When Dimple Met Rishi(72)

Ashish smiled lazily at her as he shook her proffered hand. "You're a lot less scary-looking in perso-"

"Answer my other two questions," Rishi interrupted loudly just as Dimple crossed her arms and cocked her head, in a come at me, bro pose. "How'd you get here? And why didn't any of you call me?"

Ashish let his head fall back over the back of the chair. "Ah, I bummed a ride from someone I know. Ma and Pappa were driving me nuts. I had to get out of there. So I figured why not come now? A few days early, but whatever." He looked at Rishi, smiling, but there was an edge to it. "You don't mind, do you, bhaiyya ?" He said bhaiyya ingratiatingly, cloyingly, making it a mockery of the word.



       
         
       
        

This was embarrassing. Not only was Ashish being a total punk, like usual, he was also talking about Ma and Pappa in front of Dimple. Rishi would never think to speak about his parents behind their backs. He glanced at Dimple, wondering what she thought about all of this.

"Maybe I should go," Dimple said, slipping on her Chucks. "So you guys can, you know, talk and-"

Ashish crossed his hands behind his head. "Aw, don't leave. I haven't even had a chance to speak with my future bhabhi yet."

Dimple's face paled at the Hindi word for sister-in-law , and Rishi rushed to correct Ashish. "There are some things you and I will need to talk about, Ashish."

"What were you guys doing?" Ashish said, totally ignoring them. Always on his own schedule. Selfish. He looked at the YouTube video, tilting his head. "Is that Krrish ?"

"Yeah," Dimple said, ignoring Rishi's very obvious don't encourage him eyebrow raising combined with a head shake. "We have this talent show we're doing next weekend, and we decided to do a dance routine with ‘Dil Na Diya.' "

"Hey, you guys need some help? I mean, I don't want to brag, but I'm a really good dancer." Ashish smiled again, that smarmy, full-toothed shark smile. "Ask Rishi; he knows."

Dimple turned to him. "Seriously? That would be so awesome if-"

"No," Rishi said. "We don't want your help." He looked at Dimple, half pleading, half annoyed. "Right? We can do this ourselves?"

She raised an eyebrow and pushed her glasses up on her nose. "We were lying in a tangled heap on the floor when Ashish walked in." And then she felt her cheeks heat because she'd thought of just what they were doing in that tangled heap. Rishi knew because he'd automatically thought it too. And now he couldn't stop staring at her . . . and she was staring at him, too.

Ashish cleared his throat loudly, shaking them both from their reverie. "Oh-kay. You guys seem a little . . . conflicted or something, so I'm going to go downstairs and return this." He jangled the spare key. "See ya." He stood and ambled out of the room.

Dimple watched him go. When the door had shut behind him, she turned to Rishi, her lips twitching. "That's your brother?"

"Yeah." Rishi sighed. "What? Why is your mouth all quivery?"

Dimple laughed, one hand at her chest. "Oh my God. You guys are so different. Like, I didn't even think that was possible. Aren't siblings supposed to share the same genes and everything?"

Rishi pushed a hand through his hair, feeling slightly put off by how amused Dimple was. Living with Ashish was anything but funny. This entire situation was distinctly unfunny. "Yeah, he's somewhat of an aberration. I'm pretty sure someone stole our nice, sweet boy and replaced him with . . ." He gestured at the door. 

Dimple stopped laughing. "Oh, come on. He's not that bad." She toyed with a pen on his desk. "And we really need the help, Rishi. You know we do. Besides, what are you going to do? Send him back home? He came here to be with you." She shrugged.

Rishi tried not to groan and tear out his hair. Did Dimple have a point? Would he just be a big jerk if he insisted Ashish go back home? There was one person he could always count on for advice.

Rishi pulled his cell phone off his desk and called Pappa.

"Beta! Kaise ho?"

"Fine, Pappa. I have a visitor." He raised his eyebrows at Dimple, and she giggled in response.

"Haan? Kaun?"

Rishi frowned. Who did Pappa think? "Ashish." He straightened as a thought occurred to him. "No. Please tell me he told you he was coming."

"Ashish! Ashish is with you? In your dorm?" Rishi heard Ma in the background, speaking in rapid-fire Hindi. He caught a few hysterical kya?! s and kyon?! s.