Chapter 10: New Worlds
[A/N: I am super bored. So I thought I should write something sappy. Is this sappy? Tell me... Or maybe this is weird. I dunno. Someone tell me when this series is supposed to end.]
"Why am I listening to you?" Rey asked, the idiocy of this dawning on him a little too late.
"It's a nice place! Trust me..." She tried to convince him.
"Kria, if it is such a nice place, then why are we standing outside?" He asked.
"It's a queue! Obviously we have to wait for our turn!"
"I am Reyaansh Singhania!" He pouted that reply, as if that was supposed to be his winning retort for everything.
"Rey... Aapko ek date chaahiye thi naa? Yeh ek perfect date hai." She cooed, as they stood in line.
She tried to cheer him up, doing a squinty face for him. And within no time, he was laughing along with her.
She wanted to bring him along to her favorite restaurant, and well, here they were. She was used to these queues since a long time, as the Mysore Café had dirt cheap rates.
I mean you could get a stomach full of goodies for under sixty rupees. What else could one ask for?
And well, the food was yumm!
But her Rey was being so difficult. It was like entertaining and cajoling a bratty child. So what if he wasn't used to standing in queues. Couldn't he do it once for her?
After precisely two hours of pouting, they went inside, and sat on the no nonsense table for two. The waiter came rushing, and fired the menu with a bullet train speed.
And the look on Rey's face was priceless.
She gave him a wide toothy grin, and blew him a kiss next.
"Do masala dosa, Ek idli, ek vada... Aur fir last mei dahi-vada" She chirped, as if she understood all of what the waiter said.
Rey looked at her dumbfounded, and then pouted.
"You tricked me." He said at her face, while she was expectantly waiting for her order to arrive.
What? She didn't understand what he was saying. She never had any underlying reason for bringing him here. Only idea she had was of a date.
"Kyaa?"
"You tricked me, Kria." He repeated, "...you knew you'd have the upper hand at a place like this. I feel so uncomfy here." He had the most adorable puppy dog face in that moment.
And it instantly hit her.
She was used to all this. But for the pseudo-prince Singhania, this was like a parallel universe.
She felt guilty, not even considering for once about how he wouldn't fit here in the least. Maybe this wasn't a pleasure for him. Maybe waiting in line really was frustrating to him, maybe he really wanted a better chair to sit on in a restaurant, maybe he wanted better dishes to be served.
She gulped, "I am sorry Rey... Aapko kuch bhi bilkul pasand nahi aa raha naa? Hum chalte hai yahaan se.."
He saw her eyes, and understood. Even if he felt out of place for not understanding the menu that waiter had uttered, he really didn't hate the place. She was trying her best to make this date perfect, and he, well... He became a Jackass all of a sudden.
"Nahi... Jaana nahi hai." He said and clutched her hand.
"Par aapko toh pasand nahi aa raha naa kuch?" She asked, confused.
"Maine kahaa mai uncomfortable hu... Maine yeh nahi kahaa ki mujhe kuch pasand nahi aa raha." He replied, and started rubbing his fingers gently over hers, with a small smile on his face.
She saw his eyes... They were sincere right now.
"Mai kuch kar sakti hu aapko comfortable karne ke liye?" She asked, as she relaxed too.
"Mujhe bataao ki maine aisi kitni galtiyaan ki hai tumpe, Kria..." He said.
"Galtiyaan?"
"Haan... Galtiyaan..." He answered, "We belong to different worlds, don't we? And I know, without even realizing, I must have tried to slather my world on you. Did you feel suffocated at any instance?"
She lowered her gaze. But then, decided to answer honestly.
"Aapne jahaan bheja tha... Dress lene."
He gulped now. He knew that going by Sharon's suggestion was not a good idea, but then he knew Sharon had the best connections in town. And that's why he had sent her to that designer store.
"Bahot bura tha kya?" He asked.
She smiled reassuringly, "Nahi... Bura nahi tha, Naya tha bas."
"Aur aapke liye? Yeh kitna bura hai?" She asked back.
"Mujhe uss waiter ne kyaa bola bilkul samajh nahi aaya!" He cribbed.
She tried in that instant. Really, truly, tried.
But she just couldn't do it. She just couldn't contain her laughter. Ohh he was being so cute!
"Kyaa aap ko sirf ussi se problem hai?"
"Hans lo pehle!" He pouted some more, and she burst out laughing again as the waiter placed their orders on the table.
"Mmmm! Wow! Awesome this vada is!" He gobbled another large piece from her plate and she almost stabbed him with the steel fork.
"Hattiye! Mujhe kuch khaane toh deejiye!" She screamed back, all humor gone from her voice. She should have known better than to date Vicky's best friend. Did all of them have the same beastly appetite?
"WOW! Yeh kya hai?" He beamed as soon as the waiter put the dahi vada on the table.
"Nai! Yeh mera hai... Maine apne liye mangvaaya tha!" She tried to stop him in vain, but he had already put the first piece in his mouth.
"Ohh yumm! This is that vada thingie soaked in sweet curd!" He said with his mouth still chewing.
"Eww! I brought Rey... When did he turn into Vicky?" She asked out loud.
"Here, Say aah!" He had a spoonful of the sweet curd in his hand, and had amazingly twinkling eyes.
Did she even have control on her limbs when he stared at her like that?
She opened her mouth, and he fed her. Some of the curd stuck to her lower lip, and before she could lick it with her tongue, he wiped it with his finger and put it in his mouth.
"Mmmm, sweeter now.." He teased her, and then proceeded to empty the whole sweet dish by himself.
"I am never coming here with you again." She sulked and whispered to herself.
While he, he was bouncing off of his chair paying the bill with the joy of a 6 year old.
As they got out of the restaurant, he asked her with a face she almost melted for...
"Hum yahaan wapis kab aa rahe hai Kria?"
She sighed. There was no winning against the dazzling prince after all.
"Jab aap chaahe, Rey.." And she smiled.