Starlight

Chapter 13: Kya iraade hai?

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«Hai jo iraade bata du tum ko sharma hi jaaogi tum»

"Why aren't any of you eating?" I asked and looked around as everyone just played with the food and didn't take another bite after the first bite.

Their forks scraped the plates lightly as they looked at each other.

"Mai to khaara hu" Ishan said and took another bite but made a face.

I stared at him as he tried to falter his expressions and swap it with a nice one.

"Is it bad?" I leaned in and whispered to him.

He gave me an apologetic look before saying "Mummy maine shuru se bola tha ye maarna chahti hai"
(Mom i've said this since the start, she wants to kill me)

I gasped.

"Chup kar tu" Gayatri aunty said "Thoda sa namak hi to zyaada hai. Isme hi marr jaayega?"
(Shutup. It's just a little bit extra salt. You'll die from this?)

"Sach batana Kaira" He said, a smile forming on his lips "Maarna chahti hai na?"
"Be truthful Kaira, you want to kill me, right?)

I picked up the spoon and tasted the soup myself. I spit it right back in the bowl.

I pursed my lips as I dared to look up at all of them and then at my cooking.

It's all his fault.

If he wasn't busy trying to scare me and...whatever he was trying to do, I wouldn't have dumped the whole container in the soup.

I looked at him with squinting eyes.

Geetanjali maasi laughed and then everyone kept their plates in the kitchen as they ordered more edible food.

He got up from his chair and I caught his wrist when I saw no one else was there.

"You" I said with a smile that was threatening "Meet me upstairs"

"Akele?" His infamous smirk returned "Kya iraade hai?"

"Itni jaldi bhul gaye?" I said "Aapne hi to bola na mai maarna chahti hu"

His smile faltered "Don't give me that psychopath smile"

I just blinked.  and smiled more.

I helped them clean up and after some time the order arrived and we dined in once again.

I felt embarrassed and they all laughed at me.

Not in the making fun of me kind of way but in the you're a human too and it's funny you made such a silly mistake.

I got involved in the argument that goes on every night at this table. Most of the times it was about Ishan.

They loved poking him and he'd give them a sarcastic reply every time.

Afterwards, when we were done with dinner, naina got a call and she excused herself. Meanwhile, Ishan's dad and mausaji started their conversation about stock market.

"Not again" maasi said "It doesn't have an end, does it?" She asked more to herself.

We went into the garden and sat on the swing. I loved this swing so much.

I listened to both the sisters talk about something, the conversation seemed to be drifting from one topic to another and they were talking about their childhood.

"Mom never shouted at me" Gayatri aunty—maa— said "But you though? I think she used a broom too, right?"

"Broom slipper belan comb" Maasi laughed "What has she not used?"

They fell silent for a few seconds with a smile.

"But she's the best" She said "Pata hai Kaira tum milogi unse to wo tumhe bhot pyaar karengi"

I smiled at her

"She didn't stop loving me even after I ran away" She looked at the grass and said.

Gayatri maa kept a hand on her shoulder.

"You ran away?" I asked her just out of curiosity. She chuckled.
"Oh yes" She said "I was rebellious. They wanted me to marry some guy but I ran away with Naina's father"
"You ran away with Anil mausaji?" I asked.

She shook her head "No, he came later. I was young and in love. Everything is fair in love and war, right? So I ran away when my parents said they won't let me marry him"

"Fir?"

"Fir they turned out to be right. He became an alcoholic and would often hit me" She paused "He continued to do so after Naina was born and one day I'd had enough. I packed my bags and left"

"Where did you go?"

"Everywhere. No where" She said "I was scared to go back to my parents house. But then Gayatri found me. I was so stupid to think my parents would just abandon me"

She told me more about her life before she got married to the best man in world again.

I had new found respect for her.

She went through so much at such a young age and with a baby too. She's really strong.

After a while, I went back to our bedroom.

Ishan was in his office. I saw the door was open just a little bit and I didn't want to disturb him so I went straight to the room and took a shower.

My thoughts kept going back to the Geetanjali massi's life.

I don't know what I would do if I were in her position. I don't even know if I could've survived more than a few days.

I got out of the shower and dried my hair.

When I got out of the bathroom, I saw Ishan standing on the edge of the bed.

A shopping bag in front of him.

When he heard me, he turned around and with a smirk on his face. He was holding the lingerie Naina bought for me.

"Didn't know you had such a great taste, Kaira" He said and dangled it on his fingers.

Blood rushed to my cheeks as I strode towards him and snatched the brassiere from his hands and put it back in the bag.

"Hadd se zyaada badtameez hai aap" I said and kept the bag away.

"What? I was just curious" He tried to reason but couldn't wipe away the bloody smirk off of his face.

He jumped back on the bed with his hand under his head "I'd love to see that on— Don't give me that look"

"Aisi baatein mat karo fir" I crossed my arms and glared at him.

He shrugged and hugged a pillow. Rolling my eyes, I went to my side of the bed and opened the drawers to keep my stuff in it.

"Tumse nahi to kisi aur se  karunga to achha lagega?" He made an innocent face.

"Mere saamne to muh mat hi khola karo" I said and sat on the bed.

He turned towards me and looked at me with his beautiful, brown eyes.

Stop it, get a hold of yourself.

"Muh band rakhu? Are you asking me to shut the fuck up?" He asked, his voice slow.

I propped on my elbow on the same pillow he was hugging and said "Yes"

I was about to sit up straight when his hand gripped my shoulder, forcing me to stay in the same position, his hand slowly crept behind my neck and he held it firmly.

"Do you know what would shut me up?"

"What?" I whispered.

"A kiss"