The girl next door - Ch 103 - pg 108; note pg 109 - Page 5

"Hi, I'm Keerti" she said extending her hand to Aditya who was just coming into the kitchen with Simran just behind him. He came and stood between Rohan and Keerti to introduce himself. Keerti got to cooking for them as soon as they came back from their walk. And she was lucky to be introduced to him on the night of his arrival rather than the next morning, she thought with a grin.

"Oh toh tum ho Keerti? I've heard so much about you" as soon as the words came out of his mouth he chided himself. He didn't know if he had done any damage or not. Rohan kicked him in the leg from behind and Simran raised an eyebrow at him but then immediately looked at Rohan. They were all looking at each other and simultaneously turned to look at the confused girl in question. There was a moment's silence which was followed by an explosive laughter for all started laughing at the same time.

Rohan, Keerti and Simran had had such a good time together but there was something about Aditya that made the atmosphere fill with energy. There was warmth around them. Everyone was happy with his arrival. Simran because her love had come to surprise her and more importantly, he was here to stay. He had gotten a project with a consulting firm and of all the places, they chose to send him to Boston. Simran couldn't have asked for more. Rohan was delighted with his arrival too, after all his 'chuddy buddy' was here. They coined the term for themselves by translating into English the most famous term for childhood friends 'langotia yaar'. It was amusing for everyone that heard the term. And needless to say, seeing Rohan and Simran so happy made her happy too.

The next few days were spent studying hard for the midterms while Aditya kept himself busy going around the city and cooking for them. He was not a great cook and so the others pleaded him to stick to dal-rice or some simple sabji. Simran finished the entire bottle of pickle in a matter of days - she didn't like his food. She was taking such big portions of pickle with every meal that it seemed she was ready to give them a good news. The three gave her a hard time with that.

Keerti continued working late night shifts at the Cafe for two reasons: Rohan was always there till its closing time and then they would head to the library to study for the upcoming midterms. Library had extended their hours until 2 am so every night she would study till 2 am and then he would walk her home. It had indeed become home for her. With Simran being occupied with Aditya in any free time, Keerti got to spend more and more time with Rohan. And the more she spent time with him, the more comfortable she got around him and the more comfortable she found herself in his company, the more she wanted to be around him. It had become a viscous circle...which would lead them to where, nobody knew.

"Dorchester Open Studios it is then" said Aditya getting up from the couch to walk towards the other end of the room. With the midterms coming to an end, they had been trying to decide on a fun activity the upcoming weekend. "We'll do the bike ride while you girls can do that pot making ...and breaking thing of yours." he said with a 'whatever' look on his face.

"Excuse me, it is called pottery. And it's an art you know. It's one of my hobbies and I'm not going to missing it for...for...for...even Ranbir Kapoor " Keerti said raising her eyebrow and everybody broke into a laughter when they heard the last bit. Pottery had been one of her favorite activities since she was a teen...partly for the effect it had on her after she saw 'The Ghost'. She thought it was the most sensual scene she had seen and being a hardcore romantic she wondered what it would be like to be in a situation like that. The thought of it sent chills down her spine. Rohan noticed the lost look on her face...she was perhaps dreaming about Ranbir Kapoor with that look on her face and he made a resolve to tease her later.

"OK then it's a done deal. We'll head out first thing Saturday morning and go straight to Dorchester Arts Collaborative. Then you girls can head to the pottery workshop while we head to the Bike Ride. I believe it's from 12-2. Our Bike Ride ends at 12:30 or so so we'll figure something out." Aditya concluded. He commanded like the head of the house for the last few days with the others keeping busy. And they didn't mind taking his lead.

They were up and about at 7:00 in the morning for their first fun activity of the year. Keerti could not sleep the night before from excitement. She was going to be attending a pottery workshop and that got her too excited to even blink her eye...let alone sleep. Simran however was more of an athletic person and was excited about riding a bike on the streets. She didn't want to be a party pooper for Keerti who was excited about the workshop so she opted out of the Bike Ride. Besides she was curious to know  if she had any creaticity in her. They had rented bikes and helmets the previous night. It took them about 60 minutes to reach Dorchester because they took internal roads and even got lost a few times. Being a weekend and still early in the morning the roads were not crowded at all and the weather made it perfect for them to bike all the way.

They went right to DAC and were mesmerized by the show they had put up. For the special weekend, they had it opened from 7 in the morning till midnight. Each wall of the massive room was dedicated to a particular artist and displayed some of their best works. Rohan had paused longer than the others at each painting to study them closely which separated him from the other three. He started typing a text to send to Aditya but instead sent it to Keerti. This was the best way to get the ball rolling for them to get used to contacting each other.

Beep: Hey where are you guys?

Beep: Just turn around :)

"Where did you guys disappear to?" he asked them as they got closer.

"Well we took two rounds of the whole place while you were busy discussing arts with beautiful girls." Aditya teased him with a wink pointing at the girls who had come to ask him if he was one of the artists. He had not understood what gave them that impression and simply said no. 

"Agar aapki flirting khatam ho gayi ho toh chalein?" Aditya simply turned to walk out the gallery without waiting for his answer. Without missing a beat he looked over at Keerti...their eyes met for a second but then both looked away. The look in Keerti's eyes was different this time and as he followed them, he prayed for nothing to pose a threat to the comfort level they shared now.

even before one can ask for a update you are ready with one...

cheers

joy

They headed to the Public Bike Ride which wasn't too far from the DAC...maybe a 10 minute ride. The place was spacious and a number of people had signed up to volunteer for this event. There were stalls set up at various points in the route for refreshing drinks and medical aid. Some 100 people had registered for the event already and a lot more had signed up on the spot...among them were Rohan and Aditya.

They went into one of the tents that had been set-up to change into something more appropriate for the ride. Aditya wore a simple t-shirt and shorts while Rohan put on his zipper vests and khaki shorts. They were just coming out of the tent and towards the girls...they were still quite far when her eyes met with his sight. He was busy talking to Aditya and she took advantage of this fact to continue to stare in his direction. His hair was messy which made him look even more...even more...she couldn't complete that thought because just then he looked away from Aditya and right at her. This time she slowly looked down from embarrassment and looked back up almost immediately hiding it but he had already looked away. He knew whenever he caught her staring at him like that, she felt embarrassed and withdrew herself. He knew every time she looked at him...and he could not help look back at her...as if her gaze stimulated a particular set of neurons that triggered him to see exactly where she was. He'd have to find a way to control his senses if he wanted to be around her.

They handed their bags to the girls and asked them to take it with them to the workshop...and that they would meet them there after the ride. The guys went ahead to put on their helmets as they walked towards the center of the ground where the ride was going to start. Simran and Keerti started walking away from the venue when Keerti stopped Simran by the shoulder "We have an hour before the workshop begins. Why don't we wait a bit to see them set off?" Simran agreed without questioning her and for that she was thankful.

There was a whole team of reporters covering the event. In fact, a few of them were going to ride bikes ahead of the riders while their partners sat behind them facing the riders capturing them on video. The riders set out with a loud whistle  and she followed him as he rode further into the path and he knew she was following him...he could feel it but he didn't want to turn to look at her and make it obvious. But as they passed through the point where she was standing he did look at her and the entire series of events from a few minutes ago played again. She was taken by surprise when the people around her screamed...including Simran. The crowd that had gathered to cheer the riders was a crazy one. Their roars could be heard even in Boston she was sure. But that's what made the atmosphere electrifying.

When they went out of sight, Simran suggested for them to leave as she didn't want to miss the initial lecture. But Keerti wanted to stay back to see the entire ride so she asked Simran to go ahead while she will join her in a bit...specially because she didn't need to listen to the lecture because she had learned pottery before...and more so because there was a woman among the camera men who had set her camera focused on Rohan. At first she felt excited with the thought of being able to see him all through the ride but the excitement was soon replaced by pure jealousy...and then she stayed to count the number of times he smiled and winked looking into the camera. At first he totally avoided looking at the camera but then gave in with a shy smile. This was the first time she had seen him shy and that brought a genuine smile on her face too. But it vanished when she saw him wink into the camera.

Even when they stopped to get a refresher drink the bloody camera was focused on him. For a moment she felt possessive about him but there was little she could do for he was miles away from the starting point now. And even if he was close enough, she didn't know what she could have done. She started debating whether to wait longer and see the entire ride or to go and attend the workshop. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the crowd roar and saw the riders approach again to the finish line. She looked at her watch which read 12:43 pm and she immediately rushed to the workshop before either of them noticed her missing her most favorite interest for a bike ride.

"Heyyy where have you been? The instructor asked about you twice you know. They were going to give your spot to someone else...I somehow managed to talk her out of it." Simran narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

"I got a call from an old friend and she went on and on. Sorry Sims..." Keerti had already thought of an excuse because she knew she was terribly late for the workshop...it was almost 1 by the time she reached the venue. Simran had reserved the spot on her table for Keerti. All tables was low enough for comfortable activity and had two potters wheels placed on opposite sides with long benches for the attendees. The wheels were foot-stick operated which was really the conventional way of casting wears. Keerti had only used motor-operated wheels before so this really bumped up her excitement. In no time she was completely immersed in it and so was Simran. She had thought of a particular shape for her pot and was working well towards it.   

A half hour later Aditya and Rohan came in...Aditya went and sat next to Simran on her bench while Rohan roamed around the room to look at the finished wares that were on display. The room temperature had been upped a little for easy moulding of the clay but it was becoming a little too warm for Keerti...she was beginning to sweat now. Just then her eyes fell on the couple in front of her...Aditya had put his hand behind Simran's back and she saw that he was now moving his fingers gently up and down the curve of her waist. She looked to see Simran was a bit ticklish but kept at what she was doing. She looked back down at his hand and saw that his fingers were now caressing the little skin at her waist that showed between the end of her kurti and her trousers...Keerti's eyes widened a bit as swallowed hard and when she looked back up at Simran, she saw that she was completely distracted and her hands accidentally crushed the mould she was forming. The image of the couple getting carried away from the movie scene came to her then...and she suddenly felt it was too hot in that room with blood rushing to her ears...she closed her eyes and tilted her head back in the air to jerk up the heat from her face but banged into Rohan...he was standing right behind her watching her skill. She jerked at the bang and he immediately caught her by her shoulders but his hands were a little too hot for her...she clenched her fists and destroyed the mould that was at hand.

A bead of sweat from behind her ear traveled down the length of her neck...without conscious effort he picked it up with his index finger. The light touch of his finger tingled her causing her to jump to her feet...Rohan pulled back his hand in a swift move before she would register it was his touch that made her jump. Simran and Aditya looked up at her while Rohan came and stood at the other side of the table. A little embarrassed she moved her hand along her neck and said "It's too hot for me. I need to get out of here".

"Kits...you do realize you just smeared clay on your neck right?" Simran said a little surprised. She wondered if heat could really take her mind off pottery or was it something else. She knew Keerti well to know she would give up her sleep for this activity. Keerti brought her hands in the front to look at her hands and without another word walked out the room...Simran followed her to the restroom leaving behind a guilty Rohan and a confused Aditya.

Keerti cleaned up and got refreshed soon but in doing so, she had splashed water all over her t-shirt making it a little transparent. She opened her hair and brushed it to make it fall forward to cover a part of it...the part that was really necessary. She asked Simran if she looked okay and when she confirmed that all looked ok...the girls went back into the workshop room to pick their belongings and get out.

When they got there, Keerti saw that Rohan was sitting astride the bench with his eyes closed..leaning on his arms behind him...vest unzipped and sweat flowing in small streams down his chest. The bike ride clubbed with the warm room made him bathe in sweat now. This was the first time she saw beyond his vest and it sure was a treat...his skin looked smooth and shiny...his muscles hard and his abdomen firm...light was reflecting off his gleaming skin making it even more attractive.

She felt strange and parched...and a little light headed from the whirlpool in her stomach...she slumped her hands on the desk and leaned forward breathing heavily. The others looked up at her a little worried now and she assured them she was fine and that the heat was too much for her to take. They instantly picked their belongings and left the place to grab a bite.

The four had lunch at a nearby restaurant and unanimously decided to take the train back to Boston instead of riding home. The day had been long and tiring for them all...and they didn't want any casualties to happen on the way back...Keerti looked a bit pale and was extremely fidgety during lunch.

The train was a bit busy that day so they didn't get any seats to sit. Simran and Aditya were busy talking and Keerti was reading a commercial poster...while Rohan was going through his phone messages. The train jerked to a stop at a station and he looked up and back down again...and then as if he had caught something he looked back up to see a guy staring at Keerti. He looked at Keerti and it was then that he realized why she had her hair set to the front and why she was so distracted...because whatever she was trying to hide was in full view now, with her hair thrown back due to the train jerk.

He called Keerti to his side on the pretext of showing her something on his phone...when she got close he put his leg forward... she stumbled a little but he caught her in time...and there...mission accomplished.  Her hair fell on the front automatically. He asked her to lean against the corner of the compartment and stood right in front of her. While she was still talking to him, she happened to notice the guy who was still staring at her...even this far. Alerted, she looked down at her shirt and closed her eyes in relief that she was all covered...but then looked up at Rohan wondering if he had noticed anything. He was busy reading something to her off his phone and leaned on his side to completely block the creepy guys view of her. She followed his movement surprise showing on her face...but all he did was shrug his shoulders with a smile. She placed her hand on his and mouthed a silent "thank you". Now that they both knew, he took out his shirt that he had worn in the morning from his backpack and handed it to her. Without a word she took it from him and wrapped it around herself...they smiled at each other and just like that they took another step to building  a strong bond.