Page 86 of Made in Mumbai

“Close, naa!”

He shut his eyes, exasperated. Five seconds passed. Ten. The sound of her desk drawer opening and closing.

“M?” He began to open his eyes. “Keep them closed! Or no kiss.”

“What are you doing?”

“Mouth freshener.”

“Just come,” he reached back blindly and pulled her to him. She came willingly, her body melting into his as her mouth came closer. He could feel her breath on his face, her hair tickling his shoulder. His neck bent, ready to take her mouth when something burst on his lips.

He startled his eyes open to her laughter.

Gautam reached up and pulled the fruity-smelling sticky thing from his lips, coming up with chewing gum. The minx had blown a bubble and burst it on his mouth! And was now bent in half wheezing with laughter.

“That is why you need to watch my kind of movies. If you’d watched Josh, you wouldn’t have closed your eyes!” She panted, still chewing her leftover gum.

He pulled her hand until she was back in his arms and took her laughing mouth. That shut her up. Gautam smirked, tangling his tongue with hers until he had scooped her bubblegum out and into his mouth. Her hands came up to circle his neck but he stepped back, leaving her eyes at half-mast.

“Did this happen in Josh?” He asked with a smirk, chewing her fruity gum. She blinked, all red, flushed, a small incredulous smile unconscious on her lips. Her sparkly eyes were so alive, that he was afraid that if he didn’t leave now, he wouldn’t leave here without her. So he shook his head and stepped towards her.

“I’m going now,” he pressed a kiss to her head. “Be careful please.”

“This is Mumbai, G,” she smiled, recovered. "Nothing ever happens to anyone here.”

“I know. I still worry.”

“Fiiine,” she gave him that exaggerated expression again, grinning up at him. “Now go. And look angry, like you gave me a dressing down for keeping everyone back.”

“Let me give it to you to be accurate…” he playfully reached for the neck of her shirt. She whacked him.

“What are you planning for this party?”

“Prepare to be surprised,” she waggled her eyebrows, then opened the door behind him. True to his promise of dancing to her tunes, Gautam channeled his earlier anger and stormed out of the room.

“What did he do to you?” Her colleagues whispered to her behind him.

“Uski himmat?!” He heard her show off. “He just wants us to be good, and not damage company property…”

Gautam walked out of his office, suddenly having a free evening like every other evening before Maya came to him. But now, he didn’t know what to do with it.

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Soft fingers ran down his cheek, then back into his hair. Gautam squinted one eye open to Maya sitting beside him on the sofa, the lights of his hall on, his tape still playing Jagjit Singh ghazals. He shifted on his stomach, his arm dead after he had slept on it.

“I fell asleep…” he groaned. “What time is it?”

“11.30,” she smiled, caressing his face. “Sleep,” she whispered, about to push to her feet. He pulled her gently until she was horizontal beside him, in his arms.

“G…” she laughed as he curled his body around her and spooned her tight. “G, I have to go change…”

“Do you have to?” He whined, burying his head into her hair.

“I must stink…”

“I have slept beside Kumar bhai in the back of our truck.”

“You are comparing me to Kumar bhai?” She wiggled her bum in his lap. He clamped a hand on her thigh — “Sleep, M. Don’t make me wake up.”

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