Short story: Love v. Love

“I love you Sam, Bye” said Shankaran as always at the end of the call.

“Thank you, Shankaran, bye.” Sam hung up.

It was a pretty long call she had been on with Shankaran which had barely ended when the phone rang again. Sam saw the number, it was Matt calling. The look on her face changed right away, talking to Matt would mean a lot of energy consumption and a major expenditure of her gray cells. Matt is not some one you can talk at your casual state, you have to be specially prepared for a roller coaster of a conversation.

Sam answered the call with a dry, “Ya”

“Where are you? How was the meet, what are the latest updates?”

“Am at home where else would I be? And why did you ditch the meet, you won’t tell? Where in hell are you?

“I am here.” Matt said with a grin which Sam could hear over the phone.

“Here’ where?”

“Here’ here, how does it matter.”

“Ok. Meet was good, few people but good discussion. S said he needs your permission to go ahead with the agreement, P said you must not take things too seriously. I have done all the paper work for our next project you just have one task, sign them.” Sam is mostly irritated when she is talking to Matt. While Matt is mostly grinning.

“You sign them” Matt said.

“Why would I sign, you are the boss you sign.”

“No, you have the POA you sign.”

“Well I don’t want to sign, it’s your dream you’d do it. I would only push you. What is this noise behind you? Why don’t you move your ass to some other place I can’t hear a thing you are saying.”

“Ok I am gonna hang on. I did, now speak.”

“The guy from the firm has mailed me the design. Oh wait, he actually mailed both me and you, it says ‘To Sam / Matt.’

“Really? How come?”

“Yeah, that’s what I am thinking too, how come they know it’s you and me behind this whole thing.”

“Aah, may be they are trying to hook us up.” Sam could hear the chuckle again.

“Ok whatever, I am done with the updates anything else you wanna talk about?”

“Yeah, I was thinking I should meet up that friend of yours Priya, when I am in Delhi. What do you think?”

“What would I think. Why are you asking me? ‘Meet up’ as in a date?”

“I don’t know, may be.”

“Ok. So why are you asking me, who am I to even answer that question. You do what you want to do.”

“Ok, I would. But then months later you shouldn’t tell me that I kept you in dark. Give me some background info about her, will you? Does she stay alone? How old is she? Is she single?”

“Why the hell are you asking me these questions, look I am not going to help you in your romantic pursuits, I don’t do that to people as a matter of principle, find them out yourself, besides, you should know I am a possessive person.”

“What do you mean ‘possessive person’, are you and Priya seeing each other? Hell, I wouldn’t even talk to her on phone then, really, are you seeing her? Your secret is safe with me, you can tell. And why won’t you help me in this? C’mon of all the things you must help me in this.” That same chuckle on the other side of the phone.

Shut up, I am hanging up, you are doing this to irritate me. You find out the background info yourself please. Huh, how can you even think of dating Priya just like that, what do you know about her? It doesn’t happen like that.

Well I have begin to like her, I like the way she has been able to rise up to my level and talk back at me.

Ya rrrright, she can. Anyway I am hanging up. And there is a lot of work pending on the website, I want you to get them done once you are back. Bye.