‘Street corner. Not from home.’ Anu typed back, feeling light and happy even before a drink. After Vicky was born, going out at night was a luxury. For the time being, she forgot to even worry about the Sanju situation, imaginary or otherwise. Staying at her parents’ house and meeting Sameer for a drink was her ideal night. Shwetha called it unambitious, Sameer called her easily pleased.

Anu’s friendship with Sameer was as old as her. They were neighbours who went to the same KLE school. Sameer being a year older than her had worked out quite well for Anu. True that she had followed him around and hero-worshipping him the first few years of her life, but that was a worthy investment. Sameer, when she was seven or eight, had not only noticed her but assigned himself as her guardian. He made her life easy in more ways than one—from making sure she got the window seat in the bus to nobody making fun of her when she had braces and bushy eyebrows.

By the time he was in tenth, being the bike-riding, long-haired, long-limbed, football captain, Sameer enjoyed a superstar-like popularity at school. And Anu made sure she hogged some of that limelight.

‘Sameer, ice cream today evening?’ She would purposely ask loudly and nonchalantly to flaunt her camaraderie with the school hero. For the record, he never missed his evening football practice to have ice cream with Anu but he humoured her nonetheless. ‘Yeah … be ready at six sharp. My bike.’ He would wave back. So the kids at school were extra nice to Anu because she knew Sameer. She got plum roles in plays even though she was as emotive as a piece of wood, and got selected into the throwball team even though the balls she threw never crossed the net. Everyone thought she was going to marry Sameer. Then why did she choose Sanju is a story for another time.

3

3

Like always, Sameer’s car smelled good and felt cool. His perfume, bodyspray and the dozens of things he used had come together charmingly well.

‘Your car is quite a babe magnet.’ Anu took a deep breath.

‘I thought I was the babe magnet.’ Sameer objected.

‘You are thirty-one. You can now attract only the babes’ mothers.’ Anu giggled.

‘You are jealous that I am still hot and available and you are a married aunty.’

‘Speaking of which, did you chat with Sanju recently?’ Anu was not the type to wait.

‘Chatted with him last night.’ Sameer cranked up the radio for Atif Aslam’s crooning.

Well, the topic of Sanju had to wait since Anu loved Atif Aslam. She listened quietly while Sameer managed his large car on the narrow Vijaynagar suburban streets without swearing at anyone. He knew better than to talk when Anu was mouthing to Atif. When several songs of Atif Aslam followed one after another, Anu realized Sameer was playing from a USB.