Krish

The duo stood in silence, facing each other. While Parth looked at the man with fiery wrath and disdain, the latter seemed unfazed by Parth's tart temper. Instead, his face held that naughty, mischievous smile which further irked Parth.

"I am flattered to see you openly gawking at my handsome face." Parth's voice had a hint of sly and sarcastic edge. "But I am not into you."

"How about a warm hug, my dear friend?" The man spoke up, his lips curled into a derisive smile. "You might change your preference_"

A swift kick landed on his knee, causing his mouth to shut up. He yelped, pursing his lips, scowling at Parth. As much as he wanted to scream in pain, he suppressed it. It's not manly of him; besides, he doesn't want to look weak in front of his frenemy. Anup was watching the banterings of these two like the spectator he was.

"Believe me, the next time I kick you, it will completely transform your preferences," Parth said. His hidden meaning was clear to the man standing opposite him.

"You have turned_"

"Krishna Murari!" Anup interrupted, calling his name. "Stop with your_"

"It's KRISH for you!" His brown eyes stared at Anup as if he had committed a grave crime by uttering his full name.

Anup was taken aback by the shift in this young man's demeanour.

"Krishna Murari is such a beautiful name of God Krishna. Don't you feel shame in modernizing God's name," Anup grumbled. His five years old grandson falls in the same category. Changing names has become a fashion with this generation.

"I have renovated an old name into something new."

"It's not even a mediocre creativity to appreciate," Parth countered.

"Don't butt in!" Krish snapped.

"You are not even here for five minutes; look what you two did. You turned my office room into a fish market." Anup sighed. It takes work to handle them with verbal arguments.

The enmity between Krish and Parth is not new to Anup and the employees at the office. He has seen these two growing from young lads into fine gentlemen. They were such thick best friends until something happened during the last days of their college that turned them into rivals. It is still a mystery why Parth opted to become an elite force leaving his medical career, and the biggest mystery was Krish following Parth.

"I don't know what exactly happened between you in the college which made you turn into enemies_"

"Correction." Krish interrupted. "We are not enemies. At least, I don't consider him an enemy. Please reiterate your statement."

Anup gritted his teeth. "I don't understand the reason you two best friends hate each_"

"Correction!" It was Parth's turn to interrupt. "We are not best friends to start with. Please change the sentence."

Krish butted in. "Look who is talking about_"

"Enough of your drams, Krish," Anup yelled, massaging his temples.

Watching Krish's morphed face, a smile plastered on Parth's face. "For the first time, you have done the right thing in your life by reprimanding him," Parth told Anup.

"You are not any less compared to him." Anup chided Parth, seeing his tyrannical attitude. Krish purred, mocking Parth. Angered, Parth balled his fists, ready to punch his face. It landed on Anup's head when he tried to squeeze in between to stop them from fighting.

Parth and Krish gulped, staring at Anup's face, red in anger.

"It's not our fault." Both said in unison. As the words travelled out of their mouths, Parth and Krish looked at each other.

"You came between us." Again, they uttered at the same time.

"You still have the audacity to speak after damaging my head? Do you want me to start behaving like your superior leaving my elderly responsibilities?" Anup shouted as he massaged his head. "Get out of my office. I don't care if you pull your hair or slap each other faces, but not in my office." Anup surely felt a lump on his head. He can't pinpoint if it was caused by Parth's first or his wife, who punched his head for not gifting her a diamond necklace for the anniversary.

Parth was the first to walk out, giving a 'don't follow' look at Krish. Ignoring his remarks, Krish followed behind him as shameless as he was.

"I heard Anjali is not well," Krish spoke up, catching up to him; his voice turned soft and tender, unlike the mischievous glint he held for Parth. "It's just three months since you married, and she is already sick. Are you at least feeding her properly?"

"Why are you so concerned about my wife?" Parth emphasized wife, drawing a clear line. Sometimes Parth wondered if Krish was genuinely concerned about Anjali or if he had other motives. Anjali and Krish knew each other before Parth came into Anjali's life. Though he should not, it bothers him, making him insecure. Parth has seen Krish go mushy over Anjali. The side of the angle Krish showcases for Anjali.

Krish chose silence, Parth's question about Anjali lingering in his mind. The heated conversation was disturbed by a familiar voice coming far from the corridor. It was Nikhil running towards Parth. The servant trailed behind him.

"Sir...please show some mercy on me." Crossing his left leg over the right to control his bladder, Nikhil pleaded, his pitiful eyes begging Parth. "I can't hold anymore."

"Then you should seek your girlfriend's mouth," Krish winked at Nikhil.

Parth's lips curved up for a split second before he suppressed forcefully. If Krish notices, he will end his peace.

Nikhil gritted his teeth. Does his situation a joke to these two?

He looked at Parth and spoke up. "My bladder will burst soon." Nikhil collapsed on the floor after drinking two litres. He tried to sneak into the washroom, but the servant was not letting him move. In no time, he will wet the floor, and nothing is more embarrassing than that. If rumours spread, the staff would mock him calling him diaper Nikhil.

"Some lessons are learned the hard way, and you definitely need one," Parth walked away, ordering the servant to keep an eye on Nikhil.

Krish listened to Nikhil's story and laughed, imagining Parth's scrunched face. "I have a plan. You can relieve your bladder and get revenge on him."

"Really? What is it?" Nikhil curiously asked.

"Sneak into his office room and aim your black gun at his face. In that way, you will free your bladder. So, do your revenge."

'Also my revenge' Krish kept the thought to himself. Patting Nikhil's shoulder, Krish walked away, advising him to implement the idea.

"My head will be hung for a display if I listen to his words." Nikhil decided to be shameless. He was determined to hold Parth's legs and beg until he succumbed to his wishes.