floor. There was a decent sized TV on a shelving unit against the wall, with DVDs haphazardly piled

in front. Apart from a clothing rail, some knick knacks on shelves, and a couple of guitars, that was

about it. Fizz glanced up at the numerous posters of Johnny Depp on the walls. He liked it in here. It

felt...calm.

“Wow, there’s tonnes!” Ryan exclaimed, as he nosed in the food bags. “Shall I take some

downstairs for me and the others?”

Ash laughed. “Go on, then.”

“I’ll go get a plate.” Ryan scrabbled up and left the room.

Fizz watched Ash as he sat on the floor, amongst his bags, and peered through them. “I’ve brought a

bunch of DVDs –” he began.

“Ash?” a voice broke in. “What are you doing up here?”

They both turned to see Ginger in the doorway, much to Fizz’s horror. He felt himself flush at the

implications of being caught alone with another boy.

“Um...we were gonna watch a movie,” Ash said.

“Hn.” Ginger frowned at them both. “Pete and Rachel are watching movies, too. Why don’t you go

sit with them?”

“H-Horror,” Fizz blurted out.

“Pardon?” Ginger looked at him.

“They’re watching horror,” Fizz explained. “I can’t – I can’t watch that stuff.” His eyes skimmed

Ginger’s t-shirt, showing a cartoon depiction of a grinning, bleeding skull.

“Oh.” Ginger frowned harder. “So, what were you planning to watch then?”

“Bollywood.” Ash held up a brightly coloured, foreign DVD case.

There was a clash of emotions on Ginger’s face. For a brief moment, Fizz thought his cousin was

going to smile, but the frown won out.

Luckily, Ryan reappeared. He was holding an empty bowl, and greeted Ginger like nothing was

amiss. “Hey, I was just coming back downstairs. Ash brought pudding and there’s enough for us.”

Ginger’s frown intensified even more. Fizz was so embarrassed. Was he going to be marched to his

room, in front of Ash? Would Ginger drag Ash away by his ear? Ginger may not have been a big man

like Pete or Matt, but he was no less imposing.

“Look, I’m not sure–” Ginger started to say, but then Fizz saw something he hadn’t expected.

Something that confirmed what Ash had said before. Ryan placed his hand on Ginger’s arm, and

looked him in the eyes.

“Daniel,” Ryan said quietly. “It’s fine.”

Ginger looked surprised, but he didn’t say any more. Fizz was amazed. With Ginger placated, Ryan

quickly swooped in and grabbed handfuls of strange, exotic treats. Fizz had to admire his

determination. Then Ryan strode back to the door. He guided Ginger away, smiling over his shoulder

before shutting the door.

Fizz blinked, then looked at Ash.

Ash looked back at him, just as confused. Suddenly, he snorted with laughter, covering his mouth in

an attempt to stifle it. Once he got his giggles under control, he whispered, “See what I mean?”

“Yeah,” Fizz whispered back. “That was...” He shook his head. “Really weird. Do you think they’re

gone?”

“Let’s see.” Ash put the DVDs down and got to his feet. In exaggerated creeping moves, he tip-toed

to the door. Fizz had to cover his mouth for fear of laughing. Ash peeped out into the hall, then he

disappeared, presumably to peer over the bannister. A moment later, he returned and shut the door.

“It’s okay, they’re gone. Hah! That was hilarious.”

“I’m so sorry.” Fizz tried to apologise. “It’s not you, it’s me. He – I mean, Dan –”

“Hey, no worries.” Ash waved a hand. “It’s the perfect lead into Koi Kahe Kehte Rahe.”

Fizz stared blankly, utterly confused. “Huh?”

“It’s a song, and a scene in a movie I want to show you. It’s probably my favourite song in the

world. But first,” he declared with a smile, “let’s eat pudding. I have a very sweet tooth, and it’s

demanding attention.”

Ash fetched plates and forks from the kitchen. He borrowed the pillows from Ryan’s bed, leaning

them up against the bed’s side. “I prefer sitting on floors,” Ash explained, as he did just that. Fizz

nodded his agreement. He wasn’t about to suggest that they get on the bed. Not in this lifetime. He sat

next to Ash on the floor, and willed himself not to blush.

Ash displayed his different boxes of miniature puddings in front of them. “Here you go. And don’t

worry if you don’t like ‘em, that just leaves more for me!”

Fizz gazed at the colourful, diamond-shaped sweets and the round, syrupy balls. He had no idea

what they would taste like. Ash handed him a plate, then suddenly he was on his feet again. “Fizz, do

me a favour and whack on that lamp?”

Fizz glanced to where Ash pointed; Ryan’s bedside table. He reached over, clicking on the small

lamp there. Ash stood by the light switch at the door. With the lamp now on, he turned off the main

light, plunging the room into softer shades.

“This is better for watching movies.” Ash hurried back, crouching in front of the TV as he switched

it on, and inserted a DVD. When he sat back down next to Fizz, it was definitely a fraction closer than

he’d been before. Fizz felt acutely aware of the situation. Even though he’d tried to get across this was

a friends only thing, it sure didn’t feel like it. This felt more like a date. Not that he had any

comparison on that, but...

It felt nice.

The DVD ran through its title menus. Ash piled sweets onto his own plate, and Fizz’s, pointing to

each one and telling Fizz what they were. “Do you want to try kulfi too? It’s like very milky ice cream,

with fruit.”

Fizz wasn’t sure. He’d wanted to be vegan, but he didn’t want to disappoint Ash. “Um, okay.”

The smile Ash gave him was worth the momentary lapse, Fizz decided. He tried burfi too, the

colourful, diamond shaped sweets, as Ash said they were like fudge, and laddu, which looked like

fluffy, round snowballs. He’d worried that he wouldn’t like them, but they tasted absolutely fine.

Better than fine. Amazing.

“Like it?” Ash asked.

Fizz nodded, swallowing yet another mouthful of sweet, syrupy goodness. “It’s great.”

“My sisters made all this.”

“You live together?”

“Yeah...well, I say my sisters. One is my sister-in-law. She’s married to my brother. He’s the

eldest, then my sister, then me.” Ash picked up the remote control and selected through the film menu.

“Now, to give you an idea of Bollywood, I’m just gonna cut to a scene from Dil Chahta Hai. This was

my mum’s favourite film, by the way.”

“Oh.” Fizz bit his lip, his eyes burned suddenly with the threat of tears. “Don’t you...I mean, are

you sure you want to watch it?”

Ash glanced at him, looking into his eyes. Fizz wondered if a note of understanding passed between

them, or if he was just imagining things.

“It’s fine.” Ash looked back at the TV. He was skipping through the film’s scenes, obviously

hurrying to the bit he wanted. “We’re only going to watch one song. I’m not so keen on these types of

films, it’s one of those romantic tragedies. Women love it, but I’m in the mood for mindless action,

and less plot.”

Fizz was secretly relieved. Tragedies weren’t his strong point.

“This is the best song ever, though.” Ash pressed play. The film burst to life with a young Indian

man in a modern, flashy night club. He sang right at the camera with a strong, confident voice. “This

is Koi Kahe Kehte Rahe,” Ash explained. “I haven’t put the subtitles on; see if you can guess what

they’re singing about.”

Fizz blinked in surprise, then stared back at the screen. Now three young men – all of them Indian –

were singing and dancing, with the whole club dancing in sync behind them. Everyone was smiling.

Everyone was Indian. Fizz realised he’d never, ever seen anything like this before.