Next door

The mattress springs creaked. Then, the floorboard. Then, the headboard against the wall. The crescendo rose with the shaking sounds of ecstasy, which was clearly agreeable for the parties involved but not so much for Mallika Sahay, who wanted and needed a deep slumber after an honest day's work.

It's one thing to be  a rampant rabbit in the sack. Quite another to have the woodpecker frequency bore a hole in the wall. Mallika stumbled out of bed at 7am, grouch mode on.

The cleaning lady was not clearing the bins that week and they would not clear themselves, so Mallika and the other bleary-eyed residents of a peeling North Mumbai building had to fend for themselves until then.

She took the opportunity to knock at her offending neighbour's door. Ayaan Kashyap opened, wide awake and all smiles.

"Howdy, neighbour. Fancy seeing you at my doorstep."
"Keep it down," she scowled.
"Why, you hungover?"
"NO. Keep it down during... you know..."

Ayaan blinked. "What are you on about?"

 
She sighed. "Sex. I understand that it is tremendous validation of your virility to hear auditory cues for the same but the next time you have lady callers, please ask them to keep their voices low. Or ensure that it does not go so high."

"So I hear you and some of it did sound like it was in English. The preamble is basically about the sound in my apartment, huh?"
"Yep."
"Last night, huh?"
"Uh huh."
"Wasn't home. You've got the wrong impression. Or the wrong neighbour."

He smiled a smile of effortless charm, before stooping to scoop up his own garbage bags. Mallika briefly pictured hitting out each pearly with a hammer in a bloody orchestra.

"How kind of you to wait for me," said Ayaan, shutting his door behind him.
"I wasn't... "
"I kinda wanted to talk to you anyway."
"Okay?"

"So basically Friday night is gig night for some of my friends at Ivory's. I've got free passes."
"Uh huh?"

The narrow corridor opened into a wider staircase. Ayaan manfully let her go first.

"Après vous," he grinned. "So anyway, like I was saying... I had free passes for tonight's show. It's gonna be a late night. So if you're able..."
"I'll pass. Late nights aren't for me."
"Whoa. Who said anything about a late night for you?"
"You did?"
"I was wondering if you'd look after my cat for the night."
"Huh..."
"It's adorable that you thought I was inviting you out."

Mallika shrugged.
"We can't all be articulately on-point, can we? I'll look after your furry feline."
"You are most gracious, fair maiden. This commoner is humbled and indebted forevermore to Your Ladyship."

Ayaan did a bow, which was more graceful than she wanted to admit. She did a deliberate, angry curtsey in return, but looked like someone struggling to adjust the lining of her underlinen. It was the last straw for Klutzytown that morning.

Mallika went to work, polite and efficient. There were a few sympathetic pats on her shoulder which she didn't need, but hey, nice to know that people cared about her broken engagement. She accepted the free coffee (and a comfy cushion? What?!) as one of the many perks of social empathy. 

But there was attention and she could do without it. Some of them were beginning to notice the gash on her arm. She had roll down her sleeve to conceal it...

I have to be more careful in the future...

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(To be continued. Or not. Decisions, decisions...)