Behind the Hangover

The next morning, I woke up on Priya's bed with a splitting headache, feeling like my skull was being torn apart. I groaned and clutched my head, trying to ease the pain. Priya, stepping out from the bathroom after brushing her teeth, took one look at me and smirked.

"See? That's what happens when you drink," she said, shaking her head.

"Ahhh, sorry…" I mumbled, my voice raspy.

"It's okay. You were a lot quieter than I was expecting, to be honest," she replied casually before heading off to take a shower.

I dragged myself to the couch in the living room, groaning with every step. This wasn't my first time at Priya's place, so I knew my way around. I curled up under a blanket, trying to keep still and let the pounding in my head subside.

Karun arrived shortly after, looking far too composed for my current state. My stomach churned at the sight of him, knowing a scolding was imminent. After all, I was the one who insisted we go to the pub to celebrate my return. It was my first time at one, and I had been adamant despite Karun's warnings. He had reluctantly agreed on the condition that we wouldn't drink, just dance and have fun.

But I broke that promise.

Not only did I drink, but I also got so drunk that I didn't remember much of what happened. The realization made me sink deeper into the couch as Karun sat across from me, arms crossed and expression stern.

To my surprise, he didn't start yelling. Instead, he handed me a steaming bowl of what smelled like a concoction brewed in a witch's cauldron.

"Drink this. It's for your hangover," he said curtly.

I accepted the bowl without a word, quietly sipping the awful-tasting soup. Priya, now fresh and dressed, entered the room and immediately tried to diffuse the tension.

"Oh, you're here, Karun!" she exclaimed, walking toward us. She glanced at him, sitting with one leg crossed, and then at me, kneeling with the bowl in my hands. "Come on, don't be like that."

Karun's eyes narrowed. "I warned her, Priya. This is dangerous! What if something happened?"

"Yes, yes, we get it," Priya replied, waving her hands as if to brush away his anger. "She's sorry for it, aren't you, Kathy?"

I nodded furiously, eager to end the lecture. "I'm sorry," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'll be more careful."

The tension eventually eased, though Karun's displeasure lingered in the air. When I asked if our parents had inquired about me, he explained that he had covered for me, saying I threw a tantrum and insisted on staying at Priya's. Priya had even taken the phone to say I'd already gone to sleep.

Changing the subject, I noticed Karun was dressed in semi-formals. "Where are you headed?" I asked.

"Did you forget? We have a meeting with Old Man today," he reminded me.

"Oh no!" I gasped, realizing how late it was. "When is it again?"

"In two hours," he said with a smirk.

Panic set in. "Karun! It takes half an hour to get home, and I don't have anything formal to wear!"

Priya smiled knowingly. "I thought you'd forget, so I asked Karun to bring some clothes for you."

Relief washed over me as I looked at him, waiting for confirmation. But Karun shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, did you? Seems I forgot."

"What?!" I cried, clenching my fists.

"Beg me," he teased, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"I won't beg!" I huffed, storming around the house, searching for the hidden clothes. Priya joined me, but neither of us could find them. Finally, I gave up and asked, "Fine! Where are they, Karun?"

He laughed. "Call me Big Brother Karun, and I might tell you."

Gritting my teeth, I sighed. "Big Brother Karun, where are they?"

"In the car," he said, still laughing.

I was ready in twenty minutes, all set to go. Just as I was applying the final touch of eyeliner, my thoughts drifted to the events of the previous night. The memories were blurry, but I distinctly recalled crying and ranting to Priya about something. Had I fought with her? A pang of guilt hit me—I needed to apologize.

Determined, I stepped out of the room to find Priya and Karun in the kitchen, busy preparing something. Priya noticed me first.

"Hmm, finally ready, I see," she said, smiling. "Karun made some juice for you. You haven't eaten anything since morning. You'll need your energy once we get there."

I hesitated, then blurted out, "Priya, I'm sorry. For the trouble last night... and for fighting with you."

Priya raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Fighting with me? Kathy, you didn't fight with me!" she said, guiding me toward the kitchen table.

"Really? But I remember crying and ranting to you…" I muttered, confused.

She burst out laughing again. "Oh, you don't remember much, do you? It wasn't a fight. It was just… you being hilariously drunk."

By now, Karun was chuckling too, clearly enjoying my embarrassment. "Seriously," Priya added, leaning on Karun for support as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, "we should never let you drink again. You can't handle it!"

Embarrassed and lost, I glanced between the two of them. "What's so funny?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"You…" Karun started, barely holding back his amusement. "You told Priya the story about Kris. Repeatedly. And each time, you exaggerated it even more."

Priya picked up where he left off. "At one point, I went to Karun for help to ask if he got you drink to get you low, because you kept looping back to the same story!"

They both burst into loud laughter again, leaving me mortified.

"That's not all," Karun added after catching his breath. "When we arrived at the pub, we couldn't find you at first. Then we spotted a commotion nearby and—get this—you were clinging to some guy, practically crushing him like a koala!"

"What?!" I exclaimed, horrified.

"You might not have seen him before," Priya continued, a mischievous glint in her eye. "He's the young master of LightEdge Group—the top IT corporate in the country. Always winning the NexGen awards. And guess what? That's the company you're working for."

I froze, the realization sinking in. Priya pressed on, clearly relishing my growing mortification. "I've met him once before through my father's acquaintances. They say he's notoriously ill-tempered. And there you were, clinging to him like a koala!"

Karun chuckled, adding, "Lucky for you, he didn't blow up. He just walked away, leaving you to us. Consider yourself fortunate!"

"The LightEdge Group…" I muttered, feeling the weight of her words. That was the corporation everyone admired—the one that always stood at the top in the country. For the longest time, we all assumed it was run by an older, seasoned chairman. But apparently, there was a young mastermind behind it all.

I groaned inwardly, my embarrassment deepening. "I really should apologize to him," I thought aloud, feeling a mix of regret and disbelief at the situation I'd gotten myself into.

Priya patted my shoulder, still grinning. "Lucky you didn't get banned from the place!"

Before I could respond, Karun's phone rang. It was Marcus.

"Have you started?" Marcus asked.

Karun glanced at me and replied, "We're just about to leave." He hung up and gave me a knowing look.

"We need to go," he said, signaling that it was time to wrap things up.

"Alright, let's go," I replied, grabbing the juice Priya had prepared. As we headed out, I couldn't shake off the embarrassment of my antics, but I resolved to make things right—and never drink like that again.