"He'll be here in a minute," Shanaya said in an instant, earning a head tilt and a long gaze from her granny before the old woman settled on the seat as the head of the family.
Her brother entered moments later, displaying a freshly shaved jaw and carried out the walk of shame with his head low before sitting down."Now that everyone's here," Suhala began with a small but genuine smile, "I'd like to introduce everyone to Raunak Mehta."So the trouble's named Raunak this time, Shanaya thought as she examined his face carefully. He smiled at her grandmother's words but the moment his gaze met Shanaya's he blushed and looked away. The latter continued to glare."Ms Chahal is here with her with daughter too," She added with a forced smile. "Mithila, right?""Mridula, Dadi." The girl corrected politely and lowered her head, smiling."Yes, yes."Shanaya resisted the urge to roll her eyes and sighed instead, failing to maintain a fake smile. Times as such reminded her of why she preferred staying alone. While her eyes didn't see, she knew Aruna was glaring daggers into her. She never understood why the woman hated her but then again idiots don't need a reason.Suhala, Shanaya's grandmother's next words were directed at Kabir. "I was hoping to see Noor today. Where is she, Kabir beta?"Shanaya stilled at the mention of Kabir's wife and her eyes quickly darted to Ahail who held his head low, pretending to not have heard. She waited for a reaction while silently hoping nothing would happen."She wanted to be here, Dadi. But then something urgent came up," Kabir said and added a nervous chuckle. His eyes moved to her and she nodded at him.Neither did Ahail react not did not respond. Thankfully.They dined, as servants came in to serve, dish after dish. A few fake laughs were passed over really bad jokes that even Kabir did not seem to like. Mridula tried to be the sweet girl, keeping mostly to herself except smiling cheekily at Ahail after regular intervals to which he was absolutely oblivious.Unsurprising to anyone, Shanaya was the first to get up. Kabir followed behind her immediately.He began with a hushed whisper, "Shan, there's something-""Kabir!" Suhala's interruption startled the pair of friends. "Do you mind if I take my granddaughter away for a second?""Not at all," He said to the old woman, hesitation evident in his voice. Before he left, he widened his eyes at Shanaya, a way of warning her for what's to come."My little child," Suhala began in her throaty voice. "Where were you last night?"Before Shanaya could answer, she cut her off, "I've heard something and I hoped it wasn't true but my poor child, it is." Her old cloudy eyes stuck to Shanaya face, unflinching. Shanaya feared they had the ability to sense lies. She could feel her palms growing sweaty.She gaped at her and asked in a confused voice, "Well, Dadi, what do you mean?""The Kapoor's son, Dhruv...?" She tilted her head. "He has returned apparently. A week ago if words are to be trusted and it seems he has no plans to return. He's taken over his father's business. Allowed him to retire and rest."That's something new, Shanaya thought to herself. He's not going back. Damn it. That's why he's here. To take over his responsibility.Why did you think he returned then? For you? A voice deep inside her mind mocked her.Shanaya ignored it and remained quiet, afraid that if she'd say anything, it'd push her in the deep well of trouble.Suhala raised her eyes sharply that had been lowered to the polished floor and continued, "I need the truth from you. Were you with him last night?""Why would you accuse me of something like that?"Shanaya's intention was to sound normal, unaffected by her grandma's words, but instead her voice came out dead with no emotion in it. She was genuinely offended at her words. It was not what she had expected from the old woman.Suhala flinched, instinctively leaning back. Her cloudy eyes, however, inspected Shanaya's face carefully. When the latter refused to blink, the old woman sighed, lowering her head to adjust the folds in the front of her bright saree."I'm sorry, my child." She raised her head and cupped Shanaya's cheek with her rough, dry palm. "If I didn't know better, I would've preferred you were with him instead of working late nights in that place you call your office. I can barely tolerate Aruna anymore. I wished you spent more time here with us.""Why? So, you can set me up with some rich, stupid guy at the first opportunity and marry me off?""You're growing old," Suhala commented, taking her hand away from her face."Are you talking about me or yourself?" Shanaya snickered, hovering her gaze over her grandma's greyed hair."I was married when I was eighteen.""Dadi, this is very reason why I don't like being here," Shanaya said with a solemn tone. "I'll get married when I want to. And don't worry you won't die before you see your great-grandchildren." She rolled her eyes, unable to resist.Suhala closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. "Life is uncertain," She said, opening her eyes. There was something in her voice that made Shanaya feel sorry. She knew just what the old woman was thinking.Outliving your children was in Suhala's vision a curse. She had said so in moments of rare weakness. The whole tragedy that struck their family was unexpected, just like every other tragedy but Shanaya knew if there was anyone who'd coped well, it was Suhala.Suhala sniffed and that was when Shanaya knew it was yet another moment of weakness. She began in her throaty voice, her grey eyebrows set firmly, "It does not matter who you're with. As long as that person isn't Dhruv Kapoor. I want to see you happy, my child. With your own little family. You deserve it. But please, for your own sake, stay as far away from that family as possible. You don't want to get your heart wounded again. The last time you did, it took years to heal."Shanaya only nodded and made her way quietly upstairs to her room. Only when the door's lock clicked behind her did she let the tears brimming in her eyes flow.If only she could tell her grandmother that the wound still had not healed...When Monday morning dawned, Shanaya could not be more eager to leave her family house. She had always expected it to be a haven; a place to relax after a long week—to heal and recover from the burnout, but it had never felt that way. Going to her family house felt more like an obligation—a duty she was committed to doing. She did that every weekend. Sometimes, she felt guilty for perceiving like checking up on her grandmother and Ahail, were merely tasks on her to-do list. Shanaya sneaked out as always, tiptoeing to the front door. It was still dark outside, but the chirping of birds had replaced the quietness of the night. She needed some time to restore her sanity before reaching her workplace. She was about to turn the doorknob when someone cleared their throat behind her, causing her to freeze in her place. She sighed, feeling like a thief caught red-handed. "One day you'll regret not saying goodbye before leaving," Suhala's throaty voice fell on her ears. Her grandmother was
Despite its beauty, Shanaya frowned as she picked up the bracelet and examined its delicate design. To the touch, it was cool, sending tiny shivers through her fingers. Dhruv's smirking face flashed through her mind and she tried her best not to recall fragments of the night they spent together. What was all of this supposed to mean? What was he up to? Why did he suddenly choose to flood her with his attention after ghosting her for the last eight years? Dhruv was the last person she wanted on her mind that morning, but he was utterly unsettling like a wine stain on her conscience. Shanaya placed the ruby and gold bracelet back in the box with equal care and shut it close. “What an idiot,” she whispered to herself, remembering their conversation. Well, the next time I'll bring you roses carved out of gold. How about you never bring me any flowers? Of gold or otherwise. Dhruv had done just what she had told him not to. That was expected of him. It annoyed Shanaya but she found
[DHRUV]When his eyes opened, Dhruv feared he had slept through the afternoon. The watch on his wrist, however, displayed the time to be ten o’clock. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply before deciding to begin his day. His body was still trying to adapt to the change. It took most of the night to fall asleep, causing him to wake up much later than he intended to. Alarms had never worked for him, so he did not bother setting them up now either. Standing up on his feet, he wandered around, taking in the emptiness of his room. A bed and a wardrobe were the only pieces of furniture inside. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, he noted to himself. Dhruv had his old friends from Mumbai hunt for some bungalows while he was still wrapping things up in the U.S. The one he had ended up buying was perfect for him—just as he had pictured.However, everything had been done in haste and there was no housewarming ceremony which aggravated his mother, who was mad in the first place be
Sucking in a deep breath, Shanaya took another peek out the window. Dhruv still stood leaning against his car, dashing in a white shirt. While it made no sense to her, Dhruv wearing white clothes was a sight that had always appealed to her. She recalled a white hoodie he once owned that had ended up being hers. He occasionally looked up toward her window, but she was sure he couldn’t see her. Even though he had been standing there for fifteen minutes, Shanaya still wanted to keep him waiting. She removed the glistening bracelet from her wrist and placed it back into the velvet box. A moment later, Shaheer knocked on her cabin door. “Ms. Arora, I’m leaving for lunch. Are you sure you won’t be joining us today?” he asked solemnly, his hands clasped together. “Absolutely,” she replied without missing a beat, grabbed her handbag, and walked around the oval table. Turning around briefly, she glanced across the room. “Ah, Shaheer. Could you please find a nice vase to place those tu
“What a pleasant surprise it is meeting you here!” he expressed, his smile widening even more. Shanaya lied, maintaining her fake grin, “Likewise.”“You look very beautiful today.”“Thank you so much,” she said. Her cheeks were starting to ache. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't come up with a polite way to dismiss him. “Are you here all by yourself?” he asked, his eyebrows rising in curiosity. In addition to his voice, Shanaya hated the intrusiveness he exhibited, making her want to get rid of him immediately. Sighing loudly, she replied, “Oh, no. I’m here with a client. Business deal discussion.”“Should’ve expected that. Your grandmother admires your working attitude.”“Does she? I did not expect that.” She chuckled. “Raunak, I think I should go. Keeping your clients waiting too long is not a good work ethic.”“Right. So silly of me to keep you here.” He moved to the side, freeing her path. Shanaya sighed in relief, walking with quick strides. But when she reached her tabl
“Shanaya, I think that’s quite enough. We should leave now,” Kabir tried to communicate over the loud music playing in the club. “You’re already too drunk,” he said, stating the obvious. Noor, his wife, stood beside him, shifting on her feet every few seconds as she glanced around. She wore a crimson dress that fitted her figure beautifully. Her dark brown hair fell in loose curls around her shoulders. She was breath-taking in every sense; she only lacked the confidence. While Noor said nothing, the look on her soft round face conveyed all her concern. Grabbing her arm, Kabir yelled, “Shanaya, let's go!” “Stop screaming in my ears,” Shanaya yelled back at him and then chuckled, swaying her body along the rhythm. This song was really getting her into the mood of dancing. If only her supposed best friend would let her do as she pleased. “I’m only pretending. I’m not really that drunk. Yet,” she emphasized. “I’m not leaving until I see two Kabirs standing in front of me.” Turning t
As the sun started to set, orange and crimson tones began to fill the open sky. Suhala shifted the folds of her pale blue saree once more before clearing her voice. It was difficult to ignore her impatience. Shanaya pulled out her cell phone once again, dialling Ahail’s number. He did not bother picking up this time either. Sighing, she looked at her grandmother who was watching her intently. “When is he coming?” Suhala asked, her voice coarse like sand. “He said he would come.” “I don’t understand why we’re wasting our time here,” Aruna, Neil’s mother, remarked. Folding her arms, she continued, “He never comes to any such events. Let’s just leave, Harish. I don’t want to be late to my son’s art exhibition. It’s an important day for him.” “You’re right, Aruna,” Suhala agreed, fixing her daunting eyes on the woman. “It is indeed an important day for Neil, which is why he asked all of us to be present. Together. As a family.” Aruna had the audacity to scoff, bearing a look on her fa
[DHRUV]The incessant noise of honking cars and flashing red lights was starting to give Dhruv a headache. But he was not the type of man who would lose his temper over something as petty as traffic. However, he was definitely the man to make a grand late entry to any event. No mattered how much Dhruv tried, he knew he would not be able to evade being the centre of attention that night. If only he could enjoy the allure of art without any random people wanting to strike a conversation with him…This was not going to be concerning, if things had been the way they were a decade ago. Dhruv was—as much as he hated to admit—the nerd, devoid of any charm. He was awkward. A fork could hold soup better than he could hold a conversation back then. And all of a sudden everything had changed. He had made the hard decision to move to a different country in pursuit of his dreams, leaving everything behind. Fast forward to that day, he had become the Dhruv Kapoor, a sensation. A living legend. A