The Six Types of Love

AYUSH

I let Armaan sit in his victory while I attempt to create a believable fabrication.

"If you lie to me, I will tell Muma and Papa. I know everything Bhaya," He calmly threatens. It's a lie. All he knows is what the tabloids have told him. Unless he called Anvi. She would have told him something but not everything. I tell the car to play some music to fill the awkward silence between us. I still don't say anything to Armaan, but internally laugh at how he can use Bhaya, a term meant to respectfully address one's older brother, with such anger.

"Siri call Muma," Armaan commands the car.

"OK STOP. I'LL TELL YOU," I yell.

"Calling Muma," The car says evenly.

"Siri hang up," I beg the car.

"I am unable to do that," The car says back. It knows our voices and won't listen to me. The little bitch took my access out.

"Hi bache, did you pick up Ayush?" I hear Muma's voice through the phone.

"Yes. He can hear you," My brother says smirking at me. He was never going to tell her. He just wanted to scare me. If looks could kill, he would be dead.

"Hi bacha how was your trip?"

"It was good. I put an offer down. I'll show you the property when I get home. Sorry, I didn't call as much as I usually do. I was super busy," I justify. Most of the time on business trips, I call everyone in my family a few times a day, but this time I had been so distracted that I hadn't been able to.

"Arre don't worry. We are all busy. Chalo come home and we will have dinner. I made butter chicken and white shahi paneer," Muma tells us then hangs up.

"You are Satan spawn," I spit after I am sure the line is disconnected.

"Tell me or this time I'll actually tell her," Armaan demands.

"How did you even find out?" I ask.

"I know who you are and know that there was no reason for you to not start texting us more the moment your movie came out. You aren't like that," Armaan explains with flawless logic.

"So then you called Anvi, and she told you and the news filled in the rest," I understand.

"Why didn't you tell us?" He sounds hurt because I tell my family everything. Almost everything. It honestly didn't cross my mind to inform them. Si's and my brief fling didn't feel big enough to tell anyone who didn't have to know. I thought it would end soon and could be something that I told everyone years from now over laughs.

"It didn't matter to me. It didn't change anything. I don't like him like that Armaan. It just happened. We're seeing each other one more time before he leaves and that's it. It genuinely was just two friends reuniting—"

"Bullshit," Armaan cuts me off.

"Bro, I don't know what to tell you," I try to lie.

"Swear it."

"I swear to god on everything that is holy."

"Swear on your Apple products," He orders. Fuck this one stupid thing that I got from Tina before we stopped being friends. It's the only way people know I'm not lying now. My lack of an immediate swear leads Armaan to instantly realize the truth. I turn the car to self-driving mode and look at him and his nose which is still slightly crooked from when he fell in the bathroom as a kid. He knows I am lying, and I do too. I just don't know what the truth is yet. I take a deep breath and start talking slowly so I can be very intentional with my words.

"Look. We met. We realized something was still there. Neither of us knows what that is yet. It has been a grand total of four days. There's a lot to figure out and I don't even know if it's going to last. There's no point in getting anxious about it. You know that I live in the moment, so this is all that it is."

"Be careful," Armaan warns, "Don't let him hurt you. Again."

"I won't. I swear on my Apple products."