"Gomer, open the door", she yelled. "Open the door your bastard".
Gomer had come back from his night shift an hour ago and was deep in sleep when the banging on the door crept up in his ears, first faintly and then louder and louder as his sleep left him. He ran from the bed still wobbly on his feet and opened the door. He was surprised to see Poorni at the door. "Hey Poorni, so nice of...” his voice trailed off as his brain started to register the meaning of the expression of anger on her face.
As the door flew open Poorni was taken aback for a second as Gomer was wearing his underpants and nothing else. His hair disheveled and his eyes looked red and tired. For half a second she forgot why she had come here. She looked down at her phone and it all came back to her. She remembered all her anger towards him and she pushed him into the hallway shouting, "How dare you Gomer?"
"How dare you? First you meddle with my life and drag me out of my own house and now this?"
"What did I do?” mumbled Gomer still not unclear about the reason for her outburst.
"Why are you interfering with my life? Why did you recommend my name for the design project when you were the one assigned the task? Don't you have a life of your own? Why am I the object of all this shit from you. Can't you go find someone else to mess with?" With every question she was taking a step towards him with a finger pointing at his nose and he kept stepping back until his back hit a wall and he couldn't go no further.
"Do you want something to drink?", he asked.
"What? I don't want anything to drink, don't try to change the topic, tell me why you are doing this to me?" She continued to shout into his face. He was a couple of inches shorter than her and her shoes had increased the difference in height by another inch. So he was looking up into her hate filed brown eyes and she was looking down into his blue ones.
He did not say anything and kept staring into her eyes and she into his. This went on for almost a minute.
"There is something I wanted to ask you before I answer your questions", he said.
"What is that?” she said annoyed that he was still trying to dodge her.
“I want to put on some clothes first".
She took a step back and looked at the rest of his body for the second time after coming in to his apartment. She was too focused on his face all this while.
"Oh, ok fine, I am going to be right here till you are back", she said part embarrassed and part annoyed.
Gomer slid to the side and went to his room. He had kind of knew, that it might come to this, and so was not altogether surprised. He put on a t-shirt and a jeans pant. He came back out again expecting to be cornered again by Poornima. Poornima was waiting, with her hands crossed on her chest, standing at the same place where she was before he had gone to put on clothes.
"Gomer, you have no right to interfere with my life, we may be friends but I never gave you express permission to decide what I should be doing in my personal and professional life", she said, her voice still a little louder than her normal tone.
"I know Poornima", said Gomer, he hands up at his chest level and palms facing her. "I have no right to interfere in your life".
"Damn right you don't", said Poorni, half expecting that Gomer was going to put up a fight. "I and only I have the right to decide what is best for me. I don't want you to think that I somehow need you to take care of me".
"I am sorry Poorni, I know that you don't need me to take care of you", said Gomer calmly.
"Then what the hell is all this? Our boss says that you suggested my name for the redesign project, when in fact; it was you that was selected for it. Why are you doing this?” she said indignantly.
"I don't have a good answer Poornima", he said. She turned away from him, throwing her hands up and started walking around the room.
"You know what, I don't care why you are doing this. I just don't want you to meddle with anything to do with me from now on", she said, raising her finger again, "Do you understand Gomer?” she ended with a question.
"I understand Poorni", he said in a low voice, "I won't interfere in your life".
Poorni could not understand why this was happening. Why was Gomer doing all this to her? Why can't he stay away and let her live her life? What did he want to achieve? What was he trying to prove? She collapsed on the couch in the room overwhelmed by all these questions going through her mind. She looked her at watch and realized that if she did not leave now she would late for her appointment.
"I am going to be late", she said standing up.