All Strings Attached

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Sita sits in front of Thathayya, wrapping the BP monitor's extension around his arm, and letting him know he mustn't move before turning the machine on.

"Do you want to campaign with Dhruv today?" I ask Sita, "he's visiting college students and the likes."

"And you?" She enquires, her eyebrows shooting up.

I smile. "Farmers, general public."

She looks up, thoughtfully, and then down at her hands. "I want to go with you," she says slowly.

"I thought you would like to meet students," I push, trying to keep a levelled tone, but I know I fail, because a smile fights its way onto my face.

"When you visit students, I'll go with you," she says, looking away from me, and busying herself with the monitor. "Your BP's perfect," she tells thathayya, as if she didn't just make my heart flip.

Thathayya smiles. "Of course it is. I'm a happy man, surrounded by my family."

"And also because you are using your medication properly," Sita supplies, her tone slightly pointed towards something Thathayya seems to understand.

He shuffles in his seat, and nods. "It won't happen again," he says.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone intimidate my grandfather. I certainly don't think I've ever seen my grandfather let anyone intimidate him.

"Okay, then," Sita stands up, packing up the BP monitor, "I'll go get ready for the day. Do you want me to do anything before I leave?" She asks thathayya.

Thathayya smiles, his eyes crinkling with love for his new granddaughter. "No, Bangaru thalli. I'll see you later so we can order books, yes?"

Sita smiles back, equally affectionately, "of course."

~.~.~.~.~

"Meera!" Sita squeals, jumping up from her seat on the sofa, clamping a hand to her mouth to hide her gaping mouth.

"Sita!" Meera squeals in return giggling happily, and running to hug my wife as Veer and I watch in an awkward silence. I look at him and thin my lips, unable to find the words to express my thoughts, and resort to looking at the best-friends duo, who are holding onto each other as though they don't speak on the phone every other day.

"Kinda wish she ran to me like that," Veer says, making me nod quickly at how he found the words for my thoughts.

I did not think I would be jealous of Sita's best friend.

Lies.

I cannot wait for her to hangup every time she's on the phone with Meera.

"I have so much to tell you!" Meera says, pulling away from my wife, but keeping her within an arms length as the two of them settle onto the single settee, attached at the hip.

"You guys talk every day," Veer voices my thoughts, once again. "How much more can you have to tell her?"

Sita looks at Veer with a cheeky grin. "Hi Veer. You good?" She crinkles her nose, "I smell something burning."

"I think it's more intense than usual," Meera adds, giving me a grin that eerily mimics Sita's. "Your husband's joined in now."

I feel the heat creep up my neck at being called out. So it's normal to be jealous of your wife's best friend?

My wife, herself, flushes a shade of pink, only chuckling awkwardly.

"Aw, it's the newlywed shyness," Meera calls out, pinching Sita's cheeks. "Now, please call for a cup of coffee— I do actually have a lot to talk about."