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Aditya's Pov
The warm incandescence of the afternoon glow poured upon my face, compelling me to open my eyes. The luminous rays of the sun streaked through the diaphanous curtains, blazing the room with strokes of yellowish timbre. The effulgence reminded me of the weekend coaxing a relaxed smile to pucker on my lips.
The last night was spent binge-watching movies instead of debugging codes or drafting client pitches. I had the whole day today to wrap up my pending tasks.
Failing to convince myself to kickstart my routine, somnolence overpowered and I sheathed my face with a pillow to sneak a few more minutes of snoring.
But before I could let my dreamy plan transit to reality, the room door burst open, revealing the presence of my father.
Indian Parents and privacy cannot be expected together.
Regarding with a furrowed face instead of a Good Morning he vociferated reaching me,
"Uth ja ab." He chastised softly, patting my arm, "Be active and utilize this day in wrapping up your shopping for the wedding. Hardly fifteen days are left."
I hummed, resisting the urge to cover my face with the pillow again.
"Sun raha hai ke so gaya?" He nudged me harder this time.
"Hanji haan I'll go." I yawned, struggling to part my closed eyelids. "I was already planning to go to Palika Bazaar today evening." My fingers knotted through my messy locks.
"Kisi ne shopping kaha?" An exulted voice boomed revealing the satan of my sister. I groaned inwardly, berating myself for using the supposedly banned word.
She hopped inside, her step a ripple of exhilaration only she could comprehend.
Rolling my eyes at her theatrical expressions, I confirmed,
"Han shopping." Her smile turned into a full-blown grin at the mention, "But tu nahi aayegi saath." I announced with finality in my tone.
Dad's heavy sigh was quick to follow after Isha's squawking whine.
"Kyu Adi Bhai" She puckered her lips in dismay, her chestnut brown orfices peering at me through her eyelashes.
"See there." I pointed towards the room entrance. She angled her neck to match my indication. "Vaahan se apne room me ja and simply open up your cupboard. You will get the answer." She gasped in disbelief, her lips pulled down in disappointment.
She glanced at me, her lips thinned and eyes blinking furiously as if resisting to cry. When after a couple of times I didn't melt at her miserable attempt to convince me, she careened closer, holding me by my arm.
"Just one, only one, please." It was a trap. Her pleading voice was a trap. Those wet eyelashes and quavering lips were also a trap, a sly tangle.
I shook my head vehemently and stood up to settle the ruckus of clothes I had scattered in the room.
Dad has been a silent spectator all the while, his undivided attention on his phone, probably struggling to clear level 2987 of Candy Crush.
"Bhai please na." She tailed behind me, "Pakka promise, only one." Isha persuaded, tugging my sleeves.
I ignored her but she was persistent with her requests. Dad's triumphant sigh resonated, revealing that he had succeeded in clearing the super-hard level he had been trying to beat for the past three days.
"Fine." Defeated and dumbed in her affection, I agreed.
"But only one, Okay?" I forewarned, narrowing my eyes in slits before her greedy heart could expect any more.
"Okey Dokey!" She replied enthusiastically, kissed me on the cheek, and turned on her heels to sprint back to her room.
"Oye, sun." Her steps faltered, "Vaapis hostel kab jaayegi?" Offense stormed over her features, "Don't you think you have spent too much time here? That too doing nothing, but eating, sleeping, and shopping, huh? Thak nahi jaati?" I bit the inside of my cheeks, struggling to contain my laughter at her exasperated visage.
She puffed her mouth in annoyance and rested her hand on her waist. A splendid transition followed as her fuming gaze settled on Dad, grousing in her shrill voice,
"Dad see what Adi Bhai is saying, he wants me to go from here." She pointed her fingers at me in accusation, scowling at me in disbelief after hearing my muffled chuckle.
"I know now, that nobody loves me anymore. Not even a little." Her lips wobbled and her eyes fluttered to contribute to the drama.
Dad discreetly chuckled at her antics, concealing the same with his cough,
"Na oye Aditya, don't you dare say anything to my daughter. If you have any problem with my daughter staying with us, find a new home for yourself." He reprimanded, failing terribly at his miserable acting.
Isha eyed me smugly, sticking her tongue out in pride.
"Acha acha sorry. I am not saying anything." I raised my hands in surrender, "Tujhe pata to hai how much I Love you." Chortling, I pulled her to my side and pressed a lingering kiss against her temple.
"That I know." Ecstatic, she hugged me back before dashing outside the room.
*******************
"Haan haan Rishi, I'll reach on time." I ended the call, getting ready for Rishabh's closed-knit bachelorette.
Rishabh Singla, my maternal cousin and a government employee by profession is going to marry his long-time girlfriend Purva Kehar in the next fifteen days. We had been pretty close to each other throughout our adolescence. But then life happened, and amidst work commitments and hectic schedules, it became difficult for both of us to keep regular contact despite residing in the same city.
Relationships like that of Rishabh and Purva, are goals, pure goals. As much as I have heard from Rishabh about Purva and their relationship, I've been amazed by the love, compassion, and understanding they both have shared for a long time now.
And the mere thought splutters a series of insecurities and questions to dwell in my mind.
Will I ever be able to experience such a strong pull towards the other person?
Will I be able to love that certain someone with the same intensity as a lover is supposed to?
Will I ever succeed in getting into a relationship? Am I capable of sustaining a relationship for long?
And most importantly,
How will I know that she's the one for me?
************
Riya's Pov
The buzz of my phone sliced through the silence of the staff room, ceasing the movement of the pen in my hands. Halting the task of answer sheet correction, I fished out the phone from my handbag to see Dad calling.
Guaranteed, there is some issue with his Facebook or WhatsApp or his phone memory this time.
"Hanji Paa."
"Free hai?" He shot the question, his tone distracted.
"Hanji, it's a free lecture. Kya hua?" I quizzed, my fingers randomly tracing patterns over the rough sheet.
"My phone's WhatsApp got uninstalled on its own." He grumbled, "I've managed to install it back but now it is asking for my number and some OTP." My lips lifted in a smile hearing him ramble,
"What should I do? Is it safe or I've downloaded something else? Also, just yesterday I heard the news we should not share this OTP with anyone. My data won't get deleted If I install it back? Pata nahi kya kya hai yeh sab." A string of questions erupted out of his mouth, eliciting an amused chuckle to fall past my lips.
Silencing my giggle, I explained to him the whole procedure of getting the app installed and working, without deleting his data.
"Acha. Main bhi toh yahi kar raha tha." He muttered in disbelief.
"Bilkul Bilkul." I nodded, having no option but to agree, "I am free for the next hour, call me anytime if you need help."
"Haan, keep your phone close to you." He ended the call, still preoccupied with the worries of the tech world.
Shaking my head at the phone, a contended smile bloomed on my lips. Paa could have called Bhai, Maa, or Bhabhi, but he had always preferred to call me, whenever he encountered such emergencies.
As per him, I answer his queries in a much better way than the other three adults in our home.
However, emergencies like these, random questions about my bank details, and catechizing me are the only reasons he will ever call me. These include, but are not limited to;
When are you coming back home?
Did you get the message for recharge on your phone?
I am here at Hunger Bites, shall I bring a burger for you?"
Is it cold there? Have you eaten anything? What have you eaten? Call me when you get there.
Ah, and the most popular,
Everything looks good on you, beta.
Undoubtedly, these are his camouflaged ways of showing his concern and love. He is a man of few words, and I've taken the same trait from him. Unlike other father-daughter duos, he cannot express much, but he displays his affection and concern with these small yet noticeable actions.
And these are those little yet meaningful things that make me realize there are uncountable concealed affections bestowed upon us by so many people around, which we miserably fail to fathom.
Sometimes, you don't need specific words from the other person to ensure their love for you, actions and efforts are all that matters.
*************
Reaching home, I was graced with the most adorable sight of my day, seeing avyukth blabbering pa-pa for the first time with his legs kicking in the air.
My goofy sunshine spread his arms wide with his adorable little pouty face and sparkling doe eyes, silently asking his pa-pa to pick him up.
"I won." Bhai beamed, swaying his head in bliss. A victorious smirk appeared on his face as he discreetly winked at Bhabhi.
The latter replied with a vexed huff of annoyance, stomping her foot in fabricated annoyance.
"Traitor." Bhabhi mumbled, her accusing gaze fixated on Avyuktha.
Ignoring his mother, the tiny-tot jumped on his seat after witnessing our wide smiles and excited faces. As if comprehending the reason for our happiness, he prattled pa-pa-pa-pa-pa like some mantra, proudly giggling at his antics.
My sunshine.
Strolling in my direction with an animated avyu in his arms, Bhai stood before me,
"All good at college? Nobody troubled you on the way to college or in college?"
Nobody, literally nobody can pass the overprotectiveness of my brother. I assure you, it can even surpass the height of the mighty Mount Everest.
Resisting the urge to roll my eyes at him, I passed a saccharine smile, "Who would dare to come my way and trouble me when you have your friends or acquaintances at every other place I go to?"
He pinned me with his brotherly gaze, "Stop rolling your eyes, and answer me truthfully." He rebuked softly, "You being you, never bother to tell me such things. I am not some Don or Mafia King who'll kill them at the very first stance." He snorted, "I'll just give them a little warning after a punch or two of course." He murmured the last part, loud enough for me to hear.
Avyuktha fixated his gaze on his father, on the verge of crying at the horrendous looks my brother was gracing me with.
"Ohho." I shook my head, Don't worry Bhai, nobody messes with me there." I patted his arm in reassurance, "Now shoo, let me play with my nephew." I extended my arms and tugged Avyu towards me. My munchkin immediately rested his face in the crook of my neck with his drool glistening my bare skin.
Bhai hummed in affirmation, partially believing my words. I smiled genuinely this time, relieving him of his worries.
It was true to some extent that we girls do not bother narrating such incidents of eve-teasing or related happenings to our family members. It was a preconceived notion that any such confession would trouble them unnecessarily and they would get overly tensed for our well-being.
This further stops us from sharing anything in the fear of unnecessary restrictions being put upon us out of their concern.
I did the same thing several times. Especially that one time when I thought ignoring over a dozen boys on my way to college who were passing uncomfortable comments and gawking at me with a lewd gaze was the right decision.
I stupidly assumed they would stop doing such nonsense if I did not pay heed to their teasings and inelegant remarks. Turned out, this continued for another week, and one evening I saw them all waiting at a little distance from my college on their respective bikes, hooting and whistling unabashedly.
I didn't know what was right or wrong at that moment. Hence, instead of becoming some superwoman and taking a verbal fight with them, I did what my heart hinted. Following my conscience, I immediately escaped to a nearby crowded market area, called my brother, and informed him about the whole scenario. He was there within fifteen minutes, said nothing to those boys, and took me home.
A three-hour-long lecture awaited from the three adults regarding my safety and my distrust in confiding things.
After the much-needed scolding, Bhai went out of the house to somewhere I still have no clue. But those boys were never seen again on my way.
That incident taught me that it was better to seek help and disclose issues like these to your trusted acquaintances instead of becoming some superwoman and handling such incidents all alone.
Agreed, do not become purely dependent on them for every wrong that happens to you, but there is no risk in looking out for help when situations are deemed out of control.
Maa's voice toppled me out of my thoughts and I made my way to the bedroom to wrap up my packing for tomorrow. We'll be traveling to Delhi at five in the morning for Purva's pre-wedding function and finally, the wedding which is set to take place after three days.
*************
Heya Dear Ones!
This chapter was a kind of filler chapter to show the various dimensions of Aditya's and Riya's relationships with their respective family members.
Ahem, wedding in Delhi, Huh?
Our Aditya and Riya are a step closer to meeting each other ð
Have you ever faced eve-teasing, or encountered eve-teasing? How have you handled it?
Did you like the chapter? Do share your opinions with me. It will help me improve.
Also, Do vote(Star Icon â) and comment dear ones, it will motivate me to write more.
Until Next Time,
Lots of Love
Râ¤ï¸