Page 42 of Better Catch Up, Krishna Kumar

“What?”

“Your face is blotchy.”

“No it’s not.” I bring my hands up and rub at my face, suddenly self-conscious. I didn’t think I could visibly blush, given my brown skin tone. I’m not sure I like it.

“Wait a second.” Priti bangs her fist on the table. “YoulikeRudra.”

I’m at a complete loss for words. “What are you... I’mnot. . .Idon’tlike Rudra.” I think I’m mildly freaking out. There’s no way Priti’s caught on to it already!

“You totally do!” Priti doesn’t look too chuffed about the fact. “I’ve never seen anyone look redder than you do right now.”

“That’s such bullshit, Priti! In case you forgot, I am on my way to kiss Amrit.Amrit, whom I spent my whole summer pining after, remember?”

“Puh-lease, it’s not like you guys were a thing anyway.”

“That doesn’t—” I huff. “You’re being ridiculous. It’s literally Rudra. I barely know him.”

“Look, I don’t care if you like Rudra or not,” she says, brandishing her spoon at me threateningly. “You’re not allowed to date him.”

“I don’t evenwantto date him. I like Amrit!”

“Whatever. I’m not going to stand formybest friend datingyou.” That last word is laced with so much possessiveness I feel like I’ve been barked at by a guard dog.

Before I can retort, Rudra walks back, running a hand through his hair. “They’re here. I’m heading out.”

Rudra leaves the restaurant, and I pointedly make sure not to look in his direction, instead staidly stare at my food, downing mouthfuls. Priti starts using her phone, ignoring me.

I’m furious with her. And not because she thinks I like Rudra, but because of the way she saidI’m not going to stand formybest friend datingyou,as if that were the worst possibility ever.

Not that I’m desperate to date Rudra—I barely know himandI’ve already decided against encouraging my silly crush—but he likes Priti. And given the way Priti just reacted to the idea of me liking him, I’m convinced she likes him too. We’ve all always suspected it.

A hot wave of irritation and anger surges inside me. It suddenlyhits me that perhaps the reason why Rudra flirted with me in front of Priti was because he was trying to make Pritijealous. He knew whatever the fuck that comment was would rub her the wrong way.

Maybe this is all just his plan. Maybe I’m part of it. And maybe this is an elaborate game to elicit a reaction from Priti. He seems like a nice enough guy, but I don’t know him well. Not the way Priti does. I’m just a???? ??? ?????.*

That shouldn’t bother me, though, right?

I swallow my anger, realizing it’s pointless, and finish my food. By the time we’re done, Rudra’s back. I finally look behind me, scanning the parking lot for the car.

It’s not there. It’s gone.

“I was right—the gasket needs replacing,” Rudra says, sighing as he sits back down. “They towed the car to their shop.”

“What the hell?” Priti exclaims. “How long is it going to take?”

“I don’t know. They said the repair itself should take six hours once they have the part, but they need to place an order for a gasket suited to this particular model. I paid them extra, though, so they guaranteed they’d have it by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.”

I groan. “That’s more than a day’s delay.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” He looks genuinely apologetic, and the cute furrow of his brow gets me. Ugh, why is he so nice? “It’s the best I could do.”

I’m shocked by how quickly my anger from moments before fizzles out. “It’s not your fault your car decided to malfunction.”

“We’ll have to drive until midnight tomorrow to make it to Goa in time,” Priti says. “You and I can alternate, Ruds.”

“No thanks, I can stay up,” Rudra says, finishing the last of his food.

Priti rolls her eyes. “Fine. I’ll call the owners of the place I booked in Goa and defer the stay.”