Deepika and Ranveer sat quietly avoiding any more flame-throwing when the sedan stopped over at Deepika's building. Deepika got off and started walking away.

For a moment, Ranveer thought to tell the driver to rush so fast that she could hear the revving engine and screeching tires skidding over the road. That would be an apt response for the bitch.

But he didn't. He was raised better. He got off behind her and spotted her receiving a package from the watchman. She looked at him in a way she did when she wanted to say something private while people were around.

Ranveer walked to her, looked at the brown package in her hands, it was well packed in a rectangular carton box.

"What is that?" Ranveer asked reluctantly as he managed to read Sharin's name on the sender's card.

"Girl's stuff. You'll see."

Ranveer had come out of his car out of decency and was talking to her, but how should he say goodbye now when they were in the middle of a fight. He stood clueless.

"Come with me upstairs," she commanded, to which he gave her the eyes. She glanced at the watchman, who was staring at them with interested eyes, and added, "Please."

They entered the lift together. It was empty. Deepika had been living in this apartment for over two years now and she seldom met anyone in the building, probably because her schedules were too random for making friends in the neighborhood.

Ranveer looked at himself in the life-sized mirror in the elevator. Something about agreeing to accompany Deepika upstairs on her request in the middle of a fight unnerved Ranveer, an urge to make it known that he was coming up with her out of his decency and not because of any power she had over him bounced against the walls of his mind.

It was coming and it was inevitable.

"Please don't try to boss me around," he said.

"Eh?" Deepika frowned at Ranveer and then ignored him altogether.

"Get it?" said Ranveer louder.

Deepika breathed heavily and said, "Fine!"

Both stared into the mirror the rest of the way up.

Deepika rushed to her apartment and unlocked the door. Ranveer couldn't understand what the urgency was about. As soon as he reached the door she appeared with a knife and stabbed the brown package with it.

Several torn seal tapes later, she fished out from within a weird cylindrical object in a bubble wrap.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Ranveer.

Deepika giggled like a schoolgirl. Ranveer had seen a vibrator but could not trust his judgment on such matters for the market of sex toys was on the rise all over the world and they updated on designs and technology every few months probably.

"What do you need that for?" said Ranveer, and immediately realized how stupid that observation was, blushed. "I mean why are you opening it here?"

"It's a gift," she said excitedly.

"Huh?" Ranveer was speechless. Why is she gifting me a vibrator, he thought, which she read like a signboard on his face.

"Not for you, stupid."

"Then who?"

She pulled out a pen from the back pocket and handed it to him. "Here," she said. "Sign it."

"What?"

Ranveer had endorsed a condom brand earlier but signing a vibrator was a little far fetched even for him. Deepika shoved the things in his belly and he took them. He had never held a vibrator in his hands before, his cheeks were burning.

"Do it."

"Huh, yeah,... where?"

"The thicker part, here."

He scribbled his name, the least enthusiastic autograph of his life.

"Nice, here," she took the vibrator, walked across the corridor to her neighbor's apartment, and rang the doorbell.

Ranveer skipped a beat. The memory of the fat middle-aged woman filled his head. He stood motionless unable to fathom what exactly was going on.

The door opened and the lady appeared at the door.

"Hi Mrs. Shah," said Deepika with sinister mirth in her voice.

"Hello," Mrs. Shah responded unsure about Deepika's sudden 'love thy neighbor' attitude, although her face lit up when she spotted Ranveer.

"Oh, how your face brightens up when you look at Ranveer. He told me about the little adventure you had. Why didn't you tell me you were such a big fan of Ranveer?"

"So?" Mrs. Shah blurted. She smelled something was fishy.

"So we arranged a little present for you," she said as she pulled out the vibrator from behind her back and handed it to her.

It took Mrs. Shah a few seconds to realize what she was holding. She let out a mini scream before muffling it down to a squeak. A voice emerged from inside the house, "Who is it, honey?"

"Is that Mr. Shah? How absolutely delightful! Well, we should meet him, shouldn't we Ran–

"No," Mrs. Shah spoke over her. She turned around and nervously inspected if her husband was behind. "Please leave, I don't want it."

"But why not, look, it even has Ranveer's autograph. You'll love it, I'm sure." She was thoroughly enjoying this.

"I said I don't want it. Just leave," she hissed.

Ranveer observed the developments, amused. He recalled what Deepika had said about giving it back to the bully.

"Mr. Shah!" Deepika was now calling to which Mrs. Shah panicked and moved out of the door shutting it behind her.

"Okay, look... I am sorry. Alright?" Mrs. Shah was now avoiding Ranveer's eyes.

Ranveer walked to stand beside Deepika, and said, "Let her be. That's enough."

Deepika moved back and Mrs. Shah slipped back inside her apartment. As she was closing the door, her eyes' met Deepika's and Deepika wagged a warning finger at her.

Ranveer and Deepika picked up the package covers and went inside Deepika's apartment.

Just as Deepika turned after closing the door, Ranveer wrapped her in an embrace so tight she couldn't tell if the heartbeat she felt in her chest was his or her own. She lost track of time in his arms.