'That's a first', she said after recovering her wits.
'What?'
'This', she said turning her head to indicate his arm.
'Yeah, so? What's the big deal? We ARE still a couple.'
'You've never done this. It was always "log dekh rahe hain, lets behave ourselves"'
'What nonsense?! We used to sit like this at Elliot's beach all the bloody time'
'That used to be in the afternoon, on weekdays, in Chennai. We used to meet there only because no sane person would ever get on that scorching sand in that sweltering heat. With people around, you never even held my hand!'
'I'm sure I did. Don't exaggerate', he said, sounding a little defensive.
'Why, just last year you came to Delhi and we went to Nehru Place to buy something...'
'Graphics card. Nvidia Ge-Force fx 5200. Generation 5. It's not just some random comp part - it's a kick-ass graphics card. You know my comp was the only one in the hostel which had more than 100 fps for UT?'
'Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Geek-fest.' Pause. 'You ran from shop to shop, without even bothering where I was! When I complained about it, you held my hand like you were going to solder it, and let go in a few minutes saying it wasn't the right place for that sorta behavior.'
'It wasn't, seriously. Nehru Place - Computer parts market in Delhi - NOT a place you hold hands'. He made the idea sound completely ridiculous.
'And a DTC bus is a place where you put an arm around my shoulder?'
He paused.
'I don't care.'
'Yes, and that's a good thing', she thought, 'but too late...'
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