Ch 8

"Wait a goddamn minute! There's no way it's true." Sophie tried to laugh it off in denial, but that was short-lived as Kunal gave her an incredulous look.

"It's true. That stuck-up crazy lady was her." Sam offered his two cents to hurriedly placate her and leave as the Cently Continental (car) was not something people see every day, and people had already started to gather in the parking lot to see the car and their only gangsta-turned-esports player and actor.

Sophie, still trying to deny the reality of Aishwarya's condition, was forced to look around after constant attempts from Sam and was nearly frightened to death as she saw the small crowd that had gathered soundlessly around her. Among them, her co-workers' eyes were the most scary, as their questioning gaze pierced her soul (not literally). They wondered about the rich and dashing guys standing next to her.

Flustered that the crowd had started to walk toward them, she looked at Sam in the hope of solving this mess and liberating her from it. But I saw him pushing Kunal toward the crowd.

 Even though she didn't understand why he did that, seeing Kunal get screwed over made her strangely delighted, as he was one hell of an annoying bastard. 

But contrary to her expectations, the crowd grew excited at the sight of Kunal and started taking selfies with him, even though he looked uncomfortable to her. While the crowd was busy with Kunal, Sam took this opportunity to slap Sophie's back, indicating for her to sit in the car.

Meanwhile, Kunal was smiling widely and trying to calm them down as the people struggled to take a photo with him.

"Take a deep breath, brothers and sisters. I'm not running away anywhere." Kunal laughed as he patted the guy's shoulder standing next to him to calm him down, as he was pushing people the most.

While the crowd was happy that their idol was willing to take pictures with them, only Sam and Sophie noticed that he was angry and uncomfortable, with his hand balled into a fist behind his back.

Sophie finally decided to sit in the car and go on a drive after Sam assured her of his friend's apology, and the crowd and her co-workers' imminent pressure worked in his favor too. Anyway, she wanted a break, and a long drive with Sam included in the equation would not be so awkward.

The drive would help her take her mind off of work, as would the shock she got from knowing that the deranged makeup woman was Aunty. From what she had heard and seen, Aunty was an elegant and strong woman who could take care of herself, but that was in the past now. Maybe she had lost her mind from the constant abuse she received at home. Thinking of things like these didn't help in uplifting her mood, and the guys inside the car were startled and looked at her strangely as she suddenly scowled, "All men are absolute bastards."

Startled, she hurriedly covered her mouth, afraid that her intrusive thoughts might slip out again.

She peeked at Kunal and Sam discreetly in embarrassment and saw their faces twisted and their shoulders shaking uncontrollably as they desperately tried to reel in their laughter.

Looking at them behaving so strangely, Sophie's face went red like a ripe tomato, and she smacked them hard in retaliation. But what was she retaliating for? Who knows?

" Ow! Why are you hitting me??"Kunal shouted at Sam, looking at him in betrayal as Sam slapped him hard, even though he laughed much harder at her.

"Apologize, to her. Sam said it indifferently while driving the car. But his tone changed as soon as he saw Kunal glaring at him with narrowed eyes, and he clarified to him that this was Sophie's condition to sit in the car.

Kunal apologized hurriedly. Seeing her open the door and looking at her smiling in triumph and fist-bumping his friend, he smiled happily.

Even though he had to apologize, people might say that he lowered himself for a girl, simp, or whatever, but to him, it was a strategic win. It hurt that his friend betrayed his ass for a female friend he hadn't met for a long time, but it was fine, as it was done for his sake.

Sophie, who was basking in the happiness of his rival's defeat, scowled suddenly, thinking of something unpleasant. She hesitated a little as she glanced at her friend, who pretended to not care about it, and asked hesitantly,

"Um, what happened? It's nothing."

She awkwardly dropped the subject, as she was not sure how to bring it up, as she hadn't met them for a long time.

Kunal kept glancing at her, waiting for her to ask what she was curious about, but seeing her twiddling with her thumbs awkwardly and avoiding eye contact with them, he sighed and quenched her thirst for curiosity on his own accord. He was sure that if her curiosity was not fulfilled, she was going to die (not literally) as a curious cat.

"You know my family situation already. My father, the great Aadrika Mehta, is a great businessman to the world and a great abuser for us, mother and me only. On one of his beatings: " Kunal was cut off halfway as Sophie grasped his shoulder abruptly.

"You don't have to tell me. I'm not curious." Sophie spoke firmly, looking into Kunal's eyes.

"Well, you have to. You can't change ships or close my mouth now." Kunal laughed, but the laughter couldn't hide his popped-out veins or the pain in his gaze.

"So, where was I? Yeah, on one of his usual beatings, he hit my mom's head hard, and that was treated late. It might be just the PTSD of domestic abuse. But as it was caught early, she is fine for now."

After Kunal finished speaking, an awkward silence lingered in the car. Sam was busy on his phone, looking at something, and Sophie just sat there, not sure how to speak.

While Sophie willed herself to apologize, it was Kunal himself who broke the silence, seemingly not affected by the story he just told.

"Hey, don't look so sad about this. If you want to be sad, be sad about Chandrayaan-3, our pride, not waking up. Be sad about this instead." Kunal joked, trying to ease the awkwardness.

He continued to joke for a while, and just when Sophie started to smile and join in the banter, Sam abruptly stopped the car and left after a brief talk with Kunal, citing that something important had come up. He assured him that he would call him if he was needed. 

Sophie sat there, stunned by the abrupt development, and a few moments later, she glanced strangely at Kunal, who was returning alone, sure that this was his idea. Kunal, the accused, could only shrug his shoulders innocently, but that didn't amount to much.