SR/A: Being Here, Only Ours Today UPD:1/18/12 P 30 - Page 3

Part 2: Friends in Need, are Friends Indeed

"Arghh"

"Push a little harder!"

"I'm trying you dolt!"

"Arghh! See like that!"

"I'm- argh- sorry- uff- masterji!"

"Ohhh! FINALLY!"

Shravan and Siddhant collectively collapsed backwards onto their current adversary- Shravan's brand new leather couch.

"Yaar. You- couldn't you-" Sid started.

"WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS!" Shravan snapped; biting back he continued, "It looked way lighter when those two guys were lugging it to the truck at the store."

"Yeah, them and their stupid bodybuilder muscles."

"It looked like a good idea -"

"Then, we know."

Rhiddima appeared peering over the edge of the couch at the two men, who lay sprawling as if they were about to die. She scrunched up her nose at the couch.

"Shravan I told you not to buy this couch!" Saachi appeared at the doorway, hands on her hips; her formfitting sari was draped around and tucked in at the waist. Shravan lifted himself  halfway to see his wife over the couch, "but Saachi it was such an awesome couch! I had to buy it!"

"It's a dead animal!" Rhiddima answered for her friend, "a poor dead thing that did nothing wrong to you and you-"

She was interrupted when Sid snorted, he sat up to ask her "baby, how come you don't have any problems with leather when said dead animals are a pair of boots?"

Rhiddima's mouth formed a perfect 'o'

 "Sid! Those are fake leather!"

Shravan and Sid lay back, turning to roll their eyes at each other. "Uh-huh" they said simultaneously.

Rhiddima sniffed, turning away from them to head towards Saachi.  Saachi smiled at their childishness holding her hand out to Rhiddima. The two girls linked hands as they headed out of the room, "Food's ready!" they yelled back.

"Saachi you're a miracle!" Sid dug gleefully into his plate of food, "Rhiddi, you should take classes."

Saachi giggled at the sour look that Rhiddima gave Sid, "Thanks sid, but I don't think Rhidzy needs any lessons."

"I can cook, Sid." Rhiddima defended herself.

"Toast doesn't count, baby," sid retorted.

For the second time that day, Rhiddima's mouth formed a perfect 'o.'

"Anyway Sid," Shravan began, he could sense a full of Siddhant-Rhiddima brawl coming along, "what are your plans for the flat?"

"Hmmm'" Sid replied still distracted by the food.

"The flat you dolt, you have a room empty!"

"Well for now," Rhiddima answered for him, "I'm staying in it."

"What about Arohi?" Shravan inquired.

"Arohi's gone!"

"Where?" Saachi asked worriedly, "and she didn't even tell us-"

"Not forever Saachi! Good God!"Rhiddima shrugged, "her grandparents were getting remarried or something, so off she went. And left me in that stupid flat all alone." She frowned, sitting back and setting her fork down to stubbornly cross her arms.

Sid finally looked up from his food, "basically, after Arohi comes back, I'll put up a roomie needed ad and we'll see where that takes us. You know because my ex-roommate abandoned me."

Shravan shrugged, he wasn't about to feel bad for moving into his own house with his WIFE for Pete's sake!

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''.

"Rhiddima?!? Rhiddima. Oy! Jhansi ki rani! I mean Prem Kumari! Rhiddima?" Sid stuck his head out the bathroom door, "Rhiddima?"

He gathered the towel closer, she had been right here when he'd gone in to take a shower, where was she now? As he stepped out of the bathroom, Sid heard her calling his name. Quelling the urge to shout "Marco," he tucked the towel in and grabbing another to wipe himself down ventured into the hallway, just in time to hear her call out his name again.

'''''''''

Rhiddima peered into the freezer, Chocolate Cookie Crunch, yes the perfect flavor for an evening like this! Chocolate Cookie Crunch was a comfort food, the perfect kind for her last day in her boyfriend's apartment, who would've thought Arohi would get home this early? She had just grabbed the spoon and opened the container when the doorbell rang. She looked hopefully towards Sid's room, nope, still in the shower. She sighed, taking the tub along as she headed to answer the door.

Her eyes ran up and down the slightly imposing young man who stood in the doorway, "may I help you?"

He looked at her slightly frazzled, "I- that is I"

Rhiddima continued eyeing him questioningly, "you what?"

"The room- is it- you know what, I think I'm at the wrong apartment."

Rhiddima cocked her head as he bent to pick up his bag, apartment? Room? OH! OH!

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "you're here for the room! Oh sorry! I mean, we just put it in and you just showed up and- come in!" she stepped aside, gesturing the man to come into the flat.

"Sid!" she yelled in, "Sid!"

She turned back to the man with a hand outstretched, "Hi! I'm Rhiddima!" she said chirpily.

He smiled warmly at her, "Arjun," he replied returning her handshake.

"So this flat isn't mine, it's my boyfriend's," Rhiddima began "actually my roommate was gone and I hate staying alone, so I moved in here until she returned, but now she's back and I have to go," she paused her excited chatter to frown slightly, but just as quickly she resumed her million dollar smile and babbling, simultaneously picking at her Chocolate Cookie Crunch.

"Obviously you can't just move in, I mean I don't even know you! You haven't even met Sid, where is he by the way, I swear the man-"

"Ahem." Arjun interrupted her rant, "I, ugh, think he's here." Rhiddima looked to where Arjun was staring with his cocked eyebrows.

Rhiddima closed her eyes embarrassedly as Sid stood dumbstruck at the end of the hallway, unsure of how to make a dignified exit. Someone should warn him when there were people in his house; situations like this- him greeting a total stranger with nothing but a towel wrapped loosely around him- should be avoided as much as possible.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''.

"ksdkh! Kjafdbksboweurowoj? Lksj! Asdfjknbeouewr!"

Sid shifted slightly side to side. His head felt so heavy, god it hurt. He moved to cradle his head, only to realize his hand was trapped in someone else's.

"Sid!"

He heard his name being called out to him, it sounded so distant.

"Sid!"

The call came again, seeming to echo in a padded room. O god his head hurt, he tried to open his eyes, but was immediately blinded by the force of a piercing light. Headlights. They were the headlights of a car.

 And suddenly it call came back; they're desperate attempt at escape, the rain, the truck! And then it had all gone black. The last thing he remembered clearly was her screaming his name.

Rhiddima!

"Rhiddima!" he tried to call out, but it came out as a hoarse whisper, barely audible over the raindrops that he now heard sharply pattering against the car. Sid turned to search the car, he couldn't move apart from slightly shifting his legs and arms. Once again he felt her hand in his, but he heard nothing from her direction.

"Rhiddima?" he called out louder this time, "Rhiddi?"

He heard someone outside calling out, he turned towards the window once again, squinting at the intense light. The light dimmed as the silhouette of a man appeared before it, rapping on the window in front of Siddhant.

"Sid!" the man called out, "can you hear me? Move! Do something! Siddhant!"

Siddhant stared at the man whose face eluded him due to the light, his brain told him to reply, but somehow, his body wasn't following through.

Outside the man was pulling at the door handle, trying desperately to get through to them. Siddhant's vision blurred as he began to once again slip from the grip of consciousness. The man moved so the light bounced off of his face, gathering the last ounces of his strength, Siddhant reached out, "Ah-A-Arjun," he whispered before giving in and sinking once again into the comforting arms of oblivion.