It was late in the afternoon when the jet landed, God knows where we were. An elderly man, probably in early sixties dressed in black slacks and white shirt, came to us and took our luggages and informed Arjun about some boat being ready. Not understanding a thing I look at Arjun for some kind of explanation but he walked past me, following the man as if I am invisible.

I catch up with them and we enter a car waiting there. There's already a driver and the man gets into the passenger seat while me and Arjun get in the back. I wait for a few minutes before asking the man, "Excuse me. Can I ask what boat were you talking about?"

He turns to look at me and smiles, his eyes shining, "You must be Mam's daughter-in-law. I'm Mr.Murthy. Anything you'll be wanting while you stay at the island please inform me. I'll be very happy to help."

"Thank you! And please call me Pooja. So about this boat?"

"Ah! The Islands is a bit isolated. It is basically a cluster of small pieces of land spread throughout the West side of this city. Most of them are privately owned one's, just like how Mrs.Kashyap owns one. And the only way there is through a boat ride for about just more than half an hour. It varies from one to another......", he went on with his monologue about the life of people residing in the islands, the climate there and so on.

It was close to evening when we were approaching somewhere what seemed like to be a dock, littered with small ferries as well as luxury tourist boats and a couple of houseboat. All the while when Murthy uncle explained like a tourist guide or rather a Highschool geography teacher, he somehow did remind me of her, Arjun was either glaring at his foot or looking out of the window. We took a boat which could accommodate about a dozen people.

The Islands were beautiful. The view from far, like where you could see tiny dots scattered across the water, with an orange sun setting behind and sky littered in red, orange, yellow and blue, it was mesmerising. Like it had come out of a painting. As we neared the island where Ma had planned for us to stay, I could see an elderly woman, maybe in her late fifties, standing near to the shore as if waiting for us.

Murthy uncle introduces her as his wife, Nisha. They were the ones taking care of this small island which was about twenty nine acres of land. Both happily retired. We walk towards what looks like a cottage. There is huge garden with picnic tables and chairs similar to what we had back home, in front of the cottage. There was also another similar cottage, but looked small, about fifty or so meters away to the right. Murthy uncle carries our luggage inside followed by Arjun while his wife shows me around.

A hall, dining room, kitchen with a small store room to the side, four bedrooms with attached bathrooms and a huge green house that covered most of the backyard, which was twice the size of the front garden. Most of the vegetables that were needed for daily use were grown on each island also other essentials stored in bulk, since grocery shopping wasn't that much of a fun when you have to travel an hour or so to the city, through water.

So after a round through the greenhouse I go back to the cottage while Nisha aunty goes back to hers. Entering through the back door to the kitchen I walk to the dining hall to see Arjun pulling my luggage from one bedroom to another room one of the bedrooms, that was farthest from the first. He leaves it at the door and turns to look at me with a blank expression. Walking back to the first bedroom he shuts the door to my face.

God! Help me survive.

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After dinner at the Murthy's I decided to sleep, leaving Arjun to do whatever he wanted. No longer than half an hour I wake up to sounds of explosions, gunshots and screams. WHAT THE F*? Am I not supposed to even get my beauty sleep? I pull myself off the bed and walk to the source of disturbance only to see Arjun leisurely sitting on the sofa opposite the tv in the hall with the remote control in his hands. I hide out of his sight just in time to see him peeping towards my room and then again increasing the volume.

Jerk!

I storm towards the tv and pull out it's plug from the socket. I turn to face Arjun, a mix of shock and amusement on his face.

"Dare you disturb my sleep again, you would wish you were dead next second.", I use my extremely pissed off cold tone, which I usually only use in my office. I see his face going pale. I may not be the very higher up in my office but there's a reason my subordinates call me ice-queen.

Smirking I go back to my room and close the door with a 'bang' and fall onto the bed fast asleep.

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Next morning I wake my, do my usual routine and spent extra two more hours with dancing, since I didn't have anything planned out to do today for the morning, before going to make breakfast. It's been long since I made something alone, as there were always maids around back at home. I make enough for two people and decide not to wait for Arjun since he hadn't woken up yet and my stomach was grumbling in hunger.

With my tummy full, sitting on the dining table I set out to read a novel which, whoever it was, had packed considerably. Probably Megha. She knew how much addicted I was with books.

An hour later a sleepy Arjun walks towards the food I had covered and kept aside for him. He opens the lid, looks inside and closes it after a minute or two's hesitation. He then walks to the kitchen takes out an egg from the fridge, searches the cupboards above the counter and stove, and comes out with bread. He makes himself some coffee, burned toasts and scrambled eggs. I silently watch till he comes and sits opposite me with a smirk.

I suddenly feel a terrible need to wipe off his smirk but resist saying or doing anything, but the need vanishes into air as soon as I see him scrunch up his face after taking a sip from his coffee. Grudgingly he eats the toast but wastes three-fourths of the egg. I sit there as if I was busy reading instead of seeing him eat his breakfast.

A part of my heart clench painfully not knowing why he didn't even touch what I made. For one, it was his favourite as far as Ma told me, second, I myself know I cook better than anyone back at home ( Ma had this crazy idea of a cooking competition one weekend and obviously I was the winner), and that was something I am proud of.

Afternoon rolled in, and soon it was lunch time. I eat over the leftovers from morning because, I really hate to waste food. And I did know what hunger means. There were times when I was starved for punishment back when I was a kid. If Arjun wanted something he was going to cook for himself. He had gone out after breakfast and hadn't come back yet.

I finish and go to the hall and switch on the tv and settle on a movie. Halfway through it, I hear the door opening and closing and turn to see a tired looking Arjun. I keep my ears sharp and lower the volume of the tv. I start mentally counting down to see when he was going to explode.

I can hear him walking past the dining table to the kitchen, opening the fridge and cursing silently, then again going through the cupboards and finally storming towards the hall.

"POOJA!", top one minute twenty eight seconds.

I concentrate on the tv, not bothering to look at him knowing very well he was right behind me and answer silently, as if he hadn't just screamed my name all the way from kitchen, "What?"

"You didn't make anything for lunch.", from his tone he was more than pissed off. Probably hunger might have turned him to a beast. Then good. He should have atleast tasted what I had made for breakfast.

I turn to look up at him. "No. Since you cooked in the morning, I thought you would be doing the same now. And no I don't need anything. I already had my lunch.", I smile as sweetly as I can.

"Is that a challenge?"

I just shrug in response, bitting back a smile.

Not even three minutes is over when a burnt smell comes and there is a fit of coughing from Arjun. I rush back to the kitchen, which is filled with smoke and switch on the exhaust and also open the window in the kitchen, before dumping whatever was there on the stove. Handing over a glass of water I ask Arjun to go sit somewhere. I wash my face since my eyes start stinging.

By looks of it, he tried making noodles. I take out another packet of it from the cupboard and prepare it adding a few vegetables which were already lying on the counter cut into different shapes. Onions, carrots and capsicum cut into squares, cubes, circles and triangles. Reminds me of the time when my brother came to stay with me during holidays and we would cook together.

I take it back to the beast to see him with two of his fingers in his mouth like a toddler. I resist the urge to laugh. Placing it in front of him, he removes the fingers from his mouth only to see blood flowing freely from it. All thought of laughing, I throw it out of the window and rush to my bathroom where I saw a first-aid kit under the counter. I take it to the dining table and pull a chair beside him and start dressing his would. It was pretty bad and I'm sure it was going to hurt like hell.

I clean the place and take the kit back to the bathroom. Coming back I see him struggling to hold the spoon and eat. I go sit on the table next to him where I had already pulled out the chair. Taking the plate in one hand and the spoon from him in my other hand I start feeding him.

"Open up."

He looks at me as if I have grown horns.

"I thought you were hungry. If not I don't mind eating this.", to that he opens his mouth.

After Arjun's hunger was satiated, I start preparing dinner since I had invited the Murthys over.

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Dinner had gone through smoothly. I did make some rice and curry along with the chappaties since aunty had told Murthy uncle usually had chappaties for dinner, but it was easier for Arjun to eat rice with a spoon using his bandaged fingers rather than chappaties. During dinner, I came to know that uncle was ex-military and their daughters were married and well settled.

Before going to bed I had to force Arjun to change the bandages. He kept on grumbling but a glare from me shut him up.

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Next morning was the same except I waited till Arjun was awake to have breakfast. We sat at the table and surprisingly he ate what I made. It was silent until I gathered courage to talk,

"Arjun..."

"Hmm.."

"You know right we are trapped here, for as long as Ma decides when we are going back."

"Ya...", he stops eating and now his sole focus was on me.

"And you know we can't always ignore each other and live here. Right?"

"Mm.."

"So....", my heart beat triples it's speed when I look up at him.

"So.", his eyes hold mine, as if looking deep into my soul.

My hands start sweating and I rub them on my Salwar.... What if he says 'no'.

If he says 'no', then you are going to try harder that's all. Come on Pooja don't chicken out.

Dread fills me but taking a deep breathe I ask him...

"Arjun...can we be friends?"

He smiles and stretches his hand for a shake.

Mission accomplished !!!

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Two weeks has flown away and we are getting to know each other more everyday. Sharing stories from school, college, work..... It didn't surprise me that Arjun didn't know we went to the same school. Obviously, I was a nobody having only Megha as a friend and always tried to stay in the dark from the school drama, while he was the star student in academics as well as a strong badboy reputation.

I hadn't told much about my parents except that one day he forced and I snappedat him, later on apologising to each other and I told I wasn't comfortable with the topic. He wouldn't stop about talking how he saw Renuka and fell in love with her. Guess he didn't understand talking about his girlfriend to his wife wasn't appreciated. But to him I wasn't his wife I was only a friend.

His eyes lit up for even the smallest of things he liked when he talked. A small dimple on the left cheek, the way he bit the tip of the pen when he sat at the kitchen counter solving crossword puzzles from newspaper, how he scratched the back of his neck when he was embarrassed or tensed, the way a frown formed on his face when he concentrated on something I told him. But the best was his laugh.

So with him still all over her, I thought it was better not to say that he had been my first crush and the only guy I had longed for all these years. That I was falling for him.......

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