Page 94 of Since the Night We Met
‘Yeah yeah, whatever,’ Kashvi disregarded it with a wave. ‘I’ve been hearing that threat all my life. I don’t even care enough to pretend to be scared anymore.’
Siya rolled her eyes and looked at Meera. ‘What was your guess?’
She sighed. ‘Apparently I’m “too mature” for such childish games so they unanimously decided to make me the judge and won’t allow me to place a guess. God forbid I have any fun.’
Raghav snorted, patting her hand in comfort.
Siya looked around the table to find fruit salad and noticed the two suitcases crouched beside the hotel door. ‘Whose luggage is that?’
‘They’re mine. I got kicked out last night,’ Swayam said, slipping off the counter and taking a seat at the table next to Kashvi.
Kashvi turned to him and asked, ‘Wait, what?’
‘She finally did it?’ Luv asked, taking a sip of orange juice.
‘She’s had a problem with me since I moved in, something about how renting to a bachelor is a “risk to community values” or whatever the hell her phrase of the week is. Yesterday I camehome late from work and she flipped out, like screaming in the hallway. I called her out on it and she told me to get out by morning.’
‘Your landlady has too much free time. She seriously needs to develop some hobbies,’ Kashvi muttered, folding her arms against her chest.
‘If you’d seen her open white hair and red eyes, you’d say she needs an exorcism,’ Swayam added.
‘Remember the time she sent a text to the society group about “suspicious male activity” and it turned out to be you playing with a stray dog in the building premises?’ Abhay asked.
‘She called that dog an abomination, and tried to kick him out.’ Anger sparked in his eyes.
‘Well, where are you staying now?’ Siya asked.
‘Nowhere yet,’ Swayam replied. ‘I plan to crash with Meera and Raghav for a bit and figure it out from there.’
‘You can stay with me. Kusha is still in London and my place has a spare room,’ Luv offered.
Swayam shook his head. ‘Thanks for the offer, but you live too far from my office. I’ll end up spending more on gas than rent.’
Kashvi cleared her throat and kept her eyes firmly on the scrambled eggs in front of her as she said, ‘You can move into our place. Siya’s old room has been empty since they got married.’
Swayam tilted his head, studying her closely. ‘Are you sure?’
Kashvi shrugged lightly but still didn’t meet his eyes. ‘It’s better than you couch-hopping or dealing with another landlord from hell.’
He turned to Siya. ‘Are you okay with this?’
Her gaze flicked between them, unable to decipher the tension between them, but still, she answered, ‘Sure.’
Swayam exhaled in relief. ‘Alright, then. Thank you, girls. You’re my lifesaver.’
Kashvi finally glanced at him and warned, ‘You’ll have to put up with my Taylor Swift alarm, though.’
‘I have very good noise cancellation headphones. We’re good.’
Swayam came up to stand behind an unsuspecting Kashvi’s chair, and Siya hid her smile when he tried to discreetly open the clasp of the chain around her neck.
Kashvi caught on quickly and tried to hit Swayam for trying to steal her pendant, but he jumped back, laughing.
‘I can’t believe you’re still trying to steal her pendant, Swayam,’ Siya remarked.
‘Tell me about it. I’m tired of being alert all the time. I think it’s time he found another hobby,’ Kashvi grumbled.
‘It’s fine, I’ll have plenty of chances to steal it since we’ll be living together now,’ Swayam announced, popping a grape into his mouth.
