21 Days - 9

@devesh---:P Yea...so this one is pretty long too. I was a bit tied up, will write another update today...let's see!

@Mahak---u r welcome babes! :D RnR....actually I had to complete my project presentation so things went a little out of hand...sorry! Hope u r doing good!

@Vatsala---heyyyaa! Hope u like this one! Do tell me about my mistakes! Love!

@Reader---hello jaan! LOL, so u read everything at one go? :O haha! It's always nice when one does not have to wait na...:P And this one is mine...:P :P Sending u buckets of love!

@snehali---really? I wonder why? Anyway, do tell me ur thoughts about this one...what are u up to?

@R---Who? LOL! Come on, tell me who is bff? :D And thanks for reading yaar..really! Ok I will guess, are u reader's friend?
________________________________________________
Ira's eyes widened more. "What?"

Rivan replied crisply, steadying his breath. "She's been arrested."

"For what?" she asked trying to make sense of the words that were coming out of his mouth.

"For drunk driving..." he answered jadedly.

"What? Why and how is she drunk?" Ira frowned.

"The officer didn't tell me much..." Rivan answered in a bushed voice.

Ira nodded vaguely. She could tell that he was tensed, even perspiring. His hands were moving away like crazy, each in one direction and his face looked liked he had hit a brick wall. Rivan was going to explode, any damn moment.

"I don't even have a car! No wallet! How am I gonna reach that god damn police station?" he almost yelled at his imaginary audience. "I am an insect that god wants to burn, wing by wing, organ by organ, slowly, slowly. He has set a magnifying glass on top of me so that I will burn bit by bit every day. This is insane! Sussanne is INSANE! She is insane!"

Ira bit her lip from inside, and covered her mouth in order to stifle a loud giggle that was threatening to escape from her mouth. He was over reacting so badly. All the solutions lay right under his nose but he was too blind, too hyper, too angry to notice them. And did he just compare himself to an insect under a magnifying glass? Whoa! Do all actors have to be this dumb?

"Sorry if I sound too direct about all this, but we can go there, by my car..." Ira offered innocently.

He looked up and gazed straight into her eyes, looking unconvinced. It was if he was trying to read her mind, trying to gauge her mind. Don't flinch, she told herself and shrugged casually.

"No..." he put up his hand. "I don't want to bother you with all this crap..."

The girlish cadence from her voice disappeared and a serious, honest, genuine tone took over. "I am serious. Let's just go. You won't even get a cab here. It is not a bother. Really!"

"Well, erm..." Rivan mumbled, slowly understanding Ira's point. She was correct, he would have to walk two miles to get a cab and he certainly didn't want to waste anymore time. And Ira was Sussanne's friend, or so they claimed, it certainly would not hurt her much to help Sussanne. She was actually looking a little worried.

Rivan puffed. "Ok then, let's get going..."

"Good..." Ira smiled and led Rivan towards her car.

They walked together in silence, both fretting over different things. Rivan was damn sure that he was going to kill Sussanne and Ira didn't know what she was going to talk with him. It all seemed so surreal, so strange. Just until yesterday, he was so unattainable, a world apart. Now, she was driving him somewhere. How swiftly had she catapulted in his orbit?

"This is your car? Is this even a car?" he whispered in a flabbergasted tone when they reached the spot where she had parked the car. He looked pissed.

"I know. But we don't have an option now. Either we ride in this baby, or I go back home, get the other car, come here and then we leave for the police station. Pick one option..." she offered looking at her two seater, hot pink colored, power efficient, electric car.

Rivan sensed that she was getting defensive about the car and it was not the time to ruffle her feathers, so summoned up the courage to accept her first option.

"The first option. Let's go now..." he said half-heartedly and rushed towards the passenger side of the car.

Ira slid in the car, reached for the door and opened it. She started to fasten her seat belt while Rivan stood there like a stone statue not quite able to formulate a way to get in.

"What you waiting for?" she shot him a sideway glance, trying to conceal her embarrassment on owning such a car.

He vigorously shook his head and got in and couldn't really find any space to place his legs. He groaned and squeezed them inside, until he was curled like an unborn fetus. With the free hand, he closed the door and motioned her to start driving. "Take off Pilot..."

"You are just too tall..." Ira chuckled.

"No, this car is a matchbox..." Rivan said shielding his knees so that they didn't hit the dashboard. Then with a faraway voice, said, "God, how are we going to make that cow sit in here?"

"Well..." Ira's smile grew wide. "You can take the cab from there."

An instant blush spread over Rivan's face and he gulped a little. "Shit. Never thought of that."

He was impressed. Smart girl. Any woman who could bring color to his face fell in that category. He was so glad that Ira was not the screaming-for-you types. Ira was extremely easy to be with. He didn't even try hard around her. He was comfortable around her, and this was their first official, proper meeting. Moreover, Rivan didn't even feel like he was talking with a fan, it felt as if she was some long lost friend. Okay, may be she did look a little zoned out and weird on the party day, but that could be because of him going and standing in front of her, unannounced. He too would have done the same if their roles had reversed.

"And I brought this matchbox from my first few salary checks. I take this car out whenever I am going to get paid. Sentimental values...you know...stuff..." she added, her eyes glued on the road.

Great. Another master stroke. Rivan's stomach dropped and he laughed nervously. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have said all this..."

"Ah no!" she insisted. "I am habituated. I get that from all men. So..."

"Men?" he looked at her questioningly.

"Yea...the kinds who like to ride in swanky machines, hot wheels and all...the types whose spend billions for four wheels..." she explained and then turned to look at him curiously.

"You own a Porsche right?" she asked.

Now, Rivan was surprised. "How do you know?"

She flashed a smile. "Your fans suck up every single detail about you. Everything. Right from what kind of underwear you wear to the nail cutter brand you use. Then what is car?"

"So you are hinting that you are my fan?" he looked at her impishly.

"Not really..." she pouted a little. Her heart had started thudding. She was trying to control her breathing. She was lying blatantly and she didn't want to get caught. "I like you though..."

"Really?" he exclaimed in a small voice. "But Sussanne told me otherwise. I think that you do share such stuff with friends..."

"No, I don't think so!" Ira uttered hurriedly, trying to make a point. "She didn't tell me that you were so close to her and we know each other ever since she shifted here after marriage. Like for three years now?"

"That, Sussanne knows better..." he insisted. "Ask her after they remove her handcuffs and whatever restrains they have used on her..."

They both looked at each other, imagining Sussanne in a straight-jacket, tied up to a chair, screaming to break free and laughed out loud. The images that their brains generated looked side-splittingly amusing to say the least.

"Oh man, we should stop laughing before we reach there or she will kill us..." Rivan garbled after his guffaws subsided a little.

"Kill us for what? Laughing?" Ira asked, frowning a little.

Rivan answered meekly. "No, but laughing when she is arrested."

"Oh..." she had to laugh again.

They arrived at the Police station and parked the car in the visitor's parking area. Opening the door, Rivan exhaled. "Time to see Sussanne sitting in cell, teary and miserable, screaming from her hero, that is me, to rescue her."

"Unlikely..." Ira mumbled under her breath but smiled nonetheless. She locked the car and stuffed the keys in her purse. They both sprinted towards the station building and within seconds they were inside. Rivan scanned the place rapidly and saw Sussanne sitting on the front desk, posing like a complete diva. Three officers surrounded her and she seemed to be telling something to them.

"What is she doing? This does not look like an arrest!" Ira whispered in Rivan's ears. She was amazed.

Rivan didn't have an answer to that and he just shrugged. "Excuse me officer..." he interrupted the little group hesitantly.

Sussanne looked at him and her eyes glittered brightly. She smiled, showcasing her beautiful dimples. She did a small signal with hand coyly, almost like she was royalty and in a fake, velvety, husky voice, said, "Come here my boy..."

"What the..." Rivan looked too staggered and stumped to say anything and looked at the officers, then at Ira and then at Sussanne.

"She is drunk mister..." the sergeant bit out.

"Oh no I am not drunk!" Sussanne yelled. "I had fruit champagne! Royalty does not drink anything else."

Rivan and Ira's ears perked up on hearing that. Royalty? Did they hear that correctly?

Head swamped with disbelief, Rivan turned to face the officer and in a polite tone asked. "What is the matter officer?"

"She was caught driving rashly. Then we asked her to walk in a straight line and she couldn't. This lady is a little tipsy and we cannot allow her to drive alone in this state..." he concluded. "So we detained her."

"Ok..." he nodded slowly grasping everything. "So it is not anything serious?"

"No!" the officer smiled. "Just insanely stupid. She thinks that we will let her go, if she sits there and pretends to belong from some Royal family from India. Thank heavens that lying does not count as a crime you know or she would have got a life sentence by now..."

"I suppose not..." Ira giggled, heaved a sigh of relief and walked away towards Sussanne.

"I was not drunk you faggot! How can I walk in a straight line when I cannot see the line? I am pregnant, this belly won't let me see the line!" Sussanne howled, threatening to throw her purse at the officer.

"Royalty does not cuss and throw things at people!" the officer fussed, pointing a finger at her.

"Oh shut up!" Sussanne rolled her eyes. "Where is my green tea?" She looked at the officer and whistled. When she had his attention, she motioned for him to come closer.

"You whistling at me?" asked the officer, visibly enraged. "Like I am a dog?"

Rivan meekly put his hand on his shoulder and hesitatingly said, "Hormones, please don't mind. Can we take her home?"

"Of course!" all officers nodded their heads vigorously. Like, who wanted to keep her.

"But not without a warning. You will keep a tab on her..." someone added.

Rivan returned a warm smile. "Sure officer, we will."