2002-06-11 | 11:10 a.m.
Sweet Jesus,I've missed my CDS!

"Your eyes are pretty".

"Oh,how original.Come on,Ryan! I'm sure you can do better!" I wait for him to mockingly yell at me for always teasing him.

"What?! I'm serious!That blue eye pencil thing really suits you".

"Thank you..."

He nods and smiles impishly.

"You know you could get fired for saying that,right?"

"I can't tell my boss's daughter she has pretty eyes?"

"Nope.Totally inappopriate."

"Haha,well,Kutu isn't exactly a very conservative father.Or boss."

"True.Although...I'm not so sure how he's going to react to the photograph.."

"Don't show it to him?"

"Well,it seems silly not to! It's a GREAT picture.All I'm really doing is feeding you grapes.What's wrong with that?!"

"Oh,yeah,Auri.I'm sure Kutu won't pick up on the whole slave-master thing".

"Whatever.It's not like it was sexual or anything."

"Speak for yourself".

That smile reappears.I swat his arm with the newspaper supplement lying beside me.

"Asshole".

"If I do lose my job,it's ALL YOUR FAULT."

"My dad would probably think it was hilarious.I was only kidding,for Chrissakes."

"I know.So was I.But coming back to the topic at hand, your eyes really are pretty.

****************************************

"I can't believe 12 days have passed so quickly...I really can't.."

"You guys have been here 12 days?! WOAH.How am I still alive?"

"I have no clue.God,it was so much fun.I haven't been this happy in ages.In AGES."

"Yeah,we did have a blast.The house is going to feel so...cheerless.."

"Yeah,I'm going to miss it so much..."

"Of course you will.Who will you make fun of continually in Bombay,huh?"

I laughed and glanced at my watch.In about 5 hours,I would be flying home.

"Seriously though...I feel awful about leaving.."

"Well,I'm actually glad.."

"Gee,thanks Ryan.I love you too."

"NO! I mean,I'm glad you feel bad about leaving...it means...um...you know what I mean,right?"

"Yes,I do."

Ryan reached out to the coffee table for his pack of Marlboro lights while I unwittingly stared at the couch opposite.As our eyes met,we both dissolved into hysterical laughter.

"This is SO WEIRD! You can't be nice to me! The only time you were nice to me is when I was sleeping!" He was alluding to last Thursday night when he fell asleep on the couch,and woke up to find that I had covered him with his duvet.

"And YOU were only nice to me when I was sick!" I was alluding to the previous night when he eased my tear-inducing cramps by massaging my back and legs.

Within the past twelve days,the 28 year old child sitting by me had become one of my favourite people.Night after night,Kanika,Ryan and I lay on the sopofiric couches talking about everything from love and marriage to films and actors.There were cruder conversations entailing puerile sex jokes (What's 68? I do you,you owe me one.HAHAHAHA..err..nevermind)and bizarre anecdotes (Ryan recieved oral sex from under a table,in a club once).But indisputably,the beauty of our relationship lay in the mutual,merciless teasing.

Now,as I look at him fast asleep on the couch,I wonder why it took us 6 years to even have a decent conversation.My dad hollers from his room,asking Kanika to call her dad,asking me to wake Ryan up.

I go across the room to the couch,sit on my knees,and stroke his hair.

"Ryan...wake up..It's past 1:30..We're leaving now.."

"Hmmph..Be up in 2 minutes...I'm coming to the airport with you guys.."He takes my hand off his head.

"No,you're not.You're ill and you're going to bed".

Daddy intervenes.

"Yeah,we have a meeting with Lowe Lintas tomorrow.I want you to be rested".

"Okay".He sits up and offers Kanika help with her bag.She declines,and he follows her to the door,where Daddy and I are standing.

I watch as Ryan ruffles Kanika's hair and pulls her in for a hug.As soon as they're done,I walk closer to him with my hands stretched out.He kisses my neck through my hair,and rocks me from side to side.

"I will miss you"

"I know.Same here".I pat his back one last time and let go.

Daddy is by the elevators already.Kanika and I walk towards him,pulling our meagre bags with us.I turn my head slightly.Ryan is still standing by the door.

"E-mail me the picture!"

"Yes,Master!"

He winks.As soon as I turn away,I hear the door of Apartment 647 shut softly.

deja vu? | jamais vu?