08 Strike one.

"Is this even necessary?"

I looked up at Rohan sharply. He was staring at me, his brow furrowed and his lips turned down slightly. Even his mellow voice sounded coarse and I swallowed back a sigh. "Yes, it is necessary," I muttered as I walked to him. I patted his broad shoulders and tried to give him a big cheerful grin. Key word: tried.

"You look constipated," Rohan replied, mild amusement colouring his eyes, and even though he said I looked like I was suffering um, internal problems, it made me smile at how easily he talked to me.

Me.

Wow, I felt downright honoured.

Right now, Rohan and I were kind of hiding near the T-junction of the main corridor while Ryan was standing in the corridor that branched to the right, looking as if he was waiting for someone as he kicked his leg in plain air. But even though I smiled, I still tried to push Rohan towards the corridor where Ryan was standing.

"Go!" I hissed, trying to push Rohan, but he wouldn't budge even in the slightest.

"And do what?" he hissed back. I threw my hands up in frustration.

"Go talk to him. Remember that you promised to cooperate, right? To make you more social. Ring a bell? Jeez, you're behaving worse than a preteen boy trying to strike up a conversation with his crush!" Rohan flicked my forehead and I cursed under my breath, my hands rubbing the stinging part of my forehead.

"I can't just go and simply be all 'sup, dude' to him," Rohan mumbled, hands folded across his chest, looking indignant. I rolled my eyes.

"Just nod and they'll nod back!"

"Because?"

"Because that's how guys work!" I went back to my job of pushing the Great Wall of China's brother, Indian Wall--also known as Rohan--but even though I huffed and puffed, he didn't move a muscle.

Okay, go ahead, dent my manly ego. I don't really care.

"I'm a guy," Rohan pointed out, "I didn't know that was how that worked."

Can someone kill me so that I don't have to face the incredulity in his voice?

To win over my dad and to save whatever dignity I had, I played a cheap card. "I dare you to." And though it was a cheap, pathetic move, it worked, because the next second, Rohan, with a grim face, turned and started walking, turning to the right corridor. His body disappeared and I ran behind him to see the outcome.

He certainly isn't going to nod at Ryan, is he?

Knowing Rohan, he would. At that moment, watching Rohan's retreating back, I was the most religious person on the face of earth. My breath hitched when I saw Rohan deliberately slow near Ryan. Ryan looked up from his imaginary kicking fest to meet Rohan's eyes. It all appeared to me in slow motion. Rohan's eyes met Ryan's slowly and he brought his head up painfully slow and brought it down even slower.

"Ryan," Rohan said. but to me it sound like Rrryyyyyyyyyeeeee-uuhh-nnnnnn. Ryan's eyebrows scrunched together. Just for a second, but it was gone the next second. "Rohan, hey." He smiled and even went as far as thumping Rohan's shoulder. Thank god, my mind was back to human speed. Ladies and gentleman, slow motion isn't as glamorous as action films show us. Trust me.

I leant forward a little, head now poked all the way out, in both Ryan and Rohan’s line of sight, but I didn't care. Rohan was fully facing me and though he didn't glance at me, I knew he knew I was standing there staring. Call that female intuition or something.

Ryan continued, though Rohan didn't say anything to him other than his initial acknowledgement. "That dumbshit Rohit asked me to wait here while he runs on an errand. He said that he'd treat me to some snacks but he's nowhere around." Rohan cracked a small--very very small, like, millimetre small--smile, but it was a genuine smile and my face broke into a smile of its own accord. Aw. my baby boy was growing up!

"Well, buy us something on your way back," Rohan said and they both bumped their fists. I mean, I only bump it when someone shows me their fist first, but how the hell do the guys even manage to lift their fists at the same time? It's a guy thing, I guess.

Rohan didn't walk back the way he came--that was, towards me, since that'd look plain suspicious. He just continued his way down the corridor. Knowing it was safe, I stepped from my hideout and jogged down the corridor too. I shot a salute at Ryan, who saluted back, before I went to catch up with Rohan.

"Hey!" I called when we were out of Ryan's sight, punching his back playfully.

Rohan turned back at me, a big grin on his face, and I halted for a second. Till now I had seen Rohan smile and grin, but they were all small and shy. But this one... well, this one was huge and happy. And even without seeing my own face, I knew I had a huge grin matching his. What to say? I was downright happy, too.

"You did great! Passed step one with flying colours!" I tried to pull Rohan into a headlock but several factors like, for example, height and strength, prevented it, and in the end, I looked like I was trying to hang from Rohan's neck with both my hands. Rohan's black eyes shone at me, filled to the brim with amusement, and I rolled my eyes. I should probably demand wages for being Rohan's personal joker slash entertainment. It'd definitely help my bankrupt self.

I guess I was slowly losing my mind. I was even making jokes about how broke I actually was.

"A little help?" I muttered, tugging his neck, and with a laugh Rohan bent down. I should've been embarrassed. A normal guy would be embarrassed by this inability, but I wasn't a guy, let alone a normal guy, so I laughed along with my mission, my hands ruffling Rohan's hair.

He had nice hair.

"Ready for step two?" He abruptly stood up and suddenly my head was in a headlock in his hands. Maybe he's Bruce Lee's long lost grandson. Wait, did Bruce Lee even do headlocks?

"Will you let me off the hook if I say no?" I made a show of thinking and though my head was down and he couldn't see my grin, I gave a cheeky grin.

"Probably not."

Rohan simply flicked my forehead before letting me free. "Bring it on, then."