Chapter Eight: Miss Bandariya exposed!
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Viraat asked as he sat down in his chair, looking intensively at his family members.
Viren faked a cough, "Like what Virat?" asking innocently he asked Jeevika to pour him more of his favourite vegetable dish that she had cooked earlier.
"As if something had happened'" Viraat replied. He looked at Dadaji who sat looking quite amused.
"Viraat, beta. Nothing, nothing is the matter." Dadaji assured however Viraat was not accepting this. Something is wrong here, he thought.
Viren stifled a laugh earning a stare from his brother. "Did you say anything bhai?" He asked, one eyebrow lifted. Viraat looked around and noticed the abnormal emotion on everyone's faces, as if they were deliberately hiding something. He looked at Maanvi who was occupied with her food, however now and then he'd catch her glimpsing at him, a sly look in her eye.
"No, no." Viren shook his head. "Actually, I was saying that what a nice shirt you're wearing. Exactly like the one I have, right Jeevika?" He beckoned his wife forward who too was in this charade.
"Yes, Virenji this is exactly the one you have!" Jeevika said in a gasp.
"Viraat, I didn't know you liked my dress sense that much that you started buying the same clothes as me?" Viren's eyes widened with faked shock, behind him Jeevika couldn't stop her laughter anymore and ended up preoccupying herself with laying food out for the others and placing herself on a seat near Viren.
"Bhai," Viraat begun, "it is yours. The thing is'"
"Yes, Viraat? Tell me?"
"That, before' my clothes got stolen."
"Stolen? From this house?"
"No, I mean, I don't know probably got misplaced."
"Oh, I see."
"And- And, I had no other clothes because Maanvi was in my room so I couldn't go.." He glanced at Maanvi hesitating, "so, I had to get some clothes from your room."
"Oh, I see I see. Nice. Very good."
"Yes," Viraat said awkwardly.
"So, where's your pink towel?" Viren said blatantly and in that second everyone started laughing. Turns out his aunt had told everyone about his towel fiasco earlier, leading to Viren wanting to tease his younger brother. Maybe Viraat should have gotten upset, or throw a tantrum of some sort seeing as this is what young men of his age was stereotyped of doing but Viraat was different. He didn't get embarrassed that easily, and wouldn't let someone mock him that easily.
"Why bhai? Are you going to go into your room with only a pink towel on? Should I gift you one for yours and Bhabhhi's anniversary?" Viraat winked and smirked whilst Viren cough, for real this time and Jeevika blushed a dark colour of red.
"Hai, ni!" Kadambari said, "Inderji you never done anything like that! How romantic is Viren and how whatever are you." She said shaking her head.
"Suniye, look at old we are and look how young they are. There's a difference." Inder replied.
"What? You called me old?" Kadambari faked a cry, "Look at this Viraat, how mean and unromantic your uncle is! If only everyone was like Rahul from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, hai'!" And with that she started humming the tune getting groans from others.
"Viraat, do one thing. Shift all the rooms from your wardrobe to your new one, simple." Swamini stated.
"Yes, bua. Good idea." He looked at Maanvi who looked back at him in confusion, "After all, I may have to stay there for a long time."
"Yes," Swamini replied.
After dinner, it was past ten pm and Viraat took this time to go into his old room and shift his clothes. There he saw Maanvi limping with her foot; he looked at her from the door in slight agony. He didn't mean to hit her but he'd been distant since his break up with Maya that he didn't realise until he saw a lifeless like figure under his car.
As he walked towards that person, he felt as if he had just ripped someone's soul from their body. Hair hiding her features, Viraat couldn't see the face of his victim. He caressed her hair and parted it on the side, revealing a beautiful young girl stuck in this moment, in his arms. He sobbed a little; looking into the girl's closed eyes and whispered, "Sorry. I'm so sorry." He wiped the dripping blood from her forehead with his shirt and pulled her into his chest. "I'm so sorry," he repeated as he sat there in the darkening night, guilt ridden.
"Viraat? You here?" Maanvi asked as she saw Viraat looking at her absentminded, getting Viraat out of his flashbacks.
He cleared his throat. "Yes, my clothes?" he asked.
Maanvi shaped an 'O' with her lips and beckoned him to come in. Whilst she was walking out of the room, Viraat stopped her. "Maanvi?"
"Yes?" She didn't know what was going in her mind, but all she could think about was her prank that succeeded.
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."
Maanvi was dumbstruck, he had apologized to her? Did she hear him right? She thought of him joking but she could hear the sincerity in his voice and suddenly she felt guilty.
"Look about calling me Bandariya," she rolled her eyes, "don't worry about it." Seriously, he so didn't need to worry about it as she wanted him to forget due to the prank she had just pulled.
"No, I meant not that. I mean, yes that too. But," Viraat sighed. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for hitting you with my car last night and nearly killing you. I seriously didn't mean for it to happen."
Maanvi felt sad, she couldn't look into his eyes, "Viraat'" What could she say? "It's okay, don't worry'It wasn't your fault. It was dark and'"
"Maanvi, please." He walked towards her until there was a inch between them, Maanvi looked up at him, and in this split second they were closer than ever had been for strangers. "Please don't say it's okay, I feel so bad. I hurt you. I hurt you and I didn't mean it. If only that Maya didn't." He stopped, he didn't really talk to anyone about how he felt, yet he felt a bit of familiarity and numbness with Maanvi that he didn't know why.
"Maya?" She asked.
"My girlfriend ' no, my ex girlfriend." Viraat corrected himself resulting in a slight shock from Maanvi.
"What happened?" She asked. "I mean, it' okay you don't need to tell me but if it helps'"
"We broke up, yesterday. I was in love with her, so in love and then all of a sudden this happens. It was as if my eye was opened yesterday and I saw clearly just how badly she treated everyone else. She, in front of me spoke against my mom, my bhabhi, bhai everyone. And I couldn't take it'" Viraat sniffed, "I shouted at her, told her to stop it with her deceit and got out of there. I did the right thing right?" He looked at Maanvi tenderly.
"Viraat, those who mock your family are not your real friends, girlfriend whatever. Families and parents are one thing that are the first priority in life." Maanvi stared into the distant, "When life gets bad the only person you know you can trust are your parents because they are the one that gave life to you and brought you up, and if someone tries to separate you from them, then you must take over each obstacle and defeat them." She hid a tear from her eyes, "I should know." She whispered.
He gazed at her, peculiarly. "Why are you here?" He whispered softly into her ear.
Maanvi looked at him and realised their close proximity, "I-I have to go. Jeevika had my medicine so'"She pointed towards the door, Viraat nodding for her to leave.
He watched her as she stepped out and sighed. He felt lighthearted, as if listening to her gave him hope. He opened his wardrobe door and took out all his clothes into a bag that he had got with him, whilst placing them he suddenly stopped. There at the back were his clothes from earlier! Standing stuck in the space, he put the two pieces together and realised that Maanvi had pranked him. He smirked, "Good game Bandariyaji, but this King won't defeat you in this game of Chess, Queenie."
Real Estate
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