Sᴇʀᴇɴᴅɪᴘɪᴛʏ

06. A sᴀɪʟ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ 'ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ-sʜɪᴘ' ғᴏʀ ʟɪғᴇᴛɪᴍᴇ?

By the time Kabir and Vasu walked into the dining room, Arjun and Abir had finished with their dinner and were seated over in the living room. Kabir was lost thinking about everything as he sat over his chair and Vasu served the food in his plate and sat on the chair opposite to him. Never had anything messed with his mind so much. Never. He was occupied in his thoughts, when a little tug on his arm brought him back to reality. He hummed and looked at his mother, who sat before him, looking at him curiously. He questioned her through his eyes, arching them, and she asked, "What are you thinking?", to which, he shook his head, vehemently, denying anything as such.

"Have your food," Vasu said and Kabir nodded, starting to eat, pushing aside all his thoughts, and suddenly realising, he asked, "Why are you not eating?"

"I will eat with Cheekoo," She said and smiled, briefly, "She hasn't eaten anything after her breakfast, and I won't be able to eat till she eats something, and moreover, I made her favourite potato curry."

Kabir stared at his mother for a moment, after she said this, and then, as he felt the guilt consume his entire self, he sighed, putting back the spoon in his hand, back into his plate, subdued, and he stood up, pushing the chair back, startling his mother, for a moment. Vasu looked at him, confused, as she saw him walk into the kitchen and bring a sheet of aluminium foil, and quickly, as she continued to look at him, he spread the sheet over the dining table, and putting a roti over it and some curry in the mid, he made a roll out of it, wrapping it with the sheet.

Confused, Vasu asked, "What are you doing, Jojo?"

"Mom, please, have your food. I will make her eat," Kabir said, almost shocking her, and even Arjun and Abir turned their heads, to look at him.

"But, your food?" She asked.

"I am not hungry, mom," Kabir said and turned, walking out of the house, when he was stopped by Arjun, and Kabir turned to face him.

"Yes, Dad?" Kabir asked.

"I never knew that you'd be so empathetic," Arjun commented, but, it only made Kabir awkward.

"There's nothing like that, Dad. It's just that she hasn't eaten anything since the breakfast, and more or less, I am the one to be blamed for that," Kabir said, and tried to avoid an eye-contact as much as possible, and Arjun nodded.

"You should go. She must be feeling so alone, now. It isn't always easy, when you fight with your parents," Arjun said, and said, "Also, Cheekoo told me in the morning that you were crying in college the other day and that you haven't been having your food properly, because of the friction between us? I thought you were a strong kid, Kabir. Aur tum Rajputi khoon ho, aur Rajputi khoon aise nahi rote."

"She told you that I cried?" Kabir asked, taken aback.

"Baap hoon, beta. Cheekoo na bhi bolti, to bhi pata chal jaata mujhe," Arjun said and smiled, "Aur tumhaari meri koi dushmani thode na hai? Thoda daant nahi sakta kya?"

"Ji, Dad," Kabir said and nodded, understanding the whole drama that was happening in the morning, and realising why his dad chose to reconcile with him, putting aside their differences, all of a sudden.

Damn! It was her? And, fuck, what did I even do?

"Dad, I'll go, now," Kabir said and hurried as he looked at his brother, confused. He felt even guiltier, now, and so much, that it would be so foolish of him to not go to her. He quickly marched out of his house and reached into his lawn, and his eyes fell on her, still in the place where she was, since the morning. Her head hung a bit low and leaned to the side. And not wasting another moment, he jumped the fence and got into her lawn, startling her with his loud footsteps and she turned her head around and her eyes fell over him and before she could react, he walked to her and brushing the guilt off his face, he sat beside her on the swing. He breathed and resting his elbow over the back of the swing, he turned to face her, and as soon as he looked at her, his emotions were out of their place, running around heedlessly, again. She looked at him, curiously, for a moment, trying to understand his intentions, but, understanding what all was written over his face, she faced away and shook her head, scornfully.