Trading truths
“Why do you want to know?” she asked swallowing looking away from the phone camera
“Just like you want to know why I bought the apartment”
“Both things are not connected”
“they are in the sense both are about being honest with each other” he scowled
“You can buy what you want”
“But you wont tell me what you felt when she left you out of the Europe trip?”
“Its not a big deal. I don’t care to spent 9 days with women I don’t even know Raanav”
“So she did indeed ignore you” he sat up
“Bata chuki na tumhe” she said with a smile “I don’t want u making a big deal out of this, I dodnt even know Mrs Rekhi or Mrs Kumud Arora and Mrs Gogia or whatever”
“Lekha is going”
“Well Lekha and I don’t have a friendship either Raanav”
“Well Harsha and Piyush aren’t my best friends but I get invites for beer, golf and video games all the time”
“Its OKKKKK”
“I… thanks for letting me know”
“Chill dude” she hung up with a smile and a wave
She called back when he was in the shower, she called back again an hour later while in her NGO office
“DID U PLAN TO MOVE OUT BECAUSE I was NOT invited to the trip?” she texted
He called her
“No not really”
“Jhooth keh rahe ho”
“That wasn’t the whole reason”
“That is the most stupidest reason to buy a house”
“I beg to differ”
“U have to tell Dad or I will… or you can drop the idea”
“Are u thtreatening me?” he laughed out loud
“This is the most hurtful thing I have heard” she let her emotion out
“Vi”
She sniffled and cried quietly
“I can imagine how Bua would feel if Varsha did that”
That made her cry more, she had to get up and walk to the tiny verandah in the back alongside with the bathroom and kitchenette with no roof
She leaned on the naked brick wall with dried leaky cement and cried softly
“This is not a punishment against anyone” he was angry
“It might not be, but imagine how your Dad and Mum would feel when they realize we are no longer living in the same house”
“Sid is seeing someone I don’t think he is going to live in the same house as my aunt”
“To… umm.. I don’t…. I don’t know Sid… I don’t know Sid OK…. Whatever little I know your parents I think its hurtful and mean”
He didn’t answer
“U don’t have to agree with me… not agreeing with each other is the cornerstone of our marriage” she sighed
“I have to go”
“I will pick you up for dinner”
“Umm.. text karti hoon I am going to JNU”
“Will see you at JNU”
“I don’t need high pressure sales techniques Raanav”
“Its just a f----g meal”
“Stop yelling”
“Stop being offended”
“I AM not”
“U ARE on behalf of my parents”
“If u pull stunts like an a—”
He hung up
It was not her place to tell Satyen about the apartment, she hoped he would tell himself
It bothered her that he had decided to “rescue” her
If Smrita found out it was not going to end well
She texted her Papa her best friend at most times
More than Rhea and Neha
“Papa Raanav bought an apartment he wants us to move out he thinks his Mum hates me”
“Arey” was all Akash could utter in shock over text
“I know”
They connected in the evening when she was readying to leave JNU after begging for temp gigs
“Yeh kya kiya beta isne?”
“I don’t know”
“Aap mana kar do”
“I did he thinks I am groveling”
“Galat hai Satyen ke abhi surgeries baaqi hain”
“I know… he couldn’t take it”
“Unless the sons do this occasionally u know college, law school biz school etc”
“There is no school Papa he is married and he wants to move 20 kms away”
“Uski Ma ko pata hai?”
“Who knows ( it could be her idea too since she doesn’t care for me” Viveka thought in her head)
Akash was heart broken, this was unexpected
“Hmm”
She talked about other random things to change the topic and hung up
“Does your Mum want us to move out?” she texted him as she waited for her Metro