Page 12 of Made in Mumbai

“It was in the top 100 days for me,” she rolled her eyes, her tongue poking her cheek. She was lying. He had noticed it all day. Whenever she was trying to fool him or tease him, her tongue would poke one cheek.

“Lie,” he challenged.

“Arey?”

“Lie,” he was now confident.

Her eyes widened — “G…”

“Lie,” he asserted.

“Fine. It was top 10.”

He laughed — “You can make good fun of others, and yourself. But you always poke your tongue in your cheek.” Gautam pointed. “It shows.”

Her cheeks reddened.

“What course are you looking at doing?” She changed the topic, turning towards the sea.

“I wish to open my own business some day.”

“What business?”

“The one that makes money.”

She punched his shoulder — “Good one. I want to do designing.”

“What designing?”

“The one that makes money.”

He snorted.

“And,” she added, “the one that makes me even more happy.”

“It’s very important to you, no? To be happy, M?”

“Isn’t it to everybody?”

“No. Not everybody lives life to be happy.”

“Then?”

“Some live it to reach the next place.” He stared at the dark sea in front of him. Then shook his head, turning back to her — “If we never meet again, let me tell you now only that I have never met a person as good as you.”

“Awww,” she hunched up her shoulders. “Let’s take a photo for that.” Before he could stop her, she had extended her BlackBerry in front of their faces and snapped a photo. “You give me your BBM pin and I’ll send you.”

“I don’t have a number yet.”

“Ok… so whenever you get it, you give me. I’ll share this.”

“If you want, you go home now, M.”

“Arey? How come? I didn’t complete my Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham story.”

He smiled. She got off the ledge, pulled him by the wrist and they caught a bench to get comfortable.

“So,” she turned again towards him — “When Rahul left home, he told Rohan to never look for him. But then Laddoo Rohan grew up to be this hunky Hrithik Roshan naa? So he…”

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