Page 65 of Pillow Talk
From the end of the bed, Sen reached and pulled the garment off, folded it and placed it on a pile of fresh laundry on a chair in the corner of the room.
Shona struggled to get her top and bra off but she did it. He opened her closet to get a nightdress or T-shirt for her to sleep in but just stood there for a few moments.
This was the part that scared him. Shona was always just winging it. He wasn’t freaked out that her closet looked like a tornado had hit it but it was another reminder of how different they were. He liked plans, routine and structure. He sighed deeply and pulled out a plain grey tee from the pile and quickly shut the door before the avalanche of clothing collapsed on him.
She held out her hand for the shirt, which he handed to her, then sat on the bed.
‘Shona, you’re impossible.’
She was flat on her stomach and half asleep.
‘But I adore you,’ he whispered, before fetching a bottle of water from the kitchen to leave next to her bed.
‘You had a dinner party,’ his mother said.
Sen put down his pastry. It was Saturday morning and his parents had insisted they meet for breakfast at his grandfather’s house.
His father reached for the chops chutney but his mother swatted his hand away from the grilled chops braised in a spicy tomato curry.
‘Do you want to die of diabetes? Is that what you want?’
His father sighed and reached for a boiled egg.
She looked back to Sen.
‘You had a dinner party at your apartment,’ she said again.
Just to antagonise her, he dished a huge spoon of chops chutney on his own plate, then grinned.
‘Senthil, why are you ignoring me?’
‘Because I didn’t have a dinner party.’
‘Then why did you need half a dozen naan?’
He should have sworn his grandfather’s housekeeper to secrecy. ‘I didn’t have a party. I just had one guest,’ he replied.
Everyone stopped eating. He pretended he didn’t notice and continued to eat.
‘Who was it?’
‘Does it matter?’
‘Senthil, why are you so evasive? It better not have been that Tamira girl,’ his mother said sternly.
He laughed. When he saw her expression, he realised he shouldn’t have laughed. He sunk down a little into his chair.
‘Tamira would never ever be in my apartment or life. I explained to you all many times that we went out a few times. That was it,’ he said.
‘Then who was your guest?’
He shook his head and even rolled his eyes. ‘Do you really have to know?’
His mother didn’t answer but the look on her face was enough to tell him he had to answer.
‘Fine. It was Shona Shah.’
His mother’s eyes lit up, while his grandfather and father exchanged sneaky smiles.
