WHEN FATE BRINGS YOU HOME

CHAPTER 31

Ravishing and irresistible. Krish is losing his audience now since everyone's looking at this new man in a kurta pajama. A golden brown crisp cotton kurta with a Chinese collar and an off white pants. He looks incredible hot wearing Indian clothes.

Is his eyes brown hazel? I thought it was just plain light brown, but now that I'm getting enough lights from the surrounding falling on his eyes, it's looks like it has a hazel tinge to it. Beautiful.

And I thought he had some big meeting. What happened to the spies in mission? How long has he been here?

The young person beside me, or more like hiding behind my long thick skirt, brings me back to the present.

"Uncle, this didi is dancing with me." He says taking up courage to stand in front of me, protecting me from his competitor.

He called me sister, aka 'didi' in Hindi language. Okay. He called Shaurya 'Uncle'. What can be more funnier than this? I burst out laughing, I did not try to hold it back or anything, but this little one is so cute. I like him.

Shaurya took a step forward and bend down towards the kid.

"How come you call me Uncle and her didi?" Oh, oh. Oh. Wow. He just said an Indian word. That deserves celebration.

The minor looked down shyly, the question from this stranger attacking him mentally.

"That's because you are taller than her." He says genuinely.

I like this kid's mechanism of tagging relations to people. Strangers taller than him, sisters or brothers. Strangers taller than the sisters or brothers, aunties and uncles. Smart kiddo.

The same kind of a smile which appeared on my face after listening to the kid, took shape on his as well.

"What's your name?" He asked the kid kindly. Oh, even I forgot to ask his name.

"Joyce." He tells him.

"Will you let me take your didi with me, Joyce?" He asked quietly but my super working ears heard them alright. And he's not taking me anywhere with him.

"No, she's mine." Joyce says bravely showing his possessiveness.

I smile at Joyce proudly. See, the kid likes me too. Shaurya smiles back at him.

But soon enough, Joyce's mom comes walking towards us.

"Joyce." She called out for her child.

"Joyce, come let's eat." She says taking his hand and pulling him closer. But his other hand clutching my skirt never loosened.

"No, I'm dancing with this didi." He says keeping himself attached to my skirt. This is the second tug of war I'm experiencing today.

"Come on, Joyce. Don't disturb them. You can have ice cream." She says hoping it'll melt him. And it did. He left my skirt and stood close to his mom. He left me for an ice cream. That's so rude, Joyce.

"I'm so sorry to disturb." His mom apologized.

"No, no. It's okay. It was nice meeting you, Joyce." I say giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Bye, didi. And bye, Uncle." He says waving, leaving with his mother to the promised ice cream stall.

"Smart kid."

"I know, right." I say forgetting who I was actually talking to. I've got to purse my lips well.

I slowly walk away from the circle to the less crowded area. I need air.

"Where you going?" He asks from behind. I was hoping I had lost him after walking out through the crowd fast enough.

"Nowhere." I say, still angry at how I never got to dance with the cute kid. Because of him. Again.