Healing The Void (The Roys, #2) ✔

Chapter 12 - Plans and Troubles

"So, how old are you?" Shreya asked Gyan who was now chomping on the food in his plate real quick. She, Gyan, Dev and Dona - four of them were sitting in the hall, while the TV was on. A 'Debibaran(Goddess welcoming ceremony)' play was showing on it and both Dev and Dona were engrossed in it.

After having the morning conversation, Gyan acted freer, even played with Dev while she was having her breakfast. Now he was just snacking while they have gathered around in the hall, watching TV and talking.

"21," he answered with a mouthful.

She shifted her doubtful stare on him. Her intuition was never wrong. He was lying.

He took a quick glance at her before focusing back on his plate. "Soon to be."

Shreya shook her head at his childishness as the corners of her mouth turned upwards. She would never understand why men always pretend to be older to woo women.

"And Tiyasha?"

"She's old old! 30."

Shreya raised her eyebrows as she did the quick calculation. Oh! If she was 30 now and Dev was 13, she must have had Dev when she was 16. Ohmygod! She was a teen mom? At the quick realization her eyes grew wide. "That means, she'd had Dev when she was 16?" Disbelief and confusion laced her voice as she asked Gyan.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "She was a bad girl." He snorted at his own joke as he munched on the food. "Her boyfriend escaped very well. His father's a lawyer. He got away with only carrying the expenses of the baby. Lucky bastards!"

She flinched. "Gyan language!" and looked at Dev's way who was watching the TV attentively.

"Sorry. I mean I'm not really wrong to call them that, especially after finding out Dev has autism, they got away easy. You it was Maa who really took care of didiya and Dev, as the new born baby. We were only 6 around that time. Maa's attention just got diverted from us to them after they moved in here. I was glad at least I had Ritu with me." He paused momentarily before adding, "and Dad."

"Where are they now?"

"They have gone to a vacation."

She nodded without saying anything.

They fell silent for a while until Gyan exclaimed again. "I've decided to highlight my hair. Blonde or blue. Which one do you think would look good on me?"

She shrugged. "Why do you keep long hair?"

"I like it."

She eyed him and thought he'd look better with short hair. Gyan noticed her eyes on him as he put down the plate and murmured. "Because no one likes it."

"You'll look good with short hair I think."

"You think?" He turned towards her and raised one of his eyebrows flirtingly.

She rolled her eyes and looked away. But not before flashing a smile at him.

Several minutes passed by with them just talking, laughing and Gyan's ceremonious flirting from time to time. They were having such a light time when Ritu rushed in to the house like a mad woman and plopped onto the couch beside Gyan.

"What's up?" Gyan gave her a side eye while changing the TV channel with the controller. Dona went inside the kitchen and brought a chilled bottle of water and gave to Ritu.

She took it and gulped down some before a scream left her. "This is ridiculous!"

Shreya was teaching Dev how to write his name when Ritu's shriek caught her attention. She glanced up at the siblings, now sitting on the couch side by side, wearing totally opposite reaction.