"Aman, isn't that your name?" Dhruv said, slyly smiling at him.
"Yes", Aman grunted, hands clenched in a fist.
"And your rent passed the due date, last Monday right?"
"Yes" Aman glared at Dhruv who paced mockingly around his room, tipping of random stuff while his assistant stood by the door.
"Look! I might have given the uncle back there one more week, but your bitchy attitude makes me doesn't want to give it to you." He pouted.
"I don't need more time, I was going to pay today anyway" Aman spat but Dhruv could tell he was clearly lying.
"Oh well then, that's what we are here for!" he clapped his hands together, smiling expectantly.
"I. WILL. PAY. IT. ONLINE. Not to you." He snarled the last words with so much disgust that Dhruv felt offended.
"I will take a screenshot of the payment then." Dhruv kept his tone light, but the younger boy's glare burned into him. If looks could kill, he'd be a dead man already
Aman slowly took out his phone and started working on it for a while. Dhruv angled himself slightly to look at his best friend, his hands folded on his chest.
Arun looked amused, he raised an eyebrow at Dhruv. Maybe he was doing a pretty good job on his first day.
Dhruv winked at him and Arun covered his snort into a cough.
"I… Uh…" Aman started.
"Hmm." Dhruv turned to face him. "What's the matter?" he asked, his voice louder than usual.
"I need to make a phone call." Aman stood up and headed for the door. Arun stepped aside to let him pass, but the younger boy suddenly halted, turning back to glare at them. Then, in a precise tone, he said, "Don't. Touch. My. Things."
Dhruv scoffed, rolling his eyes "As if" he muttered, but Aman was already taking off on his phone, his tone softening "Abhishek sir…"
Dhruv turned to Arun and smirked, "Jerk, Am I doing alright?"
Arun scoffed, "Barely adequate"
"Fuck off, I'm doing awesome" he chucked while punching him on the shoulder.
Aman came back after a while. "So, are you ready to pay now, or do you want to keep talking?" Dhruv smirked. "Sorry, I don't have time for this nonsense—just pay me already." He stared directly into his opponent's eyes, as if looking into his soul. The other's expression shifted.
"How about a deal? I'll pay you back with interest if I can double this amount in a week. If not, you can take whatever you want from me."
Dhruv chuckled. "Hmm, you like making deals, huh? Alright. I'll be back in a week. But if you still can't pay me back…" He leaned in slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "You'll suffer. A lot." He was clearly enjoying the tension between them.
Dhruv said his part and left with Arun. He went to the divorced lady's house, but she wasn't home—probably at work. Deciding to call it a day, they returned home, where his father was waiting for him.
"How was your day? Any payments received?" His father took a slow sip of chai.
"Two tenants need a week to pay, and the third wasn't home," Dhruv said, then hesitated, glancing at his father for any sign of interruption. When none came, he continued, "But I scared them enough to pay soon." His voice carried a hint of fear.
"Okay" His father stood up, "But make sure they pay till next week" he said and left the room.
Dhruv took a long sigh of relief. He slumped on a couch and patted the space next to him on the couch to Arun. Arun sat on the couch too.
"What do you think? Will that boy pay you?" Arun asked
"I don't know, but one thing I clearly know is that he doesn't have money at all. I don't even know if he even has money to buy a meal" Dhruv said absent mindedly.
"True, but he's the kind of person who values his self-respect above all else, so he'll definitely pay."
Dhruv found himself thinking about Aman's glare, his confidence. It wasn't fear—it was defiance. He smirked. "I don't meet people like him often. People just wanna befriend me as soon as they find out I'm rich and I have connections"
Arun turned and smiled slyly, "Oh no! your highness has found out my only motive to be his friend, what do I do? He is going to behead me?", he tickled Dhruv.
Dhruv swatted Arun's hand away, laughing. "Idiot." He shook his head, but the smirk lingered. "You're the only one shameless enough to say it out loud."
Arun grinned. "Honesty is my best quality."
Dhruv rolled his eyes, but his mind drifted back to Aman. The way he spoke, the way he held himself—there was something about him that didn't add up.
"Still thinking about your new favorite tenant?" Arun nudged him.
"bugger off", Dhruv tapped his fingers on the table, deep in thought. "He's… different from the others. Most tenants beg for time, make excuses. But he? He made a deal instead." His lips curled slightly. "I wonder what he's planning."
"yeah… " both of them lay on the couch for some time until Arun got up, a crazy smile on his face. "what?" Dhruv turned his head lazily at him.
"want to call elvin?" Arun lit up "who? Wait Elvin from my school?" Dhruv asked getting the idea slowly
"the hacker, yes! For your favorite tenant" Arun cooed and barked out a laugh, when Dhruv matched his crazy smile.
"you are so evil, I don't know what my father sees in you" Dhruv said as both of them got up.
"let's go and search up that little guy"