Titaliya

Chapter 8

Two days before she was due to leave, they were playing Monopoly in the parlor. Although Nani was trying her best, Ayush was dominating the board. He had hotels and houses everywhere, and making them pay through the nose in rent. A knock sounded at the door.

Akash got up, leaving the room with a warning to not mess with his properties. Mami didn't listen and shifted some of the buildings.

Ayush ignored her movements and counted his colorful money.

"Bhai?!" Akash yelled from the foyer. Everyone else in the parlor froze. Akash shouting was their warning. Veda got up from her seat and retreated to the kitchen, and from there into the wine cellar.

***

Arnav stepped through the door and immediately felt it. That strange change in the atmosphere when Khushi was around. He felt lighter the second he stepped into the house. Akash looked worried to see him. Maybe it was just his imagination.

"Bhai, why are you here?" Akash asked.

"Surprise, Akash. I had work in Paris, and I wanted to see you before I left."

His brother looked like death itself. The dark circles under Arnav's eyes were the most prominent part of his face. His beard was unkempt, his smile hollow. Akash slowly led him into the parlor, trying to gain more time by showing parts of the house.

By the time all that was left of Veda in the parlor was her half-empty wine glass by the monopoly game. Ayush and Manorama were strategizing and fighting over the dice. Manorama dropped the dice and all of her Monopoly money on seeing Arnav. Akash let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Namaste, Mami."

"Where's Payal?"

"Payal is upstairs," Akash answered. "I'll go bring her."

He raced up the stairs as soon he was out of sight. Payal was with Sharda Nani in the master bedroom, telling her about Lucknow and how they'd grown up.

"Payal, Bhai is here!"

Payal rose up immediately.

"Where's Khushi?" she asked.

"She's hiding somewhere in the house, I think. I managed to warn her when I saw Bhai at the front door."

"Why in the world is my granddaughter hiding?" Sharda Nani asked.

"Because it's Arnav, ma'am," Akash answered. "She's done so much to get away from him."

"She can't run away from him forever. She doesn't need to either," Sharda Nani said, dusting off invisible dust from her shoulders and heading for the parlor. "Let's get this over with."

"Veda, beta. Where are you?" She yelled into the corridor.

Downstairs, Veda heard the voices of the people above. She had opened the first of the bottles of rosé from the cellar and was chugging it like it was Oktoberfest. Liquid courage tasted good. When Arnav saw her, she wanted to either be very brave... or very unconscious. Her nani called, and the wine made her forget for a second why she was hiding. She sluggishly walked up the stairs of the wine cellar and back into the kitchen.

Aditi was waiting for her in the kitchen. She could hear Arnav's voice in the other room, talking to Mami. She only hoped Mami hadn't spilled anything.

"Sharda Ma'am is calling you, Veda," Aditi said.

"I can't go in there," Veda hissed. "Arnav Singh Raizada is in that room."

Aditi shook her head. Sharda ma'am wouldn't let Veda hide away from ASR all her life. In a few years, their meeting would be unavoidable. Sharda Bharadwaj had no plans of keeping her granddaughter out of the limelight. Some things were like ripping off a bandaid, best done quickly. Arnav Singh Raizada would get the shock of his life, but Veda wouldn't have to hide anymore.

"Let me check if he's still there," Aditi said. She went to the door, stepping lightly.. And then opened the door wide, stomping her foot on the ground to make sure everyone looked up and into the kitchen.

Veda clutched the bottle of rosé to her chest.

"Merde," she whispered to herself.

[Shit.]

For the first time in months, she prayed to her goddess.

Hey Devi Mayya, Raksha karna.

Writer's Note

They finally meet. Technically, anyway. The real interaction and everything happens in the next few chapters. The last few chapters were a bit shorter, but this one's pretty long.

The next few chapters will be funny (hopefully).

Have fun reading this.