Dare Trilogy | Book 3 Editing | ✓

3.3 | Best For Me

Aarav.

It was impossible to not have a soft spot for him. It wasn't because I now knew Anjali's story or anything as such. He was a great kid. One I had taken a liking to all those years ago in that one meeting itself at the temple when I didn't even know who he was or anything about him and Anjali.

The situations of his birth might have been difficult, but the three 'parents' in his life were doing a marvelous job raising him. Somewhere, I wanted to just stay in the sidelines and be friends with him. He didn't need a fourth parent. I was content where we were.

"How long had you been home alone?"

He replied, not bothering to do the math. "Mom dropped me off around 3."

Huh, another thing in common with Arnav. Both hated math. Even simple math! How Arnav completed business school and got a degree, I have no idea.

An hour later, we were still watching TV. Only, we were done eating. An empty plate sat on the table in front of the couch. Crumbs licked off - I won't admit which of us was responsible for that.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Arnav asked, walking in the living room from his room.

I nonchalantly stated. "Watching Criminal Minds."

"And making a child watch that?"

Aarav got up and settled himself next to Arnav instead. "I wanted to watch it."

Even now, I hadn't moved my eyes off the screen. "What he said." I was glad for the little guys back up.

He let his thoughts known, "I'm worried about how Aarav will change if he spends more time with you."

I faked a laughter. I knew what he was talking about. I should have been careful to not let a kid watch a show like Criminal Minds, but I was also pretty sure this wasn't going to scar his innocence. He wasn't going to grow up and remember watching this episode. Heck, even if he was smarter than kids his age, he probably didn't even understand what was happening in the episode I was watching.

"You don't get a say in that. Aarav does."

He loosened his tie to get comfortable now that he wasn't working, "Have you talked to Armaan?"

"Hush." I scolded. I didn't even hear what he was saying. The episode was ending, and I wanted to see the kidnapper being caught, never mind the fact that this was one of the repeat episodes and I'd already watched this particular episode when it originally aired. "What were you saying?" I asked once the credits started rolling.

"Have you talked to Armaan? And shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"No." I checked my wrist watch to answer his second question. We were going out for dinner today. "And, I still have two hours. Why would I get ready this early?"

"I dunno, you girls take hours to get ready."

I rolled my eyes, "Don't discriminate, Raizada. It takes me fifteen minutes to get ready, if I'm actually trying, which is practically never. So, just five."

Aarav piped in with his commentary, "Hah, even mom can barely scold him and you're doing just fine." Arnav glared at him, while I passed him a grin along with winking. See, he was already on my side. No reason to not love him.

"I'm not just saying you girls take forever just because. I've grown up with Anjali and Kripa. But, knowing you, it's probably true. You don't try."

I was flipping through channels to try and find something else to watch, until Arnav asked me to stop at one. I groaned and passed over the remote, "I take no interest in this. So..." I stood up to leave for my room. "You're more than welcome to watch this boring news."