Segment #11
Chahat almost shrieked in shock as she saw Aryan on her bed, scrolling through his phone.
"What the! What are you doing here?"
"Kavu Aunty let me in." He shrugged and slept on his back. Chahat snuggled next to him and he ran his fingers through her hair. It was something that they both came up with. He called her his therapy pet and she called him her personal head massager.
"Are you ok?" She asked after a long silence. He nodded.
"I have been better." It wasn't a lie. Chahat turned to look at him.
"Promise me, we won't keep secrets from each other."
"I promise..." He smiled, "to not keep the promise." She kicked him and he winced.
"Jerkface!" He laughed as she sat straight.
"Do you have any secrets?" He asked and turned to look at her, his eyes filled with curiosity. She started at her for a few seconds.
"I keep the photo in our room, even though I know you hate it, to myself that in a parallel world, we would be married." She sighed and looked at her hands.
"Why?"
"Why did you agree to marry me?" She asked instead. He raised his eyebrow at the change in subject and she egged him on.
"Because it was Maa's final wish. I mean, she and Kavu Aunty promised each other our marriage when they were heavily pregnant and then she passed on. Dad used ghat to manipulate him. He just wanted to "fix" me, but he gaslighted me into thinking that I was doing what she would have wanted. But now I realize I would never know what she would have wanted, I never knew her." He threw his head on the bed.
"Now you, " He said as she leaned in to hold him.
"I used to have this huge crush on you. When were sixteen, you used to talk to other girls and it would piss me off, I thought the wedding of remind you that we were meant to be. I guess I was way off, wasn't I?" She laughed.
"It is stupid, I know!"
"It is! What are you, a vamp from some Indian TV show?" He laughed. She started at him in anger but then joined in.
"It's a shame that he is gay. No one makes her happy like him." Kavya said to her eldest as she gave him the laundry basket and walked back to the kitchen. Prateek looked at the two friends through the peek of the door and left.
"When were you going to tell me that Rhea threatened to kill you?" Aryan asked when they finally stopped laughing.
Edited by oh_nakhrewaali - 2 years ago
Financial markets and global economy
Ishaani
