Akash

––––––––

FREDDIE: TAINE SAID to tell you Scottie might stop by this evening to ask you out.

Akash: Why me?

Freddie: Bad karma?

Akash: Arse. How are you and the Tens machine doing? Done anything kinky lately?

Freddie: Go dust the flour off your mobile.

Akash: Use condoms.

Freddie: Bite me.

Akash: I’ll leave that to Tens. Nighty night.

When Freddie didn’t respond, Akash assumed his friend had fainted from all the blood rushing to his head when he blushed. Taine would probably text him later to berate him for it. The man got rather tetchy when it came to his lover.

The warning about Scottie hadn’t been completely necessary. Akash knew how to deal with bullies. His father had ensured all of his children were well versed in the art of self-defence; they’d all studied one form of martial arts or the other.

In fact, Akash had taken down larger idiots than Scottie in competition. I’ve nothing to worry about. Scottie might need to be concerned if he didn’t get himself under control.

Alex and Alice made their escape early in the evening to work on their homework. Akash closed up the shop, prepped for the morning, and had just finished cleaning up when a hard knock rattled the rear door that connected the shop to the stairs leading up to his flat.

Broom in hand, Akash opened the door and found himself only mildly surprised to see Scottie standing with his arm still raised. They stared at each other in awkward silence. It had none of the ease Hamish brought with him.

Akash grew tired of the tense quiet. “Did you want something? Bakery closed an hour ago.”

“Not here for fucking scones.” Scottie appeared to be thrown by Akash’s disinterested tone. “I’m taking you out to dinner.”

“Was that a question?” Akash almost dropped the broom while staring at the overly confident man in front of him. “To quote my baby sister, ‘um, like, no.’”

“Are you fucking turning me down? Me?” Scottie glanced around as if expecting him to be talking about someone else. “Me? Are you fucking serious?”

Over the years, Akash’s sisters had often complained about men refusing to gracefully accept rejection. He’d always wondered if they exaggerated. Scottie clearly proved their point.

The former rugby player practically frothed at the mouth over being turned down. His behaviour only made Akash more certain. He had zero interest in sharing even a coffee with the temperamental man.

“Are you fucking listening?” Scottie took a step toward him after having ranted for a good ten minutes. “Oi! Fucking—”

Akash brought the broom up quickly and used it to press Scottie back, cutting him off midsentence. “Not interested in whatever shite you’re about to vomit on me. I find nothing attractive about you. Nothing. I’m not sodding interested.”

Scottie couldn’t seem to fully grasp what Akash said. “Are you fucking serious?”

Akash continued to use the broom to separate them. He had no idea what the volatile man might do, but had learned never to take chances. “Completely serious. Now get your fucking arse away from my door.”

When Akash stepped back and turned to go inside, Scottie muttered a gay slur under his breath. The word hit like a ton of bricks. He started into the bakery only to stop and spin back around to face the man.

“One of these days, Scottie, you’ll have to accept the fact that you’re gay. I don’t know what’s caused this obvious self-hatred, but deal with it before you hurt someone.” Akash slammed the door in Scottie’s face. I will not engage bullies and arseholes in conversation, particularly one who is obviously filled with self-loathing. It’s pointless. It had been one of the hardest lessons for him to learn. “Arse.”

Setting the broom aside, Akash jogged up the stairs to his flat. He ran a bath while speedily scanning through his emails. A relaxing soak sounded like just the thing after his incredibly exhausting day.

Ganesh took up his usual post on the windowsill above the tub. The insane cat obsessively watched Akash whenever he bathed. He found it a tad disturbing; Shanti had only laughed off his concerns when he’d told her the first time it happened.

Arrogant assumptions aside, Akash struggled to process Scottie’s complete lack of sensitivity. The man had insulted friends and strangers. He constantly picked fights, flinging slurs around like candy.

Resting his head against the edge of the tub, Akash tried to let the stress of the day to sink away. Hamish had been the bright spot, the only one. Ignoring troubles didn’t come naturally to him; he preferred to face them head-on and immediately.

Akash had one major problem, aside from Scottie: the twins’ stepfather. The man continued to harass the teens, albeit from a distance. They refused to talk to the police about it.

Contacting the police on their behalf wouldn’t accomplish anything; the twins had reached adulthood. His hands were tied by their inaction. He’d already spoken to a friend of his who was a detective in London about it.

He mulled the problem over until the water turned tepid. Ganesh had fallen sleep with his furry head dangling off the ledge. Akash’s skin had turned clammy and wrinkly as the water cooled.

Time to get out.

With a towel wrapped around him, Akash wandered into the kitchen for some of the leftover pizza Alex and Alice had left in his fridge. He didn’t have the energy to whip something up for himself. Cold pizza, a pint of whatever Jack had brought over last time they watched a rugby match together, and a few chapters in a novel while listening to the Beatles would be a brilliant way to end his evening.

One good thing to come out of day had been forgetting to stress over the family dinner. Akash did remember to text Shanti to tell her that Hamish had said yes and that she could repay the favour later. Here’s hoping this family dinner isn’t a disaster.

It wouldn’t be.

His internal dramatics aside, Akash knew his parents to be loving and open-minded.  When he wasn’t panicking, logic told him that the chance of their being angry was slim to none. Fear still managed to creep into his heart.

His elder sister, Padma, on the other hand, might be a completely different story. She tended to take great pleasure in being as frustrating as she could to her younger siblings. Akash had mostly agreed to Shanti’s plan in the hopes it would cut off any issues between the sisters.

Wishful thinking.