We Said Yes! - A Collection of One-Shots - Page 3

Originally posted by: akrocks77

It's a collection and a collection must go on⭐️

For Better, For Worse

It was an early Saturday afternoon and all of us were sitting in the indoor garden. Lalaji was intent on feeding the two new Malhotra bahus his infamous paan, so here I was, sitting with Preeti as Lalaji fed us one paan after the other, with no end in sight.

The number of paan's I'd had in the last 15 minutes were more than enough to put me off of them forever but neither of us could deny Lalaji and his enthusiasm. Kamini Chachi, Vandy Bhabhi and Varun Bhaiya sat around us laughing at our miserable faces.

"Lalaji bas karo," Varun Bhaiya finally intervened. "Shakal dekho un dono ki."

Lalaji looks at us, his brows furrowed, as both Preeti and I give me too big and cheesy smiles. He stares at us for another minute before dissolving into laughter, one so infectious that a few seconds later we all are laughing.

As we all have a jovial time on this rare free afternoon, the three lawyers of this house are holed up in the office. This week has been hectic for them; they are in the office before breakfast is served and come back well after dinner is done. A case has all three of them and a few of their other associates in knots and when I try to ask them about it I am told it is confidential since it involves a minor. The only thing I know is that the case is not being prepared the way they want it to which has less them stressed and agitated.

I am brought out of my worries when Bahadur kaka comes in a few minutes later and lets us know that lunch is ready. Everyone moves to the table and I go to the kitchen to help kaka much to reproach, which had become a daily occurrence. Honestly, I think he has started to enjoy this daily back and forth and might even look forward to it.

I am just about to sit down in my place when all three men walk into the house, quietly and looking a bit haggard. Shravan walks in last, a girl who looks not above the age of 14, walks beside him, her shoulders hunched and her arms wrapped around her mid-section. Her face is pale and blotchy like she has been crying and when she raises her downcast eyes, they are rimmed red from excessive rubbing; but it's not her outward experience that stops me in my place. It's the look in her eyes, haunted and devoid of life that has me taking in a sharp breath, inaudible to everyone in the room.

I've seen that look.

Papa comes to the table and pulls out his chair, calling out to the girl softly as if she spoke any louder, he would scare her away. "Come on, have some lunch at least," He pleads.

The girl looks at him for a minute before she moves to the sectional sofa, declining his offer without a word. Papa breathes a defeated sigh and looks at Shravan, signalling him to try. He goes to where she is sitting and squats in front of her, talking to her quietly. After getting no answer from her, he moves towards the dining area and sits down, dropping his head back and looks at me, a multitude of emotions swimming in those brown eyes.

Everybody looks at the four of them, worry reflecting on each of their faces and a sense of helplessness falls on the room. For the next 20 minutes, without any prompt, Preeti, Lalaji, Chachi, Bhaiya and even Bhabhi try to get the girl to eat but to no avail, they all get the same answer. A resounding silence.

The lunch has been long forgotten when Bahadur Kaka comes into the room and tries to ask the girl. There is some progress. She moves her head but the answer is still no.

I look at her for a few more minutes, taking in her posture. Her legs are pulled up to her chest, arms around them and her head lies on the side as she stares blankly into the distance.

My heart tugs painfully at the sight of her and I do the only thing that comes to my mind. I quickly move into the kitchen and find what I am looking for. Another 10 minutes and I am out of the kitchen with two plates in my hand.

I stop near the staircase and take a deep breath to calm my racing heart. I can feel the family members staring at me as I move towards the girl in slow and deliberate steps.
A few more slow steps and I am standing in front of her and I bring one plate down to her eye level and wait. It takes a few minutes but I see a flicker of life in her eyes before they hone in on the plate. Her eyes flick up to look at me and I just blink my eyes and give her a small smile, encouraging her to take the plate. She moves to sit up straight and after a few more minutes of staring, she takes the plate and puts it on her lap, playing with the fork.

I sit beside her and bring my legs up on the sofa, trying not to look at Chachi as I do it.

"You know, it's not that bad." I start softly as she continued to play with her food. "I mean if it is then someone would have to revoke my chef license if I can't even make Maggie."

A few more minutes of silence and then I see her lips tilting up slightly on the corner, a ghost of a smile appearing before she took a deep breath and took the first bite.

I could feel the collective sigh from everyone at that moment. I just look at them and reassure them that I will handle it. My gaze lands on Shravan, a small smile playing on his lips as he shakes his head disbelievingly and started to eat his lunch. Everyone is quiet as they eat, the only sound of spoons hitting the plates and glasses being kept on the table breaking the otherwise quiet room.
I am almost finished with my Maggie and check to see if she has finished her portion, and to no surprise she had.

"Do you want more?" I ask her softly not wanting to startle her in her fragile state. All I get is another shake of her head in answer. Bahadur Kaka quickly came and picked up the plates before I could get up.

I was silent for a while, taking inventory of this nameless girl sitting in front of me. When I had measured her up, I asked the simplest question to break the ice, crossing my fingers that she gave me an answer.

"What is your name?"

She didn't answer. I waited for a few more minutes and then in the quietest whisper I heard, "Amaira."

"Amaira," I repeat. "Beautiful name," I tell her.

"I'm sorry," I tell her after a few more minutes of silence. "For what you are going through, I understand," I continue sympathetically.

What I said must have been wrong because in an instant the quiet, lost and meek girl sitting in front me whipped her head to look at me, disgust flashing in her eyes.

"You... You 'understand'?" She scoffed. "Do you know what it's like to lose your parents?! To have your entire life ripped away from you in a flash?" Amaira questioned accusingly, her eyes firing up in ire, fingers curled in a fist.

A spoon clatters in the dining area and I could physically feel everything stop around me. I turn to look at her and let her see the part of me that I've always held close to me but run away from at the same time and she gasps in understanding.

Pain understands pain and when the pain shared is mutual you learn to pick it up from afar.

"I know what it feels like. Of course, I do, I have lived with for 20 years and continue to live with every single day." I tell her sadly.

"How old...?" She asked hesitantly.

"I was 6. It was a normal day, woke up and was creating havoc as usual with my mischiefs when it came to school and after a few pushes and pulls and promises to have ice-cream after school they both dropped me off at the school and went to work. When the time came for them to pick me up they never showed. My grandfather, my Nanu, came to pick me up an hour later took me to his home and told me, well-tried to explain to me as best as he could. A truck jumped the red light and hit my parents' car. They died on the spot due to excessive bleeding and the truck driver walked away with a few scratches." I finish on a whisper as my throat constricted with pain.

Everyone is quiet as they listen to what we were saying. They know what happened but they've never asked me and I never spoke about it to anyone. Not even Shravan. I don't even remember when I last spoke about their accident to anyone.

Amaira is quiet for a few minutes processing the information I just shared with her. "You were so small." She whispered.

"Doesn't mean it hurt any less than it is hurting you now." I give her a sad smile.

"Where... Where did you go after that?"

"Nanu took me and moved me to his house. There was also my Mamaji and Mamiji and Masi and Mausaji, an older cousin brother and a younger cousin sister."

"That's a lot of people. How was it for you?"

I pause and recollect my years spent at Tiwari Killa and how it was for me. There is a look in her eyes, pleading I think, begging me to tell her how it was for her as if it would help her make a decision.

"It was okay in the beginning, I guess. The first year is sort of a blank, a few hazy images here and there. I know I used to sit on my bedroom window hoping for my parents to come back and take me home. I refused to admit my new reality, I was inside my head a lot and I used to be sick a lot — fevers, fainting spells, lack of sleep and eating were a common occurrence."

By now everything has faded around me and Amaira's voice sounds as if it is coming from a tunnel. "How were they to you? Were they good to you?"

"In the beginning it was awkward. I only used to meet them for a few hours once every few weeks and then I would go home so we all were on our best behaviours but now that was my home and I was having a hard time adjusting. They did their best to make me comfortable but it wasn't the same anymore.

It took me 2 years to be comfortable. I was now an 8-year-old who had lost everything and was trying as best as I could at that age to adjust. It took me years to accept that house as home because for me living there was synonymous to everything that I had lost. But time's a cruel thing." I laughed without a trace of humour. "Just when I had come to accept the house and its occupants as my family they changed and now I was nothing more than a burden to them. A kid that not one person, except Nanu, wanted but were saddled with. It started with the little things — going out without me, making me do a list of chores, that they were supposed to do, making it hard for me to go out because I would be tired by the end of the day. I could handle all of that but the taunts, the constant reminders of the favours that they were bestowing me with coated in sugary sweet words, belittling me for the tiniest of things and insulting my parents? I could never handle those. I mean I was 10 but I was not an idiot.

"One day I was pulled aside by my Mamiji and she told me about a loan that my mother had taken from her years ago, 2 lakhs in total, and she expected me to return the money as soon as I could. It was my 13th birthday."

Everything was so quiet as I continued to remain lost in my memories. All those moments running through my mind like a horror movie. "I used to cry myself to sleep every night," I whispered after a long pause, my throat continued to ache as I tried to keep my tears at bay.

"Were you every happy there?"

"I was but it is hard to remember the good when the bad overpowered on most days."

"W-what were you happy days like?" Amaira stuttered.

"I had happy hours," I replied. I could feel my lips tilting in a smile as the bad memories were replaced by happy ones. "From 5-7 in the evening, those were my happy hours every day."

"Why?"

"Because that was the time my best friend used to be at my home. 5'o clock on the dot, not a minute late not a minute early," I chuckled shaking my head at Shravan's infamous line as a kid. "For those two hours, I could laugh without feeling guilty, fight and raise my voice without being scared. Just be a kid for those few hours and act my age."

"Was your best friend good to you?"

I finally pull myself out of my head and turn to look at the scared but tad hopeful girl beside me, "He was the best." I smiled at her. "The best I could have ever asked for or deserved, for that matter."

For the first time today, Amaira smiled at me. It was small but there was a sheen in her eyes that told me that she understood exactly what I was talking about.

"How was he?" She prodded, her body turning towards me.

"Nerd. Through and through and so freaking proud of it." I laughed and Amaira joined in giggling and with that the whole atmosphere in the room turned from heavy and suffocating to light. After we stopped I continued, "He was quiet, loyal, inquisitive as hell, a proud nerd as I mentioned before and books were his best friend."

"I thought you were his best friend." She teased lightly.

"Mmmm. Nah! Harry Potter. Harry Potter was his best friend."

"Are you still best friends? Is he still the same?" Amaira asked after a while of contemplation.

I turn my head slightly and look at Shravan who his still sitting at the dining table with the rest of the Malhotra's listening to us talk, a smile playing on his lips as he looks at me. "Yup. Yes, we are." I send a sly wink his way and he just shakes his head in return. "As for if he is still the same. Yes, again. He is still all those things and his nerd level just grew over the years. I sometimes think I need to get his head checked, I mean, which sane person likes studying so much?!" I ask her, adding a bit of flair to my voice and widening my eyes in mock disgust to make her smile once more, which she does.

"Were you always this close?"

"No. I met him in school, he was one year older to me and we were, are so different from each other it's a wonder that we even get along as we do. But over the course of three years, we had a lot of fights and we had this one thing, my stupidity, and we didn't see each other or talk to each other for 10 years."

"10 years?!"

"Uh-huh," I pursed my lips and moved my head up and down slowly as I hummed. "You would think I would have learned a two thing about saying sorry but nope. Messed it up on the first try and the second try and the third try and — you get my meaning right?" Amaira gave me another small smile and nodded but while her eyes smiled her eyes still bore the weight of the disaster that had struck her. "If you searched for the word 'disaster' in the dictionary you are bound to find my picture beside it."

I continue to look at her and watch her get lost inside her head and the small smile that played on her lips before disappear slowly. I lean back on the sofa to become comfortable, pull a cushion on my lap and put my head on the back of the sofa and look at the plain white ceiling. I go back 20 years and remember what it was like until two years back, the difference in the Tiwari's in the last two decades and realize that a lot hasn't changed, I just found Shravan again, dated him for 2 years — the first year spent reconnecting as best friends but the next step of our relationship and the emotions that came with it hovering over us, never letting us forget that we could never be just best friends — and I moved out of that house and a lot of my problems disappeared.

"I'm scared," Amaira speaks thickly after a prolonged silence. "I feel like I am —" Her hands stopped mid-air, her fingers opening and closing around her neck as her voice chokes with emotion.

"Suffocating? Drowning?" I complete. "Like everything has turned to dark and there is not a single light in sight? You have a hard time breathing and with every breath, you wait hoping that it's not the one where you break down? That..." I choke once again, tears now flowing down the side of my face as I continue to look at the ceiling as I reveal one of my darkest thoughts as a child in the open. "That you wish you had died along with them just so you could be spared from this excruciating pain and not have to feel anything." I finish softly. The temperature in the room has dropped and somewhere in the distance, I could hear a few sniffled and someone whimper.

A small yes is all I get before Amaira breaks into ugly sobs. Moving from my perch I shift towards and take her into my arms and rest my cheek on her head as she continues to cry, never stopping.

I let her cry and in the process, I start crying too. I cry for the 6-year-old Suman who never got to experience childhood. I cry for the 14-year-old Amaira who's life changed forever today.

Slowly that sadness turns into anger within me. Angry at fate for making people go through this kind of pain. Angry and sad that this girl is going through the same pain I did and still do, but there is a part of me that is glad. Glad at fate for bringing her to my doorstep, glad that I can understand what she is going through and rather than saying empty words like 'everything will be okay', 'stop crying', and many other phrases that I was always told, I can tell her that it is okay to cry, that it is okay to feel the insurmountable pain that she is going through and more importantly it is okay to not be okay. I whisper all these things quietly to her, careful of the family members listening and crying their own tears of pain.

After a long time, her cries turn into hiccups and before I could get up and get her water, Shravan crouches in front of us holding two cold glasses of water, offering Amaira first who sits up and drinks the water in a few quick gulps. "Slowly," I tell her softly and rub her back as she starts coughing. He offers the other glass to me and I take a few sips and put it down on the table. Rather than go back, Shravan moves to sit behind me, my back resting on the side of his torso.

"What do I do?" Amaira whispered brokenly, looking at me helplessly. "How do I get over this?"

"You don't... You can't get over this, you'll never be able to. You just learn to get through it." I start slowly, trying to explain to her what it's like is harder than I thought but if it helps her even a little bit, I will try my best to get through to her. I rest my hands on her fisted hands, prying open the fingers gently as I continue. "Every day is going to be a challenge right now and it will continue to be a challenge for a very long time. Later, like much later, maybe in 10 or 15 years, it will be hard but it won't be as hard as it is now. You first need to learn how to survive and slowly one day, even without you knowing, you will be living. You will laugh without feeling guilty, you will cry, you will look forward to days, you will look forward to waking up in the morning and wanting to take steps and learn new things."

"It doesn't seem like that."

"Right now. It doesn't seem like that right now but you will. Amaira, give it time. What you're going through it's a huge loss and anybody who expects you to be better and fully functioning in a few months should not be around you."

"Does this pain ever go away?"

"No. It never does. There will always be this void inside of you. That void, it will be tempting and horrifying at the same time. You will love to hate that feeling of pain because it means you are still breathing and you will have thoughts of death floating around your head which will jar you. It's going to be scary as hell but promise me one thing." Amaira nods her head after a few minutes. "Talk. Talk to someone, anyone, who you feel comfortable with, even if it has to be a psychiatrist. Just... talk."

"I don't think I can," she choked on her tears again.

"You can. Trust me, you can. If you can survive this you can survive and come out victorious in any situation that is thrown at you. I'm telling you all of this because I don't want you to make the same mistakes that I made." I implore. "Trust me when I tell you that you have a long road of recovery ahead but you will get better.

"You will act out. You will hurt anybody and everybody around you with your silence and actions even if you don't mean to. You will do everything in your power to push the people who care about you and see all the hurt and pain away and seek out people who will not, for even a moment, think about you and you want to know why? Because those people will never look hard enough at you to know that there is something wrong and when nobody around us sees inside us, we stop believing that there is something wrong. You will make mistakes, again and again, believing that no one out there to look out for you. You will hate the pitiful looks people will send your way. You will always feel alone in a room full of people you know because you never opened up and by the time you do, it just might be too late. You change and believe me, it will not be better. Everybody around you will move on while you will still be stuck in the past regretting all the moments when you didn't grasp that helping hand." I finished as she continued to look at me with terror in her eyes and tears streaming down both our cheeks.

"You never had anyone to guide you," It felt more like a statement than a question but I answer her anyway.

"No, but god, I wish I had someone to guide me through it all, maybe I wouldn't have taken all those decisions that I did and maybe would have been truly happy all this time."

At that moment, Shravan sighed, encircling one of his arms around me and tightened his hand on my side, pulling me back a little. Amaira watched everything that was happening and looked on curiously with sad eyes.

"Where is your best friend now? Are you still friends?" She asked suddenly.

A small smile ghosted my lips at that question and I could feel Shravan chuckle silently behind me. Amaira looked on in confusion at our reactions and I just point my thumb behind me in an answer. "Yeah, I married my best friend."

Amaira's eyes widened and wonderment filled her eyes with a dash of excitement as a smile started to form on her lips. "No!"

"Yup," Shravan replied amused at her shocked outburst.

"How did this happen, if you don't mind my asking."

"That's a really long story," Shravan replied. "She can tell you the condensed version better. She tells it to everyone who asks, anyway."

"Hey! Our story is romance novel worthy, of course, I love telling it to people and also because everyone agrees with me." I elbowed Shravan a tad to hard and hearing him grunt left a satisfying smile on my face.

"So it goes like this — the school Bully literally bumps into the school's biggest Nerd, who is naturally solving a Rubik's cube, then for a moment of feeling superior challenges the Bully to solve the cube," I roll my eyes for effect eliciting a giggle from Amaira "due to circumstances become the best friends but only at home. At school, I was the cool kid and he was the nerd but whenever we wanted to talk or share something important we had a code, don't think I am going to be telling you that by the way, through which we always let the other know. 2 years later, something happened to the Nerd and he came crying to the Bully and in front of the whole school she insulted him because her image was everything. The Bully had realized that while she was trying to achieve something she ended up hurting him more —"

"What was the Bully trying to achieve?" Amaira interrupted completely invested in the story.

"To push him away. What she didn't realize until much later was that when the Nerd left Delhi was good he took a part of her with him. For 10 years there was no contact between the two and then one day, there he was, all tall, dark and handsome, completely unrecognizable but his eyes were the same. After months of cat and mouse game, a bunch of "villains" and "vamps" in our story we got our happy ending. It just took us 12 years, countless of ego clashes, but we got there."

"Damn. She's right. Your story is worthy of a romance novel." Amaira concluded. She stared into empty space for a few minutes before moving her gaze to Shravan. "After everything she did, I am guessing that she made some really bad decisions for you to cut contact with her, you still came back. Why?"

"I've loved her for as long as I can remember, Amaira, and what I feel for her, the intensity of it is something that never goes away, no matter the time and distance you put. If she made a mistake when we were kids I deliberately hurt her on multiple occasions after I came back. We were apart more than we were together. We are better when we are standing together against a common goal or enemy."

"You were so young, how did you know she was the one?"

"I really can't tell that. One day she was my friend and the next day I fell in love with her and when I tried to forget her she was still there. It's been 12 years and I am as in love with her as I was when I was school. Moreso now actually now that I think about it."

My head is turned to my side, away from Amaira, Shravan's and the family's direct gaze as I smile remembering everything.

"I don't think I will be experiencing anything like this," Amaira stated sadly.

"Why do you think that?" I questioned.

"I'm an orphan now with tons of baggage. Nobody wants that." She sighed.

"Can't deny that but you'll be surprised by how many people love you, including your baggage," I assure her.

We're all silent now. Contemplating everything that went down in a mere hour in the Malhotra living room. Amaira opens her mouth to speak when she is interrupted with a call of her name which is coated with relief.

"Amaira!"

We all collectively turn towards the door and see a boy standing at the threshold. He's tall and dressed in dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt, his chest heaving as he breathes hard. Black mussed hair which looks like they have been raked and pulled in agitation. His black eyes are a mix of terror and sadness as they search around the room.

"Aryan?" Amaira spoke softly from beside me but the boy somehow heard her and his head snapped in the direction of her voice. He relieved a deep sigh and a terror in his eyes gave way to relaxation.

"Amaira," He repeated again and ran towards her engulfing her in a tight hug. "Are you okay? What are you doing here? You were supposed to be in the office. Did you eat anything? Why are you crying?" He shooted one question after.

Beside me, Shravan's shoulder shook in laughter and I turned and glared at him for a second before turning around and looking in front of me at the two best friends.

"Umm...Maybe take a breath and not shoot one question after the other? You'll get all your answers," I interrupted and smirked at the boy. He looked at me a minute too long and a red hue covered his cheeks as he looked down in embarrassment and rubbed his hand on his neck.

Now, where have I seen that movement?

Amaira snorted and covered her face before bursting out into a laugh. Aryan's head snapped up and he stared at her with wide eyes and in wonder and a breathtaking smile on his face like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

This kid is going to be breaking multiple hearts when the girls realize that he has eyes only for one.

Amaira pulled her self together and ruffled Aryan's hair. I saw his hands fist on his thighs like he was resisting to bat her hand away from his hair. He let her have that one moment as assured him. "I'm fine." She went to ruffle his hair again but this time he did swat her hand away giving her and mock glared at her. "Not the hair," He scolded.

"Mr Malhotra?" Everyone turned around and found a bunch of people standing at the entrance.

"Mr Singh," Papa stood up from his place at the dining table and moved towards them "Please. Come in."

"Chachu?" Amaira called out, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I was told to come and pick you up in an hour, it's a little over than that. I went to the firm but they told us you were here. Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

Amaira stared at him for a moment and then looked at me. I tilted my head towards Mr Singh and told her to go to him. She stood rooted for a few more minutes and long before we could blink she was in his arms, sniffling

"Amaira?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine. I really am." She consoled.

"Then what are these tears for?" He questioned her confused.

"It's been a long day," She shrugged.

"Are you okay?" He stressed and she understood what he was asking her.

"No," She sniffled again, shaking her head "I don't think I will be for a while."

"Hey," The lady standing beside Mr Singh, from the looks of it was his wife, said as she took Amaira's hands in her's. "That's fine. We don't expect you to be okay. You need to take as much time you need. We'll be here." She smiled softly.

"We all will," Aryan announced from beside me and walked over to her. He hesitated for a minute, looking at Mr and Mrs Singh and once again engulfing her in a hug.

Shravan walked towards the group and let them know about the case. "We have everything we need. If Amaira has made her decision I will get the papers finalized and all you need to do is sign them and all formalities will be done."

Amaira stood with her head down, rolling her lips between her teeth as she contemplated her decision. After what seemed a long time, she took a breath and looked up. "Can I talk to Suman, please? I want to ask her something before I make my decision."

Confused by her request, I signal her to follow me to the indoor garden and sit on the benches. "What happened?"

"I'm scared. What if they turn out like your family?"

Smiling at the agitated girl I tell her the truth I saw. "They won't —"

"How do you know that?"

"Because the compassion I witnessed in the last 5 minutes, that can't be faked and because they are ready to accept you — baggage and all. My family never held any compassion towards me. The only time they showed compassion to me when they needed any kind of monetary help."

She goes quiet and starts to think again. If I've realized one thing in the last few hours is that Amaira is nothing if not thorough. She weighs every pro and con before making a decision and while it is an admirable quality in a time like this when she has to think for herself, I have a feeling that this trait will pull her back from taking any kind of spontaneous decision.

I get up from the bench and stand in front of her, holding her shoulders. "Hey, stop. You have nothing to be worried about. If the last 16 years have taught me anything it is to pick out the genuine people from the fake ones and your family, they are as genuine as they come. Moreover, they will look after you and take care of you. They love you."

"Answer one last question."

"Okay."

"After all these years, did you find your family? A place where you belong?"

"I did. I mean it took me 16 years, a best friend, distance, countless heartbreaks and people who tried everything to come in between but I did find a place where I belong. The Malhotra's are more my family than my maternal family could ever be. Shravan? I belong with him. Beside him. He gave me a family, people to call my own. A place where I am loved and protected for who I am and not how I can benefit them." I smile.

"Are you happy?"

"That's more than one question." I point out.

"Are you happy?" She stressed.

"Delirious." I smile at her once more and tell her to not keep her family waiting any longer. She nods and starts to walk out but suddenly stops. She comes back and holds my hand in hers. "Walk with me?"

"Okay," I whisper and move out to the living room together.

"What is your decision?" Papa asks her. She turns to look at me and I squeeze her hand in answer.

"I'd like to go with them," She tells Papa and then turns to her new family and answers the rest "If they'll have me and are okay with the fact that I have a long road of recovery ahead of me.

Mrs Singh is a blubbering mess by the end and comes and hugs Amaira. Mr Singh tries to maintain composure but soon loses the battle and took both of them in a hug. Aryan just stands a few steps away grinning like a maniac. He looks at me and walks towards me.

"What did you talk about?" He asks quietly.

"Huh, that's for me to know and you to never find out." I retort.

"Thank you," He says after a few minutes of silence.

"For what?"

"Helping her. She hasn't smiled in a week and here, she smiled and laughed. I don't know what you did but it helped her. So thank you."

"From someone who has lived through to what she is going through right now, I just showed her the possibility of one future and told her the importance of making the right decisions."

"You too..." He trailed softly.

"Yup. So," I spoke quickly and quietly wanting the next part of the conversation between the two of us. "When are you going to tell her that you love her?"

"Wha... What? Pfft. No. I don't. What even." He replied flustered.

"Right," I said stretching the word and nodding my head in amusement. "She is in love with you," I announced quietly.

Aryan's head snapped to me so quickly it gave me whiplash. "How do you know?"

"I just do." I shrugged.

"Helpful," He snorted.

"She's going to need you," I tell him seriously. "She's hurting and you being her best friend she will lash out at you more. She will hurt you, push you away, say things in the heat of the moment she doesn't mean but know will hurt you. You have to fight her in every step of the way. Can you do that?"

"I'll do anything for her." He replied vehemently. "If hurting me makes her hurt less, I will let her do it. I'll be anything she wants as long as she allows me to help her I would do anything in power."

"Are you sure you're not related to that guy in any way?" I asked, gesturing towards Shravan.

"Pretty sure. Why?"

"No reason," I shrugged.

I swear to God he is my husband, the older version of him, in this teenagers body.

I give Aryan another knowing smile and walk to stand beside Shravan, giving him a smile to assure the worried look in his eyes. "I'm fine," I tell him nudging him with my shoulder. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me tightly into his side.

"Mr Singh, if it is okay with Amaira and you, you can go home today and I'll send someone to your house to get the papers signed. It's been a long day for Amaira, I'm sure she'd like to rest right now," Shravan spoke the last part looking at Amaira who nodded in agreement.

All four of them had just turned to leave when Amaira turned back and within a few steps reached me and hugged me. "Thank you so much." She whispered in my ear, gratitude coating her words. Hugging her close to me I say the words to her that I had hoped for my entire childhood. "I'm here for you. Whenever you need me, day or night, I'm a call away."

Nodding her head in agreement and wiping the last of her tears away, she walks out the door with a little less weight on her shoulders and her family and best friend beside her. I heave a satisfied sigh at the sight and turn with a happy smile on my face, only to be met with varying degrees of worry and relief.

"I'm fine," I groan. "Seriously, move that worry of off your faces." I point at their faces.

"But are you —"

"I am." I interrupt Pushkar. "I am," I repeat softly assuring them. They all nodded their heads, still not convinced by my reassurance, and slowly moved to their rooms.

Papa, along with Shravan, stayed back and gauged me for a few more minutes before walking up to me and taking both of my hands in his. "You need to seriously calm down, I'm fine," I nudge him slightly.

He just caresses his palm on my head and walks towards his office, patting Shravan on his shoulder.

Shravan extended his hand out and wiggled his fingers, prompting me to take his hand and he led me up to the stairs and to our room. Once in, he walked to the bed and nudged me to climb in first and then followed after me and drew me in his arms.

"Are you okay?"

"How many times will I have to tell this?" I asked rhetorically, rolling my eyes.

He stays quiet, running his fingers through my hair soothingly. "For better, for worse," He whispered after a while.

"I know that. I know that because you've been keeping this promise to me since the day we became friends, Shravan. Why do you think I'm saying 'I'm fine', every time? Because I am. Because of you."

Shravan just tightens his arms around me and continues to run his fingers through my hair.

For Better, For Worse.

Always and Forever.

☰ ┃ ┃ ☰

Here is the next part of this collection! As always let me know what you think and what were your favourite parts!

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XoRo

Your writing is seriously making my day ❤️