Survivor’s guilt & stratification
“I did not date him or break up with him to irritate you Veev” Naina said quietly
“I know you didn’t, why would you do that?”
“Yaha ghar par sab aise baat kar rahe hain jaise maine sirf tumhe irritate karne ke liye Inder ko date kiya”
“I know Nainah”
“Its over now, I want to move on, I am sure you do too” she said quietly “No no whipped topping please”
“Celebrate kar rahi ho?”
“What?”
“Are you buying urself icecream
“No Veev I am buying coffee at Starbucks, I am going to meet a Mr Jindal about the Designers collective I hopefully will get selected to”
“Congrats”
“You don’t have to be cloyingly sweet Veev” Naina was choking up
“NAHI TO”
“I KNOW U are being extra gentle, MAT KARO yaar, I don’t want it, its prickly”
“Fine… thanks for calling”
“U are probably glad you wont have to face the music at Parashars over my thing, I know”
“Aisi baat nahi hai Naina nobody talks to me about what happened with you” Viveka lied
“Jaanti hoon Veev you went to Dhamijas in Chelmsford, Inder told me”
“I”
“Oh I broke up with him? Yeh kehna chahiti ho” “How the hell do I know the deets?”
“Oh no not at all Naina… I meant nobody questions me nor bothers me everyone is being an adult about it”
“Good you get to enjoy the wealth and the good people” Naina chuckled
“Aisa nahi hai Naina… but OK”
“U are in London yaar, and off to Norway soon”
Viveka swallowed
She was buried under “survivor’s guilt” she had survived the onslaught of the arrogant wealthy Dhamija-Parashar duo and had made herself a place in the palace
Her sister was not so lucky
Raanav was at his law school this morning he had left her sleeping
He was going to return in an hour and take her around the city
He texted her as she spoke with Naina
“Want to grab brunch?”
“At Buckingham Palace?”
He sent her a ROFL
“Even better”
“law school?”
“No I don’t want my secrets out”
“Main rakhti hoon Veev”
“Naina how is Papa?”
“Fiine”
“Love you…”
“Hmm”
“I”
“kuch mat keh dude… I need time”
“Of course”
“And… one more thing…”
“SURE”
“Don’t bring me anything”
“Nainahh”
“I am serious Veev I don’t need anything I wont take anything”
“I already bought”
“I actually don’t want anything from your.. umm”
“I” bought it hun
“Umm.. please Veev?”
“Sure”
Viveka was distraught
A heartbroken Naina was more angst ridden than a lovers tiff Naina
“Kahan lekar jaaogey mujhe?” she asked as she tied her hair up in a top knot
“What do u want to see first”
“Red bus”
“sure”
“Are you OK?” he asked grimly
“Oh yeah” she lied
“If that’s what you want to say”
“Are you implying that we are turning into my parents?” she chuckled at him thru the mirror
“And how would that be?”
“they sense stress or anxiety in the other person and nag each other enough so they spill”
“So you admit something is bothering you?”
She walked right into that one!!
“Parashar kid!!”
“Naina and Inder broke up” she said quietly sitting on the bed
“You didn’t want them to?”
“Mujhe laga shaadi hui hai to shaayad reh lenge saath mein?”
He didn’t respond
“I am sure I am the only one who thinks that way” she chuckled
“Its what they wanted” he dodged silkily
“Not THEY, Naina” she mumbled
“U think Inder is serious?”
“U don’t think?”
“I think he is a confused idiot Viveka Mathur”
It irritated him he had to say that over and over again
“There are very few people that meet your standards of intellect Mr Parashar” she smiled not so gently
“Now I cant even pass a judgement on my own cousin? Now? It has to be made into a huge social stratification issue?”
“No U can absolutely judge your cousin, but I don’t like the fact that you think he deserves zero happiness because he is not as accomplished as YOU” she said quietly getting up to grab her bag
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