bottle to me, "it's more like the opposite, and it certainly ain't a ladies' drink" he said clearly refusing to budge.

"Funny that, because I don't seem to feel very feminine today at all," I replied finally to make his conversation two-sided, "in fact I feel like Mike Tyson, you know that" I said making a new discovery 'cause I sure felt like boxing someone tonight, I caught him frowning at my comment.

"Really, now that wouldn't happen to be because of me would it?" The brummy voice rushed by my side again and intruded.

"You again!"

"Another two beers please, the same" he said verifying the same brand of beer in my hand, "one for the fine lady and the other for me."

Mister bartender troubled by this new arrival unwillingly dumped a bottle toward Mister pervert and unexpectedly ordered him to leave me alone, now there was something I didn't see coming. I shifted my gaze from bartender to pervert and wondered what they were about to do after their vicious staring combat. An 'or what' followed from the brummy guy, and an 'or else' retaliated from Tom Cruise aka Brian Flanagan wannabe guy, with a 'yeah' shooting back, and a 'we can take this outside then' counter attack from 'Cocktail Brian'.

"Hey hey guys!" I shouted for them to stop, "gimme that beer" I said to Brian cum bartender who although confused he was he did as he was told. I took a huge sip from it and nodded to Mister disorientated pervert "go ahead and pay for it" which he also obeyed obediently, "right - now we're all sorted alright, guy with mistake paid for my drink and made things better again, and guy behind the bar poured it and saved his job - yay" I cheered along underwhelmed, "now can we please all continue with our nights - separately."

Couldn't I get peace anywhere or was my presence just destined to promote fights everywhere I bloody well went and where the hell was everyone from our crowd, it was like they'd disappeared into thin air and I was left behind on crystal bloody maze. But one thing I surely uncovered was Baji's entangling difficulty of moving away from Madhu; but it seemed like although they were dancing together they weren't actually together together. They still carried this strong burden of friendship displayed on their every move and I couldn't understand if it was because the bond they shared was a one-sided love from Madhu's part or whether both parties suffered from the same problem, but more importantly the only person who could guide me there was Dutta. Again Dutta! Everything eventually boiled down to Dutta! Errggghhh!!!

"Boo!" Talk of the devil, it had to be him, or more like it had better be him.

"You! It's about bloody time an' all, where the hell have you been Dutta, in case you didn't notice I invited you here for a reason" I curtly frustrated.

"Yeah I know but in case you hadn't noticed I was busy looking for the Naku with the 'before' look and ended up finding the one with the 'after' look" he joked, "and that was kinda hard actually so you should give me credit for that because it wasn't easy finding you, Nemo."

"Quit comparin' me to a fish, and besides even if I was, by the time you'd have found me I would've toured the waters surrounding every goddamn continent like five times" I complained, "and then would've ended up like Dory eventually and forgetting who the hell you were" I vented.

"Come on are you really gonna argue with me about Nemo" he complained.

"No" I replied timidly, walking back to the bar at a different spot this time knowing he would follow my lead rather than me telling him to do so and fetched a couple of vacant seats. I patted my hand to the leather cushioning of the stool to allocate his seat, he shook his head mildly and sat while unbuttoning his blazer with one hand stylishly for comfort.

"Boss" he called for service, "a double Blue Label on the rocks and a..." he added a pause for me and I quickly asked for another Stella, "er bottled Stella please - cheers" he finished off.

He finally turned to enquire what my haste was. Although, I must say that he looked quite handsome for the first time since I'd met him, his rolled up sleeves of his black blazer and erect collar gave him an attractive appeal, as did his unbuttoned white v-neck shirt. I chose to observe for a few seconds before getting on with things.

"First of all, why the hell didn't you tell me Gaurav was with you!" I said knowing I shouldn't have begun with this topic but I couldn't help it, the second I opened my mouth it just blurted out like it had deliberately skipped the queue way ahead of the rest of the things that were in line waiting to be discussed.

"I thought you said you were over him though" he grimaced as he responded, "so I didn't think it necessary of course, and besides you were in a hurry while you were chatting and it didn't come to me at that point in time, okay."

"Oh god Dutta," I stressed "but still, he's bought that s**t Rabiqa with him, don't you get how that makes me feel right now?"

"Not really, how?" he asked carelessly.

I tutted as I clenched onto my beer and drained it of its contents, and in turn Dutta also knocked back his neat whiskey, "it makes me feel like shit" I snapped.

"Why?" he said tapping his fingers on his glass for another top-up, "from where I'm sitting you look miles better than her, trust me babe."

"I don't need your advice but still a warning would have be nice in future, and don't call me babe!" I warned.

"Future?" he echoed the single word in question, "what do you mean?"

I laid back before filling him in, "well it wasn't all bad," I said mellowing down a little "Gaurav and I spoke of what transpired between us and he told me that he's working on how to break up her and that he needs time that's all."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And, you believed that" he said sternly astonished, "you actually opted to wait for him to break up with her? Are you serious? How do you know he's even telling you the truth Naku, you just met the damn guy."

"I don't, but I've gotta believe something" I defended, "there's something inside of me that just feels like Gaurav is meant to be in my life for some reason and for now I don't know why that is - but I won't find out if I don't chance it right, and besides I've got nothing to lose have I. If things don't go well then it'll just end bad and we'll all move on with our lives" I narrated casually, deliberately sounding free from bother.

"Yeah, I've heard similar words before" he remarked doubtfully, "so tell me why am I having such a hard time believing that then?"

I didn't know if he wanted me to answer that but I sure as hell kept mum because his question was more or less his answer, and I knew I couldn't change his mind, so why bother at all. I stole away from the moment by keeping myself busy with my beverage.

"You know you're placing your bets on the horse that's already lagging, so why be hopeful, I just can't understand" he accusingly chose to continue.

"Every horse is tethered for a while Dutta it don't mean they can't break free, hope is the only thing that keeps people going in life, so why not me?" I justified ardently.

"Hope, is just a pathetic bridge that pretends to be intact with your goal," he argued like he had personal enmity with the damn word, "but it's a delusional nothingness that lets you believe in something that's never there, it's a lame excuse that lets ardent believers like you take shots sky high without seeing your destination - in short people that rely on hope are fools" he bitterly added.

"No it's not Dutta," I argued passionately "hope is knowing that there is a bridge that leads there in the first place, and if you know that, that means you know there's a way or a path that reaches your destination after all" I amended differently, "but why are you so worked up by it anyway?" I couldn't help notice his sudden aggressiveness to the whole situation, "Gaurav's your mate, so shouldn't you be the one defending him here?" I enquired.

"You said it Naku, I know Gaurav, which also means you should know why I'm not defending him" he said disapprovingly, "I'm not for a second saying he's a bad guy, he really is great, but I know how he is with girls too Naku and the reason I'm telling you is because most of us are not too different from him either, and to cut a long story short I'm saying guys like him aren't for girls like you" he admitted uncharacteristically.

It was slightly weird for me to see him so worked up about something and so seriously too, he's always so light hearted and bubbly - well whatever that meant in his terms at least - and of course when he wasn't busy being a complete ass.

"Alright we won't ruin the mood by talking about these things right now yeah, let's just settle the matter here" I said reaching forward and handing him his drink, "but before we move ahead - can I say something off the record" I asked quickly.

"What is it?"

"Someone once said, that the day you quit hoping is the day you should start worrying" I uttered slowly and offered a wary smile to cheer him up, "because although the conversation was about me and Gaurav it seemed like you had something or maybe... someone else in mind. Don't worry, I won't ask who or what the cause of your stress was" I brushed off supportively, "but I will say, no matter what happens in life you have to keep pace with it otherwise you'll just find yourself left too far behind, and take it from me, life doesn't come looking for you. Favours is what we humans do for each other by choice, but you can't expect that kind of generosity from life because its already done you the biggest favour of gifting you with it."

"Nicely said" he complimented, "but is it as easily done?"

"Okay" I said heightening my tone, "enough sentimental crap, do you know what Tom Hanks said to Gena Davis in that nineteen-ninety-two movie 'A League of their Own'?"

"Yeah and this relates how exactly" he sarcastically highlighted.

"Just answer the goddamn question" I ordered.

"I can't remember right now, not that I know which dialogue you're chattin' about, just so you know."

"You could have just said that in the first place instead of wasting all this time."

I shifted in my chair and began "remember - Gena Davis' character Dottie Hinson wanted to quit playing baseball as an indirect favour to her little sister Mae who expressed her struggle of survival in the team when she felt she couldn't compete against her sister anymore and was always perceived as a player reaping the benefits off her sister's talent, which was why her career never kicked off independently despite her efforts, and she also made it clear that it never would while Gena Davis was still around making front page news all the time-"

"I'm aware of the story Naku, make your point before I forget what we were talking about."

"Okay sorry," I said, I get so carried away with myself but I just love that film. "Erm, yeah anyway. What I meant to say was that remember when Gena Davis aka Dottie Hinson decided to leave after the first season of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and legendary Jimmy Dugan who's played by Tom Hanks tells her that she's wrong for quitting, because life doesn't give you second chances it leaves you with memories of those opportunities, which in due course end up as regrets that infest inside of you like a disease, for which there'll never be a cure," I emphasised strongly although it was said a little differently to my version.

"Yeah" he replied protrusively when I refused to continue without hearing an answer from him.

"Well she in response told Jimmy that 'it got too hard' - remember? Obviously she was referring to the emotional torment she went through with her sister. But he scrapped her reason as bullshit and said 'that it was supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it."

"'The hard... Is what makes it great'" Dutta quoted additionally and finished off my dialogue. I smirked as he did so because he sounded just like Jimmy Dugan too.

"And worth living, if I might add" I mentioned cautiously to his finish but quickly went on to avoid his look of 'really?' staring back at me. "It's a shame she never returned though, I always did wonder if she really missed it during her lifetime and if she was happy with her decision after all."

"When she came back in the end you can tell her love for the game still held the same passion she left with, but then she also lead a happy long life with her Bob too don't forget, so it's not always excuses you know even though it may have sounded like it to Jimmy at the time" he finally contributed to my non-stop babbling and surprisingly kept involved with the topic too.

"I can't argue with that, but she could have done both, getting through certain barriers of life makes you stronger in the long run you know, not everything sets out to be perfect at first and it never has to be one thing or the other in life either, no one has to choose just because one bad experience got in the way, like they say 'when one thing falls out of place, another falls right into it', but believing hope seizes to exist doesn't make you the tough guy that can deal with anything in life, it just means you never see any light at the end of the tunnel when the going gets tough, that's all" I shrugged.

"Which means you're probably stuck in cave somewhere and not a tunnel" he answered with mockery.

"Very funny" I grinned, "my point is, it's easy to give up and turn your back on something, or to 'be stuck in a cave'" I repeated after him, "and not look for a way out, because the way forward becomes uncomfortable or breaking a wall to see the light in the cave is too difficult to accomplish" I preached, "but from both these examples it's only hope that can set you free, don't you get it" I said filling my voice with expectations, "if you hope to see the light, you'll find a way to build a tool to breakthrough a wall; if you hope to accomplish a dream then you'll find a vehicle durable enough to travel the aggressive rivers of obstructions to get there, and when you do, you realise that the journey you covered wouldn't privilege you with that level of appreciation if the road was easy to begin with."

"The hard is what makes it great" Dutta said again, but this time he sounded like he was sincerely hopeful.

Could I have just performed a miracle - I truly wondered. "Sorry what was that?" I asked, to give myself proof that I'd given birth to a ray of hope within this... 'hopeless' man I guess.

"You're right, what you're saying is right," he admitted slowly like he'd forced himself to come to terms with it, "and for a long time I used to think the same you know, someone close to me had his whole life pinned on this one word of 'hope' which is why I despise it so much, and today your words reminded me so much of him... he too relied on this word with one-hundred percent faith but it failed him" his voice slowly retreated but not before adding an admission of "and me too." Dutta clenched his fist and took in a deep breath to gather himself again.

"Its okay Dutta" I pacified and ran a cool hand over his hairline, "I wouldn't want you upset over this" I said, "stay calm, we don't have to talk about this, if I'd known I wouldn't have ever-"

"No, it's okay, for the first time in ages I've felt sort of relieved you know, like a weight is beginning to shift at the surfaces so I don't want you to apologise" he said taking hold of my hand for emotional strength. I kept on looking at him, this man was hurt by something deep and he'd kept it bottled up inside of him for god knows how long, and this was the first time I'd seen a reflection of his pain, but I didn't have the decency to go on anymore.

"I'm glad I could do little to help you" I said still recovering from the pain I'd witnessed in this man's eyes, "erm, by the way if its okay, could I have my hand back?" I asked feeling more foolish than ever, but my overstretched limbs were beginning to pain.

"Oh, I'm sorry babe" he said taking immediate change into action as he spoke and released my hand and downed his drink for a second time, "so listen Naku I'm starting to think you're not such a bad person you know and you do at times talk sense," he just about acknowledged while avoiding eye contact as it was too much of a large stake for his pride, "so I'm gonna do you a favour and help you to keep stronghold on the guy you think might be your potential 'true love'" he sarcastically added and transformed into his old-self once again with complete fluency, "basically I'm giving you the chance to find out if he really is worth it, just like you believe" he said resting his elbow onto the bar and inched closer like he was going to perform a type of hypnosis.

"Right" I said concerned, "I'm so glad I'm worthy of your company sire" I teased, "but you intend to help me how exactly?"

"Well that's just it," he said getting more drinks and getting in gear to speech me up while I watched on without a clue, "listen up carefully, because I'm about to let you in on the tricks and the trades of a guy's a-z ways okay. I'm gonna tell you how to how to wrap this guy round your finger and have him run circles around you, but first you need to find out which of your actions affect him while he's with her, and then we need to encourage all those things that'll force him to wonder every second of the day of why he's wasting time with her whenever he sees you, and then finally you need to make his heart churn and his soul agonise with Cupid's arrow poking him in literally every direction imaginable so that Rabiqa understands she's in for a tough round, clear and simple."

"Wait - me, and compete with Rabiqa, are you crazy, I can't compete with her, just look at her" I said weighing the difference hypothetically between our dress sense.

"Trust me babe, you have no idea how you weigh up in the eyes of a guy" he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I shot back, "and quit calling me babe."

"Sorry I can't help it, you're kinda labelled for good in my dictionary since the day I met you, and I'm sure you know that bad habits die hard" he replied, "and as for the 'you and her' part, you really don't get it do you?" he replied rhetorically.

"Er no, precisely why I asked you."

"Look" he said stressing his eyes, "guys only hook up with girls like her for easy shit innit, and everyone knows Rabiqa's been around the old block, but certain girls can be set apart in the eyes of guys, sort of like a psychological guideline that automatically differentiates between the girls you can take home and introduce to your mother types, as opposed to the ones you can't, if you get what I mean."

"No I don't actually, but let's not go there right now," I figured that was things better left for another time, "I'll admit that I appreciate your help but that's not what I need you're expertise for and come to think of it you've come to aid at perfect timing, I mean I do need your help but not with Gaurav, but more like with Baji" I said giving him the minutes of my brainstorming plan.

"Baji?" He repeated with crystal clear confusion, "now I'm wondering whether I've got you all wrong."

"No no no no no no" I denied in a marathon, "not as in me and Baji, as in Baji with someone who's madly in love with him, but first I need to know if he has anyone in mind, and no one can know that better than you" I said flashing a big grin for exploitation.

"Okay" he said laid back, knowing what I meant, "who's the lucky bird? It has to be someone I know if you know who it is, and to answer your question I don't think he has someone special in mind."

I told him at once of how wrong I thought he was, but I did however brief him of Madhu's feelings for him, for which he at first found it unbelievable and chose to argue instead of why she would reveal it to me and not him.

Why couldn't guys get that girls gel with each other in a different way, and it was clear that Dutta and her shared a bond of brother and sister traits and it could hardly feel comfortable for her to confess about his best friend to her senior now was it, and besides I did figure out the obvious myself, it wasn't like she was dying to tell me.

I explained how she wasn't sure if he felt the same way about her, but I as hell was, but still some confirmation would help which is where Dutta's help was required. He eventually admitted that Baji really was a diamond from his heart and although he'd never imagined such an occurrence between the two, he was rooting for it's outcome to be a success as in his opinion Madhu couldn't find a better guy then Baji.

"I reckon her dress should tie a few invisible strings onto his eyes" I commented, "they seem to me like they've been trailing her all night long" I said pointing them out far from where we were sat.

"Yeah but a dress can't do everything" he but in, "and I must admit she does look great."

What did he mean that a dress couldn't do everything, it got Baji's attention didn't it! That was more than enough to get one of them to confess and from previous talks I knew it won't be Madhu, so it had to be Baji. "I'm pretty sure Baji will try to make a move on her tonight" I replied back in defence of my plan.

"Nope - not my man Baji. If Baji felt that Madhu liked him, he would've told me I can assure you, which means he'll never make a move on her because he'd never wanna ruin the friendship they have, I know him too well."

Great, just great, so the pair of them were like the perfect example of the blind leading the blind. "We have to do something, I'm more than sure they've got a solid future together."

"A dress gets the attention sure thing, but it's other things that pave the way to a man's heart."

"I don't understand" I queried desperately, "doesn't it all begin with the attention first."

"It's simple, girls want guys to be more understanding and they put it out there on a big poster and are always going on and on about it, but truth is, guys want the same thing except they don't expect it and sure as hell never say it."

"Is that some kind of riddle or something" I attacked, 'cause I was sure confused here.

"My point is when a guy meets a girl who begins to create a difference within him without him expecting it, sort of like a surprise" he added, "but doesn't realise the extent of that impact at first but then, when it slowly creeps up on him a deliberate curiosity unveils in his heart that will urge him to find out more about this mysterious girl and why she made him feel the way he felt long after she left. You see a dress is a momentary thing, for example I could point out so many girls here that look damn good" and with his statement he pointed out the usual suspects with extensions and faces painted with their entire MAC eyeshadow palettes and skimpy dresses with high heels, "but when you talk to them that's all it is - face value - nothing they say or do means anything, and when they leave, the guy most probably won't even remember the colour of the dress that pulled him toward her in the first place let alone their names, now I know that sounds diabolical but most times it's true" he shrugged instinctively. "It's girls that leave an impression on a guy after she's gone that have men like us chasing them around, in other words a dress can't be the intermediary in a relationship, it has to be the things she does for her guy that lets him believe she sees him differently to other men, and when that happens he'll look at her like she's the only girl in the world, and the only one who'll make him forget what it was like to live in this world before she came along."

"Wow" that sounds like something I said. "I had no idea you could have so much meaning in your words" I went on without thinking.

"You don't have a clue about anything trust me, I told you before I'm a natural born bloody genius" he went on flattering his ego again, "but I'm not saying that a sexy dress isn't important to a man, 'cause it is, but it's far sexier when the woman wearing it is the only one he has eyes for."

"You should do love therapy you know" I said to pull his leg, "but tell me one thing Dutta, if you know so much about finding the right girl how come you haven't found one yourself?"

"Simple - because I've never come across any girl whose made a difference in my life and most certainly not one whose left me with something that's made me wanna make her mine."

"Curiosity kills the cat" I muttered hopelessly, "I wonder what kind of girl you'll fall in love with."

"Well don't let me stop you, wonder away" he encouraged, "because I don't think love is for me, I'll get married wherever my parents want me to and that's it."

"You're ready to do that?"

"Why not, just because I can't find someone who I can associate the word 'love' with doesn't mean I can't be happy, besides this way my parents won't have any qualms with me either I mean they've raised me and fulfilled all my needs in life, so I think it's fair to give them something back - this is how life works - fairytale shit doesn't work out for ninety-nine percent of the population you know."

"Yeah but you have to have some expectations from a life partner, I mean she'll want you to love her too."

"I'm sure I won't have a problem in making love to her, I'm an expert in that field trust me" he winked, "and anyone can say 'I love you' these words don't come with a contract or anything, that one can only use them if they're souls combine for all eternity - come on it's all a bunch of crap - loyalty isn't proved by saying 'stuff' its valued by actions that lead to consequences that are most desirable, and those feelings don't need introductions with petty words to show that your heart's in the right place, in life you just need to know what's right and wrong, and for me that's enough."

"Perhaps you're right, but at the moment you're saying that because those words you're dissing haven't ever had the chance to weigh down in your favour and the day they do, you'll understand the value but until then, they will remain as idle shells full of empty promises for you, although whatever you said isn't morally wrong in all honestly it's logic that's coming from a man who hasn't loved yet" I recited like it were poetry, though a poor attempt but its utterance made it seem so. I raised my eyebrows in approval and broke into a faint laugh.

"Alright let's find out how deep the waters are with our newly 'in-love' couple," he said getting onto his feet, "I'll grab a dance with Madhu and you get talking to Baji because for some reason I've got a feeling you'll be able to get it out of him without too much fuss" he said loosening his neck muscles and moving away.

What did that mean, I thought he was supposed to get it out of Baji, in that case I really didn't need his help if I was gonna be doing all the work. God this guy! He was long gone into the crowd, and I could see Gaurav sitting at a side table staring at me with Rabiqa clutching onto his arm tightly and barely leaving him any space to breath, I lowered my gaze and moved ahead to continue with my mission. It seemed that I was going to be helping from both sides, secretly.

God help me.

_____________

"Baji" I started with small hope, "how's things tonight, are you enjoying yourself?" I continued nervously when he approached me after Dutta took Madhu's company along with a few other faces I couldn't recognise.

"Yeah I am" he replied uninterestedly and stormed out of the bar while I chased after him. I so should be getting paid for this.

"What's wrong Baji? Has something happened?" I said struggling to keep up pace with him.

"You know what Naku, I'd just like to be left alone if that's okay" he stopped to inform.

I remained on the spot feeling slightly embarrassed and getting ready to walk away, but he halted a few metres away and brushed a stressed hand through his thick hair and turned back to apologise. I really felt bad for him, honestly, I'd felt like I'd ruined everyone's night now for certain.

"What happened?" I asked at no further delay, "did you have a tiff with someone in there?"

"It's just..." he clenched his jaw and ceased to continue, "I just..." he tried again and I didn't intervene, "I'm just so confused you know" he reluctantly confessed, and although he probably thought I had no idea on what he was talking about, I knew exactly what he meant.

"That's not a bad thing Baji" I said carefully proceeding nearer to him, "if anything it's a good thing" I added in defence.

He didn't miss the fact that I spoke specifically of a subject and attempted to uncover whether I knew what he was talking about. I figured it would be pointless of hiding what I knew, but it wouldn't be fair to Madhu for spilling the beans entirely, if they loved each other then it would only be fair for them to disclose their feelings to each other directly and not through a third party, but that didn't mean I couldn't help them both to adapt to the change of feelings they were encountering.

"I see how you look at her Baji, and I also know why you're trying so hard to hold your feelings back" I unveiled to him what I knew and he looked on inquisitively, "and you were doing just fine until today when you realised how tough the fight with yourself got, right?"

"You... how could you possibly know all this, I've never told anyone."

"Sometimes it's your eyes that can't guard what seems like a well-kept secret Baji."

"But how come no one else ever figured it out, and for that matter what about the person they're longing for, why hasn't she been able to see this?"

"Maybe she has, but perhaps she needs a more reliable confrontation from you, like things that have really taken a change in you just for her, like paying attention to details when it comes to the woman you love; things that only she'll see but go unnoticed for the world around you" I advised, just the way Dutta had explained. Right now I felt glad that I'd spoken to him, his words were really making a lot of sense to me as I presented them before Baji.

He grinned as he dug his hands into his pockets and began taking his walk again, "why did you say I was holding my feelings back though?" He shouted back, which was my cue to join him, and I quickly followed whilst throwing a quick thanks to God above and kissing my knuckles as a gesture.

"Because, it's simple, you're so afraid that Madhu might not feel the same way about you that you might end up jeopardising your friendship with her, and whether you two kick it off or not, losing a friend like her would prove to be far too much of a loss to you."

"Life's funny you know" he replied, and continued to elaborate after my 'why' in between, "because I was supposed to be helping you with Gaurav, but yet here you are reading me like a free public book. You've told me things that most people haven't even got a clue about after knowing me for so long, and instead helping me get the attention of the girl I love."

"I guess I know how to read between the lines" I showed off slightly, he put his arm around my neck and dragged me along as I told him just what a girl wants from the man who wants to put his claim on her for life, along with his surname. "This way you won't have to face the fear of losing your friend while trying to confess your love to her, and if she gives you the right signs then you know you're safe but after that it's up to you to keep her happy" I warned with an accusing finger.

"Trust me that won't be a problem, but how do I know what her reactions are gonna be?"

"That's what I'm here for" I smiled big, "let's just say I'll be your teacher and you my student this time round."

"Women" he shook his head, "never fail to surprise."

"Start with 'can I dance with you?' to me, and pretend that I'm Madhu okay" I said moving into position and pretended to wait for 'action' to hit our scene.

Baji looked left and right through the narrow streets with only the lampposts shedding their light on the wet concrete pavements, "here, and with er, you" he hesitated awkwardly.

"Jesus Baji" I huffed and grabbed his hand to place it onto my waist and put my hand over his shoulder and weaved his spare hand through my fingers to settle him into position too, and ordered, "right now follow my lead, and step right, back, right, left, forward, back, right, left and so on yeah, you get the picture right?"

"Erm" he gulped, "yeah I do, but I don't know how to dance Naku, and by the looks of it I don't think you do either."

"Hey I'm helping you here, so quit insulting me!" I said joking it off in attempt to loosen his nerves, "don't feel so rigid, keep your arms up with strict posture and chin up, let your feet sway to the music" I gasped dramatically, "and one, two, thee, four. One, two, three, four" I tried to get him in sync but he couldn't seem to get the hang of it, "haven't you ever seen Dirty Dancing Baji!?"

"No!" He answered at once and letting go to feel comfortable again, "but the title makes me frightened from you already."

"I was not gonna try it on you!" I justified right away, "but come on, 'nobody puts Baby in the corner' I imitated in Swayze's voice, you've never heard of that?"

"No, I haven't and what does that have to do with me and Madhu?" He fired after my non-stop weirdness.

"It doesn't, but its got some real good tips of dancing - intimately" I said waltzing around him and singing I've had time of my life in his ears to tease him.

"Do you want me to take her dancing or something, is that what this is all for?"

"Oh no, of course not, if you want to that's up to you but I had something better in mind, which I can't tell you just yet - so don't even bother asking" I warned right away.

"Hey - you ain't gonna tell Madhu about this are you?" He alarmed at once, "I know you guys are bonding pretty well, but-"

"Your secret is safe with me, I cross my heart and hope to die - don't take that literally, but I promise I will not tell her that you like her - I swear it."

I couldn't tell him that Madhu was dying to find out if he was in love with her, and I couldn't tell Madhu that Baji was also madly in love with her too, but I could certainly guard both their secrets from each other and work on getting them closer with the information I knew, after all - information is power!

_________

"We're all ready to go" I said to Dutta who gathered everyone together. Most of our crew had left and I managed to get through the exhausting night without having to face that slapper Rabiqa too, which was definitely a breath of fresh air. Gaurav had joined us too, and offered to drive me home, and I knew the sane thing to do was avoid his offer to prevent further trouble. Amy's hawk-eyes hadn't laid off of me since Rabiqa left and it was obvious she was dying to snitch on me.

"We've got three cars, so Amy and Madhu" said Dutta giving me a look of acknowledgement that referred to our talk and continued, "will go in Baji's car. Joshua and Paul can head off in David's car, and Clare you and Naku can go in Gaurav's car" he finished.

I couldn't believe it, after everything I'd told him he still planned on sending me home in Gaurav's car, I told him specifically that we both needed time, but he knew I wouldn't cause a scene involving Gaurav regarding our previous encounter last night. Paul, Josh and Dave left soonest, while Amy tried her level best to hitch with Dutta - the stupid beg-friend, and Madhu and Baji seemed compliant with the plan and followed obediently. Without making a fuss I went to the bar to catch Naomi so I could grab our stuff and told Gaurav that I'll meet him outside in the car and asked Clare to go ahead too. Dutta went off to the gents to attend nature's call I'm assuming, which left me, as usual, and I decided to grab our belongings.

However, it appeared that Naomi's shift was over, and Madhu had already taken our things, she probably forgot to mention it to me, so I sent her a text to find out while I waited near the bar. I received an immediate reply confirming the same and that they'd already left, and to my surprise Amy managed to stay behind so I guess it was just the two of them.

"Hey" she said drawing my company, I turned away to blank her but she insisted on telling me something, "it's not like I'm dying to talk to you you know" she said bluntly leaning informally against the bar on her back like she was a hooker, "there's some guy round back and it's apparent that he thinks he deserves your number."

"You what!" I said agitated at her disgusted tone, and figured I should leave and I was sure Gaurav had bought his car forward by now.

"He said you might behave like that, so he had a backup plan and thinks you should definitely have his number if not the other way round" she continued. She knew I would get agitated by this, that's why she was keen on provoking some idiot, "he said you guys got on pretty well on the dance floor earlier, and if I'm not mistaken he thinks your worth the penthouse suite."

"Listen you" I said turning around to point a shrewd finger at her, "if I was you I'd stay away from me for good, 'cause I swear if I get mad I'll break your arms and legs" I threatened, "and if you're happy sleeping in other peoples beds more than your own that's fine by me - believe me - but don't for a second look at everyone else the way you do when you look at yourself in the mirror, you hear me, and I know that may be hard providing your only company is a bitch no different from yourself but there's a dignity in this world that's clearly stranger to you" I said eyeing her from head to toe like she was a piece of filth, "and its called self-respect although I highly doubt its a word that can be affiliated with you or your dress sense but for others its a reason to never have to lower your eyes before another like yours are now, it's a trust you have with your self-esteem alright, so I suggest you take that number and shove it where the sun don't shine."

As I was leaving, I saw Gaurav standing behind her, and it seemed that he'd heard everything, "I was just coming out now" I said to keep things mellowed down, but he deliberately ignored me and walked to the bar. What on earth was he doing? But soon I had my answer, the one thing I tried to shirk all night went ahead and happened - a scene. Gaurav grabbed the so-called 'Cocktail' wannabe bartender that he saw me talking to earlier tonight from his collar and lugged him forward, and attempted to have a truculent face off with him, I gasped as I leaped in to stop him by pulling him from his bicep and begged for him to "let go" but he didn't listen.

"I told you to stay away from her" his aggressive voice attacked.

"You did what?!" I asked astonished from his confrontation, "how dare you" I shouted at him in disappointment.

It wasn't long when Dutta reached the scene, and before the bouncers got near Gaurav he separated him from the bartender, who I didn't have the heart to face, poor guy. We were ordered to leave right away, and when Gaurav refused to let matters die, he was warned that we'd be banned entry to the bar in future. Dutta managed to subdue Gaurav in any case and I had to make an apology to the guy behind the bar, it wasn't his fault and if I'd left like that I would've cursed myself a million times. I looked for an opportunity and during the hustle I slipped away.

I felt much better after he forgave me, it was a tough twenty minutes but I got there after a formal introduction, and found out that his name was James when I finally convinced him that Gaurav was not my boyfriend. I was absolutely shocked to hear that Gaurav warned him to keep away from me, according to that information it hadn't even been minutes that he'd contradicted his promise he made to me, I couldn't believe it, and to think that the conversation he became riled from between me and Amy had nothing to do with James at all, it was that other stupid guy with the Birmingham accent.

When I left I realised everyone had already gone, and by this time I wasn't surprised with all the drama that went on. I had my travel card on me but unfortunately I didn't have my jacket to cover myself, it was warm though so it didn't matter, but for extra comfort I would have been happier, I sighed, well at least Madhu and Baji were together.

"Do you need a ride home?" A familiar accented voice called from behind, alarming me.

I exhaled a deep breath to free myself from the fright, "no thanks" I said without looking back and continued to walk away quickly.

"If you had just taken my number you mates wouldn't have broke out into that fight you know" it said trailing behind me.

I soon recognised the voice, and without having the guts to look back I paced my footsteps faster and my breathing began to shake. I was struck by fear as the brummy guy from the bar was following me, when I met him I didn't have a clue that he would turn out to be a weirdo and now that I was alone my nerves were getting the better of me. I was begging god please don't let me die like a 'Jack the Ripper' victim, please, I almost squealed in my thoughts, and all I could hear my mind saying was 'please god, please god, please god'.

"Just stay away from me" I plucked up enough courage to say.

"Oye, what the heck do you think you're doing?" Dutta's voice interrupted. When I looked back I closed my eyes faithfully and whispered 'thank god' before turning around and running at the speed of light towards him and cling onto his arm.

"Listen man, I'm just trying to talk to a girl I met in the club so back off" he dared to say moving in on Dutta like intentionally wanted to pick a fight.

"Yeah" Dutta said provoking the gap to shorten, "well you picked the wrong girl pal" he said defiantly, "she don't wanna know you - so go home" he shoved off like a bully.

"That's not what it looked like when we were dancing together" he misinformed.

"Excuse me!" I gasped almost throwing a fit, "you harassed me on the dance floor and tried to touch me up against my will - how dare you stand there and lie like that you freak!"

"He tried to feel you up!" Dutta repeated sharply after me and in a heartbeat had the guy pinned up against the wall ready to take a blow at him, but I grabbed hold of his arm right before he attacked and implored him to give it up.

"Please Dutta, I'm begging you don't..."

We walked to the car without a word uttered between us until I couldn't take the silence anymore "I will never forget you for the rest of my life I swear it Dutta, I swear it" I said staying close to him like a magnet and not caring what he thought of me right now.

"Funny that, 'cause right now I've got a similar feeling, I've never had to be so convulsively alert regarding one girl in my life, it's like wherever you go there's bound to trouble, since the day I met you there's not a day that's gone by without a fight or an argument, be it with you or someone else."

"Are you taunting me just because I said something nice to you?"

"I'm simply stating the facts."

"Well then let me help you with that, I don't need a ride from you, I've got my travel card and I can make my own way home too" I replied. I didn't want to separate from him after that freaky incident but he left me with no choice.

"Well don't let me stop you by all means go right ahead, but when you're in trouble this time don't expect me to help you" he retaliated rudely.

"I don't expect help from my enemies thank you very much, god helped me by putting you in the right place at the right time, so quit taking full credit for being there and you ain't no hero that saved the damsel in distress alright, so quit showing off" I responded to kill time so I could tag along that little bit extra just in case he did leave me behind. "And where's Gaurav?" I asked plodding along in my heels with great difficulty, "I thought I was meant to go home with him, and 'Amy' was gonna take a ride with you."

"I told him to divert, because it seems that you two manage to find something or the other to ruin when you're together, and I didn't fancy being 'third time lucky'" he exaggerated, as he opened the locks of his car.

I opened the passenger side door and rushed in to fling my sandals off, and crossed my arms to ignore him but he did nothing of the sort, and mumbled something like "that's what I thought."

"I'm just doing you a favour, because like you said I've kept you on your toes on numerous accounts it seems, so I'm sitting in your car to save you the extra trouble" I said being cheeky, "and it's okay you don't have to thank me" I finished by turning the volume up on the radio so he couldn't say anything further.

"Pretty Woman" he said taking me by surprise.

"What?!" I said turning around.

"Don't get excited, I'm talking about the song that's playing" he said making me look ridiculous for asking.

"You didn't think I was talking about you did you" he played along innocently.

"Not a chance, I know you'd never say that about someone as plain as me, right?" I replied by adopting his words from the barbecue night.

"Exactly babe."