Anyone Else But You... by Ananya Ritwik; Verma Mallik Page B

be on the top of the list of your favourite edibles. Huh?”
    “Ah huh dumbass! You got something right for a change,” she casually smacked him on the head.
    Now that’s what friends do , Rishav said to himself. In the meanwhile, Sahana carried on, “…and ooooh! I also like Chinese you know? And McDonalds too....Indian kababs are tasty…”
    “Yes yes, you like everything that’s edible , you Mother Earth’s load. Don’t you?” it was perhaps the most casual sentences Rishav could have ever spoken in his life. However, it warranted a not-so-casual response.
    “Uh, I detest fat jokes. Okay?” she spoke with an absolute straight face.
    “You aren’t fat, so why should you take this personally?
    “Because I just did so , dude.” She seemed visibly annoyed.
    “Point noted, but can we get over with the sappy stuff now?” he asked innocently.
    “Sappy?”
    Rishav shook the two mini-bars in front of her eyes.
    “Oh that…” she said. “…sure, thanks!”
    And they started dirtying their hands and faces. It took Rishav seconds to get done with his bar but it seemed Sahana relished every inch of it.
    “You have a tissue?” she asked.
    “No. But I have a handkerchief,” he slid his hand inside his jeans pockets to get it out.
    “No no, not handkerchiefs, they aren’t hygienic!”
    Rishav made an expression that was hard to miss, “What?”
    “Arr e, they aren’t hygienic and it applies to everyone, not you in specific … dumbo!”
    “Oh!” he managed to calm down a bit.
    “So you don’t have a tissue eh?” she confirmed again.
    “Apparently not, but you can surely use my jeans to wipe the chocolate. It’ll go for laundry anyway.” Rishav encouraged her by wiping his own hands first.
    “Oh and also…” he began.
    “Huh?”
    “…also, try and keep it restricted to your hands only. There’s chocolate all over your face too and it wouldn’t be too good for people to see you wiping you face on my legs you know?” he tried hard to be funny.
    “Rishav Sen, did anyone ever point out that your jokes make no-sense at all? And are pretty lame?”
    “Now, that was blunt!” Rishav replied.
    “Do get used to it, as you’ll be in for more…” she flashed her trademark lopsided grin.
    And while Rishav searched for an apt reply, Sahana preempted his move and followed it with another snide remark, “your hair, you kind of look dorky in it. Do push it back when you are around me?”
    “Really?” he confirmed.
    “Yeah, but again it’s a personal choice. If you want to, that is. Otherwise, I’d just avoid looking at your face.” She said.
    “Oh so you’ll be talking to me looking straight at my chest, will you now? Now I wonder if I ever did the same when ugly chicks came in front of me, I’d be mauled!” he laughed at his own joke.
    “Dude…!” she exclaimed.
    “What?”
    “…lame again!” she smiled and moved her head in a circular motion.
    “Damnit!” Rishav replied.
    As they completed an entire round of the park’s perimeter, Sahana got reminded of the question she was supposed to ask in the first place. “Why did we meet today?”
    “Oh, actually tomorrow is my dog, Ruffle’s birthday. I am kind of celebrating it on my own. Join me for lunch would you?” Rishav made up something obscure.
    “You celebrate your dog’s birthday?”
    Rishav nodded.
    “What do I tell my aunt? Why was I late?” she inquired.
    “Tell her you had some stay-back shit. She’ll believe you.”
    “What if I get caught?” C ame another question.
    “Seriously dudette, we spent twenty-five minutes together at a place barely five hundred meters away from your place. What else can be riskier than this?” Rishav tried analyzing the thing logically.
    “That’s true, but isn’t the risk too much?”
    “Ask your friend Vanya, it’s a basic principle – risk involves probability of huge profits. So shall I count you in my guest list?”
    “You have a guest list too?” she was