Chapter 14

AADHI

We were returning to his house. He was driving in silence, but I could see that he looked at peace. I tilted my head to the side and made myself comfortable on the seat.

I closed my eyes. The day's events started running before my eyes.

We arrived home for lunch. All the way, I couldn't forget what happened. When he was pouring his heart into me, I wanted to make his pain go away.

But I was sitting there, helpless, not knowing how to comfort him. So I did the only thing that I thought was rational at that moment. I hugged him. He looked surprised.

Even I was surprised. I thought it was sympathy, but I didn't hug or feel this way when Harsha told me about his past. I wanted to be like this, hugging him all the time... All my lifetime.

I felt like if I let him go, he would be hurt again. So I wanted to protect him by hugging him all the time.

What the hell am I even thinking?

I assured him that he was wrong about himself. The past was not his fault. He nodded and smiled at me. I don't know if he was convinced.

It is hard to get someone out of the pain that they have been dwelling on for their whole life.

Rationally thinking, it is their past, one should not dwell on it but learn from it and move on. No one can help them but themselves.

They need to have the willpower to get out of that pain.But what can I say, it is easier said than done.

I could not tell him to move on, because even I was finding it hard to move on. How could a person so helpless, help somebody? It brought to mind another topic.

I should also share mine with him. But can I?

When we were in the car, I wanted to show him that I was there for him no matter what.

Something that I noticed in the temple came to my mind. I didn't think about what it meant or anything. I just wanted to make him feel better.

I saw him looking at the couple in the temple. So I took the sindoor which I saved for later from my bag and motioned him to apply it to my forehead.

He looked surprised that I also noticed them. I closed my eyes when he was applying to feel his touch.

It was such an extraordinary bonding moment that I became so emotional and tears started forming in my eyes.

After applying the sindoor on my forehead, he cupped my cheeks and placed a kiss on my forehead. He didn't pull away immediately.

His lips lingered as if he was carving that moment into his heart. When he pulled away, our eyes locked on each other. We were closer to each other than necessary.

I was expecting him to do something. I don't know what. But suddenly a moment from my past flashed before my eyes. I felt guilty all of a sudden.

I cleared my throat and said, "We need to go." He looked disappointed, but he just nodded and started driving.

All the way home, I was just thinking about the kiss. It said everything about how he felt. I know how I felt but I was scared to accept it.

I was scared to get hurt again and hurt him on the way. Despite all the negative thoughts, I couldn't deny how that kiss felt.

It made me feel safe, content, happy... I felt all the good emotions at that moment. I couldn't distinguish what was what. I had been there before, but something was different this time.

When we reached my home, everyone was waiting for us. We all had lunch together. After lunch, Sia apologized for her behaviour to him.

After that, they started bickering like a brother and sister. It hasn't been long, but Sia found her way into him.

I never expected him to be a carefree person. I never saw him like this with Bharathi.

She even started him calling on a first-name basis.

Ria, well, she was being Ria as always.

"Let's play a game," Sia called everyone.

Thank God my parents were out grocery shopping because God knows where her game could lead us.

"What game?" I asked her.

"Truth or dare!" she said excitedly, clapping her hands.

"Not again." Ria rolled her eyes.

"Don't be such a party pooper, Ria."

"Aadhi, are you in?"

"Do I have a choice?"

We started the game and rolled the bottle. It stopped at me. The other end was pointing at Sia, so she got to question me.

"Ugh," I groaned in disapproval.

"Have you ever practised kissing in the mirror?" she asked, smirking.

What the hell?

I gaped at her in shock. She asked this question on purpose because she knows the answer. I didn't want to talk about when and why.

If I chose to lie, then her dare would be even more embarrassing than this.

My husband was on the verge of bursting into laughter. I had never been in such an embarrassing situation in my life.

"Yes," I said, closing my eyes in humiliation.

Sia nodded her head in approval. I could see my husband and Ria looking surprised.

Oh God, somebody just kill me now, please.

They rolled the bottle again. It was Sia's turn, and Ria got to ask the question.

"Tell us about a time you embarrassed yourself in front of a crush."

I started laughing even before she answered the question. Ria and I did a high five. Sia was glaring at us.

"Let me do the dare," she said glaring at us.

"Then sing theLet It Gosong fromFrozen," Ria said.

I was on the verge of rolling on the floor. She was very bad at singing.

When we were little, she used to think that she was a good singer. She used to sing in the shower or when she was alone.

One day, we encouraged her to sing in front of us, and when she started singing, we were laughing at her so hard that she stopped singing altogether. She never sang after that.

"Come on, do it. Truth or dare?" Ria asked, smirking.

"Fine, I will go with the truth. I used to act like a sexy super cool girl when I was in high school.

I used to do a lot of pranks on the boys by flirting with them, just to make them look like a fool in front of everyone. Except one. He was my crush.

So one day, Ria dared me to go and talk to him. I was wearing heels on that day. I started walking sexily toward him, eyeing him like prey.

On the way to him, my heels broke, and I fell flat on my face. He and his friends started laughing. He tried to help me get up, but I ran away from there locking myself in the restroom.

That was my embarrassing moment."

I could see Abhi laughing. He was mocking her, saying, "Sia, I should have been there. I should have been there to see the look on your face."

She was just glaring at him.

Next round. This time it was Abhi's turn, and guess who gets to ask the question... Sia.

"Karma is a bitch," she said with an evil smile.

He just rolled his eyes.

"So your question is... If you are not married now and you get to choose one person among us three, who would you choose?"

He was surprised by the question and looked at me. But I didn't give away anything. I just looked at him blankly, expecting his answer. Then a smirk formed on his face.

"Not you Sia... I don't want to be that unlucky bastard who you going to marry. I want to live my life peacefully.

She started hitting him after hearing his answer. We were laughing to see them fighting like children.

"Okay, fine. If it's not me, then you have to choose between the other two. Who is it going to be?" she asked again.

"Hmm... Again, not Aadhi... She is kind of boring," he said, winking at me.

What?

"I am not boring," I said, glaring at him.

"Yes, you are," he and Sia said at the same time. I glared at them both.

"So, I guess I will have to marry Ria." Saying that he just put his hands on her shoulder. She just chuckled.

"Okay, that's enough. Let's finish this here. We need to leave. It's getting late. My parents will be here any minute now. Go get ready," I said to him stiffly.

"Somebody is getting jealous." Sia sang that line like a song.

"No, I am not. I am just stating the fact that it's getting late, and we need to leave."

"Okay, okay... Whatever you say." She held her hands up in surrender.

My parents came home. We waved them goodbye and left. I knew I was going to miss all of them.

Sia and Ria started crying when I was about to leave. I hugged them all for one last time. I didn't know when I would be able to come back.

I got into the car quickly, because if I stayed there anymore, I would cry too.

The drive was silent. I didn't talk, and he didn't try to. Because of the silence, I fell asleep quickly. He woke me up when we reached home.

I got out of the car. I was about to enter the house when he called me.

"Aadhi."

"Hmm?" I was a bit sleepy and tired.

"Can you forgive me for everything I did before and consider me your friend?" he asked hesitantly

I tilted my head to the side in a mocking way and said "No."

"Why not?"

"Because you are nice to everyone other than me. Even with my cousins, you just know them for about two days and you are already close to them.

I have never seen you behave with anyone like you behave with me.

So,no, I don't want to be your friend and you said that I was boring, so why do you want to be friends with a boring person?"

He just chuckled.

"So, You. Are. Jealous," he asked me, smirking.

"No, Iam not. I was just—" He didn't let me finish.

"Okay, okay... I understand. I am sorry, okay? I will do anything to be your friend again. Just tell me what to do."

"Anything?"

"Yes, anything."

"Earn it."

"What do you mean by that?"

I just shrugged and went inside. I knew life would never be the same with him anymore. It was about to change.

Let's see what is he going to do to earn my friendship.