To say that I’m annoyed would be an understatement.
I sigh, laying in bed, clutching on to my pillow.
I pout involuntarily, my mind going back to a part of the conversation I had a while ago.
“Hey Sandy. I’m so Sorry, I won’t be able to make it today. I’m covering for a colleague of mine. Slipped my mind yesterday when you had asked.”
I frown, placing the pillow over my head, lying on my stomach.
It sucks to be on the receiving end of dismissal.
Although Nikhil’s reason was valid.
And the fact that Anshu and I haven’t spoken all day is getting to me.
The latter affecting me far more than the former.
So like any impulsive-shameless-irritating best friend, I get up, barging into Anshu’s room.
“What the heck Anshu! Why are you giving me silent treatment? I’m the most-”
“Shut up Sandy”, Anshu hisses, turning to me, covering the speaker of her mobile.
“Oh”, I shrug.
My best friend glares at me, continuing to talk.
“Who?”, I mouthed.
“Shilpa Ma’am”, she mouths back, talking on the phone as I make myself comfortable.
I wince when Anshu slaps my hand off the chocolate lying on her bed. Although I rub the back of my hand, I devour the dessert, ignoring the ‘loving’ look Anshu sends my way.
“Yes ma’am. I will make sure the patient is ready for OT by 8am tomorrow.”
“Wow. Shilpa is calling you too now?”
Anshu rolls her eyes, “Don’t ask. I think she hates me. She called me up now to ask the patient’s blood sugar levels”, She sighs, making another call.
I hum to myself, messing up Anshu’s bed, feeling at peace already.
I yawn, irritated when the junior Anshu is speaking to is taking longer than necessary to understand instructions. I start poking her face, squishing a cheek when she refused to put her mobile down after two more minutes.
“Yeah Sanjana. Keep me updated”, Anshu says.
“Ow”, Anshu winces, accidentally slapping herself when she tried to slap my hand away from her face.
“Aww my baby”, I grin.
“What are you doing here?”
“Ouch”, I murmur mockingly, “You hurt my feelings.”
“Dramebaaz”, Anshu mutters, setting next to me.
I give her a deadpanned look, squealing when Anshu squishes me in a side hug.
“I know I’m awesome, and you missed me like crazy Anshu, but I won’t know if you’re hugging me if you missed me or just want to kill me if you continue squeezing me like this”, my actions contradict my words as my own arms go around her frame.
“Oh shut up”, Anshu mumbles, “Were you very upset?”
“Nope”, I shake my head, “Just a bit. I’m perfect now.”
“Sandy, you know I didn’t mea-”
I shake my head, “Yeah yeah”, I wave my hand dismissively, “I know you love me and want the best for me and wouldn’t say anything to hurt me intentionally, blah blah”, I show all my teeth when Anshu tries giving me a stern look, but ends up smiling, bumping my shoulder with hers.
Anshu and I talk about the randomest things for the next few minutes, hours?, as though we hadn’t spoken to each other in ages.
“Nikhil actually cancelled your date?”, Anshu shrieks.
“Yeah”, I mumble, “Why the heck are you smiling about it?”
“High time Nikhil throws attitude too”, Anshu snickers like a fool, “You’ve always been at it. It’s his turn now.”
I try to smother my best friend with a pillow, “He said he’s actually busy. What attitude.”
“The one you show”, Anshu smirks.
“I’ll show you attitude”, I pounce on her, satisfied when I hear her shriek.
“You are confusing attitude with antics, Sandy.”
I give her the stink eye, releasing her.
I am laughing when my mobile rings, the called id making my smile grow wider.
“Mummyyyy”, I screech into the phone.
“Wow. You’re finally doing drugs now?”
“How do you know that doing drugs will cause people to scream on phone?”, I grin.
My mother laughs, “Someone’s in a good mood. Any reason?”
I throw an arm around Anshu’s neck, squeezing her, “Good day.”
“Great. Just what I was hoping for.”
“No no”, I panic, “It’s actually a very bad day, I’m very sad, you know. I didn’t actually scream into the mobile in happiness, it was… anger, yeah, anger.”
“Shut up Sandy. This person is actually-”
“Hello? Hello? Maa? Can you hear me?”I keep the mobile away from my ear, Nikhil’s face flashing repeatedly in front of my eyes.
“Sandy!”
“Ma”I say, when my mom addressed my name in the Mom tone.
“I am not talking about a marriage proposal”, I hear mom, “Remember Niranjan uncle?, Nidhi aunt’s husband?”
“Yeah?”
“Niranjan apparently has some issues with his knee. They were asking about any hospital or Orthopedicain we know of. I suggested him to come to your hospital. Meet him if he visits your hospital, will you?”
“Are there no doctors in Delhi?”, I roll my eyes, “Why does he have to come all the way here?”
“Sandy “, my mother sighs, like I’m incapable of understanding the most basic things, “They live in Mumbai beta. Nidhi and I were speaking the other day and the topic came up.”
“Oh. Like that “, I say, “I’ll take care of it. Just forward me one of their numbers?”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“Why are you laughing?”, I narrow my eyes when I hear my mother laugh.
“It’s funny that you thought of a marriage meeting the moment I spoke of a guy”, my mother continues to laugh. Anshu on my side starts to laugh too, “You are right Aunty. She was so scared you had to see her face”, Anshu screams into the phone.
I handover my mobile to Anshu letting the both of them talk as I sit there, making faces.
“Here”, Anshu hands over my phone after three decades.
“So?”, Anshu rubs her hands.
“So? What? “, I give her a confused look.
“Soo?”
“Have you finally turned mad, Anshu?”
“Oh shut up. I was asking what you had planned for Nikhil, before your plan failed.”
“Nothing”, I shrug.
“Nothing?”
“Nothing.”
“Where were you going to take him then?”
“Spontaneous adventure.”
“What?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you finally turning mad?”
“Spontaneous adventures are the rage now.”
“Yeah. In movies “, Anshu rolls her eyes, “You’ll be lost before you can say ‘Where am I’, given your terrible memory with routes.”
“Yeah. Whatever. It’s not like it happened.”
“So you were upset over a date that didn’t happen that you had planned but you didn’t actually ‘plan’ anything?”
“Do I look upset?”
“You do.”
“I would’ve gotten some idea then. Just. Whatever man”, I couldn’t help but actually be a bit upset.
“Come to me the next time you ask Nikhil out”, Anshu says, her voice dry.
“Showoff”, I mutter under my breath, screaming when Anshu tickles me.
I doze after a while, peeking to see Anshu fast asleep too, as we sleep in a weird position on her bed. I turn around, making myself comfortable, trying to find the position to sleep.
I groan when my mobile rings, reducing the volume when Anshu moves in her sleep. I shut the door behind me quietly, not disturbing her sleep as I receive the call.
“Nikhil?”, I whisper.
“Hey. Were you asleep?”
“Um. Not really.”
“Then why are you whispering?”
“No”, I clear my throat, what the heck, ” All okay?”
“Yeah. I was wondering if you want to go out. I have some free time.”